Gray Area Unveils Its First Wave of Resident DJs

Luzi Tudor's Encore: A Symphony of Self-Love and Intention

Harmony from Hardship: Luzi Tudor's Path from Communist Romania to Self-Discovery

Finding Solace in Sound: The Journey of Luzi Tudor

Resonating Resilience: How Luzi Tudor Strikes a Chord in Tech and Techno

Bridging Beats and Beliefs: A Discussion with Luzi Tudor

Daniela Luzi Tudor, widely known as Luzi Tudor, is a groundbreaking figure in the world of melodic house and techno, and an inspirational entrepreneur in the health tech space. Born in communist Romania, Luzi endured a challenging childhood before escaping with her family to the West. After living in 17 cities across four countries, she eventually found solace in the vibrant nightlife and rave scenes of Seattle, USA.

Luzi's deep-rooted love for music took root during her early years in Romania, where American pop culture artifacts like Michael Jackson's "Thriller" served as rare and precious lifelines to the outside world. Her father, a pianist and political comedian in his college years, introduced her to the transformative power of music and activism, shaping her understanding of the role music can play in societal change.

While building a career in the Seattle dance music scene, Luzi also found success in the corporate world, developing engineering teams for major enterprises like Microsoft. Her passion for technology and her drive to contribute positively to society eventually led her to co-found WEconnect Health Management, a leading technology company in the behavioral health space. As CEO, she's dedicated to serving individuals with substance use and mental health challenges, developing technological tools that empower individuals and communities to overcome adversity and achieve their goals.

Luzi's success story includes overcoming personal struggles with addiction and challenges with substance use. Now celebrating recovery since 2014, Luzi uses her journey as a beacon of hope for others facing similar battles. Her lived experience has given her a unique perspective and a profound sense of empathy, informing her mission to use music and technology to create experiences that connect humans in impactful ways.

Despite her high-flying career as a tech entrepreneur, Luzi's love for DJing and producing electronic music remained a constant. Her journey into the world of melodic techno has been nothing short of remarkable, with her early releases receiving significant attention and support from the industry, including a co-sign from Lane 8's influential This Never Happened imprint.

Luzi Tudor's mission is simple, "to create experiences that connect humans and humanity in an impactful way,". Her powerful 2021 debut on Lane 8's This Never Happened has led to follow up releases on the label, as well as an opportunity to tour with Lane 8 himself as he played a three-day run at the Brooklyn Mirage and LA Historic Park. 

Tracklist
Enid & Rebecca (Original) - Les Gordon
Starz (Original) - Andhim
Poseidon - Ron Flatter / Higher Frequency Acapella - Toolroom Records
China (Original) - Mickey Zhang, Zhang Wei
Sans Vetements (Original) - Far&High
Beirut (Original) - Alar
Rechenka (Original) - Mazema
Talk to Me - Sinverguenza ft AI.Ma
Green Earth (Original) - World Vibes Music Project, Shulum
Left Right Out (Original)- Aquarius Heaven
Mundo Surreal - Luis Vargas & Daniel Ocana
Nairobi (Original) - Mazema
Main Piano (Original) - Angelo Ferreri, Moon Rocket
Summer of 22 (Original) - Bartella
ID - Luzi Tudor
Gray Area's mission is to build a bigger house music community in North America by helping fans discover exciting house music artists, event brands and festivals that are new to them.

Connect with Gray Area: 
www.grayarea.co/
www.instagram.com/entergrayarea/
www.facebook.com/entergrayarea
twitter.com/enterGrayArea
www.twitch.tv/entergrayarea

Luzi Tudor - Exclusive Set for OCHO by Gray Area [1/23] by Gray Area

Luzi Tudor's multifaceted journey serves as an inspiration for aspiring artists and entrepreneurs. Her life stands as a testament to the power of resilience, the transformative potential of music, and the importance of addressing mental health openly and compassionately. Outside her work, Luzi remains a lover of the arts, enjoys screenwriting, and has a fondness for animals, especially cats. As a coach to other business leaders, artists, and executives, Luzi continues to share her learnings and experiences, embodying her life's mission to connect and impact humanity positively.

