{"id":23628,"date":"2015-10-02T18:37:11","date_gmt":"2015-10-02T16:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/?p=23628"},"modified":"2015-10-02T18:53:12","modified_gmt":"2015-10-02T16:53:12","slug":"interview-anja-schneider","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/london\/interview-anja-schneider\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview: Anja Schneider"},"content":{"rendered":"

From her inspiring, instinct-driven DJ sets where she has every bit as much fun as the dancefloor, to the label and accompanying agency, where a savvy head for business is mixed with a sharp intuition of how best to develop mobilee and its stable of artists, Anja Schneider approaches it all with a distinct sense of passion, vision and energy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Beginning her career as a radio programmer before going on to host her own show \u2018Dance Under The Blue Moon\u2019<\/strong> on Berlin\u2019s Fritz Radio since 2000, Schneider is responsible for the city\u2019s longest running underground dance music radio show. Broadcasting every Saturday from 10pm, it has introduced generations of Berliners to electronic music.<\/p>\n

It was from these simple beginnings that sprung mobilee \u2013 a distributor suggesting Schneider start up a label to support all the demos she was receiving as a radio host, and as such mobilee was birthed in 2005, with a booking agency arm to follow in 2007. Today mobilee\u2019s HQ also branch out to studios where label talent Re.You<\/strong> and And.Id<\/strong> have full-time set-ups. Of all skills, Schneider\u2019s ear for unearthing and supporting hot new talent has reined supreme. A scan through the back catalogues of mobilee and its sister imprint Leena<\/strong> and you\u2019ll see the likes of Maya Jane Coles<\/strong>, Solomun, Shonky, H.O.S.H., Nicole Moudaber<\/strong> and Pan-Pot<\/strong> all alumni of Schneider\u2019s labels, well before the artists were the household rave names they are today.<\/p>\n

Juggling the responsibilities of touring every weekend, with running a label and agency, plus a weekly radio show, alongside that of being a mother, studio time is a rare but auspicious occasion for Schneider; but when the stars align, the results are memorable.<\/p>\n

With that, Anja Schneider is ready to return to London this weekend with “Anja Schneider Invites”<\/strong> at The Steelyard<\/strong>. For this intimate session, Anja will bring along Citizenn, Igor Vicente<\/strong>, and K.I.F.F<\/strong>. Anticipating the event, we caught up with Anja from her Berlin offices to speak on her approach to lineup curation, London, Los Angeles, Berlin, and much, much more. Please find complete information and tickets to “Anja Schneider Invites” at the end of this article.<\/p>\n

“In the end, the music must be quality and make you dance. It doesn’t matter what kind it is.”<\/span><\/h2>\n

To start off, since we are anticipating your London event, I wanted to ask about the venue. At this point, I’m sure you have your pick of many great London venues, but what was it about The Steelyard that made it the “one”?<\/strong>
\nHonestly, since I’m not based in London I don’t know that many. I’ve had this great partnership with LWE and it gave me the chance to do this party, which was a great honour as it also gives me a chance to do something different. When we have a mobilee party, we are all together. Here, it is really all my responsibility. This actually makes me a little bit nervous!<\/p>\n

LWE came up with the idea of the “Anja Schneider Invites…” party and also came up with the venue. I had never played there before, but I saw pictures and asked friends who had, and they said it was amazing. Personally, I couldn’t tell you much about the venue, but I trust LWE 100% as they always find the best spaces. They have good hands in finding something really special!<\/p>\n

The event is described as your “most intimate London show to date”. What steps do you take to ensure this intimacy?<\/strong>
\nSometimes you come to a club, do your job for 1 or 2 hours, or have good days or bad days, but here it is all about my name. You really can’t hide anywhere. You have to be there and think about everything. You have to think about the guests and how you will build the night, so it is completely different from a “usual” gig.<\/p>\n

It doesn’t have to be a huge venue or huge club gig. For me, I am always nervous when people get really close to you. Here, everyone will be close to me because they come to see me. It is completely different then, say, playing at fabric, where they might not even see you. I mean, I like that too, but for this it is something very special.<\/p>\n

You obviously also curate the lineup for this event. Here, you will be playing alongside Citizenn and Igor Vicente. Regarding Citizenn, personally, I find him to be a rather refreshing figure in dance music, as he incorporates a certain intermedial approach to his music, essentially combining art, philosophy and technology. You have also described a “click” moment between you and Citizenn. Can you describe this moment and why you felt he was the right artist for this event?<\/strong>
\nI think I discovered him about 2 or 3 years ago when he had his first single out on Kerri Chandler’s Madtech label. From that I saw something very special. He had a different perspective on things. It wasn’t simply “tech house”. Then we met and I was surprised as to how young he was. When I first heard the single I was sure he had an extensive history behind him. I always look for artists who can ignore hype or fame, and do things their own way. To me, this is very authentic and Citizenn does it, and has done it all the time.<\/p>\n

From his personality: he is young, energetic, funny, and is burning for the music, not his career. Some young producers\u00a0just want to have this business-class life, but he is truly different. It is also amazing to see him play. If someone is funny and you like each other, of course this is great too!<\/p>\n

