- When Ron Morelli left Brooklyn for Paris, he acted like it wasn't a big deal—as he told Inverted Audio last year, "The plane rides are shorter and the food is a lot better, other than that it is business as usual." Indeed, since moving to Europe L.I.E.S. has continued to deliver "club music for people who hate going to the club" at a rate of about 2.1 records per month (2.8 if you count the sublabel Russian Torrent Versions). Still, there have been some differences. The once New York-centric label is more and more global, thanks in part to Parisian artists—first Voiski, who gave us 2013's storming From White To Red EP, and now DJ Deep, who enters the fold with a techno 12-inch under the name Rébeval.
Despite the new name, Rébeval is the DJ Deep we know and love: rough and pumping, with techno horsepower but a housey sense of groove. "Chantage" (French for "blackmail") opens the record on a bright note, with big claps and a warm, catchy bassline. The other two are more menacing—"Brainiac" with its spooky synths, "Naggin" with its snaking arpeggios—but all three grab you by the lapels with their heavy jacking grooves. Sure, there's a bit of L.I.E.S.' signature smudge, but this doesn't sound like "music for shut-ins."
TracklistA1 Chantage
B1 Brainiac
B2 B Is Naggin