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“I am currently in LA for three months,” says
37-year-old Uros Umek, who otherwise lives
in his hometown of Ljubljana.
“This year big American promoters such as
Insomniac have been pushing me onto the
main stages at festivals so, at the moment, it
makes sense to be closer to all that.”
Umek started DJing in 1993, inspired by rare
imported vinyl 12s such as Royal House’s ‘Can
You Party?’ and releases from German techno
don Westbam. Now, 20 years later, he’s one
of the few responsible for putting Eastern
Europe on the global EDM map.
His Behind the Iron Curtain radio shows
continue to spread the techno and tech
house sound he loves across the region, and
beyond. His own productions — such as his
2007-released deep, liquid, melodious tech
house hit ‘Ricochet Effect’, that came out as
part of his ‘Print This Story EP’ — sum up the
maverick spirit of his sound.
“I love that buzz of creating music from
scratch,” he says.
“I produce music based on the energy I get
from the dance?oor.” CLAIRE HUGHES
?38
UMEK
From: Slovenia. Style: “Stuck right between techno
and tech house.” Best known for: “Mayhem on the
dance?oor with DJ s