Jay Lumen produced and played tech house for several years, but once the scene became oversaturated he moved on to techno. Right before he did, however, Green Velvet tapped him for a collab, and he couldn’t say no to a personal hero.



Lumen is something of a stylistic magpie. His early releases came from labels like the progressive powerhouse Global Underground, the trance imprint Anjunjabeats, and Baroque Records, which released both. But he has shown an eagerness to continually evolve.



“I'm always happy to change and switch my sound a little bit,” Lumen told Gray Area during his Spotlight interview. “If a sound is not inspiring me anymore, I don't want to do that again. So after a few years, I was thinking, ‘Progressive house music and progressive trance music are not really my sound.’" 

"So I switched to tech house around 2007," Lumen continued. "I was very happy and really into it. After a point, when everybody just started to jump into the scene, around 2011, I said, ‘I gotta do something different.’ I switched my sound around 2011 to techno, fully. I'm so happy with the choice.”



But in 2014, Lumen made one last envoi to the tech-house sound, when he teamed up with Green Velvet on “It's All About Me.”





“Of course, if you get a request from Green Velvet, you always say yes. Especially if the guy is your hero,” Lumen told Gray Area. “I was always a big fan of Green Velvet; he's a really good guy, as a person and as an artist as well. I really loved his old school stuff: ‘Destination Unknown’ and ‘Flash.’ Everybody knows his tracks. I was really happy when we [got] this chance to collaborate with him. I was really happy with it and played [it] everywhere.”



With its stomping groove, heavy on the toms, and Velvet’s languid voiceover, “It’s All About Me” marked a bridge between old-school Chicago house and the tech house that marked a later era. It also acted as a bridge as Lumen moved from one musical area to another. “I made a techno remix for that collaboration track, as well, because I was already in the techno scene,” he said.

The Green Velvet Collab that Closed Out Jay Lumen’s Tech House Era

EDC Orlando 2022 has officially come and gone. This year over 200,000 festival-goers reunited “Under the Electric Sky” for Insomniac’s flagship East Coast event. The threat of Hurricane Nicole, which passed through the Orlando area the day before the festival, left many with flight cancellations. However, the festival grounds remained unscathed, and those who could arrange other travel plans experienced an unforgettable weekend.






Each EDC Orlando stage encompassed a unique vibe and genre. With more than five to choose from, there was a little something for every dance music fanatic. But for the house heads and techno tourists, all feet were glued to the dancefloor at the neonGARDEN with acts like Charlotte de Witte and CamelPhat throwing down.




On Friday, in-house underground house and techno brand, Factory 93 partnered with Patrick Topping to bring his legendary Trick brand to the United States for the first time. And on Saturday Green Velvet presented his La La Land party brand and stage takeover where attendees were lucky enough to witness a rare triple b2b as Green Velvet, Dom Dolla, and John Summit closed out the stage.

As we predicted, Insomniac repurposed the neonGARDEN stage from this year’s EDC Las Vegas. Out with the old hangar-style tent and in with the new open-air warehouse setting. Shipping containers splattered with graffiti surrounded the stage in a one-of-a-kind 360-degree fashion, offering an exclusive urban jungle experience.









The success of neonGARDEN wouldn’t have been possible without the help of stage-curators Factory 93. In fact, it was one of their most memorable stages yet. Each year they explore the depths of creativity and innovation while preserving the authenticity of the underground. Since they began curating the neonGARDEN stage in 2018, their love and appreciation for house music has ignited a country-wide movement and mass admiration for its distinctive culture. Outside of EDC Orlando, they have hosted stages at other Insomniac festivals like EDC Mexico and one-off events at their warehouse in Los Angeles.



Factory 93 has risen to be one of the reigning brands for all things house music. Last year, Insomniac announced another addition to their evolving catalog of record labels, Factory 93 Records. Honing in on the worldly sounds of underground house, techno, tech house, and even disco, listeners can discover established and rising artists from across the globe. Factory 93 Records is the next big step in achieving its goal to grow its platform and the culture within it. Insomniac founder, Pasquale Rotella, released the following statement in a press release:




“Factory 93 represents the beginning of Insomniac. Underground dance music will always be the roots of everything we do. Factory 93 is a very passionate part of the Insomniac portfolio worldwide, which makes this new record label even more exciting for us. With the addition of Factory 93 Records, our team will be able to carry over its vision from the live events side into a carefully curated catalog we can’t wait for you to hear.”




