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This week, UMEK sat down to chat on the EDM Prodcast.

UMEK is a techno producer/DJ from Ljubljana, Slovenia who has been a scene staple for nearly 3 decades. Over the years he has moved from the classic techno sound, through to tech house, and then back to techno with a distinctly dark and melodic sound.

We dive into how moving genres and selling out was a bad move for his career, and that having a core fanbase is important. As a result, UMEK has side projects such as Zeta Reticula which allows him to explore other sounds without compromising his main project.

We talk about how he almost exclusively uses software for UMEK tracks, and why he got rid of over 20 synthesizers in favor of synths like Serum.

UMEK discusses his writing process and that he doesn't overthink the story behind a track - he just writes music that he thinks will sound good in his sets. He also describes how his DJ sets are a sprint rather than a marathon.

Cryptic Speech EP → https://www.beatport.com/release/cryptic-speech-ep/3337925

The Thrillseekers - Synaesthesia (UMEK Remix) → https://www.beatport.com/track/synaesthesia/15399183

Viberate → https://www.viberate.com/

Show notes → https://edmprod.com/episode-155

Connect with UMEK:

Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/umek.si

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/umek_1605/

Soundcloud → https://soundcloud.com/umek

Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/artist/5Hini2nQyoglzpdKe41cZt?si=7hZEpRmbT4u2eoLOE5GJZw&dl_branch=1

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro

3:09 Interview Start & Background

6:23 Accidentally Moving Into Tech House

12:40 The Value Of Side Projects

16:04 Switching To Software from Hardware

23:06 Hardware is Different, Not Better

26:05 Good VSTs are Enough To Make Good Music

27:10 The Main Reason You Shouldn't Hoard Free Plugins

28:24 Using Logic Pro X

30:15 Switching Your DAW Takes A Long Time

32:05 Loudness & Limiters

33:42 Mastering Tracks for 1605

37:09 Why You Should Know How To Master Yourself

42:07 Going From Releasing A Lot To Fewer Releases

47:08 Cryptic Speech EP & Not Overthinking The Story Behind The Music

51:56 Detaching From Your Music

55:50 Success On Beatport

01:01:07 Should You Invest In All Platforms?

01:05:11 Viberate & The Future of Music Analytics

01:08:25 Spotting the Buying Of Fake Plays & Likes

01:10:32 What UMEK Looks to Sign An Artist

EDMProd:

Website → https://edmprod.com

Instagram → https://instagram.com/edmprodgram

Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/EDMPsite

Soundcloud → https://soundcloud.com/edmprod

Spotify → https://sptfy.com/edmprod

Aden Russell (Artsea):

Instagram → https://instagram.com/iamartsea

Facebook → https://facebook.com/iamartsea

Spotify → https://sptfy.com/iamartsea

Soundcloud → https://soundcloud.com/iamartsea