UMEK - Hell Yeah!
Interview by Gregor Zalokar

Slovenia’s Uros Umek is without question one of the most exciting techno DJ/producers in the world. You only have to make a quick search on Beatport to see how prolific and popular he is, regularly topping the techno sales charts with a diverse selection of original productions and remixes, and the DJ Magazine Top 100 DJs list wouldn’t be complete without his presence year in year out (he currently resides at No.33 in the 2008 poll).

The first thing you notice about Umek is his imposing stature (he used to be a talented basketball player), but his reputation as a ‘gentle giant’ precedes him, and sitting in his studio sipping a civilised cup of tea, it soon becomes obvious that the big man is bubbling with enthusiasm for his new mix album, and is full of ideas and opinions about the music scene.

‘It’s been quite a while since I’ve released my last compilation, so I tried to achieve several goals with this new one for Hell Yeah. As always, I tried to go further than any time before and at the same time present what I do nowadays as a producer and DJ. Because I now use Traktor for my gigs, I tried to create my own story by putting together a lot more tracks than is common for a typical DJ mix compilation. The basic approach was totally different to mixing vinyl or CDs, as this set up allows me to build the soundtrack from the whole tracks or just parts of them. I can, for example, use just a bassline from one recording and high-hat from other one, so it’s not unusual for my sets, and on this compilation as well, to hear four tracks running in the mix at the same time. This is all about what I do in the clubs, so the record really can’t be labelled as an easy home listening project.’

Umek’s diverse style has sometimes (rather too conveniently) been labelled the ‘Slovenian techno sound’, a tag that perhaps misses the bigger picture. It’s his blending of elements from different schools of techno that keep things evolving. ‘I didn’t do minimal when it was at its peak but I did take elements from it and incorporated them into my sound, which was always a unique blend of at least two genres, and I intend to keep it that way in the future, too. I’m playing techno but this genre really does change, everything is very dynamic and there are always some boundaries to be pushed a bit further.’

It’s refreshing to hear that electronic music culture is in such dedicated hands, especially when tales of doom and gloom are ever present in the music industry today. There is no doubt that everything has changed so much in the last few years. But where is it all going?

 ‘I don’t really know where it will go but I’m sure there will be some new, fresh, young producers who will change the way music is and the way it’s produced. Young people have a different attitude towards music than me. They almost don’t know any more what an original copy of a CD looks like. Vinyl is science fiction for them. I can’t wait to see what happens next. More and more companies will make crazy plug-ins and programmes. Ableton Live and Reaktor have changed electronic production. And there’s one other important thing we shouldn’t overlook. Beatport is changing things too, in the way they allow customers to listen to a clip of each track from the second to the fourth minute – it’s really important what happens in that part of the track. So if you have a less interesting part of the track at that interval you won’t sell well on Beatport! Sooner or later people will think about that and adapt their music if Beatport doesn’t change this.’

Umek’s enthusiasm is infectious, and his attitude refreshing in an industry that is often overrun with uncontrolled egos. This is a man who is doing things for the right reasons, and there’s just enough time to dig a little deeper and find out about the other projects he’s working on now he has this exciting Hell Yeah mix compilation in the bag. ‘I’m working on a remix for Wave Music and Popof now. At the same time I’m working on various tracks for my next artist album. It’s going to be a dance floor album that will represent what I’ve been doing in the studio for the past couple of years.’

There have also been rumours of a new artist album for a while now, but it looks like things are finally falling into place. ‘Actually it’s the third version of this album that I’m producing right now. I’ve already done two complete song oriented albums that feature many talented artists, but my sound changed so much in between that I decided not to release these as I’m afraid I could confuse the audience with it too much. Luckily the third one will fit the time and place in the universal plan and you will be able to enjoy it later this year.’

Read the full verson of this interview @ www.core-mag.net. Issue 6.

Umek : Hell Yeah! (Hell Yeah) mix compilation is released July 2009.