interview: Umek The Unstoppable!

14th July 2009 / Comments (0) / Views (987)

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Uros Umek has been seducing the masses with his own music blend for more than a decade. Always on the look for new sounds and determined to challenge every existing cliché in music industry, he managed to define his own vision of vanguard techno. Sure, this would not happen without the support of his loyal peers who’ve joined him on the production platforms such as Recycled Loops, Consumer Recreation and Astrodisco, with which they defined “Slovenian techno sound”.

Sleeping on past achievements was never Umek’s thing. So it’s nosurprise he decided for complete renovation of his sound and live set performance though being steady member of Top 100 DJ lists for almost a decade. I’ve been chasing Umek for a long time, obviously not that easy to get hold of he is on demand but finally it was worth it here we have the unstoppable!

What have you been up to lately and what can we expect from you over the next couple of months?
As always I am working on a bunch of projects at the same time. I’ve just had couple of fresh releases on Cocoon, Terminal M, Astrodisco, Dataworx … I am working on a new album and few remixes and some new EPs. Oh, and my brand new DJ Mix on Hell Yeah is coming out in a few days.

Who or what has been the biggest influence?
Not who –what. For me dance floor is the most important inspiration and influence at the same time. It’s what inspires me as a deejay and as a producer. I create music for dance floors. I want to catch that feeling and energy in my productions. I always try to imagine how this or that track would work on a dance floor.

What was your first big breakthrough as an act?
An interesting thing is that I’ve already had more than 30 releases before I got my first international booking. So it’s hard for me to pick record that I could label as my breakthrough production. But things really start moving after Mumps, first Consumer Recreation, Lanicor and Gatex. In that time I hade at least a dozen of records on the market, but 2000 was definitely my breakthrough year.

What would you rate as the best experience that you’ve had in the music scene so far?
I still remember the day when I was sitting in the studio, working on some new tracks, when I got a call from the UK. The voice on the other side of the wire has confirmed they’ve received my demo tape and that they are willing to release the track on Zeta. This was one of the best moments in my life.

What’s the first record you bought?
I think it was a Bomb the Bass album.

Which one do you enjoy more, deejaying or producing?
Both. I can’t imagine doing one without the other. And it’s also part of my music philosophy that the deejay should produce music and vise versa. These two things go hand in hand.

What’s the key to getting noticed?
I guess these days it’s essential to be a damn good producer. Times when it was just enough to be a good deejay are gone. Now, if you want to succeed in this game you have to be complete artists, skilful deejay and producer with distinguished sound.

When and where was your best gig?
I have the best gig on a weekly basis. I like to perform at any place with a good crowd. Every gig in my hometown Ljubljana is very special. And the pinnacle of it all is my annual 6-hour solo open air gig in the city central park Tivoli that happens every last Saturday in August. The party is called Zur z Razlogom (or Party With a Cause) and it’s a charity event that supports various organizations that help young people in distress. Last year more than 30,000 people came to party and we’ve gathered a lot of charity money collecting the SMS donations. That’s magical: it’s a fabulous event and we help other people by having fun at the same time.

And the worst one?
Anywhere where there’s not enough people on the dance floor. Luckily this happens rarely. In that case I try to do things a bit different, test some new records, play songs that I don’t play very often. But I give my best at every gig I do as even if the dance floor is not full, the people that are on it did pay to hear me play. And in a way they are treated a bit special as they can enjoy my sets that are a bit different from “the regular” ones.

What makes a party good & bad?
The crowd. If the people are up for partying, you can perform in a worst shit-hole but you’ll still enjoy it. But if you are in the nicest club in the world and you get no response from the crowd it’s a real torture.

What’s more important: the mix or the next tune?
Both. These two things together are essential if you want to rock the floor.

