For those Adelaide clubbers who’ve been basking on the sunny side of house music during the last six years our man Mobin Master needs little introduction. A regular behind the decks at Savvy and one-off parties, he’s always a man with plenty on the boil. A gifted producer, DJ and young professional, Mobin took a breather from his franetic life in radiology to talk with inthemix about his heart’s fire: house music.
Where and when did your journey into dance and house music begin?
I started out in 1994 when I was a student. I grew up in Melbourne and met a DJ there named Hess, who’d encouraged me to become a DJ having heard some of the tunes I had produced. I kept knocking up tunes until eventually my first big break just after I moved to Adelaide – The remix of Madison Avenue’s third single ‘Everything You Need.’ I must say that Adelaide is very supportive of local artists.
In the days before broadband internet, how did you go about finding new tunes to break? Have your ‘digging’ methods changed much in the last 5 years?
I used to hunt down white labels via many US and UK record stores and order them direct rather then wait for local stores to stock the product. Now there are a lot of promos shared amongst fellow producers in order to promote one another’s music. I also re-edit, remix, mash, eat, chew and rinse many tunes into an exclusive mix for all my sets!
Do you think events like We Love Sounds and Future Music coming to Adelaide are having a lasting effect on the House music scene here?
These events have changed the face of house music in this city. It has brought the international flavor to our doorstep and showed the scene that
a house party can be experienced without the same old back to back hits. People here are open to that international sound, it just needs to be played more often!
What are some of the parties, support spots or special events that you remember the most vividly?
A One Love show in Melbourne with Bill Fragos and Karina Chavez about two years ago at which the crowd was heaving so hard, I thought they were going to explode. The entire room had its hands up, screaming to the famous Martin Luther King Speech “I have a dream!” Playing in Miami at the Winter Music Conference this year was also fantastic. I played what I wanted! Supporting Roger Sanchez during his album tour this year here in Adelaide was a great show too.
This year you’ve been nominated for SA Dance Music Awards for ‘Most Popular Live Act’ and ‘Most Popular Producer’... what do these nominations mean to you, and how do you feel about the event’s return?
I am pleased we have such an event and am very supportive of the concept. I also believe that it should not detract from the upcoming local DJs and producers who are working so hard to gain recognition however. The quality of the scene and the music as a collective is more important than any individual’s.
When you’re working on tracks, do you drop them in sets to see how they go down, then make changes to them, or do you prefer to release them directly?
Absolutely! In fact, there is not one Mobin Master track which has not be quality tested on an Adelaide floor. Thanks to the often hard to please Adelaide floors, most
of the tracks I have produced will work almost anywhere.
You’re lucky enough to have your originals on Bamboo (Tribal Funk) circulating widely, and current remixes out on Stealth, Red Stick, Rhythmic, Liberation and Ego. Your remixes include Marcia and Deni Hines, Brielle Davis and Deepface… that’s quite a CV for a SA producer. How did you initially hook up with labels and get the dice rolling?
After my first big remix (for Madison Avenue), my career rolled on from there and I obtained the attention of Aussie labels. Internationally my Tribal Funk series were very popular- especially in Europe which opened many doors! Now I am about to launch my own label with a 100 download store distribution with Hess and Miles Junior called Safari Music. Look out for my new originals Show Me Love (featuring Karina Chavez) and Messin With My Head (co-produced with Hess) dropping on Safari in June.
Am I right in saying you’ve always had a passion for the tribal and the soulful ends of the house spectrum? Do you find yourself playing these types of tunes much in Adelaide today?
I love my heavy percussion and grooves but I still to keep up with everything. My passion is really for music with a wicked rhythm. I suppose all my musical taste has an underlying funk to it and has to be musical. I am playing dub and vocal. I feel that soulful house has lost interest lately and has stagnated a little.
My preferred style at the moment is still heavily rhythmically based with some electro elements and big build ups in the breakdowns. I play this preferred style in all my sets and mix up familiar elements such as acapellas or play re-edits of familiar tunes with my style of drums! It is working for me at the moment which is real treat. In fact sometimes this style is hard to play in other states. Adelaide seems to be more open to new and different music in recent times which is very exciting for me. Soulgood on Fresh FM with Bill Fragos also breaks a lot of tunes for both of us as well. I think dance radio is a very powerful tool and is strong in Adelaide.
Finally, how the hell do you manage to produce, DJ, rehearse the live elements and practise medicine? That seems like a very full plate to me. Do you ever see yourself making music full time?
I have managed to pull it off for many years now and I believe I can still manage. I am pretty manic and need to be doing something useful 24hrs a day! It’s all about the mania. I don’t drop any “you know what’s” either- all I need is the music. I am sure that saves a lot of time otherwise spent in recovering!
Mobin Master plays at We Love Sounds this Friday, June 1st at HQ. Bring your ass along, and be ready to shake it to Mobin’s work, and a sting of international movers from the House and Electro scene.
