Exploring the Mind of Rising Techno Star LUMI

LUMI sat down with us after her festival debut at Day Trip Festival to chat about her rise in the techno scene, the support she’s received, and more.

The techno scene is filled to the brim with talented artists who are all staking their claim on the growing number of dance music lovers flocking to the genre, and LUMI is making her presence known. Originally from Finland but now residing in Seattle, she’s been on a quick ascent through the scene’s ranks with memorable sets at clubs and underground events up and down the West Coast, and she isn’t letting anyone get in her way.

This year has seen LUMI take the next giant steps in her career. Not only did she drop her debut EP on Octopus Recordings in January, but she’s since gone on to deliver some fantastic tunes on Kneaded Pains and HE.SHE.THEY., all of which have won over even more fans. More recently, LUMI added another first to her blossoming career – her festival debut at Day Trip Festival, where she played not one, not two, but three sets on the same day.

Playing just one set is a massive achievement for any rising artist, let alone three. And there’s plenty of planning (and stressing) that takes place. “To be honest, I’ve been overthinking all of them,” she shared with us. “I made every single set probably three times, and I just decided that things won’t change much because I’m shifting songs around. But it’s been really fun to prep for.”

Now that I know what [playing a festival] is like, I love it. I’ve been coming to festivals for so many years, so being able to play one has been amazing. I’d love to keep doing it.
LUMI

Photo Credit: Jordan Sabillo for Insomniac Events

Digging a bit deeper into her thoughts on the local scene in Seattle compared to other cities like Los Angeles, LUMI shared that it’s small but picking up. “There isn’t a massive techno scene in Seattle, but it’s growing. It’s definitely bigger [in LA],” she said. “But it’s nice to see the Seattle techno community growing and constantly becoming bigger there as I grow as an artist.”

LUMI’s big breakout beyond Seattle’s borders is due, in part, to those aforementioned releases on labels like Octopus Recordings and HE.SHE.THEY. that have exposed her to a global audience. “It’s amazing. I’m so grateful that I’ve even had the opportunity to be on these labels, they’re pretty much legendary so this is fucking amazing,” she shared when asked about receiving their support. “So far, I’ve had a lot of really good feedback from them. There was one where it was like, “Tweak this and that,” but after I did that, it worked out.”

The biggest piece of advice I’ve been given is to treat everyone the way you would treat yourself. Also, your network is important so utilize that for sure. That’s been helpful because I’ve been coming to shows for a long time, so it’s been nice to build connections.
LUMI

Techno is also at the forefront of equality in the scene, with plenty of women like Nicole Moudaber, Charlotte de Witte, and Sara Landry helping lead the charge. LUMI shared her thoughts on the dominance of women in the genre, saying that the time for women is “now.” “I feel like women are being given a chance right now, so it’s been amazing for me to come in at the same time,” she said.

As for the future, LUMI has some big plans ahead. She’s currently on a trip back to Europe to visit family and play in Finland and will also be traveling to Berlin to get a dose of techno there. Once she’s back in the States she has some “cool shows coming up” that she hasn’t announced quite yet.

LUMI also teased that more releases and a new label that she’s launching are on the horizon, so make sure to stay tuned for all of those details to be revealed in the coming months!