Published
Thu, Apr 19, 2007, 12:29
- The DJ half of the Parisian electro project calls it quits.
The DJ half of the Parisian electro project calls it quits.
The split comes as Black Strobe move away from remix work towards being a full fledged live band with guitars, drums and Arnaud Rebotini on vocals. Since its inception, Smagghe declined to participate in the live project, preferring to watch from the sidelines. “My DJing has zero influence on Black Strobe,” a frustrated Smagghe told RA in late 2006. “I try and keep the two things quite separate.”
"Musical differences" has been announced as the reason for the split. No surprises there for Black Strobe watchers, with Smagghe sticking to electronic dance music and Rebotini exploring more gothic rock influences on recent material. “It’s not always easy to keep the lid on all these influences,” Smagghe told RA. “I suppose we have grown up, and the electronic simplicity was not enough anymore. But it may be what we go back to next…”
No such luck, with the format split now announced by Rebotini to DJ Mag's Richard Brophy. “Smagghe has moved away and is focused on his DJ career,” says Rebotini on the Test Industries blog. “Black Strobe’s changeover to a live sound was difficult for him because he’s a great DJ, but he’s not a musician and he didn’t feel comfortable being on stage. Black Strobe was always about finding an equilibrium and while he brought the dance floor sensibility, maybe my influence was too strong.”
The split comes on the eve of the release of Black Strobe’s debut album ‘Burn Your Own Church’, which arrives in June.