The Pondering Blonde

BPM Life Interview with Inxec

Inxec is sitting pretty in Mexico when we have our skype date a few weeks back. He’s come a long way from toggling a Playstation handset to make music all those years ago, finding himself to be something of a programming prodigy and his musical architecture has jumped in leaps and bounds, as releases become symbolic soundtracks and gigs abroad see him begin mapping the globe. Because yes, this is only the beginning.

Inxec got his leg up when he was signed to Jay Haze’s Contexterrior Label in 2006 and a string of releases saw him begin crafting his special take on electronic music, without the pressures of having to release a certain sound. ‘A friend of mine Shadi Megalaa from Igloo Records introduced me to Jay and it all started from there. I had a few releases on the label and it was the right place for me to start as he really gave me the artistic freedom to do what I wanted with my sound.’ Having now had releases on Cocoon, Cr2, Baracca Music, Turningspork- Haze’s headier techno label -and Leftroom, he has a strong feel for his music direction.

‘Some labels want you to make a certain sound to fit into they’ve got going, but the labels I work with appreciate you as an artist and let that be your musical journey, and that’s important.’ Inxec’s sound spans the house and techno spectrum with glitchy-minimal elements and a dash of funk. His sound and effects are meticulously placed. His experimental tip comes from his reprogramming past-time which has seen him ‘rewire’ his Ableton software with another called Maxwell Live and ‘having the best of both worlds’ to produce his trademark weirdness.

I ask why he made the move to Munich and not Berlin, the touted ‘Electronic Music Capital of the World’. ‘I moved to Munich a few years ago, and have to admit, I moved there for a girl, which didn’t last. I was only there for a year but it helped me get into the scene in Germany, I got my foot in the door at Harry Klein and was resident at the club there for 5 years. Berlin is great but it’s hard. It’s very competitive and it’s all ‘hype, hype, hype.’ I’m not into that really, I’m not much of a people person.’

Returning to London Inxec is happy to be back with the brotherhood although the state of the club scene has seen recent turmoil once again. ‘Ye it’s always in a state of flux. The girl I’m seeing at the moment is the owner of T Bar, and she just found out its gone into administration, so it’s not the best time. It’s kind of like the delayed effects of the recession, it’s sad. The scene has been moving back into the warehouse and secret part culture which excites things a bit- it’s not all about the clubs.’ He mentions Lo Kee, Half Baked and Mulletover as some of the underground parties’ vibing in East London at the moment.

‘Musically, it’s a hot place to be, all my friends are here and everyone’s doing great things, so I’m happy to be back in the creative mix of it all.’ The friends he speaks of are long time production partner Matt Tolfrey- their 2009 release Jerk was without a doubt one of the soundtracks to last summer. Hector, who in 2009 was signed to Mobilee and made waves on the underground circuit with his first release for the label, Got Fringe. ‘I have an EP coming out with Hector soon. I’ve also got one with Mark Chambers coming out- he’s from Dubai, a Radioslave remix and a Nina Kravitz remix on Rekids. Oh, and on Cocoon and Gedde’s label Murmur later this year with Matt.’

He recently returned from DEMF, Detroit’s iconic electronic music festival where he had the time of his life. ‘It was unbelievable, really next level. I spent a lot of time at the actual festival- I didn’t wanna do the other parties, I was just enjoying being at the festival, there was so much happening. Plastikman Live was just incredible- great production. There was just such an amazing vibe going on, lots of celebrities hanging out- I spoke to Kid Rock and kinda met Carl Craig when I accidentally slapped him in the face!’

On playing his first DEMF set, he feels like it was a coming of age for him in the dance music industry, ‘I definitely has this ‘wow’ moment, it was an incredible feeling to be part of it. Although it started raining during my set, which was at the open air arena- right after the first track in fact, and they had to shut it down until the rain stopped. But I got to play again later, at about 3pm when they opened the underground stage and played to like 4 000 people. It was really warm down there, everyone waiting for the rain to stop, so the energy was crazy. It was a truly special experience.’

Take Inxec, Tolfrey, Geddes and throw into the mix American-Berlinners, Shaun Reeves, Lee Curtis and Seth Troxler and you have their whole little team, changing the face of electronic music one up-front beat at a time. ‘I guess we’re a bit of a rowdy bunch. But they’re all great guys, very real people. We talk about things, we don’t blow smoke up anyone’s ass- there’s no hidden agenda.’

