His path to success was not easy, but he had the determination and confidence to reach the summit of his profession. He performs all over the world, and this interview was made just as he was leaving for an American tour.

Let's begin with your humanitarian work and socially active engagement. We last listened to you in Ljubljana at the ‘Party with a Reason’, which is an annual event held in Tivoli Park. How did you approach this project and what results can you notice? Are young people attracted to a 'good cause'?
Yes, young people are very attracted to a 'good cause'. However, it bothers me that a lot of people come to Tivoli and listen to the music outside the venue without donating even a symbolic one euro for a good cause. Above all, it bothers me because many of them bring along a bottle of alcohol, which they bought. I think it would be so much better if each group bought one bottle less, donated that money and gathered in front of the stage to have fun. I am, all the same, pleased with the results. We have done a lot of good work, highlighted a number of non-governmental organisations and initiatives and supported them in terms of financing and promotion. We have collected money for young cancer patients and victims of violence; we constantly promote non-violence and social commitment; we supported the opening of a safe house, and, in the last few years, we have been supporting projects that are designed to employ young people, and quite a few young people have gotten jobs through these initiatives. I believe that public awareness of such projects should be raised constantly.

A few years ago, you recorded a video with the former President of the Republic of Slovenia, Danilo Türk, in which the President and you both appealed to young people to party in a responsible way and refrain from alcohol. How did this connection happen? Have you noticed any positive changes in young people?
We met even before Mr Türk became President of Slovenia, when he visited one of the ‘Party with a Reason’ events. Later, after he had already been elected, he visited our company and I acquainted him with my work, including with the basics of mixing music. He has always given me the impression that he is sincerely interested in what I have been doing and also today, when we sometimes meet at the airport, I am surprised when I see that he is familiar with a recent detail of my career. I do not know if our campaign has changed anything, but such actions are necessary, people should be made aware of the dangers of alcohol abuse. Otherwise, I do not believe that such actions can convince people to change their habits to such an extent to completely give up alcohol. I hope, however, that we have raised the awareness of at least some people who will remember this event and for a cause have a drink or two less, thus avoiding some particular problems. It is difficult to stop people from doing what they want, but you can warn them. As for the effects of such actions, the experts would know better. I do believe that such actions are needed and, because they are for a good cause, I like to participate.

You said in an interview for a Slovenian media that for the sake of pursuing your DJ career you quit school and basketball, which you had been training at, and that you would not advise young people to do the same, as it is very risky. Does the way you address young people have something to do with your personal experiences?
Not really. I am aware that what I did was a very risky move. I know why I got into it and I never doubted my success. This is a special state of consciousness and I do not know how I knew it, but I was sure of my success. As I continue to grow and mature, I become increasingly aware that also Lady Luck had something to do with it, and it all worked out. I believe that if you take up something seriously, work hard and work well, success isn't far behind. I still have a feeling that people think that what I do is very easy. I can hardly imagine that someone who looks up to me as a role model would now quit school to pursue a career as a DJ and experience the same success. Because he would not. I have read somewhere that you need 10,000 hours of practice to be great at painting. This probably also goes for other skills. As regards music, you may become good at it if you put in a great amount of time and energy. However, I do not know if you can become great at it. And even if you succeed, in the end it will probably not be enough, because a lot of elements need to fall into place. Today, even as a top musician you may not achieve anything. And even if you are very adept at the management and development of a trademark, or at promotions, you will still not succeed unless your content stands out. That’s why I say to young people that they should first take up music as a hobby and only when their prospects for success are good and it looks like something might come out of it should they seize the opportunity to make a business out of it or develop their life in that direction. But only if they are positive that they are really good and if they take something up with some advanced planning.

As a star of electronic music, you are famous worldwide for practically making the audience faint. How do you create your music? Do you still produce all the works on your own?
If I may correct you, rather than ‘make the audience faint’, I would say ‘put the audience in a trance’ (laughter). Yes, I still create my music alone; well, I often make use of technical assistance, but the creative part is all mine. Just today I received the vocals of a singer from Chicago, which she recorded with their technicians. Sometimes I outsource the mastering to my colleague, given that I am constantly on the road and that sometimes I do not have access to a studio where I could do it on my own without running into some difficulties or experiencing some significant delays. But not always. I am currently on a longer U.S. tour and next week I have a studio in Los Angeles reserved for two days, where I intend to finish the mastering of four or five pieces that I’ve created on my laptop in the last few weeks, when I was on the road. I may need a day or two more since first I have to get familiar with the studio and the sound in it. I still try to work alone as much as I can, but sometimes I have limited possibilities and delivery deadlines and I have to ask for technical assistance.

