Ivan Smagghe  London, United Kingdom

Originally, the band was a duo comprised of Arnaud Rebotini and French DJ Ivan Smagghe. They became friends in the mid-’80s after repeatedly bumping into each other in front row at concerts. Both went on to work in the dance section of the Rough Trade record shop in Paris. They decided to form a band. The first thing Black Strobe recorded was an acid house track called Paris Acid City, which was featured on the Sourcelab 3 compilation in 1996. They didn’t follow it up until 1999, when they released Innerstrings, which referenced early ’80s synth pop a good two years before electroclash was cool. Meanwhile, their third single, Me And Madonna, became one of electroclash’s anthems. Black Strobe fuses together traces of acid house techno, death disco, and industrial, with their distinct sound. The duo recorded several tracks that appeared on numerous compilations and released a succession of succesfull 12" singles on the Output, Crostown Rebels, and Kitsun with the massive hit Italian Firefiles. They have also remixed some of the most revered artists of the indie electronic movement, including Tiefschwarz, The Rapture, Bloc Party and Alter Ego, and have also lent their remixing skills to synth pop juggernauts Depeche Mode and EBM pioneers Nitzer Ebb. In 2007 The band realease Burn your own church produced by Paul Epworth best known for his work with Bloc Party, Max’mo Park and The Futureheads. Now the Band is working on a new album.