Factory 93’s involvement with Insomniac doesn’t stop there. Last May, they teamed up to premiere a brand new two-day festival dedicated to underground house music called Skyline. Taking place at Lot 54 at The Vanguard, festival-goers experienced a mesmerizing display of digital & street art exhibits, graffiti murals, and of course, non-stop heart-pumping house and techno beats.

Inspired by EDC’s neonGARDEN concept for its second edition this year, Skyline did not feature a single LED wall. Instead, they enclosed the main stage with their graffiti-laden shipping containers. By focusing on the basics and providing an intimate environment for attendees, they cultivated the ultimate underground experience. Skyline even expanded to the West Coast in Los Angeles, so no matter where you’re from, Insomniac and Factory 93 have got you covered.




Since Factory 93 was founded, they have shown no signs of slowing down. As our underground community continues to grow increasingly popular across the country, we are excited to see what the future holds for Factory 93’s impact on the neonGARDEN stage and the festival community.



Factory 93 Continues to Bring House & Techno Heat to EDC Orlando

Techno producer, DJ, and vocalist Juliet Fox is behind cutting-edge sounds in dance music, bringing together her pulsating production and entrancing vocals to garner the attention of other tastemakers in the industry, like Adam Beyer and Green Velvet. The latter played an important role in developing Juliet Fox’s sound, helping her quite literally find her voice in her music.




Juliet Fox recalls meeting Green Velvet—now known to her just as Curtis—at an afterparty several years ago. Fox discussed her discontent with the sample vocals she found, sharing that none of them fit the aesthetic of her musical vision.




A multi-hyphenate artist, Green Velvet is a producer, vocalist, record label head, and cultural touchstone in dance music. Under his Cajmere project, the Chicago house legend broke out on the scene with his sultry, otherworldly spoken-word vocals over bouncing techno rhythms.




Green Velvet encouraged Fox to try recording her own vocals, starting with a practice loop on her phone, which he transformed into the landmark collaboration “On The Inside,” also featuring Boooox. After the success of “On The Inside” on Green Velvet’s Relief Records, Juliet Fox felt inspired to continue utilizing her voice in her music to give it a new kind of driving, hypnotic feeling.




Juliet Fox took Green Velvet’s words to heart. She began recording vocal loops frequently while alone in her hotel room after gigs. Eventually, she found that she was most comfortable recording in her home. Being in a relaxed environment made it easier for her to perform and craft lyrics. In a way, Juliet Fox uses her vocals to tell the song’s story, leading those who listen on a deeper journey. She approaches it the way one might hear it, asking, “what would I want to hear on a dancefloor?”






How Green Velvet Inspired Juliet Fox to Become a Vocalist

From Frankie Knuckles’ first live iterations of house music in Chicago’s warehouses, to the crafting of techno by Detroit’s Belleville Three, the origins of dance music are undeniably Black. Yet, of the current top 5 performing Beatport tracks, not one is released on a
Black-owned label. 

The white appropriation of Black genres, from jazz to hip-hop and beyond, on an institutional level, is no new issue. The erasure of Black people specifically from house, techno, and everything in between is however a largely ignored and ever-increasing phenomenon, driven by an, often willful, generational ignorance of the history of dance music. 

This is not to say that dance music should be halted in its natural evolution, or that dance music should not be produced by people not identifying as Black. Rather the existence and
platforming of non-Black dance music should not come at the cost of detracting these platforms from the marginalized communities that birthed it. Supporting Black-owned labels encourages a positive trickle-down effect, besides directing funds where they are most needed, whereby it directly supports the power of Black artists to platform and shape the future of dance music.   

Cajual Records 

Distributing various forms of beats, this label has been particularly iconic in its ownership of some of the notorious sounds from Chicago, where it is based. The label, which is close to celebrating its 30th anniversary, is owned by Curtis Jones, known also as Green
Velvet or Cajmere. The label stood out amongst other major labels of its time, namely Trax and DJ International, for its fair treatment of artists and community focus. Cajual features tracks by some of dance music’s most influential shapers, including the late Paul Johnson and Glenn Underground.

