How Creative Freedom is Elevating Jay Lumen’s Footwork Label

Jay Lumen launched his record label Footwork for tracks that did not seem to fit anywhere else. Though the successful DJ and producer admits he started the brand out of sheer musical curiosity, it has now become one of the 20 highest-selling labels on Beatport. But what makes Footwork so unique?

Lumen has always had an open-minded approach to music. When he tired of producing progressive house and trance in the 2000s, he switched to high-energy tech house. Then in 2012, after the EDM boom hit, he switched gears again, this time landing in his new home field of hard-hitting techno.

This sense of creative freedom is similarly prevalent in how Lumen runs Footwork. While other labels have found success solidifying and branding a specific “sound,” Lumen simply releases that which is interesting to him.

"I created Footwork because I wanted to get a little bit more freedom," Jay says. "If I release on my own label, I don't need to wait for an answer from anybody. If I have an idea, I can put it out as soon as I want, so that was the main goal when I created the label,” he said in his Spotlight interview with Gray Area. “And also the other thing is, I wanted to show people some of my friends whom I find interesting as artists."

His imprint hosts a number of his own releases, as well as works by Hito, SAMA, and The Reactivitz. Lumen cites the 2021 release Lost Tales (The Remixes) as a standout for the label. Original Jay Lumen tracks like “Revolution” are accompanied by remixes from Sasha Carassi, Harvey McKay, Mark Reeve, Kaiserdisco, Roberto Capuano, Weska, and Bastinov. Lumen describes it as a “really special and colorful release,” and it most certainly showcases the creative depth of Footwork and the Lumen vision.

Though he shies away from staking out a specific “Footwork sound,” Lumen says the label is a dedicated techno imprint at its core. His raison d’être is to share “new steps and new waves” of techno music with Footwork listeners.