Umek

Under the name UMEK, Uroš Umek has built from Ljubljana a career closely tied to the development of techno in Slovenia. Active as a DJ and producer since 1993, UMEK emerged in the late 1990s across European clubs and networks with functional, tense, and rhythmic techno based on tight loops, dry percussion, and an energy designed for the dancefloor. In 1999 he launched the labels Consumer Recreation and Recycled Loops, the latter extended in 2001 by the sublabel Earresistible Musick, before founding 1605 in 2007, which became the primary home for much of his output. His path also crossed with Valentino Kanzyani, with whom he co‑directed Consumer Recreation, and has taken him through a wide range of electronic scenes, from European clubs to international festivals. In the early 2010s UMEK shifted his writing toward techno more open to tech‑house, then from 2015 returned to darker, more direct sounds while reactivating his alias Zeta Reticula for electro‑oriented productions. Among his long‑form releases is the album Responding to Dynamic, released in 2010. Since 2011 UMEK has also hosted the show Behind the Iron Curtain, dedicated to news in electronic music.