Apron Records

Julien Steven, the London DJ once known as FunkinEven, wears a multitude of hats
amongst which owner of Apron Records label. Having become somewhat of a ‘cult’
electronic phenomenon, the label features avantgarde sounds, such as Shanti Celeste’s
trippy techno and Space Ghost’s astral house. Apron Record’s latest release showcases a different side of the experimental label, with the mellow funk, soul, and house of Jarren’s album Antera. 

 





Sound Signature

Founded in 90s Detroit, this label is a must-listen for those dedicated to getting back to the origins of house music. Label-owner and DJ/ producer, Theo Parrish, is vocal in his championing of Black sounds and these come to light on his label where Detroit Techno meets jazz, disco, and Chicago house. A particular highlight of the label are Leron
Carson’s tracks released on Sound Signature between 2001 and 2021, these were in fact recorded in the late 80s, while the mysterious, to this day unknown, figure of Leron was still a teenager. 

 





Mahogani Music

Mahogani Music is another longstanding Detroit label. Alongside staying true to its geographical origins with hearty techno, this groundbreaking label also features classic house, disco and experimental R&B. Mahogani Music was founded by the legendary Moodymann, that is Kenny Dixon Jr, who has been one of the greatest advocates of keeping house and techno true to its origins, especially with regards to platforming
Black artists. Artists include Amp Fiddler, Flo Real, and Andrés.





Mother’s Finest

A discussion of dance music labels cannot forgo a mention of Berlin. Once a party held in the city’s infamous Griessmuehle, Mother’s Finest was launched by the party’s founder, Franklin de Costa, as a label in 2020. The label inaugurated its launch with a 15-track compilation, bringing breaks, dubstep, and ambient to a very Berlin techno backdrop. A later release focuses on the frantic energy and vocals that Nasty King Curl has to offer.





Deep Root Records

Based in New York city, this label was founded by Haitian-born Francis Mercier
and Ajamu Kambon. Releasing an eclectic mix of deep house and afro house, Deep Root has garnered support from some of the dance music industry’s most influential names, including Pete Tong, Black Coffee, and Blond:ish. Besides hosting the tracks of house music legends like Roland Clark and Rowetta, the label platforms the releases of up-and-coming talent from around the world, such as Brazil’s REFEL and Kenya’s Idd Aziz.





Founders of Filth

Prominent member of the second wave of Chicago house, Felix da Housecat, founded this label in 2017, in Montreal. He announced the launch of the label as “an imprint where no rules apply” and has stayed true to the depiction, releasing a steady stream of experimental house and electroclash. The label has released many of Felix da Housecat’s own masterpieces, often alongside equally adventurous artists such as Röyksopp and Chris Trucher. 

 





Boukan Records

Cergy-based Boukan Records is run by Bamao Yendé, resident at France’s Rinse and central figure to France’s modern dance floors. The label merges UK garage, breakbeat, kuduro, batida, and house, bringing signature warmth to the dancefloor. Don’t miss the label’s popular “Tumba Tic Tac” track, from Amor Satyr, a Brazilian-French collective combining Afro Beats and UK Jackin’. 

 





Purveyor Underground

This Toronto based label is headed up by Demuir, an internationally touring DJ at the forefront of jackin’ house sounds and committed to re-politicising house music. Purveyor Underground is at the heart of this mission: its dotted logo is a direct nod to the underground railroad, where quilts were hung from windows to aid slaves to freedom. With tracks featuring Gettoblaster, Missy, Darren Marshall, Phil Weeks, and more, the label offers a riveting education in house.






 


Kiwi Rekords

Conducta, real name Collins Nemi, has a distinct focus on moving sound forward, rather
than reminiscing the past or falling into electronic purism. This was his motivation founding UK-based garage label, Kiwi Rekords. Founded in 2019, the label has already proved immensely successful, tapping into a modern British sound with feel-good, high-energy releases from the likes of Sammy Virji, Oppidan, Germi, and many more.









Green Velvet

Articles

Michaelangelo Matos

Kennedy Cymerman

Staley Sharples

Kiran Armanasco