Laptop computers may be electronic music's biggest advancement since the birth of Robert Moog. Unfortunately, laptops have also been live electronic music's biggest curse. That's why Arnaud Rebotini threw away his computers. This French producer's retro gear includes iconic beatboxes (Roland 808 and 909 drum machines) and nonironic old keyboards (by Juno, Korg, and Roland), making his tunes as live as synthetic music gets. Gushing with trademark sounds of yore — e.g., snare hits that sound like palms spanking wet plastic — his repertoire is a mix of cosmic disco and synthpop, almost like a Cluster/Soft Cell collaboration.
