Mobilee Warehouse Session

The days when industrial techno went hand in hand with similarly styled venues for such parties appeared numbered with the uprising of a groovier, deeper electronic sound. London however has embraced some excellent warehouse spots over the years with exposed brickwork and cavernous arches for our pleasure. Mobilee transcended upon the city this weekend and showcased their hottest talents in one such space, The Sidings on Southwark Street. Many of you may be familiar with the unassuming entrance at street level, the only giveaway being a couple of burly men dressed in black, stood watch at a couple of metal railings. On approaching them we were asked what our business was there, a kind of watered down version of entering Berghain. We told them we wanted the Sidings rather than going into details about how we were obviously looking forward to Anja Schneider’s headline set but also really excited by the prospect of a live set from Rodriguez Jr. Indeed our expectations were met and exceeded and it is not with gay abandon that this review of the Mobilee Warehouse Session is jam-packed with superlatives.  

The Sidings has two main rooms, unsurprisingly room 1 being the bigger room of the two. There is a bar in room 1 and a second bar as you enter the venue with a cloakroom area, this space also acts as an impromptu lobby where people bounce around excitedly upon entering and then drift around soullessly around 5am. Outside a spacious smoking area with roof, sofas, an ’89 Golf Mark II in desperate need of some mechanical work and unspoilt views of the Shard.  –pagebreak–

We started out in Room 1 at around 12 am with Geddes playing to a near empty room as the queues outside began to form. Unfortunate to have such revered talent behind the decks so early on, yet such was the line-up that this just couldn’t be helped. His set laden with deep and groovy melodies was almost a formality with little-to-no crowd to entertain, unlike the Mulletover parties for which he is such an essential cog. Nonetheless the music from Geddes’ set seeped through the arch from room 1 into the “lobby” area as chatter began to fill the entrance to the venue. An apt baseline for the evening as clubbers exchanged notes animatedly over a drink at the bar, Mark Fanciulli – Cutoff being played by Geddes in room 1 setting the tone. Alongside Geddes the Kitsch & Sync boys entertained similarly sparse numbers over in room 2, again had this been a busier time there’s no doubt that the set would have been accepted wholeheartedly by the room. At around 1 am Sebo K took to the decks in Room 1 shortly followed by the Mobilee Records boss Ralf Kollmann in Room 2. Ralf Kollmann played for two and a half hours in room 2, perhaps the most undervalued set of the evening. By the time of Sebo K’s set Room 1 was heaving, a good crowd very much there for the music. Sebo K took the bull by its horns and turned the direction of the sounds in room 1 towards techno with a more driving, bass-fuelled energy. The crowd sporadically treated to an enormous strobe down at the front of the room as a beat was dropped. The expert craftsmanship employed by this guy as he dropped a beat was enough to make any clubber go weak at the knees but with the added impetus of the world’s largest strobe (possibly an exaggeration on my part) sensory overload was unavoidable. You couldn’t help but dance, often with arms in the air and the urge to whistle (or frustration at not being able to whistle very loudly in my case).

Rodriguez Jr. emerged on stage towards 3am and I for one got bloody excited, a Live set by a Mobilee artist, what more could you ask for.  A record label that confesses to providing music with the sole aim of filling dancefloors. I tread carefully on the thin ice of laying down compliments for the night as not only was this a top venue, great production team and impeccable music but every set was a winner in its own right. I apologise that it sounds rather like I’ve been apprehended by the London Warehouse Events team and locked away with a computer, to not be released until I’m done brown nosing. Genuinely though, following Cocoon Heroes the previous week I can say that this night was yet another huge success and I am struggling to pick a standout moment, yet for the want of not coming across like a child in a sweetshop. –pagebreak–Having showered the night with praise I’d like to revert your attention back to the Rodriguez Jr. set that was without a doubt one of the highlights of the night. The night showcased some of the best music not only on Mobilee but that is around at present and Rodriguez Jr. started off strong with a couple of tracks from his Muppet AnthemEP released in mid-2012, namely Muppet Anthem and Ocean Drive. A Couple of personal favourites but clearly tracks the crowd were familiar with and a perfect opening to his live performance. In the booth Rodriguez Jr. (aka Olivier Mathieu) was a sight of unparalleled energy with arms flitting between ipad, CDJs, mixer, Ableton Live and Ableton controller. The hour long live set felt like a whistle top tour of this young chap’s arsenal of productions and we would not have complained had Rodgriguez Jr. played on for longer. As it happened the next act was none other than co-founder of Mobilee Records, the ever-youthful Anja Schneider, and it wasn’t long before the previous set was a distant memory. Not least her track selection, ebbing and flowing seamlessly from techno to house and back again, has gained her notoriety throughout the electronic music world but also the passion and enthusiasm that shines through when she takes to the decks. Anja Schneider brought plenty to the table and proved another highlight of the evening. Her unbounded energy in the DJ booth is like none other, she interacts so fluidly with the crowd through music and gestures and doesn’t shy away from grooving away herself to the music whenever she has a spare second. From her teasing of the crowd with a hugely anticipated drop during Konrad Black’s remix of SUBB-AN’s “What Do I Do” to the introduction of Cari Golden’s vocals from Anja’s own track “Something That’s For Life”, there were countless instances where her joy for her trade shone through and reflected off the crowd. Had it not been for the pesky security badgering her to end her set, she may well have gone on to play for a few more hours yet.

Unfortunately all good things come to an end and especially at 6am when you know the inevitable is upon you it can be a particularly bitter pill to swallow. We had been really treated to a showcase by Mobilee Records tonight though and we left chuffed to bits with our evening. Some of the best music I’ve heard in a long time. On the way out I exchanged places with Rodriguez Jr. at the urinals, probably couldn’t have ended the night any better.