Romania

Luzi Tudor

United States

nyc club

QRTR

miami electronic

Coffintexts

Branqueeno

art pop

electropop

escape room

indie pop

Rinas

BLUE

Superior Ingredients Roof

BLUE: QRTR, Luzi Tudor, and Friends

Netherlands

W Amsterdam

#PlasticFreeParty Compilation Release (ADE)

melodic house

progressive house

Luttrell

bedroom soul

Stello

Koumby

Lincoln Jesser

Luttrell: Life At Full Speed Tour

United Kingdom

uk dance

uk house

Franky Wah

progressive trance

Spencer Brown

Paige

SHÈN

Gray Area's new venture, "Debut," aims to bridge the international house music community by bringing established and emerging artists to cities they've never performed in. This initiative seeks to expand artists' fan bases and provide fans with fresh, exhilarating musical experiences. Having played a role in introducing major artists and brands like elrow and Awakenings to new audiences in the past, Gray Area believes in the magic of first-time experiences. By promoting artists in new venues and cities, they hope to cultivate a thriving, unified house music ecosystem. Debut is not merely a marketing strategy but embodies Gray Area's commitment to fostering collaboration, unity, and musical discovery.

Debut

The Knockdown Center

SHÈN USA Debut with Franky Wah, Spencer Brown, Luzi Tudor, and more

Spain

deep tech house

latin tech house

Cuartero

Ireland

Disfreq

Canada

arab electronic

canadian house

ethnotronica

organic house

Gab Rhome

bass house

deep groove house

house

tech house

Low Steppa

Mau P

Italy

Silvie Loto

Truth x Lies

OCHO 15

Germany

TWO LANES

Woke Brian

Hymn

Two Lanes w. Luzi Tudor & Guests

italian techno

Glowal

polish techno

ANII

AXELA

Debut: Glowal First New York Headline Performance w/ ANII + Luzi Tudor

France

Oden & Fatzo

m.O.N.R.O.E.

Russia

Sasha Rome

Oden & Fatzo [LIVE] with Special Guests

Eelke Kleijn

deep techno

melodic techno

minimal techno

Patrice Bäumel

Nuran

Musica

Eelke Kleijn with Patrice Bäumel, Luzi Tudor, and Nuran

Hannes Bieger

Kevin Knapp

BLUE w. Hannes Bieger, Kevin Knapp, Luzi Tudor, Tara Brooks & Nuran

Denmark

danish techno

Denis Horvat

Late Night Shri

DuNE

Denis Horvat Open-Air with Luzi Tudor, Late Night Shri, Nuran & DuNE

Ben Böhmer

Mexico

Matt Caines

Rocky

Ben Böhmer [LIVE] - New York City

Giolì & Assia

Giolí & Assia on Tour: The Hybrid Set, with support by QRTR

german tech house

minimal tech house

Emanuel Satie

Shalev

Emanuel Satie & Guests [Fashion Week Edition] in the Whisper Room at Musica NYC

Poland

deep disco house

german techno

Catz ’n Dogz

Nala

Doubleheader

Gray Area is pioneering the "Doubleheader" event series, drawing inspiration from back-to-back baseball games to showcase artists with similar styles but unique fan bases. By having one artist follow another and culminating in a collaborative back-to-back (B2B) set, Doubleheader aims to create a powerful platform for musical discovery and cross-pollination. Embracing the "B2B" spirit, the initiative seeks to introduce audiences to new sounds while strengthening the dance music ecosystem.

The Room at Superior Ingredients

Doubleheader: Catz 'n Dogz x Nala w. Luzi Tudor

Baby Weight

HVNLEE

Heidy P

Mz Worthy

Rose Kourts

FEMME HOUSE New York

Switzerland

Deer Jade

Robidio

Blue: Deer Jade & Guests

deep funk house

DJ Heather

DJ Hyperactive

experimental techno

french techno

François X

HARJI

big room

dutch house

electro house

indian edm

pop dance

progressive electro house

slap house

KSHMR

Durante

multidisciplinary

Eli Fola

JSMN

acid house

alternative dance

chicago house

electroclash

filter house

new rave

Felix Da Housecat

Robbie Akbal

 entré to the world of melodic techno can only be described as remarkable. Her recent release, “

”  is a slithering five-minute journey punctuated by stuttering strings, glowing synths, and thoughtful composition that firmly establishes her dynamic storytelling prowess.  It’s only her second official release and it’s signed to Lane 8’s incredible This Never Happened imprint. A cosign this large, this early in a career is rare.
It makes perfect sense. The ethos of TNH and Luzi's life mission synchronize harmoniously “to create experiences that connect(s) humans and humanity in an impactful way.”


"Music, right, it's frequencies running through your body. And there's even science now that tells us that those things have an impact on your state of mind,” she explains. 

Warrior

Gifting peak dancefloor experiences are her way of reciprocating the love and understanding she felt when she first discovered warehouse parties in Seattle as a teenager.

“I think music has the ability to do that,” she continues. “Being able to reach an audience in a closed room for that moment where we're all having the shared experience. It's either going to enhance the relationships and the friendships or the romantic encounters that people are having  in that space. Or it's going to give them a way to escape from whatever struggles they're having. And I think knowing that that's the type of thing that I can create, co-create really, with the audience falls right in line with my life's mission.”