On the agenda- his trip to South Africa and the former snake park that houses one of South Africa’s best night clubs in Johannesburg, where he drops an exclusive set. ‘A former snake- wow, I’m looking forward to checking that out.’ He says, excited on top of being excited about coming to play while such a big sporting events holds the worlds attention in SA. And on being billed alongside the legendary Cosmic Gate. ‘I didn’t know who Cosmic Gate was until I was book to play in South Africa!’ Ah, such is the life in Technoland.

Excuse The Mess Interview with Ralf Kollmann

Where did your musical journey begin and how did you find dance music and the techno sound?
Little Ralf loved to listen to the radio. I discovered special shows that aired Maxi and Instrumental Versions once a week and recorded everything with my father’s old tape machine. I was inspired by his record collection, even though I didn´t understand what this music was about. He had this Krautrock stuff, Kraftwerk of course and some other early experimental synthesizer bands in his collection. I made my first steps in the disco arena when the first techno and house wave developed in the clubs in Germany and other cities, in the early 90’s.

I got my early club lessons in Sven Väth´s legendary Omen Club in Frankfurt. I remember a very special night when Richie Hawtin, Daniel Bell and Speedy J all played together, it blew my mind. I realized then that this was a new movement and a whole new lifestyle for a young generation was created. Wow! Just realized that this was 17 years ago… I started as a passionate Raver and became a passionate Maker- being proud of mobilee and our artists playing a little role in the global techno circus.

Tell us about growing up in Germany and watching the development and evolution of dance music scene- from the front row as it were.
I wouldn´t say that I sat in the front row, cause before Germany was hit hard by electronic dance music there was a house movement in Chicago and Detroit, later the Acid House hype in the UK developing from Manchester… When I discovered clubbing it took a few years before techno became mainstream by the help of Love Parade and Mayday. The Sponsors and Media in Germany followed up with Top 10 Chart Positions- I think it was similar to the huge success of Prodigy and Underworld in the UK. That boosted the original Techno underground in the mainstream market and some vibes got lost of course.

When everybody was used to seeing Techno beats and Euro Dance on Music TV, a new underground developed, around 2000- and that inspired me a lot to dive back into the music thing again; celebrating it, enjoying it, feeling it and finally, starting the label in 2005 with Anja Schneider. It’s great that people who inspired me as a little raver are now colleagues and friends. And I still like to rave of course!

Why is everybody obsessed with Berlin right now?
Berlin is one of the most liberal cities in the world. When it comes to clubbing; Panorama Bar and Bar 25 are known all over the world in reference to Berlin’s Nightlife. Compared to other metropolitan cities, it’s affordable to live here without having three jobs. It’s quite relaxed and the city is a huge creative space. There’s a big density of international Labels, DJ´s and Producers who’ve decided to make Berlin their home. The Sound is defined by international activists who discovered Berlin as an inspiring city to live, make music, go out and have fun- it’s the undisputed epicentre of techno music and it will probably not change in the near future.

You’ve played in many cities around the world, recently playing in New York, Miami, Amsterdam and Dubai, tell us about your travels…
It’s always a pleasure to travel and discover other cities, countries and meet enthusiastic and passionate people. Especially the music we are playing and enjoying ourselves; it seems to connect very special people all over the world. The vibe is similar everywhere… if I am playing in a small wooden hut at a beach or at 5 star hotel club resort in Dubai, the people are interested in the music we are doing.

Barcelona is amazing during Sonar Festival, San Francisco and Los Angeles are my favourite party towns in the US. I have a lot of fun playing in London and also Ekaterinburg in Russia. I must say, it’s a luxury that in Berlin we have the opportunity to party for 24 hours- sometimes it’s sad when the party stops at 3 or 4am, when it was just about to get nasty! But every trip has something unique, and it’s great to if you have residencies all over the world where you make friends and know what to expect when you are coming again.
I’m really looking forward to coming to South Africa for the first time in my life and being the first mobilee dude there!

You’ve been nurturing the mobilee label going on 5 years now, how does it feel to have created this yourself and been part of an international music movement?
Anja Schneider and me started it as a side project five years ago and within a short time it accidently became a full time job for both of us. Every mobilee artists is playing an important role and transporting our vision with every gig and every release. After five years we are more than proud that we created an established platform for talented artists who play all over the world. We started the label at a time when the music market changed completely and that taught us to be flexible and go our own way all the time. It’s important to leave the well-worn path sometimes and try something new and take risks. And we still see ourselves at the beginning with what we started and have ideas and visions for the next years to come.

