EXCLUSIVE: Black Strobe Interview

Arnaud Rebotni of Black Strobe talks about exclusively music and moustaches.

He’s been around since the 90s, created a dark kind of electro, has just released a new EP – Boogie In Zero Gravity (buy from Beatport) and will be releasing an album next year. This will be his first Black Strobe album in six years, so it seemed worth finding out why, among other things.

1. How the devil are you? And what’s the weather like where you are? For once, London is basking in brilliant sunshine.

I’m fine thanks. The weather is cool in Paris too.

2. Underworld are providing some of the music for the London Olympics opening ceremony. Would you have liked to do it, had Paris won the bid? And what sort of thing would you have done?

Yes, for this kind of well paid job … for this kind of event you have to do the most universal sound possible, so I would probably do a cool and groovy boogie.

3. Given the long-lasting influence of Black Strobe’s Me & Madonna, do you feel responsible for people like Digitalism, Justice and the whole Kitsune thing?

I don’t feel responsible for anything, even though I know most of them listened to Black Strobe when they were beginners… now they are doing their own stuff.

Me & Madonna (Grand Crue Mix)

4. You talk about “defending a certain idea of music”. How do you define what is that idea?

It’s just markting line… a certain idea of music – just no cheesy stuff here !!!

4. You’ve got an album coming out next year, six years after the last one. Why such a long gap and should we expect more electro blues, like on Boogie in Zero Gravity?

During this gap I released 2 solo albums, some proper electro music without real vocals. I didn’t want coming back to Black Strobe to preclude a boogie album – boogie for blues to disco, and southern rock and country. So, with Boogie in Zero Gravity, you have a good idea how the album will sound.

Boogie In Zero Gravity (Extended Version)

6. You DJ and play in a band. How do they compare?

DJing is playing records of other people’s music, and playing in a band is playing live your own music.

7. Finally, you have a splendid moustache. Do you have a special maintenance routine for it? And, apart from yours, what is your favourite moustache in music?

My moustache maintenance is a secret. and the master of moustache is Lemmy Killmister.

My thanks to Arnaud for agreeing to this interview. And I’ve got to agree with his choice of moustache master. For me, Motorhead’s finest moment is Overkill. But this track is a better example of the influence of boogie in their work – Stay Clean.

Blurb: A prelude to a single release in November and a brand new full length in 2013,Boogie in Zero Gravity represents the not just the next step in the journey of an electronic legend but the birth of a new, funky and uncontrived house sound that is bound to explode upon its release into the world of EDM.

~ by acidted on July 27, 2012.