Lifesaver: 25 Years of Live At Robert Johnson

Situated in Offenbach, an industrial suburb of Frankfurt, the club is perched on the banks of The Main River. An unassuming building from the outside, inside the decor is minimal yet colourful. Dancers gaze out into the darkness through a vast window built to showcase the following sunrise which illuminates the silhouettes of those left on the dancefloor.

There are few clubs which manage to craft such a perfectly holistic experience, albeit without maximalism and gimmicks. Robert Johnson has always been about the pure artform of music and dance, the space facilitating this without being made to work too hard. It is for this reason that the club has built such a keen and connected family of artists, creatives and dancers who frequent the club.

It is this family spirit which has also afforded the venue to create and develop such an inspiring record label – drawing upon the resources and talents of friends to inform and cultivate a label which reflects the ethos of the venue and encapsulates its sound.

There have been several label managers over the lifespan of the imprint. The last was Oliver Hafenbauer who is also responsible for long running imprint Die Orakel.

More recently the label has been spearheaded by Florian C. Reinke who has taken the reins and driven things forward with a futuristic vision for modern day clubland without compromise. He reflects on his initial experiences of the venue:

“The first time I went to the club was back in 2012. I wasn’t into electronic music at this point in time and I think I might have been forced to go. After that I was inspired to start DJing and it was always a big thing to play there. Everybody dreamed of playing there and when that came true for me it was crazy.

The club is tiny. The sound system is intense and warm. For me it is still one of the most important clubs in all of Europe which is crazy given that it’s a super small club.”

The club itself is small in stature. However, the community and family stretches far more widely. This is what Florian feels that any good venue should afford and offer its clientele. A place to meet and collaborate.

“When I think about the first time I went to a club, or why you went to a club – it was always about having a place to get in touch with people, to meet friends, meet the staff and to listen to music. Clubs are like melting pots, good things come from them and connections can become tighter as a result.”

This is an ethos which he has afforded toward the record label. It’s particularly clear when you look at the broad variety of musicians and artists who have released on the label since its formation.

However, what is also particularly unique and notable is the retention rate of the musicians and artists involved.

Several of those who have released on the label have done so with remarkable consistency and feature again on the epic “​​Lifesaver 5 Compilation” – which the imprint will use to mark twenty five years. The likes of Massimiliano Pagliara, Oskar Offermann, Mano Le Tough and DC Salas are to name but a few. When piecing together the record Flo felt it was important to maintain similar principles.

“The label is reflective of the club and is certainly related. We’ve built a close relationship over the years with artists playing regularly at the club and we always ask them to keep in touch. When we ask them to release on the label it helps to demonstrate this deeper connection. Robert Johnson was always a place which the artists felt could be and could call a second home or something.”

Ensuring continuity with an imprint which has been running for a quarter of a century is no simple task. Especially when the trends and tastes which guide dancefloors have the ability to chop and change in a hurry.

It’s something that Flo has concerns about – given the financial risk and cultural importance of the venue and its connection to the label.

“Things have changed over the years, it’s hard to describe. At the moment a lot of things are struggling, especially club culture.

Sometimes I get a bit scared about the situation, especially when we’ve seen everything which happened after the pandemic. It’s started to become more and more commercial, the whole electronic music thing. That was always there but at the moment it’s at this extreme point where it’s just about selling tickets and getting as many people into locations to make money. It’s insane.”

Another key commitment of Robert Johnson is in its resilience and commitment to vinyl as a format. Like everyone else they have felt the pressures and constraints of the format with rising costs and frustrating production timelines making it increasingly difficult to release records. However, it does feel symbolic and important that the release of the twenty five year compilation will be available on vinyl.

“When I first started djing I was playing vinyl. I myself felt forced to embrace digital, as has the label at times. However, with this box set, it feels important to have something which you can hold in your hands. It feels warmer, more special, with the graphic design, something physical.

Vinyl is important but being honest over the past few years we’ve been releasing fewer and fewer records because of the cost. It’s insane, there’s fewer record shops and their prices have doubled too. It’s a shame.”

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Robert Johnson is in its continued resilience.

There are only a handful of clubs which have run for so long, all the while maintaining consistency in their quality control and approach. It feels like all of this is worth something far more.

Legacy is important, as is passion, care, respect and a genuine admiration for the culture.

Through it all, despite of it all, the love at the core of Live At Robert Johnson is still very much alive and there seems to be little doubt that the family spirit will somehow prevail. It has this far.