What’s the most ridiculous promotional thing you’ve done?
I don’t really know. I’m trying to stay low profile when it comes to the yellow print and promotional stunts that are not closely connected to the music and what I stand for. For example: this year I’ve got wild card to participate in the finals of national leg of Eurovision- for the second time. And I declined. If I’d accepted this would be the answer to your question.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I hope I will still travel around the world to make people happy by mixing tunes and producing new ones in my home studio. Not necessary alone. I’ve already teamed up with some young artists, we are doing some collaborations in the studio, they can learn from me and I’m supporting them with occasional advice, on my label and other projects I’m involved in. The process of learning works both ways. The ways these young guys think and work are totally different to my thinking and work process. I really enjoy looking into their heads.

Is a DJ a star today? Or does he have to be more than just a DJ? What do you think of the superstar DJ phenomenon?
People need superstars and superheroes so I don’t mind.

Do you think the club scene is a closed shop with regard to new DJs getting heard?
As a promoter I always try to bring new deejays to Slovenia. But I have to say I occasionally have great problems bringing people in for this kind of nights. Although I strongly believe it is promoter’s job to introduce new, fresh, talented artists otherwise the scene will become boring. Always partying to the sets of the same deejays - no thank you.

Is there a different reaction in clubs from different countries across the globe?
Yes it is. Some scenes are only about how nicely dressed you are. I hate that. I like the Balkans a lot. Hot, passionate crowd - this is how I like it!

Do you sample, use old records, listen to them, or how does your producing process go?
It depends. When I was running Consumer Recreation, everything was made from the scratch. I didn’t allow myself to sample. But when I found the Recycled Loops with Valentino Kanzyani, everything was sampled. That was the core idea behind the whole project. Now I combine best of both worlds. I usually create a rhythm first as I think that’s the most important element of my production. Then I add the bass line, main theme, synths and effects and I also take care of all additional arrangements. I also do a rough mix of my tracks on my own.

What was the party that affected you a lot?
That were Aldo Ivancic and Brane Zorman’s resident nights in Ljubljana based K4 club early in the 90s. This is where it all started for me – getting hooked on the sound of Slovenian electronic music pioneers.

Which is more appealing to you while deejaying: to dig out a relatively old track, or play the newest release?
I like to play my music as fresh as possible. Crowd loves it if you drop old tunes but I enjoy it the most when I buy some wicked new tunes and I play them in the club for the first time. These moments are so unpredictable. You never really know how it will work. This is priceless. That’s my adrenalin rush.

What is the most interesting comment you have heard about your music?
I’m not sure this is the most interesting one, bit just a few days ago I was accused of stealing the vocals, which I’ve used on a fresh single Pravim haos, signed to Cocoon. The truth is that I’ve found that sample from an old Yugoslavian documentary film on the You Tube and I didn’t hide this at any time.

Is it the technique that is important? Or the selection or the looks or the moves?
The winner has them all!

Is there something that you don’t like about this scene or things that pissed you off along the way?
Yes. I hate answering the same questions all over again when they pick me up at the airport. I really should make a list with 30 answers and give it out when I land. J You wont believe how predictable that is.

What’s the single most exciting thing about dance music at the moment in your opinion?
Who’s been your favorite musician or producer that you have worked with over the years?
I’ve had fun sharing studio with many great artists in the past. For example with Iztok Turk, Valentino Kanzayani, Jani Hace, or more recently Tomy DeClerque and Beltek …

Who is rocking your boat these days and who are your top tips for 2009? / What deejays and producers are doing it for you these days?
I play everything from Tomy DeClerque and Vladimir Acic. I also like Popof, Fergie, Alex Long, Dandi & Ugo a lot. They do stuff that creates real mayhem on a dance floor and I need some bombs like that in my sets.

Which deejay would you most like to punch and why?
It would be the one who plays on two decks and still can’t beat-match. Go home or by Traktor. Please, don’t let us suffer anymore!

What is the magic hangover cure?
It used to be big amounts of vitamins and guarana or caffeine pills. I didn’t have that kind of problem for a while as I’m back to no drinking policy.

What’s going to be the next big thing in music?
This is something very hard to predict. Fusion of styles always works, especially in combination with the development of new gadgets and tools.

What is the biggest amount of drugs you’ve ever been offered?
In Colombia cocaine is cheap. So they offer me 100g of cocaine.

