In the latest episode of Label Watch we spoke to Mobilee/I-am-mgmt owner Ralf Kollmann on the origins of Mobilee, utilising new technologies, and finding that classic track.
Mobilee records was launched in 2005 and quickly established itself as one of the brightest new stars in Berlin’s glittering galaxy of electronic music labels, producers, and DJs. Founded by Anja Schneider and Ralf Kollmann, the label boasts a sound that is simultaneously familiar and innovative. Based on the timeworn structures of house and techno, Mobilee’s approach is a triple threat: its records reference vintage dancefloor minimalism, trade ideas with like-minded contemporaries, and suggest surprising new directions for a genre that has weathered both hype and backlash-yet keeps on clicking.
More than any particular stylistic hallmark, surprise is the defining characteristic of Mobilee’s releases: rhythm becomes a game while drumbeats and acidic squiggles serve as playing chips, puzzle pieces, and rolling dice. Mobilee’s palette is broad (and bright: you won’t find better sounding records, from the deepest sub-bass to the most crystalline highs), but no matter the sound source-from grinding machines to digital glitches-the groove is paramount. Mobilee’s dubby, laid-back cuts are as quietly compelling as its anthems are immediate. Strings and rave stabs somersault through the grass; smoky voices throw shadows across the darkest corners of the club. Aspiring to be more than the manufacturer of simple DJ tools, Mobilee publishes tracks full of finely turned hooks and hypnotic depths, the stuff of today’s charts and tomorrow’s classics.
Check out Mobilee’s Facebook page for all the latests news & releases from the label.
