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, 14 Below, Club Good Hurt, Zen Sushi, the Roxy, 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, DJ SR-71, and Kid Beyond (the Human Beatboxer). He also regularly performs around LA and in the Bay Area with hip-hop heroes Illadapted and grimey hood-rockers Bazerk, and he’s been known to embark on whirlwind tours of Arizona.

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 regular 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…