Uroš Umek (; born May 16, 1976), better known as DJ Umek or simply Umek, is a Slovenian

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded da ...

producer and DJ. Musically active since 1993, he is the owner of several

techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

record labels. In 1999 he founded Consumer Recreation and Recycled Loops, the former of which he co-runs with

Valentino Kanzyani Tine Kocjančič, better known as Valentino Kanzyani is a Slovene techno deejay and music producer. He has also released records under the name Recycled Loops, which is also the name of one of the record labels that he co-runs (with DJ Umek), th ...

. Recycled Loops formed the sublabel Earresistible Musick in 2001, and in 2007 Umek founded the large techno label

1605 Events January–June * January 16 – The first part of Miguel de Cervantes' satire on the theme of chivalry, ''Don Quixote'' (''El ingenioso hidalgo don Quixote de la Mancha'', "The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha"), is publ ...

. In 2010, he won Best Techno Artist at the Beatport Music Awards, and in 2013 he was named Best Techno DJ at the EMPO Awards. In 2013, he won Best Techno Track at the

International Dance Music Awards The International Dance Music Awards or IDMAs is an annual awards ceremony held in Miami Beach, Florida, United States as a major part of the Winter Music Conference. The awards have been held every year since the conference's creation in 1985 e ...

, and the following year he won Best Techno/Tech House Artist. He has released singles and remixes on

Spinnin' Records Spinnin' Records is a Dutch electronic music record label founded in 1999 by Eelko van Kooten and Roger de Graaf. In September 2017, Warner Music Group acquired Spinnin' Records for over $100 million. Background Van Kooten is the son of former ...

and

Ultra Records Ultra Records is an American record label formed in New York City in 1995 by former PolyGram and Virgin Records executive Patrick Moxey. As of December 23, 2012, Ultra entered a global partnership with Sony Music, giving its artists access to ...

. Since 2015 UMEK switched back to darker techno style and is now releasing mostly on his own imprint 1605.

Career

Early years (1990s-2006)

Umek began DJing in 1993 at the age of 17. He was among the pioneers of the electronic music in Slovenia. In 1999 he released music on his own labels Consumer Recreation and Recycled Loops, the former of which he co-runs with

. Umek became famous by techno-supporters in Europe about 2001, for his fast mixing skills and his uplifting dj-sets. In the later years he changed his style a little bit. In 2001 he released music on Earresistible Musick, and in 2006, on Astrodisco.

1605 and hit singles (2006-2015)

In 2006 he released a single "Posing As Me," which was a big hit in

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. In 2007 he did another video supported project with a

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

n singer and lyrics writer Anđa Marić Carbon Occasions, and also released music on the label 1605 Records. On his birthday May 16 he organized a musical event called ''Dan Elektronike'' (Electronica Day). He was ranked at position 29 of the TOP 100 DJs for the year 2007 by the ''

DJ Magazine ''DJ Magazine'' (also known as ''DJ Mag'') is a British monthly magazine dedicated to electronic dance music and DJs. Founded in 1991, the magazine is adapted for distribution in the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Lat ...

''. Some people regard Umek as one of the Top 10 Techno DJs in the world. During all the subsequent years - until 2015 he managed to rank in the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs chart among the best DJs. He performed an ''

Essential Mix The ''Essential Mix'' is a weekly radio show on BBC Radio 1 currently broadcast between 0:00 and 2:00 a.m. UK time on Saturday morning. Originally broadcast on 30 October 1993, the ''Essential Mix'' features contemporary DJs and music produce ...

'' on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

in November 2007.BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix - Umek
- 24 November 2007 2010 was an adventurous and creative year for Umek. He released 2 No.1 Beatport hits: OMGWTF and "Back In the Race". He also teamed up with former Slovenian president Danilo Türk to appeal to high-school graduates not to drink alcohol on their prom dance. And in March of the same year he released his second authorial album and first on his label 1605 - "Responding To Dynamic", which acquired much attention in the world of techno music. In 2011 Umek launched his first radio show "Behind The Iron Curtain with Umek", currently present on more than 130 FM and online radio stations worldwide, where he weekly presents new talent and new music selection. From 2012 Umek's music style switch more to tech-house and commercial waters, which got him his first performance on

Tomorrowland Tomorrowland is one of the many themed lands featured at all of the Magic Kingdom styled Disney theme parks around the world owned or licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Each version of the land is different and features numerous attractions t ...

and mainstage performance on Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas in 2013. He started releasing much of his music on

and in the beginning of 2015 he released a collaboration with an American rapper

Waka Flocka Flame Juaquin James Malphurs (born May 31, 1986), known professionally as Waka Flocka Flame, is an American rapper. Signing to 1017 Brick Squad and Warner Bros. Records in 2009, he became a mainstream artist with the release of his singles "O Let's ...

