#155: UMEK on Losing Fans By Selling Out & Starting A Scene from Scratch

The EDM Prodcast

Courses → https://edmprod.com/courses 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