What’s your best tip for getting money out of dodgy promoters?
You ask money to be wired to your account 100% percent in advance. It works.

Which is your personal favorite track that you’ve produced & why?
Ricochet Effect still touches me every single time I play it. It bears some certain feel inside that really appeals to me. I still love listening that track in car or wherever, I never skip it. And I can’t say that for most of the tunes.

What would you say is the most difficult aspect of music production?
To get the sounds you imagined out of the instruments and machines at the end of the production process. Sometimes it’s really hard to express something, especially if it’s very abstract and complex. I would always like to change something when the record is already being pressed.

What are your favorite production tools / gadgets?
At the moment I do most of producing with Logic and Reaktor and I use Traktor and Reaktor for deejaying.

What do you think about this whole minimal craze and do you support that?
I would say the era of minimal is gone. Almost all minimal guys are moving into tech-house now. Or at least they try to. But it’s very interesting how this trend changed the whole music scene. You can hear minimal influence in all styles now: house, electro, techno, trance … and in my music as well.

If you had to do something different what do you think you would end up doing?
I would be a professional basketball player. I just love this game!

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Always take the zebra with you. You never know when you’ll need it.

If there is one rule in life to live by, what is it?
Break all the rules. This is the only way you can create something very unique, your own.

How much would I have to stump up for you to play my cousin’s birthday in a few weeks?
I do not do wedding receptions, birthdays and office parties. Though I did an exception last year when one of my best friends got married. And even that was camouflaged as a regular party. Lets say this is the way I apply my “brake all the rules” policy even to my own rules.

What destroys music?
Bad tunes. Producers should really be more careful what they release as there’s so many badly produced music on the market that doesn’t sell at all and it only makes life harder to all the deejays that are buying music legally. I’m getting annoyed, nervous, every time I go to the Beatport as I know I’ll spent at least one whole day digging trough the landslide of garbage to find some rare gems and I’m afraid some great productions are lost every day as we can’t spot them because of all this shit.

What keeps it alive?
New, fresh sounding producers, which are hard to spot because of the above mentioned problem of music waste. The other side to that story is, that I’m really happy any time when I find something good, especially if nobody else plays it yet.

What are your plans for the rest of the year in terms of production and general music related business?
I am working on remixes for Wave Music and Popof and at the same time I’m producing various tracks for my next artist album. And I’m just about to release a brand new mix CD on Hell Yeah that includes bonus CD with bunch of my unreleased production. I’m really proud on this one as it’s been a while since I’ve released my last compilation.

What is your aim as a producer, what ambitions have you got?
After all this years and experience I feel that I’m still learning. I’m as a little child discovering the world anytime I go to the studio. The tools evolve all the time and you have to follow what’s new and learn new stuff. The course of this business is that I’m never totally satisfied with anything I do. I always feel I could do things even a bit better and this keeps me going on. It’s a neverending story. My goal is not to have top tune on Beatport or some techno chart. Sure, it’s a nice feeling to see my tracks are selling well but there’s no satisfaction in it if I know I didn’t do my best

What’s the perfect holiday for you?
It depends on the circumstances but basically any place that’s more than one hour away from my studio would do. I usually look for some peace and I take my girlfriend and computer with whole bunch of DVDs with me.

How would you want to die?
In my sleep. I guess that’s the most comfortable way to go.

Do you believe a good life is attainable? Or is it something that is out of our control i. e. subject to luck etc.
I believe I live a very good life. Occasionally some bad things happen but some ups and downs are the part of everyman’s life. This is what spices up the life.

What attracts you most?
Interesting scents.

Who was your hero as a child?
My mother has told me it was our local garbage man. And as a story goes I was really determined to go after his job.

What’s good about the UK?
I admire the queen’s guards, which are trained to stand perfectly still no matter what’s happening around them. And those lovely red busses. Not to mention half naked young women that are running around in the middle of the winter in flip flops and a pint of lager in their hand. This is the thing you can experience only in the UK and Ireland.