Mobilee is 5 years old in 2010, what can you reveal the label plans to do to celebrate?
We are just developing the activities for next year. The 5 years anniversary is playing an important role next year and will be the main theme in 2010. We are doing a world tour on five continents in 5 cities each. We will release a very special anniversary compilation featuring exclusive, never-before-heard material from every artist on our roster. This is one celebration you aren’t going to want to miss. We call it “mobilee 5² tour” and it will be showtime! Hope we can make stop in South Africa again next year!

Mobilee is recognised for being on the cutting edge of modern music marketing techniques, tell us about the thought processes behind that…
We are living and acting in a high tech environment. We grew up with internet technology and social networks. It helped us to become popular worldwide without spending multi million dollar budgets in marketing so it’s obvious that we are trying to be on the top with modern music marketing techniques. We just launched a mobilee touch mix application for the I-Phone. The update with 5 new tracks and even unreleased music is available in a few days. We are trying to create a lot of visual content for our artists and exclusive content like mixes and behind the scenes features for our social networks.

It’s very important to keep an eye on what is going on out there. You should always be prepared for sudden changes and embrace new technologies and opportunities. You can cry about how difficult it is to sell music because of illegal downloads, or you can spend this energy finding new ways of distributing your music and using the creative potential of your artists and staff to develop new ventures

Mobilee is also known for its familia vibe amongst artists on the roster, how important is this kind of energy to running a successful label?
That’s part of our label philosophy. We wanted to establish strong and long lasting relationships with our artists from the beginning on. Nowadays you need a strong platform and a strong brand if you want to be recognized as an artist. We are joined forces, building up a strong visual and musical identity, we produce our own event ideas for Sonar

Festival, Winter Music Conference or Amsterdam Dance Event and give our artist as much creative freedom as possible. I think that’s part of our unique standing. We are musically versatile. The mobilee sound is created and defined by our artists and not dictated from above. The personal relationship to our artists is very important. If the personal chemistry is not right we cant achieve something together. We would never release music from someone we don´t like personally, even if it’s the biggest hit we have ever heard in our life.

How would you describe the sound of the label and how has it developed over the years?
It’s essentially just what Anja and I like musically, and this can often vary. We started listening to house and techno a while ago – and we’ve been passionate ravers since the early 90s – so the Mobilee sound is very versatile and primarily defined by our main artists. For us, the most important thing is to release music that makes people dance. Club music is made for the dancefloor – especially 12” releases. When you get down to brass tacks, the whole industry is based on nothing more than moving people’s asses every weekend!

Excuse The Mess with Mobilee Records, South Africa Tour

EXCUSE THE MESS WITH MOBILEE RECORDS
30TH OCTOBER – VOODOO LOUNGE JOHANNESBURG

Excuse The Mess crept onto the scene in 2008 with a secret Party in an empty office space in Central London. Two sound systems, a full bar and over 100 people snuck into the off-limits area on the 9^th floor and danced until the early hours of the morning in front of windows boasting breathtaking views of the city. The mischievous tone was set from the start, with partygoers helping to clean and remove all evidence of the subversive shenanigans at the end; birthing ETM’s etho’s of an underground club night with a cheeky twist.

Early days saw ETM taking to the backrooms of some of London’s favourite nightclubs, and stole the show in the Loft at Egg on New Year’s Eve with sheer good party vibes and spirit. Excuse The Mess became ‘the little party that could’ and set the precedent in 2009 when it bust out its first warehouse party at Corsica Studio’s with 3 international acts; Mymy, Matthew Styles and Ralf Kollmann, charging the room with an illustrious array of deep house and techno.

Excuse The Mess soon had some of the best local dj’s and vj’s vying for a spot behind the decks. Joining London resident’s Nick Maleedy, Russell Caten and The Fix; Ralf Kollmann, co-owner of mobilee Records with Anja Schneider, joined the team as international resident, bringing his fresh-as-hell German techno assault to the ETM Soundscape. In 5 years mobilee Records has become one of the most watched Techno labels in Europe, their artist roster includes the wickedly talented Pan-Pot, who headlined the ETM show in June and lead the packed Alhambra Warehouse in East London into a Berlin-stomping frenzy.

