- If you want to put them in a box, Arnaud Rebotini and Ivan Smagghe are purveyors of dark electro disco, but on this occasion, Rebotini has walked away from the Black Strobe project towards new pastures. Surprisingly, A-side ‘The Wood’ sees Rebotini digging his gothic industrial roots out of the mud and applying them to Detroit. A deep psychedelic melody and a murky bassline build up carefully, a well-constructed Doepfler ring fades in and out, the synths delicately push and the result is a track that might very well serve as homage to Mills or Carl Craig. It's very unusual, but the B-side ‘Leviathan’ has to be my favorite here. It’s gloomier stuff: luminous melodies gradually flow into melancholic groove as distorted bells and snares ring out – it’s a moving fusion of heavy bassline and melody that will grow on the listener.
‘The Wood’ has to be Rebotini’s most personal project to date. Those expecting the trademark sound of Black Strobe will be disappointed - here Rebotini shies away from pigeonholes and stretches the repetitive sound of techno into new shapes.
TracklistA The Wood
B Leviathan