You do not often appear on the scene in Slovenia. Where do you mostly perform?
All around the globe. You caught me in Sacramento; my next two gigs are in Portland and Seattle; next week, I will be performing at a festival near Los Angeles; my tour then continues to South America and in December I return to Europe, where I’ll be celebrating New Year's Eve. I am constantly on the road between the Americas, Europe and Asia; I have not been to Australia for quite some time and the only unconquered continent is Africa.

We haven't told the Umek story yet. When in fact did the story of DJ Umek start? How did you penetrate the foreign market?
I'll put it very simply: I released so many good records that I simply could no longer be ignored. At some point, when I had about a dozen notable releases on influential foreign techno record labels, it was quite frustrating because the demand for booking did not follow the demand for my music. Even after thirty releases nothing changed, but then, they simply could no longer ignore this Balkan guy.

What kind of a team stands behind you? Is your machinery the same as that of great DJs?
Certainly not as large and strong as that of DJs such as Tiesto, Armin, Hardwell and other superstar DJs, who are practically pop stars. In Slovenia, I regularly employ four persons who look after me eight hours a day, and I also engage numerous temporary co-workers in Slovenia and abroad, who perform particular tasks.

You are ranked among the top DJs in the world. What is the largest audience you have ever performed for? Are these figures important?
I've earned a place on the list of the Top 100 DJs for thirteen years in a row; its most recent edition was published a few days ago, where I climbed 22 places; I am also ranked second amongst techno DJs. The fact that I am still on the list is, given the genre I play, still a big success and confirms our good work. In recent years, I have been performing at the world's largest electronic festivals, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors, from Tomorrowland in Belgium and Ultra Music Festivals in Miami, Buenos Aires and Chile, to Split and Tokyo and the Insomniac festivals, such as the famous Electric Daisy Carnival. In the last few years, it has mainly been American organisers who have put me on the main stage of their festivals, so that I very often perform for 30,000 people or more.
The numbers are indeed important, perhaps the most important thing. In terms of business, music is derived from the arts; therefore it is difficult to directly compare who is the best. DJs and live acts create different genres in such a different way that there is not one unified scene. However, what we can compare are the number of tickets sold, popularity among music lovers who come to a club or festival or cast a vote for you in surveys, and similar. The organisers are very fond of us because we sell tickets and make money for them and, consequently, they invite us to perform new shows. It's as simple as that. Ultimately, the same goes for niche artists or musicians who operate on smaller and darker scenes; within those scenes, the same applies: DJs who attract the largest audience perform the most and make the most money.

How much room for improvisation is there in your gigs? Or are they, as a rule, carefully orchestrated events?
I am ready for a show at any time. In comparison with bands, my programme varies much more, whereas in general bands perform a tour with largely the same repertoire. In any given three months I replace a large part of the music that I play. There are some pieces that I keep in the set longer. However, each set by all means features some brand new songs; I buy and receive music on a daily basis and I also create much of my own, which I include in my shows. For example, in my upcoming gigs I will also be spinning the pieces that I plan to mix next week in a studio in Los Angeles. But it does not really happen that one set would be played at one show and then the next show would feature completely different pieces. I allow myself a lot of room to manoeuvre since each audience is a bit different and also I myself feel different at each show and I adjust the set accordingly. The product is always within what I call a ‘typical energetic Umek set’ since my concept of work is to create a specific energy on the dance floor, which goes beyond the audio story itself.

You once said that a DJ is similar to a trademark – the more you invest in one, the more you will receive in return. In your experience – how do you create such a trademark if you come from Slovenia?
I am fortunate to be surrounded by a team of marketing professionals and I have already learnt a lot from them, including the basics of what a trademark actually is, how it lives and how it should be developed and nurtured. Based on my experience, it is important to invest in the trademark. We need to decide what message we would like the trademark to convey, as well as to set a very clear goal, an appropriate strategy, your own special story and to combine the right tools for the most efficient way of achieving the objective. There are different approaches, the market is saturated and everything counts: who you are, what you do, how you act, how you perform, where you advertise, what you promote, and what you want to tell people ... There are so many factors ... In this context, I am increasingly aware of the problem that the rest of the world treats Slovenia as a third-rate country, as part of the Balkans or Eastern Europe.

Polona Prešeren, SINFO