Chris Stewart and Ty Kube are proving to embody the dynamic nature of New York City’s electronic scene by trading their drumsticks and power-riffs for drum machines and frosty synth pads. Kube, formerly of the punk-spirited dance group Team Robespierre, has teamed up with Stewart to throw some refreshingly cold water on sweaty dancegoers with the duo’s new project Black Marble. The two have exemplified the hauntingly timeless combination of vintage synthesizers and melodic vocals on their debut EP Weight Against the Door, which dropped this past January. The five-track EP embodied the essence of classic coldwave with the simple formula of filtered analog instrumentation and hypnotic drum patterns.
Set to release their first LP this October, the duo’s first single “A Great Design” takes us out of the frozen synthetic landscape and plops us in the front seat of an ’80s sports car on a rainy night. With a constant chugging bassline and warmer chords accompanying Stewart’s bassy vocals, the track features a much broader palette of tones which fill in the cracks of their previous formula with a wonderful array of nostalgic synthesized compositions. Beginning with a playful synth lead, gentle chords and shimmering filtered keyboards are layered on to create an atmosphere reminiscent of the darkwave heavyweights Joy Division and Bauhaus that emerged out of the early punk scene more than 30 years ago.
The changes in sound brilliantly preserve the coldwave vibe with simple chord progressions and a healthy dose of reverberation that keep things sounding evocatively distant. If this is any indication of what’s to come on their upcoming LP A Different Arrangement, fans can look forward to a contemporary take on a classic electronic genre.