One very cool, inventive sound
author: Lily Emeralde & Emma Dyllan for \"Phosphorescence Magazine\"
\"Out of Los Angeles, California, comes the 2006 release \"Hypothetical Questions and Rhetorical Conversations\" by DJ Lumis. This Turntablist\'s music has been described as \"Experimental, Hip-Hop, Trip-Hop, Acid-Jazz, Downtempo,\" and the best of the adjectives, \"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. Track 1, \"Who Are You,\" asks the big questions and informs us that, \"Every now and then you have to go off so you can know you\'re on.\" Another standout is \"Got No Sign,\" which weaves the tale of Jim, a homeless man into whose life \"came a man with no sign.\" This imaginative drama entwines the astrological signs with the characters and is impressively creative. Track 11, \"Solid\" features straight-up great dance music that insists upon movement in the listener.
As well as self-producing his own CDs, Lumis has many album credits with various groups, and is currently working on a start-up record label, production company, DJ service, & promotional site called In Life We Spin. Visit the site at www.inlifewespin.com.
Rating: **** Pretty Darn Good!\" --Lily Emeralde and Emma Dyllan
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mellow, melodic beats with an old school touch
author: Latitude 32º
Ah we love electronic funk. We really do. Local boy DJ Lumis, who's real name we obviously don't know cause that's a DJ thing I guess sent us his latest solo cut, "Hypothetical Questions and Rhetorical Conversations." That's a mouthful. But as the blend of hip-hop and down tempo DJing blends closer and closer together you get guys like Lumis. Cutting and mixing repetitive samples with mellow, melodic beats with an old school touch here and there. So really he's not just a scratcher like a lot of DJ's who sit behind their turntables and ride the vinyl. But out there behind the mixing console and keyboard cutting it up.
The man is a busy man as well. Having toured with such acts as the Meg Lee Chin Experience and finding residencies at such clubs as The Gig on Melrose and The Room in LA, Lumis is also working two other projects...
As a solo artist though 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. Being solo he's played a number of the notable venues, The Roxy, The Knitting Factory, House of Blues, Zen Sushi to name a few. He's also move to production and promotions, starting his website InLifeWeSpin.com, where he provides a "one stop shop" for recording, productions, DJ services and promotions for new talent. Apparently there's also been talk of a clothing line.
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.
-- by Will O. at Latitude 32º
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