500 Showcase now presents Excuse The Mess to South Africa!

Excuse The Mess residents Ralf Kollmann and Nick Maleedy are bringing the best from their boxes in London and Berlin to make South Africa part of the ETM family this October! Ralf’s presence is as intense as the full bodied-moving minimal techno he plays and is renowned for tight track selection and tighter mixing, flecked with all kinds of tasty unreleased material. Nick’s penchant for deep house, stripped down techno and tribal grooves sees him mix a sophisticated playlist, and playing  alongside some of Europe’s finest including Pan-Pot, Matthew Styles, Thomas Schumacher, Danton Eeprom and Giles Smith.

Exclusive VJ Appearance from Ben Anchor, whose 8 year career in visuals has seen him reside with the CHAIR TV VJ’s crew and perform at Manchesters infamous Warehouse Project alongside the likes of Richie Hawtin, Luciano, Goldie and Justice.

Join us for the first leg of the 3 city tour at the Excuse The Mess Masked Ball at the sacred Voodoo Lounge in Johannesburg for a no excuses deep house and techno indulgence, complimented by the best local dj’s from Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.

We ask you in advance to Excuse The Mess

Luminocity Presents… Goldfish LIVE at Hub Club, London

Goldfish have grown from a local South African outfit to an international sensation with their eclectic live act, which blends instrumentals and sweet vocals over afro-infused Electronica. The duo held two residencies in Ibiza this summer; playing weekly at the revered Blue Marlin beach club and vibing the Main Floor and Global Room at Erick Morillo’s infamous Subliminal night every Wednesday at Pacha. Goldfish have taken the stage at some of the world’s biggest music festivals including Glastonbury, Sensation White, Ultra Music Festival and Get Loaded in the Park where they performed alongside Faithless, Basement Jaxx and Orbital; jetting off to Russia, Italy, Egypt, France and Brazil in between.

Luminocity, a new boutique artist agency, presents Goldfish LIVE in London for an intimate last summer session at Hub Club in Shoreditch, one of East London’s most novel warehouse venues. On the back of an incredible season and their anticipated Goldfish dj mix for the August issue of Dj Mag; this is set to be a special final show. With support from mobilee’s hottest new recruit Hector and the Spanish duo Sonogama, from the dynamic Sounderground Records label, the night is set to indulge an intriguing sound shakedown. Join us from 11pm onwards- early bird tickets are available from Ticketweb and RA for £12 and £15 at the door.

Mobilee’s newest recruit, Hector is a London favourite with residencies at Dig Your Own Rave, Kubicle and regular slots at Fabric. Balancing an experimental nature with a commitment to the spirit of house, his mixed up, moody sound and progressive energy creates a unique ambiance on the dancefloor. From Phonica Records to releases on Horizontal, mobilee, and Cecille among them, Hector has come an incredible way from his Mexican roots; his tunes finding their way into the sets of Ricardo Villalobos, Onur Ozer, Dinky and Appleblim

Sonogama are the Spanish duo of Ayoze Chico and Ollie Mendez. The pair found their musical future partying in the Canary Islands and went in studio together, where they founded their label Sounderground Records. The label, based in Germany has released tracks for Brendon Moeller, Dan Berkson and James What.  Sonogama have played across the UK and Spain, including residencies at London’s Kitchen Party and !KNUF. Sonogama indulge a shared passion for tribal-tinged European house and their behind the box antics are an epic energy force for the dancefloor.

Nick Maleedy has an instinctive ear for dark and dubby house that reeks of moody, intelligent and experimental flavour. His refined and unassuming manner makes for an interesting dancefloor experience whenever his sets hit the room and his residency at Excuse The Mess has seen him play alongside some of Europe’s finest acts including Pan-Pot, MyMy, Matthew Styles, and Ralf Kollmann.

Excuse The Mess Interview with Pan-Pot

What’s all this about Pan-Pot? Has someone cooked up a crazy concoction and made a bloody mess? Well- almost! Pan-Pot is Tassilo Ippenberger and Thomas Benedix, a darkly provocative Techno duo from Berlin. The boys are signed to mobilee Records and churn out chunky Techno hotcakes by the dozen and get sound support from some of the world’s best! Ahead of their gig at Excuse The Mess in London this weekend, we pulled them aside for a little Q & A before things got too messy…

So Techno London has been up in much anticipated arms with the news of a Pan-Pot sound excursion; seems they haven’t been our side in a while! So when was their last L-town gig and how does the UK scene differ to the European circuit they frequent each weekend? ‘We last played at The End for Clandestino Party with Miss Jools last year- it was for our album tour. The sound system was amazing and the party a total freakout!’

