Dj 3000

Detroit's DJ 3000 produces techno distinguished by its frequent usage of samples, melodies, and instrumentation drawing from the artist's Albanian heritage. A longtime Underground Resistance associate, he releases most of his music through his own Motech label. First appearing with a series of mix CDs and 12" EPs during the early 2000s, he released his debut album, Migration, in 2006. He has since collaborated with Ursula Rucker and remixed Depeche Mode, Ellen Allien, St. Germain, and others. Further releases include albums like 2014's Besa, 2020's two-part Spectrum compilation, and dozens of EPs, including 2022's Mashallah. Franki Pjetar Luca Juncaj was raised in Hamtramck, Michigan, a city within the Detroit borders that is heavily populated by immigrants from Southeastern Europe and the Middle East. He initially started to DJ under his own name before his friend DJ Bone introduced him to the Underground Resistance collective and Submerge distribution company, and he quickly became part of the family. UR co-founder Mad Mike Banks decided that Juncaj needed a DJ name, so Juncaj became known as DJ 3000, in honor of the street address of UR's Detroit headquarters, which had just relocated. DJ 3000's first release was 2002's Somewhere in Detroit Mix Series, Vol. 1, released by DJ Assault's Submerge-distributed Electrofunk Records. Several other Submerge-issued mixes followed, and Juncaj released his own productions through his Motech label, starting with the 2003 EP Red Line. DJ 3000 appeared on UR's 2005 compilation Interstellar Fugitives 2: Destruction of Order, and he was responsible for the UR remix of Depeche Mode's "People Are People" in 2006. His debut album, Migration, arrived that year, followed by Blood and Honey in 2007. Ursula Rucker guested on the single "My Sunday Afternoon," and other tracks featured UR's Gerald Mitchell and Diametric. DJ 3000's third album, Galactic Caravan, appeared in 2009, followed by an extensive remix collection. Juncaj released the album Invisible Moods under his own name in 2011. 10 Years of Motech (The Remixes) appeared in 2012. DJ 3000's full-length Sälis was released in 2013, and Besa followed in 2014. He continued releasing singles and EPs, mainly on Motech, and 2020's Spectrum, Vol. 1 and 2 gathered tracks which first appeared on other labels. He remained busy with further EPs such as 2021's Cadence and 2022's Mashallah.
© Paul Simpson /TiVo