I actually saw Citizenn in Amsterdam last weekend when he played alongside Deetron. Coming from the 90s school of dance music, I was quite impressed with his track selection as at one point he even dropped Joey Beltram’s ‘Energy Flash’, which sounded as fresh as it ever has.<\/strong><\/p>\n

See also: Interview: Citizenn<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

As for Igor Vicente, he is a recent mobilee signing. What drew you to him as an artist?<\/strong>
\nI have to be honest in this case: we were were friends before he signed with mobilee. He is similar to Citizenn when it comes to his DJ sets. He knows exactly how to build things up and mix great new tunes with fantastic classics.<\/p>\n

For this event, I actually didn’t want to have a mobilee artist on the bill, but the last 3 or 4 parties we had together Igor blew my mind. I was dancing for hours, which normally never happens. He also brought me back to the 90s.<\/p>\n

I thought the combination of Igor and Citizenn would be a great musical night, so now I am the one pressured to follow through (laughs). They have never met but I am absolutely sure they will match musically and personality-wise. Maybe if I don’t do music anymore, I could become a DJ matchmaker!<\/p>\n

So, this is the first time you 3 will share the same lineup?<\/strong>
\nYes, exactly!<\/p>\n

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Changing gears a bit, since mobilee is celebrating its 10 year anniversary, I wanted to ask you to speak on the issue of relevancy. Do you ever think about how to stay relevant in the dance music industry at this point, given its fast paced nature, or would you rather just let things unfold organically and live or die by that decision?
\n<\/strong>I think this is exactly the point, we never focused on strategizing how we want to build up in the scene. mobilee was never this kind of label, where we thought we needed to sound like this or that. When we started we were really fast in this little thing called “minimal” but we didn’t see ourselves as that. Of course, we had artists like Pan-Pot, but we also had Sebo-K, which was completely different. So everything is possible on mobilee. For me, it was always important we have quality music and to work with artists on a long term relationship. It is important, for me, to build a team we could work with over a multi-year span, which makes things more interesting and ultimately succesful. There is a huge respect amongst the artists as everyone is different, but in the end it all comes together well. In the end, the music must be quality and make you dance. It doesn’t matter what kind it is.<\/p>\n

Now we have, for example, Lee Van Dowski, who made an ambient album, which is so cool and interesting. I really like to go with him this way and support this direction as it gives an entirely different perspective on his career.<\/p>\n

We did have to open up a bit recently though, so we’ve had releases from, good friend, Miss Kitten, and, of course, Maya Jane Coles, who I discovered years ago. Now, we also have Oliver Deutschmann, who is a Berlin techno artist. But, in the end, they are all mobilee records.<\/p>\n

On that same avenue, do you personally ever identify your “place” within the massive landscape of the Berlin electronic music scene?<\/strong>
\nIt is hard to say you have a place in Berlin. Berlin was always a center for creative jobs and artists. We had everyone from Depeche Mode to Iggy Pop come here back in the 70s and 80s and, of course, techno was a huge thing as we were close (musically) to Detroit with clubs like Tresor.<\/p>\n

Honestly, if you look to Berlin now, as a real Berliner, I can’t even describe the Berlin sound. We have everything here. You can have Richie Hawtin or Ricardo Villalobos, and on the other hand you have Paul Van Dyk. It is really a huge range of anything is possible.<\/p>\n

Berlin is the best city to start this kind of thing and I can’t imagine being anywhere else. This is my home. It is quite relaxed, as we have so many artists and labels here. Even though I have seen so many people move in and out, I have never been afraid that there is no space for me anymore. It is more the other way around, that we all really help each other.<\/p>\n

I’ve been thinking about making to move to Berlin in the near future. That decision almost has nothing to do with music or profession, I just really enjoy the energy of the city. In that same regard, what was it that originally drew you to Berlin?<\/strong>
\nI first came here to go out to places like Tresor. It was the early 90s and I came for a visit. I was directly in love with the city. I could feel that there was something going on here, which I wanted to be a part of. I decided immediately I wanted to move to there, but I also didn’t want to be a raver and only have my fun on the weekend. I wanted to be a part of it.<\/p>\n

The food is getting better now, though. That wasn’t a reason why I came here (laughs). Also, we are lucky that it is cheaper than most major European cities, although this is changing.<\/p>\n

Finally, switching gears to another market entirely. We will be hosting a stage at the Minimal Effort<\/a> event in Los Angeles on Halloween, where you will also be on the bill. What are your impression on the Los Angeles underground?<\/strong>
\nI’ve actually only been there one time in my life. This is a city that I’ve never had much of a relationship with. I was there for 2 days and there wasn’t much that really stood out to me, perhaps due to the limited time. I love New York and Brooklyn. I love Chicago, but I have to give Los Angeles another chance. I do read that they have amazing parties and huge clubs, so I honestly can’t wait to give it another chance!<\/p>\n

Anja Schneider Invites happens at Steelyard in London on 3 October with Anja Schneider, Citizenn, Igor Vicente and K.I.F.F.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Soundcloud <\/a><\/span> Artist Page <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Citizenn_Igor_Vicente\"<\/p>\n

3 October | Anja Schneider Invites<\/a> | Tickets<\/a> | The Steelyard<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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