What’s been your most extravagant purchase?
Fluorescent yellow Adidas track suit with which I’ve enlightened the recent rave in Ljubljana. But it was worth it any penny and fashion police attacks – I’ve never made so many people happy and laughing their tears out without any real effort.

What was your worst ever job?
If going to school counts then that. I’ve never had a real job but I’ve had really hard time going to school as I felt that it was killing my creativity.

If you had your own chat show, who would be your first guest?
The world’s best accordion performer. I’ve never totally got it how can someone become the world champion by playing accordion, which is Slovenian national music instrument. I don’t really know why but I find this very funny.

If you had only six months to live, what would you do first?
I’d sell everything I got and spend that money to enjoy myself.

What are you most proud of in your life?
That I’ve gathered enough courage at the age of 17 to quit school and basketball and tell my mom I’m going to be an internationally known deejay and I’ll be playing music all around the world. Luckily I achieved that, but I think I gave my mother a small heart attack that day. She didn’t agree with me but latter she admitted I took the right decision and thanked me not to listen to her then.

Who do you admire most?
I don’t have a real role model but young people are really interesting to observe. I just can’t get it how differently they look on everything, how they think about the world, how the act, function. And I’m only 33 years old and already see that. I always enjoy spending time with bright teenagers that see the world around them totally different as I do. They brains have to be connected and wired a bit different than mine, I guess.

If you had to pick one car, which would it be?
I guess, some large SUV. Because of the safety and comfort that is something I put on a lot of thoughts. But I don’t have anything special regarding transportation in my rider.

If you could pick anyone dead or alive to have lunch with, who would it be?
David Icke, the guru of conspiracy theories. Talking to him at lunch would probably be an amazing experience. I’ve read his stuff on the web and attended his lecture in London. It was amazing. He attracted very interesting people. He’s amazing, bright and funny speaker. But it could be any interesting person that attracts me. For the last two days I’m spending some time with the guy who is some kind of computer wizard. My computers were hacked and he takes care of this. His view on life, the information he expresses, the way he talks, are really interesting. People who are brighter than me and think differently are always attracting my attention.

What was your biggest turnoff?
Once I was dining in a really lovely hotel somewhere in China. And there was this guy with almost no teeth beside me spiting, burping, eating and throwing things on the floor all at the same time. That was really disgusting. I’m used of everything but this was really some ugly impression.

If you could have one super human power what would you choose?
Mind reading. Have I told you about my obsession with people who are brighter or think in a different way that I do?

Your favorite movie of all time?
It’s hard to choose only one. All this movies were really special and in a way shocking when they came to the theaters: Fight Club, Butterfly Effect and Matrix.

Favorite Rapper
Slovenian guy Klemen Klemen. He’s an amazing artists and a great person.

If you could time travel, what would be your first stop?
Future. Year 2800. I’m amazed with new technologies and progress and I’m kind of sad that I won’t be able to experience some things that will happen in the future. The progress of human knowledge and technology in the second half of 20th century was amazing but I have a feeling I was born 20 years too early to experience next revolution in technology. We are just a bit stuck right now, so it would be great if I could freeze myself and be reanimated after two decades. I would like to see the aliens that I’m sure are already living among us. I’d like to the reaction of the whole world and the people in panic when they discover the truth. I would like to see how people will be living in the future.

Can you cook?
I’m not a chef but I’m never hungry either. My special is three-minute pasta with one-minute sauce warmed up in the microwave oven.

Favorite actor
It’s hard to choose just one. Edward Norton, Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt from the time he’s not so pretty any more.

Are you obsessed about anything?
Music. I can’t imagine a day without music.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
I wouldn’t trade Ljubljana for anything. It’s small and handy. You can be at the airport in 15 minutes, in 20 at the nearest ski slope, in 45 at the sea, Bled is half an hour drive away, the amazing cave in Postojna too, you can be at the lake of Bohinj in 1 hour … It’s hard to find so many amazing places like that on such a small patch of a land anywhere on the globe. That’s a precious thing.

If you could time travel to the past to correct any mistakes you feel you’ve made would you?
No. I don’t regret anything.
 
 Interview link: djdownload.com

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