What’s 2 m tall, lives Behind the Iron Curtain, has 1605 reasons to run an awesome label, and flies? Meet UMEK, a techno legend from Slovenia.

UMEK is personally responsible for kickstarting the electronic music scene in his home country by first organizing illegal raves and then becoming one of Slovenia’s most wanted export products and the number one music ambassador to the whole world.

And he does fly! Around 100 times per year, visiting almost every continent each year. His gig diary ranges from dark underground clubs in Berlin to massive techno stages at the world’s most renowned festivals. 

Apart from making his name in the DJ booth, he’s also a tireless producer. He mostly releases on his own imprint 1605, and most of his tracks end up on the very top of Beatport’s charts. After more than 25 years as a professional musician, he decided to use his experience and skills in the entrepreneurial world. Together with his managers, he founded a music-tech startup Viberate (www.viberate.com), where they are building the world’s greatest music platform.

Christian Smith is one of the world’s leading exponents of techno, both as a DJ and producer he is always bold and innovative. With his output in recent years it is hard to imagine a list of prolific producers without his name towards the top. He has been at the top of his game for over two decades with his trademark groovy techno.

Although Swedish by birth, Christian spent most of his childhood years in Frankfurt, Germany which no doubt played an unexpected role in determining his musical tastes from a young age. After spending time in the US studying, Christian moved to Sao Paulo, Brazil playing the best clubs in the city and surrounding regions, where he still loves to play today and continues to have a very big following.

In 1995 he started his label Tronic, since then it has dominated the charts with releases from Christian himself and the likes of ANNA, Enrico Sangiuliano, Paco Osuna, Drunken Kong, Wehbba, Ramon Tapia, and more. The label has been the top selling techno label in the world according to Beatport, and is soon to celebrate its 500th release.
Tronic also has a weekly show which is now syndicated to over 100 stations worldwide, their 500th show was celebrated with special guest Carl Cox and now in 2022, they are already fast approaching the 600th episode.

Christian has dominated the charts and DJ’s playlists with a steady flow of releases on many high profile labels like Drumcode, Filth On Acid, Trick, Symbolism, Bedrock, and Tronic. His last EP on Tronic reached #1 spot on Beatport in both Techno and Electro in January of 2024. During the pandemic, Christian had a weekly Tronic Thursday stream which has reached over 10M people. On the remix front, Christian has recently reworked a track by UK hip hop superstar "Stormzy". His music is regularly featured on Spotify's biggest playlists and Christian is currently enjoying a big boost in his career.

Christian also ventured into his own branded night in Ibiza at mega club Eden. His first season on the Island in 2019 had 15 consecutive weeks of events and was a huge success. Christian was also invited to host Tronic events all over the world from Tokyo, Detroit, Los Angeles, and London amongst many others.

So keep your eyes peeled, and if you can’t wait until then, you can always go to Christian’s Soundcloud for the latest on the radio show.

Hot Since 82

Yokshire based DJ & Producer.

@KneeDeepInSound

Management: Jamesd@anglomanagement.co.uk
Bookings: SHogan@wmeentertainment.com
North, Central and South America:
andrew@liaisonartists.com
mariesa@liaisonartists.com

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