Mobilee Brings Berlin To Ibiza

Words: Lena Kochetkova.

The Barcelona party circuit would be incomplete without the notorious Mobilee rooftop events in Hotel Silken Diagonal. Anyone that has witnessed the unique atmosphere would be forgiven for thinking “…why wouldn’t they recreate this in Ibiza?” This was exactly what prompted Anja Schneider to launch a brand new Mobilee residency at Santos Ibiza Coast Suites on July 14 this year, with her Monday afternoon through night residency due to run fortnightly until September 22, featuring such artists as Rodriguez Jr, Sebo K, Igor Vicente, Lee Van Dowski, Ray Okpara and of course Anja herself as a resident. Free entrance, a stunning seaside location and the stylish white and turquoise design of Santos serves as the perfect frame for Mobilee music, adding something precious and innovative to the party landscape of Playa d’en Bossa. To promote the sound of this series of events, Anja is running a new radio show on Ibiza Sonica on Mondays at 2pm. In addition to that, she is playing all around the island at such emblematic events as Music On, Solomun+1, ElRow, Flying Circus and some very special closing party that has to be kept secret for now. We met Anja at Santos for a poolside chat, during her second party, about her new Ibiza adventure, her latest Dubmission EP and why it is essential to bring new artists to the island.

What is your mood right now?
My mood has been changing every ten minutes today. In the morning, when I woke up, I had a huge hangover. I wanted to find an excuse to sleep the whole day long, but finally didn’t do that. I thought I would need to find a room to sleep here, but actually I’m good right now. I’m drinking a bottle of wine, and it’s such a hot day, and there can be no better place for a party than the one with a pool, on the beach, by the sea… Things are slightly moving forward, it’s so nice, I’m liking it!

If it’s not a secret, which party left you with such a hangover last night?
I went to Solomun at Pacha yesterday! I played for him in June, and I know him and his assistant Magdalena quite well, so we were there all together. It’s dangerous to go out with friends: I wanted to go home early, but it was simply impossible!

How was Mobilee opening party at Santos?
Our first party was quite good, especially given that you can never know how it will go in Ibiza. When you’re getting started here, every promoter feels anxious, because doing business on this island is completely different from anywhere else in the world. The vibe was really good, and we liked the people who came to dance with us, but so far it’s been an adventure for sure. Coming to Ibiza, we were trying to find something that would fit us: free entrance, the same vibe that we have in Barcelona on Diagonal rooftop… It took us a while to find something, and I think with Santos we achieved it pretty well.

Do you believe it’s possible to precisely recreate Barcelona’s vibes in Ibiza? Do these two places bear more similarities or differences, from your viewpoint?
This is exactly what we are trying to do: to recreate the vibe we got known for in Barcelona. All Mobilee artists are good friends, we love each other, so when we are all together, something special is happening. Today it’s our second party in Ibiza, let’s see how it goes.

Weren’t you afraid of going against Circo Loco on Monday afternoon?
Yes, DC10 is a big thing, of course. But Monday was quite a good option for us, because our rooftop parties in Barcelona take place on Sundays and it is easy to bring the team from Barcelona to Ibiza. We’re finishing at 10-11pm, so there is time for people to go to another event later.

Why did you opt for a bi-weekly residency and not a weekly one?
We were a little bit scared in the beginning, so we just wanted to see how it goes. Maybe, we will change it to weekly next year.

Did you consider any other options apart from Santos?
Of course there were many options. But we didn’t want to go into a big club, and we love this daytime, sunny, seaside thing… We wanted to find something that feels like Barcelona, and I was also looking for a right place to present my new artists. Sometimes it seems that the same people are constantly playing around the island, and I think it’s really important to bring in some new talents.

Which ones, for example?
For example, Sebo K, Ray Okpara, Igor Vicente who is a new signing for our label… All my Mobilee family is coming here. Since they don’t play for Cocoon or DC10, I consider them to be new artists for Ibiza, and they are super good!

You also have a new radioshow on Ibiza Sonica on Monday 2pm. Was it a challenge for you to start a radioshow in English?
No, because I’ve been doing my ‘Dance Under The Blue Moon’ radioshow for so many years already. Ever since I started it, I always had a guest, and it was mostly an international guest. So in my German programme I introduced the guest in English, and I had to translate his speech straight away – that’s how I got used to doing it in English. It’s nice that now I don’t have to translate my Ibiza Sonica show to German!

How different are Ibiza Sonica and Fritz Radio in terms of the way they function?
Fritz is very big in Germany, and everything is very well organized there. You can’t just come there 5 minutes before going on air, you have to be ready almost an hour in advance. Just because it’s Germany, I guess! But I really feel at home at Sonica as well – after working on the radio for so many years it was easy for me to join them.

Apart from Mobilee residency at Santos, which other gigs of yours are you most excited about this summer?
Playing for Music On in Ibiza was definitely one of the biggest things for me, I really liked that party. Solomun was also quite good. I’m really excited to go to Croatia next weekend: I’ve been there once, and this country is super interesting right now. A lot of action is going there, it’s beautiful and cheaper than Ibiza, so it really starts to make sense. I think Croatia will have a very promising future.

Your latest Dubmission EP had a not so typical Anja Schneider sound. In Autumn your next EP will see light – will it sound similar to Dubmission?
You know, normally I’m not so trancey, but I did Dubmission right after coming back from Mexico. I had all these influences and inspiration in me and I wanted to let them out. I’m a girl, I like melodies, and I’m open-minded, so I tried to explore that new trancey sound in the best way possible.

When listening to a track or a set, can you tell whether it was made by a girl or a boy?
Honestly, sometimes when I listen to some tracks made by girls, like Cassy or Maya Jane Coles, I can feel the soul and something especially warm in it.

What is the most appealing thing about Ibiza for you as a promoter?
Ibiza is nice because of the sea and the sun. Berlin of course is very important for the electronic music dance scene, but we also want to spread our vibes and our names here. Ibiza scene has been influencing Germany for so many years, now it’s time for Berlin to come here!

Last, but not least: what is the most inspirational thing about Ibiza for you?
It’s difficult to pick, because Ibiza keeps changing so much… But for me inspiration means always having a good time, being with good friends and having a good laugh!

Mobilee Pool Ibiza happens on Mondays bi-weekly at Hotel Santos on the following dates: 11 August, 25 August, September 8 and September 22. Anja Schneider’s Dubmission EP is out now on Mobilee, click here to listen and buy…