Good to hear they got some last Ending action…  ‘Yes, we love the UK; it’s definitely time to get back for some London madness. The UK has a long and important history in Techno, as some of the European cities do, and there’s endless music to educate and challenge you as a dj. And as we’ve experienced at our gigs, there’s always some clown in front of the crowd, which is great- the crowds are always enthusiastic!’

What are their thoughts on the UK being criticised recently by European artists for not being as open-minded as it was before? ‘In general the EDM scene has been growing a lot over the past few years- so many different styles have been created and we’re facing the fact that, having such a huge variety of electronic music, it’s just natural that people get picky. As soon as you have the choice, you start deciding on a certain taste and define it. It’s not just a UK thing- it’s a Europe phenomenon too.’

Speaking of phenomenon’s- Berlin has become a hub for cutting edge electronic music, what’s it like living in this constant environment? ‘The exchange of music, thoughts and ideas is huge.  Sometimes you have to find a way to escape the party and music thing. If not you’ll get crazy…’ No doubt- so where does one go to escape the techno talk- what else is happening outside EDM in Berlin? ‘Berlin offers so many things to distract from techno- there’s lots of cultural and sporty offers… The most important is probably to have enough friends who are not involved in what you do- and we’re both lucky to have enough of them!’

Okay, Pan-Pot musically- there’s a really sexy, sinister and atmospheric sound to Pan-Pot productions- some really interesting vocals too- how does it all come together? ‘There’s no ‘usual’ way we do a track. For sure, we start with a basic loop, but we’re both involved from the beginning and always switch roles. Then it just takes between two days and two weeks of fighting till we come to a satisfying end!’

Their last EP was released on London label, True to Form in summer last year, and a bunch of hot remixes since- what’s hot and Pan-Pot still to come in 2009? ‘We recently finished the next EP for Mobilee which is a two track vinyl and two exclusive digital tracks. It gets released towards the end of July; there’s some remix work to do following that and we’re also both working on some solo stuff with friends and partners.’

So how did Pan-Pot come about- how did they find each other in Technoland and merge music ambition? ‘We met at the audio engineering school and quickly discovered that we have the same idea about techno.  Electronic music; djing and producing, was important to both of us already- the fact that we were the only Techno heads there just tightened our decision to go the Pan-Pot way.’

What about the name Pan-Pot? They described it in their biography as the technical flip-flopping of a switch, but sure they get asked ‘Which one’s Pan and which one’s Pot?’ all the time and with the lookalike imagery; is this a marketing bonus for Pan-Pot? ‘Yes we get that a lot- never thought about it as a marketing aspect, but as you say it- we’ll have to improve on it! This ‘who is pan and who is pot’ question has developed into one of the worst ones we know! Every weekend several times- and then in combination with the ‘you look like twin brothers’ statement… Thanks, NEXT!’

Pan-Pot take London by storm this Friday in a naughty little mobilee Showcase with Excuse The Mess at Alhambra Warehouse in Shoreditch. Also headlining are mobilee man, Ralf Kollmann and The Fix. The audio goods will be delivered from 10pm- you’ll want to be front and centre for this one!

Take Me Back To T Bar

London clubbing is calling again – believe it ‘cos it’s true! Just when you thought it was time to pack up and head for the Ibizan Hills or the sexy, inner-city slums of Berlin; the space to embrace the music that makes your heart beat; the light at the end of the tunnel has arrived. And it’s shaped like a T!

The recent (mental and emotional) devastation left in the wake of club closings in London, had much of the dedicated clubbing population in a bit of a pickled frenzy. Strange as it may sound; it was morbidly fascinating to watch; people crying (yes really), tenderly fingering suede couches and undertaking  long last goodbyes with walls that held them up many times. Yes it was an era of loss and hopelessness for all, but we knew it had to come back around some time. Thankfully, that time now seems imminent…

Whispers about T Bar’s reopening hyped Underground Clubland into a small storm several weeks ago, and as it turned out, to much avail this time! There was – Swine Flu jokes aside – an electronic-style Mexican wave of delight as events announcing T Bar was indeed back, popped up in the event inboxes of many web-crawlers. The subsequent news of a sexy new location made it all the more sumptuous.

