Olga Godina sat down for a virtual interview with Jay Lumen to discuss his upcoming Drumcode and Second State releases and future goals
Jay is one of the most versatile and respected artists in the electronic music scene. He plays and produces techno, tech house, electronica and of course his special Jay Lumen Sound. Born in Budapest, Hungary, Jay Lumen is the founder of Footwork Records, and has releases on Drumcode, Octopus, Relief, 100% Pure, Saved, and many more esteemed record labels. As a producer, he counts nine Number 1 Beatport tracks, twenty-four Top 10 tracks, and several Top 20 charted tunes too.
Jay’s musical upbringing began early, starting with classic conservatory music classes in his childhood. Since, he has been constantly learning and honing in his musical skills both as a music producer and as a DJ, delivering sets filled with dynamic, pulsating grooves and infectious vocals.
Enjoy the exclusive interview with Jay Lumen below:
First of all, dear Jay, thank you and your team for arranging this interview. It’s a great pleasure to talk with you about your music and upcoming events. In one of your past interviews, you mention that the tracks that you are producing are your babies, a piece of your soul, heart, and are a part of your actual mood. Tell us about the music and the special Jay Lumen style you produce.
Thanks, me too! Well, it’s not so easy to talk about your own style I guess. As DJ I play techno sounds mostly but I do have a transformation from the beginning point to somewhere else in my career and life. The art is a long time journey and you don’t really know the destination. You are just trying to express yourself to give out something of your soul and own world.
To be honest I love to move on a wide spectrum if we are talking about musical genres. As I mentioned I play techno mostly but sometimes I do have special house shows as well for unique smaller locations. I really believe in quality sounds and not just in genres. As a producer, I love to surprise the people. For example, I released a leftfield techno/breakbeat track on my last EP as I had that idea and I’ve got nice feedbacks on luckily. But nowadays I’m focusing on techno sounds mostly.
You are one of the contributing artists of the Drumcode label. How do you appreciate their motto: Drumcode for life. What does it mean personally to you?
To be honest I was never thinking about that. It’s an honor to cooperate with Drumcode as I respect the job that the whole team is doing plus Adam Beyer himself is a legend of course. What I can say is that they have really left their mark in the techno scene and they played a really big role in making techno popular again. I’m happy to be in the Drumcode group and one of my upcoming tracks will be released on Drumcode again this year on the 7th of December.
Congratulations! You have your own label Footwork that is rapidly going very well. My congratulations on your “The Last Raver” release that has been killing the Beatport charts. Tell us more about it and its mission.
Thank you very much. I’m so happy that the people like this EP so thanks for the support. Footwork is my baby. I love to manage the label and of course, my team helps me a lot. And yes it goes really well and we get such great feedback from artists like Carl Cox, Richie Hawtin, Joseph Capriati, Pan-Pot, Sasha, and many many more. Also I think it’s a positive sign on our side that we released physical vinyl format as well.
It was a very important goal for me when I started my label. I love to give a bit of extra as the people (we all) need lasting things in our life, these days more than ever. It’s better to feel the smell, the weight, the sound of vinyl releases and really be able to say that “I have this EP”.
We do have label nights as well and we try to invite talented artists for our events including newcomers as well. So we are on the right path step by step and I’m happy about that .
You studied in music school for 8 years playing the violin. How did this experience affect you and why did you decide to change your musical direction from classical to techno?
Well it was a very good basic level for everything to me. I still really love classical music, maybe because of this, who knows. As a little kid I loved all kind of music, just like now. I’m an “everything eater”. But I really loved old school techno and house music. Electronic music has infected me so fast. So I was really sure that I want to be a DJ when I was 9 years old. My music school was a really important first step for my producer and DJ life. As I’ve got the basics of music theory I was able to create my ideas easily I guess. I feel that I would be on the same path without it as well but on a longer and much more “bumpy road”.
Jay, you have a lot of collaborations. For example, you produced a track with Green Velvet as well as other