Basic Channel

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by Oswald and Ernestus at a MUTEK performance in Montreal (2007)

Basic Channel is a project and label of the German musicians Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus . Both have been producing minimalist techno and dub music under various other project names such as Quadrant , Phylyps , Maurizio or Rhythm & Sound since the early 1990s . Both operated the music labels Chain Reaction , Main Street Records and Burial Mix , among others .

history

Moritz von Oswald, previously drummer of the NDW formation Palais Schaumburg , and Mark Ernestus, founder of Kumpelnest 3000 and Hard Wax , have been working together since the early 1990s. The techno labels Basic Channel and Chain Reaction , founded by Ernestus and Oswald, became known to a wider public . Basic Channel in particular is one of the most important German techno labels of the 1990s. The label's releases have all achieved cult status and are considered rarities, especially in North America. The pieces were mostly characterized by the targeted use of reverb and noise effects . The noise in particular is a characteristic style element of their productions, with an unusually high recognition value for the genre .

With each new creative period von Oswald and Ernestus founded further labels, for example Main Street for Vocal House . The releases of this label surprised critics and fans. Instead of the minimalist techno sound, the first release I'm your brother was a classic house song with vocals by British Andy Caine and had a certain pop appeal due to the catchy chorus.

In the further course of Oswald and Ernestus made more reference to dub music , and produced other pieces on Main Street in collaboration with the Dominican Paul St. Hilaire ( Tikiman ). Since then they have consistently continued this development and founded the Burial Mix and Rhythm & Sound labels . Especially the releases as Rhythm & Sound show a clear influence of the reggae production method. Since 1998, the producer duo has been working with different Jamaican singers on every record. The highlight of this collaboration is the one riddim album See Mi Yah , released in 2005 , on which a single minimalist riddim , which essentially consists of only two repetitive bars, by individual vocalists such as Willi Williams , Sugar Minott , Ras Donovan or Paul St. Hilaire is interpreted differently.

With the founding of the labels Imbalance (1993) and Chain Reaction (1995), both also offered other artists such as the Finn Vladislav Delay a platform for the publication of experimental techno pieces.

For many years, their names were often only known to the initiated, even within the techno scene, as von Oswald and Ernestus consistently protected their privacy. They rarely gave interviews, gave no biographical information, and their names were never on any of their records. The few photos that existed from both producers were mostly only allowed to be distorted or printed completely illegible - true to the attitude of the early techno scene, which rejected the star cult of the music industry and sought to abolish the concept of the musician-subject. After their first releases, due to the reluctance of the two musicians to provide information, the rumor persisted for some time that the producers of the Basic Channel records came from Detroit , the “birthplace” of techno. However, both musicians later changed their minds and were repeatedly available for interviews.

meaning

With Basic Channel and Chain Reaction , von Oswald and Ernestus founded two of the most influential German techno labels of the 1990s. Most of the publications of their Rhythm & Sound project received good to very good reviews. The albums were listed in the Spex 's annual best lists of critics as well as their “Best Singles of the 20th Century”, Rolling Stone and de: Bug 's annual best lists for readers .

In issue # 91 of the music magazine Groove , the authors of the magazine compiled a list of the 100 most important tracks of the past 15 years with the help of many DJs . Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus were the only producers represented three times:

  • 37 - Maurizio - Dominatrix (Maurizio)
  • 54 - Phylyps - Trak II (Basic Channel)
  • 55 - Round Two - New Day (Main Street)

Many critics consider Oswald and Ernestus to be visionary producers who have had a significant influence on the development of electronic music.

Discography (selection)

  • As Maurizio
    • Ploy EP (1992)
    • Lyot EP (1992)
    • Domina EP (1993)
    • M4 (1995)
    • M4.5 (1995)
    • M5 (1995)
    • M6 (1996)
    • M7 (1997)
    • M CD (Metal Box) (1997) Compilation of the releases as Maurizio
  • As a quadrant
    • Q 1.1 (1993)
    • Quadrant EP (1993)
    • Infinition / Hyperprism (2004)
  • As Phylyps
    • Trak (1993)
    • Trak II (1994)
  • As round one - round five
    • Round One - I'm your brother (1995) (Vocals by Andy Caine)
    • Round Two - New day (1995) (Vocals by Andy Caine)
    • Round Three - Acting crazy (1995) (Vocals by Tikiman)
    • Round Four - Find a way (1998) (Vocals by Tikiman)
    • Round Five - Na fe rule (1999) (Vocals by Tikiman)
    • 1993–1999 Main Street Record (1999) Compilation of the releases as Round One - Round Five
  • As rhythm & sound
    • Showcase (w / Tikiman) (1998) (Vocals by Tikiman)
    • Rhythm & Sound (2003)
    • w / the Artists (2003) Compilation of the releases as Rhythm & Sound
    • the Versions (2003) Compilation of the corresponding instrumental versions
    • See Mi Yah (2005)
    • See Mi Yah Remixes (2006)

Web links

Commons : Rhythm & Sound  - collection of images, videos and audio files

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