, which stirred up the waters in the music industry.

Return to the dark side (2015+)

2015 was an important year in Umek's career. He decided to return to his roots of darker techno sounds, accompanied by the revival of his old electro moniker Zeta Reticula. To power-up his label he started to release the majority of his music on 1605. He also renewed his visual identity, reflecting his darker music style. In 2016 Umek co-founded a new music start-up compan
Viberate
which analyzes musicians and ranks them by their popularity and which already moved from his home city of

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the are ...

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo Coun ...

. During 2016 Umek teamed up once again with Toolroom Records and released his first ever music production course, titled
Techno Masterclass with Umek
, featuring 5,5 hours of quality music production tips and tricks. On December 21, 2018, Umek celebrated 25 years of making music at the sold-out event in Ljubljana, receiving congratulations from British techno DJ and producer

Carl Cox Carl Cox (born 29 July 1962) is a British house and techno club DJ, as well as radio DJ and record producer. He is based in Hove, Sussex, England. Cox has won and been nominated for numerous awards. He has performed at numerous clubs and e ...

and the President of the Republic of Slovenia,

Borut Pahor Borut Pahor (; born 2 November 1963) is a Slovenian politician who served as President of Slovenia from 2012 to 2022. He previously served as Prime Minister of Slovenia from November 2008 to February 2012. A longtime member and former presi ...

, among others.

Awards

Discography

EPs

The following is an incomplete list of EPs released by DJ Umek: *24: ''Burnfire'' (with Jay Colin) (

) *2014: ''All I Want'' (with Mike Vale) (

) *2014: ''Sweet Harmony'' (with

Groovebox A groovebox is a self-contained electronic or digital musical instrument for the production of live, loop-based electronic music with a high degree of user control facilitating improvisation. The term "Groovebox" was originally used by Roland Co ...

) (

) *2015: ''Cheezin (with Waka Flocka) (

) *2018: ''19119 EP'' (

Tronic ''Tronic'' is the third solo album by hip hop producer and rapper Black Milk, released on October 28, 2008 through Fat Beats Records. The album was produced by Black Milk, and features guest appearances from DJ Premier, Pharoahe Monch, Sean Pr ...

) *2019: ''Vibrancy'' (

) *2019: ''Ravaged Original Mix'' (

) *2019: ''Collision Wall'' (

) *2021: ''Watchers of the Sky (

) *2021: Frequency differ

Remixes

The following is an incomplete list of remixes released by DJ Umek: * 2013: Fedde Le Grand - "Metrum (UMEK Remix)" (Toolroom Records) * 2013: Ralph Falcon - "The Dig" (Renaissance Back Catalog) * 2013:

Parov Stelar Marcus Füreder (born 27 November 1974), better known by his stage name Parov Stelar, is an Austrian musician, composer, producer, DJ and designer. His musical style is based on a combination of jazz, house, electro, hip hop, and pop. Biog ...

- "All Night" (

) * 2013: Bontan - "The Revolution (UMEK Remix)" (Kraftek) * 2014:

Chris Lake Chris Lake (born 8 August 1982) is a British electronic music producer and DJ. He rose to fame in 2006 with his hit single, "Changes", featuring Laura V. Musical career Lake first became recognized for his bootleg remixes of the Prodigy's "Cli ...

Jareth Jareth is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the 1986 fantasy film ''Labyrinth.'' Portrayed by David Bowie, Jareth is the powerful and enigmatic king of the goblins to whom protagonist Sarah Williams wishes away her baby brother To ...

- "Helium (UMEK & Mike Vale Remix)" (

) * 2020:

Quench In materials science, quenching is the rapid cooling of a workpiece in water, oil, polymer, air, or other fluids to obtain certain material properties. A type of heat treating, quenching prevents undesired low-temperature processes, such as p ...

- "Dreams (UMEK Version)" (

)tus ideas 1605 * 2021: The Thrillseekers - "Synaesthesia (UMEK Remix)" (Armada Music)

References

External links

Official website

Discogs - UmekViberate - Official Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Umek, Uros 1976 births Living people Musicians from Ljubljana Club DJs Slovenian DJs Electronic dance music DJs