Live at Robert Johnson Vol.3 Ivan Smagghe

Ladies and Gentlemen, round three of the infamous Live at Robert Johnson series is here. After Chloé's coy and sensible entry, Prins Thomas Norwegian diskomiks attack, Robert Johnson's Ramona is proud to introduce her favourite Frenchman to you: Ivan Smagghe. Originally known as Ivan Rough Trade, this beauty of a tattooed bloke cut his teeth at the Parisian department of that legendary record store. Quickly gaining a reputation with impeccable taste, a sense for avant-garde sounds old and new and a precious record collection, Sir Smagghe soon was one of these rare bred DJ's DJs. You know, those kinds of selectors who impress their colleagues, close to exhibitionism. But that would be quite a boring fate and does not really describe our dear Ivan. So luckily, for him and us the man with a Russian first name is also able to entertain a night club with his selections and to cut a long story stort, has been part of acts and adventures like Black Strobe, Volga Select, the Kill The DJ series or most recently as It's A Fine Line with Tim Paris and under the La Horse moniker in conjunction with Danton Eeprom. Smagghe's relationship as a regular guest in Ramona's loft goes back to the days of his infamous Playgroup remix and has been further cemented by many nights back to back with capitaine Ata. Obvious that he is among the selected few to cast one of those long nights in Offenbach am Main in bronze. Needless to say that is quite a special one. You won't find any of those run-of-the-mills type of tracks here, latest crazes or hyped patterns, but quite a personal slice of Ivan Smagghe and what he likes to do in a club. His former project Black Strobe once described itself along the lines of the “dark side of disco, frozen balearic, gay biker-house, boogie-trance, heavy electronica and soft-goth” which is quite an adept description of the music here. Post-modern rock-a-billy techno could be another one. You will find a Kruton remix next to the Wighnomy Brothers, Swiss-Nu-Yoricadiscotheque- musique from In Flagranti, Seymour Bits and Röyskopp, all handled with care and mixed with an ear for the right action. Even the tradition of the very last record of a night is considered in the mix. After a brief pause and a breeze moment, Rheingold's new wave classic “Dreiklangsdimensionen” dulcifies your exit. “So taktvoll!” One stream of maximal consciousness and that kind of electronic dance music that leads the way since the voracious hype machine ran out of electro clash or minimal fuel. When it's as good as this, who needs a name for it anyway? Ivan Smagge, we salute you! Vinyl addicts and DJ robots perk up your ears! There will be a special Super-Sound-Maxi-Single with the extraction of It's A Fine Line “…” and some remix traitement. C'etait bon, tres bon!