She’s deeply connected to those who seek to escape. “Music throughout my whole life has been a solace from all of life's challenges.”

She was born in communist Romania. At the time, it was nearly impossible to get creative content. She fondly remembers huddling around a TV with her neighbors and family to watch movies from America. 

“I remember whenever the Lions Gate thing came on everyone would get excited! Like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is a movie from America! And it’s going to be super special.' And it was like that with music too.”

She also remembers Michael Jackson's, "Thriller" on repeat. It was one of the only pieces of American media that made it through.

Her earliest musical memories are of her father. In college, he played the piano for a SNLesque sketch show. His political comedy was relegated to basements in communist Romania. He taught Luzi about the intersection of music and activism.

She escaped Romania with her family at five, after the revolution. Despite living through such a tumultuous time, her father knew things weren't getting any better, and he needed to get his family somewhere with a more certain future. By the time she landed in Seattle six years later lived in 17 cities and four countries.

“I was trying, like any young person does, to fit in,” she says about the constant movement. “I was trying to assimilate to certain cultures. And so, I would pick up what was the musical experience in those different areas.”

Pandemonium - Extended Mix

She’s part of a small community of people who grew up in more than one country during their developmental years, third culture kids. Her fascination with world music and cross-cultural competency overflow into her process for building DJ sets.

“I will actually sometimes go out and look up a country when I'm looking on a platform for music to see what is popping up in an obscure different country that typically, people might not give a voice to. And I'll download and explore that music because I want to bring all the different voices from the world together.”

She began to immerse herself in dance music culture at warehouse parties in long-forgotten venues of Seattle’s past. The pain of her past struggles melted away on the dance floor. So, she started to produce her own parties to spread that feeling. And while music was the central focus, it took some major life events to realize her creative potential.


“I always thought about how I would want to DJ and produce. And I had to get over some inner struggles in order to get to the point where I had to meet my authentic self and start producing and performing.”

Luzi just celebrated seven years in recovery from addiction and substance abuse disorder. She realized that her life needed to redirect. And she found the courage to dedicate herself to do what she loved in the process. Recovery was (and is) a source of strength and clarity.

“What that really meant for me was meeting the darkest parts of myself. The parts of myself that I hadn't loved yet. I set everything else aside - expectations of myself, other people out of me and just hunker down and focus on getting into recovery, and rediscovering who I really am on the inside.”

It’s a journey that she’s open and honest about because she wants those who struggle to know that they come out on the other side and experience even deeper realms of creativity.


“That started building self-love and confidence. And it really uncovered the inner courage that I had to just do things because I love them without any expectation. And that's the thing, I started DJing and producing out of love for it. And because it felt therapeutic. And it's the only time in my life where the chatter in my head really quiets down and I'm just able to focus on this. And that's been an incredible experience … It started because I wanted to do something that I loved by myself in my apartment, and with a few close people in my life that that I asked to mentor me.”

She also learned to take things as they are, at the moment. She escaped many of the mental traps that new producers face as they try and find their sound and wonder how they’ll ever break through the noise.

“I think this goes back to my healing and recovery journey, which teaches you to do things despite fear and concern, and not future trip too much.”

It all leads back to her mission statement. An ethos that music can and should be transformative. And the values her father passed on to her that music can also be activism.


“What I'm seeing in society, and while it's changing through the work that's being done is that there's still this discrepancy between people understanding that mental health is physical health. They are actually synonymous, intertwined. There's treatments, I mean, from all facets of it, mental health and physical health are on the same plane. But there's been such a stigma around mental health. And so, I see the ability to be in dance music and talk about my experience that other people will relate. And just realize that, you know, it's something you can get easily support for, just like you would go to a doctor's appointment for a fractured leg. It's something that people should be comfortable doing and talking about. I believe music as a form of therapy in its own right. And I think being able to use my voice and my music to inspire people to get help and feel supported, and also see that people that have gone through this are doing things that they want to be doing to inspire them to pursue their dreams is part of why I'm so passionate about the work.”



Luzi Tudor’s entré to the world of melodic techno can only be described as remarkable. Her recent release, “Warrior”  is a slithering five-minute journey punctuated by stuttering strings, glowing synths, and thoughtful composition that firmly establishes her dynamic storytelling prowess.  It’s only her second official release and it’s signed to Lane 8’s incredible This Never Happened imprint. A cosign this large, this early in a career is rare.
It makes perfect sense. The ethos of TNH and Luzi's life mission synchronize harmoniously “to create experiences that connect(s) humans and humanity in an impactful way.”


