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For our very first article, we wanted to pay tribute to the Basic Channel duo, a key figure on Berlin's 90s techno scene. Composed of Moritz Von Oswald (also a member of the Borderland duo with detroiter Juan Atkins) and Mark Ernestus. This group took many forms, including the famous Maurizio and Rhythm & Sound group and the Chain Reaction label.
For our very first article, we wanted to pay tribute to the Basic Channel duo, a key figure on Berlin's 90s techno scene. Composed of Moritz Von Oswald (also a member of the Borderland duo with detroiter Juan Atkins) and Mark Ernestus. This group took many forms, including the famous Maurizio and Rhythm & Sound group and the Chain Reaction label.
Basic Channel is a great source of inspiration for us, and their undergound vision, such as the generic covers with their distorted, almost invisible logo, or the band's repeated name changes, mean that today we see them as a model of independence and anonymity.
Their distinctive style of dub techno (using drones bathed in noise and layered with ambient sounds and minimalist, ethereal melodies) is instantly recognisable. Whether you're listening to a 12” by Maurizio or Basic Channel. Founders of “dub techno”, they use the tape delay typical of dub and reggae from the 60s and 70s. The use of white noise, delay and reverb increased as their releases progressed, in response to the enthusiasm of the specialist press and the public. They have no desire for fame, and are hardening their musical independence, going against the tide of trends and the public's desires (for example, by tending more and more towards dub techniques rather than techno, by not exceeding 128 BPM...).
When they are interviewed, the journalist is not allowed to transcribe the conversation, so as never to get twists out of context. Often, instead of talking about their own history, they prefer to retrace the history of techno, never forgetting its roots in Detroit and Chicago, from "Warehouse" acid house to the committed rhythms of Undergound Resistance. Their links with Detroit are multiple, marked in particular by their collaborations for Tresor (a Berlin-based label and club with a strong Detroit flavour) and Hardwax (a renowned record store founded by Mark Ernestus). Listen to “Enforcement” produced by Cyrus, and remixed by Jeff Mills. It's also worth highlighting their collaboration with Jamaican artists such as Don Cornel (from Studio One in Jamaica).
Recommendations:
“Phylyps Base” - Basic Channel 1993: On the B-side of the famous Phylyps Trak, a track representative of minimal dub and Basic Channel's aesthetic.
“Q-Loop” - Basic Channel 2014: The 3 tracks on this EP: Q-Loop, Q1-2 and Mutism are gems of the ambient dub of which the two Germans are capable
“Domino” - Maurizio 1993: Under the more house-oriented Maurizio label, this track features the duo's classic sound effects, noise and tape delay aesthetics.
“Enforcement” - Cyrus, Remix by Jeff Mills 2008: Acid bass and more brutal rhythms, tailored for the dancefloor.
“Starlight” - Model 500 (Moritz Mix) 1995: An edit by one of the duo's members on a track by the legendary Model 500 (Juan Atkins).
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