Those in the know, who admirably managed to keep it quiet for the preparation stage, were clearly smiling smugly and sipping on a cuppa, watching everyone run around from one badly planned event, to the next. But it’s been worth the wait; T Bar reopens in Houndsditch this week with a smattering of top notch events kicking the heels in motion!

The club is still manning a free door policy and starts the weekend each Thursday night with a 4am-er. The underground and adventurous troupes are invited to indulge in a little bit of Phonica, a whole lot of Freak ‘n Chic, and top it off each Sunday by Dig(ing) Your Own Rave.

T Bar’s closing in December 2008 was an incredible 12 night domino-effect affair of music and line-up to make your eyes water and ears burn! My last stint was the Mobilee Loves T Bar showcase; which put Berlin’s undisputed Queen of Techno, Anja Schneider front and centre with Mobilee partner Ralf Kollmann, who together rocked the roof off waaay past the generally accepted Thursday night curfew. I have no doubt the re-opening events will engulf the night in the same glam fashion…best you get on it and book you shape-throwing space on the dance-floor!

Little Lexi x

Pulse Radio Interview with Anja Schneider

Anja’s Schneider originally moved to Berlin chasing a career in radio but jumped on the switch when she found herself spending much time behind the decks in clubs in between shows on Fritz radio. Anja took her bubbly lease on life and intrinsic ear for techno to the dancefloor, and entered the production scene in 2004 undeterred by the male-dominated scene; setting a precedent in female artists being taken seriously in the music making business. Nicknamed the Techno Queen of Berlin, Anja’s string of incredible productions and record label, mobilee, with fellow dj Ralf Kollmann, have her spawning an unsubtle sound-force in the electronic dance music industry.

Having recently celebrated mobilee’s 50^th release; a slick collaboration with undercover man of the moment, Lee Van Dowski, I ask about her next release and who we can look forward to her working with in the near future. ‘Parrell Williams!’ She jokes- at least, I think she’s joking, then adds, ‘No seriously, no plans as yet.’ Fine, she’s not giving anything away here, but recently did reveal there would be an artist album and compilation mix on mobilee later in 2009. Hmm…! I squeeze for more about music juice; what’s she liking and loving at the moment? ‘I think the Mannheim sound being pioneered by people such as Johnny D is quite interesting; I’m also a big fan of newer talents like Seth Troxler and Jamie Jones.’

Their newest projects- artists signed to the mobilee roster; And.id, Dan Curtain and Hector are all worthy sound waves in the industry, what made her listen up? ‘And.id is a primarily live musician who brings this unique live component into his productions.  Dan Curtin is a veteran and a legend. His extensive knowledge of electronic music is really beneficial to mobilee—his combination of the old school tradition with new sounds has created a more “intellectual” version of techno.  Hector, on the other hand, is a young, upcoming talent with a huge heart for house music.’

Add to that mobilee’s forward thinking style of management and it goes without saying that these are boys to watch. ‘We really try to get the best out of every artist by helping them to develop their unique qualities and skills alongside the development of our label’s unique sound.  We are really committed to sticking with our artists along the way and helping them progress as producers and DJs.’ It’s this attitude and ethos that has elevated mobilee in 5 short years to become one of the most watched labels in the industry.

The recent launch of Exercise One’s first artist album on mobilee was a huge success. The duo have launch gigs around the world and have mobilee’s solid support in campaigning the albums exposure. The album release party at Rechenzentrum was a great moment for Anja. When asked about her last favourite in-the-music moment, she tells me this was it. ‘There was so much energy and excitement in the crowd that I had this really special moment where I came to the realization that “this is why I do this.”  That energy has carried over into all my gigs that have happened since then!’

As a touring artist you experience and see many different things in foreign the countries you travel to; one of Anja’s most interesting moments behind the decks was a really big party she played in the Dominican Republic, ‘People started showing up with their parents, grandparents and kids and starting dancing Merengue (a style of Latin American dance) to my music!’ She says, ‘It was really cool, not only because it actually worked with the grooves, but also because it was really neat to see the way in which music and dancing can unite multiple generations!’

Going back to Germany, it’s widely known some of the best night’s and events are taking place right at home, meaning Anja doesn’t have to do too much travelling to get her gigs worth, so where’s the hottest place to party in Berlin? ‘The best parties are always in Berghain and Panorama Bar, but this has a lot more to do with the atmosphere and the club in general than the lineup. And Mobilee parties are also good from time to time!’ If you’re chasing the European sunshine this summer you can get a fix of Anja and the crew at Sonar or later in the season when mobile goes on tour to Ibiza. But first she comes to you, with all intents and purposes to blow you away with her love for sound.

Anja Schneider jets into Australia for the We Love Sounds Festival which begins this weekend. She hit the stage for the second round at the Hordern Pavilion on June 6th.

Excuse The Mess presents Mobilee Showcase

Excuse The What? Yes, its’ time for a new little subversive excursion into the electronic abyss. Excuse The Mess presents another festive night of electronic debauchery in the sexy, messy, and forthcoming style you’ve become accustomed. We’ve put together a mobilee records showcase for you within the naughty walls of a fitting secret location in Shoreditch. Yep, the boys are armed with a plethora of too much minimal and techno goodness! The Pan-Pot boys take the helm with fresh L-town energy and Ralf Kollmann puts a cap in the ass of his second mess. The Moustache Mama’s take over room 2 for those of you who prefer your disco a little dirty… So bring your best friends and your worst behavior… and don’t mind us, just Excuse The Mess.

Friday night in East London has never sounded this hot! The venue this time around is Alhambra, a huge Moroccan style Warehouse on Commercial Road (3 minutes from Aldgate East). An exclusive members club during the day, Alhambra makes for the perfect summertime warehouse venue with its beautiful outdoor smoking terrace and atmospheric main room and huge sound system to boot! Doors open at 10pm, giving you enough to time to pop on a mix, shake off your working week and get scantily clad to come out and milk this balmy English summer weather for all its worth!

PAN POT
Pan-Pot are the brilliant multidimensional Berlin duo, Tassilo Ippenberger and Thomas Benedix, currently twisting house and techno fans into a rapturous frenzy! Pan-Pot have quickly become a central presence in the EDM scene, signed to mobilee records and delivering a smattering of top notch track releases. In this well timed era of divergent genres they’ve come with an intriguing sound and style- it’s all about dynamism on the dancefloor, and far from the simple switch they’re named after, Pan-Pot are renowned for sets that rope together crispy minimal, coolly restrained techno and hot and heavy house. Pan-Pot make this special London appearance with a love slap from the heart of the Berlin underground!

RALF KOLLMANN
Ralf Kollmann was the wunderkind of our last Excuse The Mess event, and so it was only right to make him our international resident and get him back again! The main man of mobilee, Ralf keeps his ear to the ground and knows Berlin’s underground electronic dirt like the back of his hand. He indulges a penchant for resonant deep house and mixes it up with the occasional driving curveball in suave style. He’s been dipping deep into electronic music since the beginning of the 90’s and those iconic roots are audible in his sets today as he rubs the freshest unreleased sounds from his mobilee and leena labels, with stone cold classics. It’s cheeky to say the least and downright hedonistic to say just a little bit more…

THE FIX
The Fix are a duo making devilishly sinister sound waves on the clubbing circuit, not least because of their interesting live performance- something you really want to see live to get the real Fix experience! The underground act and their label project, Yeah:No Recordings are fast earning electronic music world love. Their single ‘The Fire Inside’ got 3 successive thumbs up on Pete Tongs Radio1 Essential Selection after its release it February and was swiftly followed by a moody remix of Lopazz’s single ‘Credit Card Receipt’, released on Get Physical Music. The likes of Audiofly, Livio and Roby and Thomas Schumacher have headlined their own event night, Cadence at The Lightbox in Vauxhall, London.

NICK MALEEDY
Nick Maleedy knows good music. Having weaned an instinctive ear on a diet of dark and dubby progressive house, he’s developed a moody and intelligent soundscape. Nick’s refined beats and unassuming manner has piqued the interest of the underground clubbing community and seen Nick guest for top London event nights, as well as earn his White Isle stripes with gigs at Es Paradis and Savannah last year. Nick has had the pleasure of mixing alongside some of the finest including Matthew Styles, Giles Smith, Colin Dale and Spencer Parker, and plays regular LIVE guest sets on the capitals House FM.

MOUSTACHE MAMA’S PRESENT LOOSE
The Moustache Mama’s have been shaking things loose cross-country with their furry lips and wild disco fever. The blonde duo present a festive smash of dirty funk and disco laced with pop classics. They’ll be dominating Room 2 with their Bearded Brothers Paul Crognale and Cred for another kind of music madness in keeping with the messy mayhem!