"Music, right, it's frequencies running through your body. And there's even science now that tells us that those things have an impact on your state of mind,” she explains. 



Gifting peak dancefloor experiences are her way of reciprocating the love and understanding she felt when she first discovered warehouse parties in Seattle as a teenager.

“I think music has the ability to do that,” she continues. “Being able to reach an audience in a closed room for that moment where we're all having the shared experience. It's either going to enhance the relationships and the friendships or the romantic encounters that people are having  in that space. Or it's going to give them a way to escape from whatever struggles they're having. And I think knowing that that's the type of thing that I can create, co-create really, with the audience falls right in line with my life's mission.”

She’s deeply connected to those who seek to escape. “Music throughout my whole life has been a solace from all of life's challenges.”

She was born in communist Romania. At the time, it was nearly impossible to get creative content. She fondly remembers huddling around a TV with her neighbors and family to watch movies from America. 



“I remember whenever the Lions Gate thing came on everyone would get excited! Like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is a movie from America! And it’s going to be super special.' And it was like that with music too.”

She also remembers Michael Jackson's, "Thriller" on repeat. It was one of the only pieces of American media that made it through.

Her earliest musical memories are of her father. In college, he played the piano for a SNLesque sketch show. His political comedy was relegated to basements in communist Romania. He taught Luzi about the intersection of music and activism.

She escaped Romania with her family at five, after the revolution. Despite living through such a tumultuous time, her father knew things weren't getting any better, and he needed to get his family somewhere with a more certain future. By the time she landed in Seattle six years later lived in 17 cities and four countries.

“I was trying, like any young person does, to fit in,” she says about the constant movement. “I was trying to assimilate to certain cultures. And so, I would pick up what was the musical experience in those different areas.”

She’s part of a small community of people who grew up in more than one country during their developmental years, third culture kids. Her fascination with world music and cross-cultural competency overflow into her process for building DJ sets.

“I will actually sometimes go out and look up a country when I'm looking on a platform for music to see what is popping up in an obscure different country that typically, people might not give a voice to. And I'll download and explore that music because I want to bring all the different voices from the world together.”

She began to immerse herself in dance music culture at warehouse parties in long-forgotten venues of Seattle’s past. The pain of her past struggles melted away on the dance floor. So, she started to produce her own parties to spread that feeling. And while music was the central focus, it took some major life events to realize her creative potential.


“I always thought about how I would want to DJ and produce. And I had to get over some inner struggles in order to get to the point where I had to meet my authentic self and start producing and performing.”

Luzi just celebrated seven years in recovery from addiction and substance abuse disorder. She realized that her life needed to redirect. And she found the courage to dedicate herself to do what she loved in the process. Recovery was (and is) a source of strength and clarity.

“What that really meant for me was meeting the darkest parts of myself. The parts of myself that I hadn't loved yet. I set everything else aside - expectations of myself, other people out of me and just hunker down and focus on getting into recovery, and rediscovering who I really am on the inside.”

It’s a journey that she’s open and honest about because she wants those who struggle to know that they come out on the other side and experience even deeper realms of creativity.


“That started building self-love and confidence. And it really uncovered the inner courage that I had to just do things because I love them without any expectation. And that's the thing, I started DJing and producing out of love for it. And because it felt therapeutic. And it's the only time in my life where the chatter in my head really quiets down and I'm just able to focus on this. And that's been an incredible experience … It started because I wanted to do something that I loved by myself in my apartment, and with a few close people in my life that that I asked to mentor me.”



She also learned to take things as they are, at the moment. She escaped many of the mental traps that new producers face as they try and find their sound and wonder how they’ll ever break through the noise.

“I think this goes back to my healing and recovery journey, which teaches you to do things despite fear and concern, and not future trip too much.”

It all leads back to her mission statement. An ethos that music can and should be transformative. And the values her father passed on to her that music can also be activism.


“What I'm seeing in society, and while it's changing through the work that's being done is that there's still this discrepancy between people understanding that mental health is physical health. They are actually synonymous, intertwined. There's treatments, I mean, from all facets of it, mental health and physical health are on the same plane. But there's been such a stigma around mental health. And so, I see the ability to be in dance music and talk about my experience that other people will relate. And just realize that, you know, it's something you can get easily support for, just like you would go to a doctor's appointment for a fractured leg. It's something that people should be comfortable doing and talking about. I believe music as a form of therapy in its own right. And I think being able to use my voice and my music to inspire people to get help and feel supported, and also see that people that have gone through this are doing things that they want to be doing to inspire them to pursue their dreams is part of why I'm so passionate about the work.”

Luzi Tudor

Articles

Other artists