EASTERN ELECTRICS: ROB STAR

With a lengthy history in producing, promoting and pushing some of London’s best music and club events, Mulletover and Eastern Electrics promoter Rob Star has more experience than most when it comes to rocking the capital.
With his promotions having refined themselves into the sleekly presented Eastern Electrics weekender’s (currently enjoying their second year of success), we thought we’d catch up with the long time London promoter for a long overdue chat.

Hyponik.com: What made you form Eastern Electrics, and how do you see it developing in the future?
Rob Star: Primarily we wanted to create large scale events with a focus on production values over and above what you would get at a normal warehouse party. Excellent sound and lighting, comfortable seating & lounge areas, a good range of drinks at the bar with good service, nice toilets, etc. I also wanted to do something outside of mulletover that reflected my wider musical interests.
Ultimately we would like to develop it into a min-festival, but build it up organically over the next few years, rather than attaching ourselves to a backer or sponsors and creating a large event from day one.

H.com: What music do you look to promote with EE?
RS: It’s a blank canvas really, we want to promote good electronic music, but that can include all genres from dubstep to disco, house to techno. Anything that we think is interesting musically on an electronic tip.

H.com: What have you got planned for EE in the next year?
RS: We are doing two EE presents shows in 2008, the first with Kevin Saunderson on July 11th and the next one at the start of October which we are really excited about. We are aiming to do 4 or 5 of these each year. Then we will be doing the August Bank Holiday weekend again, New Years Eve and another weekender the first Bank Holiday in May 2010.

H.com: Like Eastern Electrics, Mulletover is renowned for putting on parties in unusual locations – do you think this allows the promoter more freedom, and would you ever find a permanent home for Mulletover at a club?
RS: It definantly allows us more freedom, but it also entails a hell of a lot more work. The logistical challenge of putting a club show in a raw space (especially one that you haven’t used before) presents constant problems, many of which most party-goers are blissfully unaware of! However, I think the plus side in terms of the atmosphere you create when these parties go well far outweighs the negatives.
I don’t think we will ever find a permanent home at a club for mulletover (unless I buy one of course!).

H.com: What made you get involved in club promotion in the first place? Why do you do it?
RS: I started going to raves when I was a whipper snapper, sneaking off to go to the huge Fantazia and Universe raves that were held across the country in 1992. Over the next few years I got into the house scene, going to the early Renaissance and Chuff Chuff parties and from a young age, I knew that I wanted to be involved in that in some way. At 16, I started putting on parties and its something I’ve done ever since, I’ve never (and still don’t) consider it my job. Its always been something I’ve done as an aside from other things – a bit like a hobby I suppose. It’s also something which I genuinely enjoy doing, if I didn’t I wouldn’t carry on doing it. For me it’s a creative thing, rather than a means to earn money, I strive to put on the best parties I can. I’ve worked with some of the best promoters in the industry – Darren Hughes at home, Paul Shurey at Universe, Simon Raine at Gatecrasher and you can’t help but learn from those people. I try and take the good elements from the parties I’ve been to over the years to create and event that I would like to go to. There’s still several things I would like to achieve with the parties I put on, so I reckon I’ll be doing it for a few more years yet!

H.com: What are you thoughts on Myspace/Facebook/Bebo? Do you concentrate on social networking sites a lot in the build up to an event?
RS: They are a big part of club promotion now, particularly facebook, which is an amazing promotional tool. I am a little bit inept when it comes to using them, but Wil who works in the office does most of our on-line stuff. Eventually, I think all promotion will happen on-line, although the trusted flyer has got a few more years left yet I think!

H.com: There seems to be a shift away from East to South for the London club scene – why do you think this is and what does this mean for the capitals clubbers?
RS: I think as long as there are good parties in these places, then people will travel to them.

H.com: Do you have one ‘golden moment’ from past EE events?
RS: New Years Eve was my favourite party, I remember walking in to the main room just after midnight and Philip from MANDY was playing and the place was just going off. It was one of those moments that reminds me why I love doing this so much

H.com: Here’s a tricky one; if Eastern Electrics was a song, what would it be?
RS: All Together Now – The Farm

H.com: All time top 3 EVER?
Very tricky, but off the top of my head:

Inner City – Good Life (How amazing will that sound being played live in a warehouse at 3am?)
Top Buzz – Living in Darkness (I can’t forget my hardcore roots!)
Stone Roses – She Bangs the Drum

Look out for the first in the Eastern Electrics Presents series that sees Detroit legend Kevin Saunderson, Inner City, Claude VonStroke, Mike Shannon, Another Amit and Ben Gomori all taking part in a D-Town history lesson, plus the mighty August Bank Holiday
Eastern Electrics Weekender where you can catch the combined promoting talents of Neon Noise Project, Nuke ‘Em All, Trailer Trash and more.

Interview by Louis Cook.