About Me
Lumis believes that the art of music is alive and thriving. Born in Minneapolis and raised in San Diego, he has been playing records since he was old enough to say "turntables." As co-founder of Sweet New Style Productions, he threw wild & crazy parties all over California (from Diego to the Bay, yo!). In 2001, Lumis captured the attention of Industrial-Pop sensation Meg Lee Chin and joined her band, the Meg Lee Chin Experience. After a move to Los Angeles, a few years and a national tour with The Experience, and a guest appearance on the 2002 Pigface album "Easy Listening..." (Meg's mates on Ministry mastermind Martin Atkins' label), Lumis felt it was time to get serious about the music game. Following numerous collaborations with some of the finest up-and-coming artists in the local scene, he settled into his weekly residencies spinning records at famed LA clubs The Gig on Melrose and later, The Room in Hollywood. He also co-hosted the Beat Battle at REHAB Records' MicRAPhone Fiend twice a month.
Lumis worked with Victory Vampeal on Vic's underground hip-hop project White Rabbit. The two released a record entitled "17 Violations" which can be found on record store shelves and in used bins everywhere. From there, Lumis lent his talents to big-beat electro-popsters Shotgun Radio, laying scratches on their debut album "The Deserted Circus" (available in stores and on iTunes). Lu then began work on his first solo record, "Hypothetical Questions and Rhetorical Conversations" which was released in late 2006. It's a self-produced album of original instrumental tunes & carefully selected samples, described as: experimental trip-hop, psychedelic hip-hop, jazzy, downtempo, turntable-icious electro funk. Two of the tracks currently posted on this page ("Who Are You" and "49") are from "Hypothetical Questions..." while "Channel the Funk" and "Planetary Head Bob" are brand new creations from the still-in-the-works project entitled "6 Miles from the Kuiper Belt." Also available are the DJ's new mixtape CD "Where the Shadows Run" (featuring posted track "Soundtrack to a Fist Fight") and his remastered 1999 mixtape CD "A Downtempo Daydream."
Lumis has graced stages large and small in some of LA's most infamous venues, including The Knitting Factory, The Derby, House of Blues, B.B. King's, Fais Do-Do, The Viper Room, The Roxy, 14 Below, Club Good Hurt, Zen Sushi, The Highlands, and more. He's shared the bill with artists such as Akil the MC (Jurassic 5), Zion I, One Block Radius, Bicasso (Living Legends), Prozack Turner, Trek Life, 2Mex, The Literates, and Kid Beyond (the Human Beatboxer). He also regularly performs all over the West Coast with hip-hop heroes Illadapted and grimey hood-rockers Bazerk. And he's currently the music coordinator and disc jockey for comedy/variety talk show "Toneo Talk" which airs on RebolexTV.com and on West Hollywood cable channel 36!
His solo act defies traditional stereotyping, as this b-boy raps and freestyles while he's scratching, simultaneously ripping up the turntables and the microphone. Lumis commands the stage with a lil' funk, a lil' fusion, and a lotta soul. So come prepared to throw your L's up!
Lately, the turntablist has been putting a lot of energy into his start-up record label/production company/DJ service/promotional site called In Life We Spin, an indie organization dedicated to encouraging new talent and bringing the underground music scene slightly above ground. There's even talk of a clothing line in the works! (gotta get those Lumis pajamas, yo!). What else does the future hold for Lumis? Lots of cutting & scratching, a monthly Saturday afternoon gig spinning records at Floyd's Barbershop in Hollywood, another solo album release of original material, and, after appearing in commercials for sneaker titans Timberland and Puma, and battling a hand-drummer in a children's workout video, he'll resume his role as judge at Guitar Center's annual Spin-Off. So stay tuned...
PRESS:
"Out of Los Angeles, CA, comes "Hypothetical Questions and Rhetorical Conversations" by DJ Lumis. This Turntablist's music has been described as "Sample-adelic Turntable-icious Electro Funk." What it boils down to is one very cool, inventive sound. The CD consists of 15 self-produced instrumental tracks interspersed with cutting, scratching, and mixing vocals with a synthesis of natural and manmade resonance. The common thread throughout is awesome beats. "Who Are You," asks the big questions… "Solid" features straight-up great dance music that insists upon movement in the listener.
Rating: **** Pretty Darn Good!"
--Phosphorescence Magazine, December 2007
"Lumis, a connotation of ‘illuminate’ also is defined to mean ‘enlighten,’ as with knowledge. One guy who lives up to that depiction is CA based artist, DJ Lumis… His tracks, like 'Who Are You' and 'Planetary Head Bob,' are filled with beats that have their own unique sound."
--UBO Magazine, August 2007
Lumis chosen as a finalist in the Fresh Films/Fresh Sounds short film soundtrack competition! Original instrumental track "49" rolls during the last scene in "The Experiment," a psychological thriller with cult-flick potential. "49" won the most votes in the action/thriller genre, and "The Experiment" won the prestigious Jury Prize!
"Lumis is super-talented and we were lucky to have [him] on board."
--Fresh Sounds, August 2007
"...this disc is really cool and deserves more attention from music fans!"
--The Music Review, Spring 2007
"As a solo artist I have to say that the man is a prodigy musical genius. Hypothetical Questions and Rhetorical Conversations is a 15 track album with flawless mixing and comes with a really big chill factor... Lumis is definitely running on all 8 cylinders and there just seems to be no stopping the man. Constantly gigging every other day of the month as a solo act and with his other two projects he's really ready to explode to the next level."
--Latitude 32º, January 2007
"…groovily infectious Black Eyed Peas-esque electronica rap flava spills out on stage in an engaging show."
--Prefix Magazine, May 2006
"Electronic energy meets lyrical, hip-hop mania."
--Inner Phase NY, August 2005
"DJ Lumis has the quick hands you'd expect from an old-school soul who truly appreciates the art form he's adopted. He lays down a foundation of beats that can stand on its own, and the high-energy vocals and slick verbal flow ratchet up the ante until the portrait is both complete and colorful."
--Music Connection Magazine, June 2005
MY ALBUMS:
available via CD Baby , PayPal , or In Life We Spin.com
MY UPCOMING SHOWS:
