Recently I was fortunate enough to sit down with Anja Schneider: broadcast producer for Kiss fm, persona for Fritz radio, owner of Mobilee Records and overall a definitive girl-boss. A rainy afternoon in Berlin sought light only in conversation, as Anja shared her upcoming excitement for Mobilee's first residency on the white isle at Santos Hotel. Known for taking a stripped down approach to their day parties - sun and swimming, free admission and an eclectic mix of sounds - Mobilee plans on sticking to that exact recipe for the duration of its Santos Hotel tenure. A series of six fortnightly pool parties, with things kicking off this Monday the 14th of July at 2pm.
No new name to the music industry, Anja Schneider first dipped her foot into the electronic music pool while working for a radio station during the late 90s in Berlin. After becoming comfortable with electronic music the station asked her to consider hosting her own show, “I was super scared," she explains, "because I always worked behind the scenes and I didn't want to work in front of the microphone. But I thought to myself I should just do it, and this is how everything started - I suddenly got more requests as a DJ, and it was all coming together.” A creative outlet for Anja, 'Dance Under The Blue Moon' gave her the platform to explore multiple sides of the industry: unreleased tracks from young artists, connections with people in the industry and a chance to feature music she had produced herself.
The success from the radio show continued to blossom as Anja's following encouraged her to start playing live sets in clubs. Playing radio and live sets are two vastly different experiences so I was extremely curious to uncover how she found the transition... “In my head [radio] was always me in this little room with a microphone so I was of course a little bit nervous, but it was much easier for me because I never saw these listeners… I ended up jumping in cold water in the beginning of my first gig and the first year, let's just say - it was quite funny.” Of all the places to test the water the fact that Anja chose Berlin, electronic music capital of the world, is certainly courageous. Though techno reigns supreme, Berlin has no one sound that you can pin point directly, Anja refers to disparate artists like Paul Van Dyk, Richie Hawtin and Depeche Mode as just a few of the creative geniuses that have developed their careers there. She calls Berlin "an island for artists", which served as an inspiration while developing a sound because Berlin for her is a place where anything can happen.
PHOTO | The seasons line-ups for Anja Schneider's parties at Santos this year.
Having built her name, the next step came (by Anja's own admission) quite naturally, as she made good use of her growing reputation to build her own label (Mobilee Records), which aimed primarily to give young artists a much needed hand-up to the industry. When asked to describe the sound of Mobilee as a label, Anja states, “We don't have a specific sound, but each artist has a specific sound, so when it comes together its all and all in a good mixture.” The laid back vibe carried over as the label hosted a string of wildly successful day parties in Barcelona. The atmosphere was nothing flashy - bar, sun and good music - which showed crowds that with the essentials all the rest was just a stage.
Berlin and Ibiza (both leaders for electronic music) are vastly different places, with less significant crossover than you would expect from two dance music Meccas. When making the decision of being the first Berlin crew to bring parties of this nature to the island, Anja expressed Mobilee's initial hesitation, “It took us sometime to go over to Ibiza, because we are not really known to have these VIP parties or high entrance, you know it's all very basic. We are known for our rooftop parties - bar, sun and music - you know all really basic and not this Ibiza sound or Ibiza feeling with a lot of money.” The VIP culture in Ibiza continues to increase in popularity, which has created quite a divide over the years. Mobilee's aim is not to transport the ‘Berlin feeing,' but to rekindle the original spirit of Ibiza by having both artist and fans come together as one.
VIDEO | A preview of what is to come this season.
Despite receiving previous offers, Anja felt now was the right time all because of the venue - Santos Hotel. Located in Playa D'en Bossa, Santos captures the essence of the label with free admission, fairly priced drinks and a dance floor spilling out right onto the beach. In addition to Anja behind the decks, fellow Mobilee artists Rodriguez Jr., Sebo K, Ray Okpara, Re.You, And.Id, Igor Vicente, Lee Van Dowski and Ralf Kollmann will be joining her each week, ranging in sounds from techno to deep house. Even though Anja will be spinning each week, these poolside parties are in no way centred around her. “This is all about Mobilee," she explains. “I'm always thinking about the brand which is maybe why it's so successful, because the brand is bigger than any artist of ours, which makes us different from any other people.” A selfless approach is rare in the industry, which is something you could accredit her success to. This year for example Anja continues to challenge herself with a variety of new projects: dropping a new Dubmission EP this past spring (featured in our top releases of June), playing major nights at the island's super clubs and landing a regular slot on island radio station Ibiza Sonica every Monday throughout the course of her residency at Santos.
The pull to Ibiza is undeniable, which is what has kept Anja coming back (not to mention escaping that grim German weather) for years. “I really like to use my time on the island to go to other parties and see my colleagues and see my friends because sometimes you are so in your own work mode or work bubble that you are not free to hear other people who could be very inspiring.” A passion for seeing and hearing what is around her is what gives this label so much diversity in their artists. Mobilee's philosophy is simple - “Keep it relaxed, do what you like and do it with passion.” - and completely embodies everything Ibiza is about.
WORDS | Sara McNutt
Mobilee Pool Ibiza opens Monday 14th July, 14:00 - 23:00 at Santos feat. Anja Schneider, Rodriguez Jr., Igor Vicente and William Kouam Djoko.
You can stream the party live with BE-AT.TV via this link: ibiza-spotlight.com/night/live-streaming
mobilee-records.de
facebook.com/anjaschneider
'Dubmission' EP out now on mobilee
