Every now and then, when I get hit by some blue vocoders, filtered through metallic echo, one name pops into my mind: Basic Channel
Few record labels come close to the status of being both influential and essential. Unless they somehow defined a genre or launched artists that would have turned into legends. Berlin’s Basic Channel falls into both categories.
Releasing only a dozen records during its meteoric life, between 1993 and 1995, Basic Channel has been the perfect nurturing ground from what was labeled as the dub techno subgenre. And this is all thanks to the two artists behind Basic Channel: Mark Ernestus and Moritz Von Oswald. Yet, confining these 2 guys into the trivial tag of dub techno is the least we can say about them.
Listen to the Detroit reminiscences of the 1994 Quadrant Dub and you’ll understand from where did Ricardo draw inspiration for his amazin 808 Bass Queen
The sharp techno feel of the Octagon keeps remining us of Jeff Mills’ early works, right before being abducted by aliens and start producing for their own taste
And the Radiance EP is by far one of the trippiest pieces of dub, techno, ambient, experimental, mental… however you want to call it, Radiance demands your whole attention to discover its flow & fragile structure.
https://youtu.be/XB_-oT7tybY
And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Listen to all the Basic Channel releases and you’ll definitely change your perspective on electronic music. Dive into the Basic Channel side projects, like Rhythm & Sound or Chain Reaction, to discover some uncharted and rarely explored sonic territories. You won’ regret it 😉
In the mood for some quality dub techno? Check our handpicked selection here
