For this legend of techno it’s all about the humble roots of the music and making people dance. Don’t be fooled, if Umek, the legendary Slovenian DJ/Producer wanted to have an ego he certainly has enough ammo packing to do so; over 500 worldwide releases with labels like Armada, Renaissance and Audiomatique; owner of the  world changing “1605”, Recycled Loops and Consumer Recreation record labels; creator of the highly popular radio show aired on SiriusXM “Behind the Iron Curtain”; one of the biggest names on the global techno scene and genuinely a nice guy. Did I throw you for a loop there? Let me repeat myself, Umek is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met and his lack of pretentious attitude and relaxed philosophies on music completely won me over.

Besides being completely jovial after a long flight, Umek’s “there’s enough room for everyone” attitude towards up and coming artists is so refreshing; in a world where the same 10 tracks play on the radio, diversity is a welcome change. Does Umek make techno music easier to digest for the mainstream masses? Yes, but does popular for the mainstream have to be synonymous with ‘bad music’? The Beatles were the most mainstream rock group of the 60’s but arguably the one of the most influential groups of all time; Armand Van Helden akaSultans of Swing aka Duck Sauce is consistently on the radio no matter what name he goes by. Mozart’s music has been the main influence of everything from heavy metal to hip hop. Do you get where I’m going with this? Popular music is popular for a reason and in a scene of electronic music where the experts compare artists in the categories of purists VS non-purists VS popular, Umek is definitely the latter. Although some would argue that not everyone with Serato can actually DJ, Umek takes elite status out of equation and runs with the relaxed philosophy that “If it makes me dance, I’ll sign it.”  - pretty simplistic approach that has allowed parties like Electric Zoo and Space Ibiza to hit the mainstream North American festival circuit.

In attempts to compete with the massively popular UK and Berlin techno and tech-house scenes, Umek piles the focus on Eastern European DJs/ producers through his “Eastern Flavour” segment on Behind the Iron Curtain and takes a real fancy to signing Eastern European names to his record label “1605” for the same reason. Much more than a producer,Umek is more of a musical Medici – being a patron of the arts and supporting up and coming artists with his influence. Bad Music? No. Mainstream? Maybe. Good guy who brings electronic music to the masses? Definitely.  His wisdom and seniority in the electronic scene are paramount to his successes as a producer but it’s his ability to support the little guy is what really sets him apart. Umek may be a giant in the techno world but we’d consider him a gentle one.