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INTERVIEW: Mobile Mondays! Founders Operator Emz & Miss Rebecca
The quality dance party is an understated art form. While a cornucopia of great music exists, true masters of the wheels of steel are hard to come by. Cold rocking the party is not for the faint of heart. To find a dance party where these artisans only work off of 45s is even more rare. But to find this weekly, for over two years, well that's like finding a unicorn in a haystack. Somehow, that's what Mobile Mondays founders Operator Emz and Miss Rebecca have done in a basement in the Lower East Side, NYC. With a desire to bring back the spirit of the 80s NYC club scene, these high school friends from the Bronx have put together a dynamite dance hall every week that leaves every visitor satisfied. They took some time out from their grind to give us a peek into their inspiration and motivation to keep the party rocking.
What inspired Mobile Mondays? What need were you trying to meet?
We grew up in NYC in the late 80 & 90's, even though we missed the iconic classic era of real nightlife – e.g. Paradise Garage, Studio 54, The World, etc. - , we were around for the 2nd wave of the great classic spots, Red Zone, Limelight, Building, Soul Kitchen, Tunnel, Life etc. We really missed classic NYC & wanted to create a movement that would bring it all back in a new way & bring like-minded music lovers together. We missed hearing great music that was made by real artists and real musicians. NYC was once the nightlife capitol of the world & today it’s sad to say but it’s not. *Also note, Emz has a massive collection of 45's that he really wanted to play with his friends.
How did you come to find Bowery Electric? What about the venue makes it the spot for you?
Operator Emz knew the owners and saw what they were doing with the venue. They are replacing the legendary CBGB's & giving a home to bands and real artists to be heard. Bowery Electric is perfect for Mobile Mondays. They understood our vision, supported, and believed in our concept. The vibe is incredible and cannot be duplicated. On any Mobile Mondays!, you will see rockers, musicians, artists all hanging out & loving the fact that we play real music, all genres, strictly on 45's.
What type of vibe are you trying to elicit from week to week?
The vibe is eclectic classic NYC. In one night, you will hear every genre on a 45 and each DJ takes you on a musical journey of classic NYC. The minute you step into Mobile Mondays, you are in a musical paradise.
How do you choose the DJs that hold residence every week? What do you look for in your guest DJs?
The Mobile Mondays All Stars are Operator Emz, Joey Carvello, Natasha Diggs, Just Blaze, Misbehaviour, and $$$Mike. Each resident DJ is well rounded and can play almost anything, but each has their favorite lane to explore. Operator Emz plays it all but leans towards New Wave and Disco Not Disco. Joey loves the Classic Pre Travolta Disco. Natasha is the Queen of the Boogie 45's. Misbehaviour favors classic Reggae and UK rare Groove. Just Blaze is the king of Hip Hop 45's and $$$Mike smashes the NYC Dance classics. We are like a family & it kind of happened organically how we all came together. Music lovers just find one another. Let’s not forget that every week is hosted Miss Rebecca & Snkr Joe and Snkr Joe can DJ and really rock the dance floor.
In a guest DJ, there are a select few that are known to have huge 45 collections but we look for someone that can really "rock a crowd" and is known to have rare records. We love to hear new stuff that we don't have. 
Do you have a bucket list for DJs that you want to see at Mobile Monday?
Paul Weller, Q-Tip, Pete Rock, and Shep Pettibone
Where do you see Mobile Mondays headed? What do you hope to accomplish with Mobile Mondays?
Mobile Mondays’ mission is to save the music, preserve DJ culture & bring back the vibe and soul of NYC. I can honestly say we are doing that. We look forward to getting stronger, gaining new fans, meeting more people from around the world, starting Mobile Mondays in other cities like we are doing in Dallas with Joel Salazar from Too Fresh Productions with Spinderella & Misbehaviour. We hope we can bring back NYC to the city we remember and love best, when records were events, the DJ was on the pulpit & the dance floor was epic. When you really felt, "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life!"
We invite you to get your life this Monday, February 17 for a very special Mobile Mondays celebrating the birthday of our editor-in-chief Vickey "Gravity508" Ford .
