- An energetic live recording sets the tone for the third release from Helena Hauff's Return To Disorder label, a split EP by Moscow Death Disco and Le Chocolat Noir. The former's "We Punk Ravers" puts us in a warehouse in the middle of Russian winter, the sky turning from black to grey as the next day begins. Everything sounds cold, dark and weird—the echoes of EBM, industrial, punk and rave are wonderfully dissonant. The frenetic, fuzzy electro of "Black Smile" chugs along persistently, while "Cold Insomnia"—with its mysterious screams and voices, thumping drums and unsettling atmospheric swells—sounds like a lonely walk home after the rave.
On the flip, Le Chocolat Noir's psychedelic electro and deadpan vocals are mesmerizing. His angsty expressions could slide into cliché, but placed against layers of gurgling melodic synths they feel meditative. "Tanka Linija" hypnotizes with its trippy textures, and both "Dressed In Black" and "Just A Little Bit More," with their tinges of post-punk guitar and acid, slip in and out of discernible rhythms. The latter's pitched-down voice is a highlight, speaking ominously about committing to a crazed lover. Like the rest of the EP, it's hard hitting, strange and playful.
TracklistA1 Moscow Death Disco - We Punk Ravers
A2 Moscow Death Disco - Black Smile
A3 Moscow Death Disco - Cold Insomnia
B1 Le Chocolat Noir - Tanka Linija
B2 Le Chocolat Noir - Just A Little Bit More
B3 Le Chocolat Noir - Dressed In Black feat. Sven