Basic Channel
Encyclopedia
Basic Channel is a production team and record label, composed of Moritz Von Oswald
and Mark Ernestus, that originated in Berlin
, Germany
in 1993. The duo released a number of vinyl-only tracks under various aliases, each of which employed their signature brand of dissonant dub
techno
. The nine original releases were each primarily identified as Basic Channel productions by their catalogue numbers, as the Basic Channel logo on the label became more distorted and unreadable with each subsequent release.
The duo set up a studio in Berlin
on Paul-Lincke-Ufer, in a building which was eventually to house Mark Ernestus’ distributing company and shop Hard Wax, and the label's mastering
studio Dubplates & Mastering, set up to ensure a desired dynamic quality for the vinyl.
The Basic Channel imprint ceased business in 1995 (apart from two releases almost a decade later that were originally issued on Carl Craig
's Planet E label), but were followed by a string of similar labels. Among the most important were Chain Reaction
, which released non-Von Oswald/Ernestus productions and helped launch the careers of dub-influenced minimal techno
producers such as Monolake
and Porter Ricks; Basic Replay, which specialises in reggae and dancehall re-issues; Main Street, for house
-related releases; and Burial Mix and Rhythm & Sound
, which saw the duo's sound move away from the Detroit blueprint and closer to vocal-lead dub and reggae
. Their With The Artists album, released as Rhythm & Sound and featuring celebrated reggae and dancehall
vocalists such as Sugar Minott
, featured in the top 50 records of the year for 2003 in The Wire
magazine.
Basic Channel also run a comprehensive programme of re-issues for the American reggae label Wackies
.
See Rhythm & Sound (record label)
for a complete label discography.
in the Caribbean
, and was the second vocalist (after Andy Caine) to collaborate with Von Oswald and Ernestus, steering their sounds away from 4/4 techno. In 2003 he set up the Basic Channel subsidiary False Tuned. His vocals have appeared on many electronic releases, including those by pioneers Modeselektor
and Stereotyp. Two self-produced CDs have been released by him - "Unspecified" and "Adsom".
Moritz Von Oswald
Moritz von Oswald , half of both Basic Channel and Maurizio, went on to become one of the most influential producers of techno music in the 1990s. In the 1980s he was percussionist for Palais Schaumburg and The Associates, but would segue into electronic music by the late 80s and early 90s...
and Mark Ernestus, that originated in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1993. The duo released a number of vinyl-only tracks under various aliases, each of which employed their signature brand of dissonant dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
. The nine original releases were each primarily identified as Basic Channel productions by their catalogue numbers, as the Basic Channel logo on the label became more distorted and unreadable with each subsequent release.
The duo set up a studio in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
on Paul-Lincke-Ufer, in a building which was eventually to house Mark Ernestus’ distributing company and shop Hard Wax, and the label's mastering
Audio mastering
Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
studio Dubplates & Mastering, set up to ensure a desired dynamic quality for the vinyl.
The Basic Channel imprint ceased business in 1995 (apart from two releases almost a decade later that were originally issued on Carl Craig
Carl Craig
Carl Craig is a Detroit-based producer of techno music, and is considered to be one of the most important names in the Detroit second generation of techno producers and DJs...
's Planet E label), but were followed by a string of similar labels. Among the most important were Chain Reaction
Chain Reaction (record label)
Chain Reaction was a German record label founded in 1995 by Basic Channel members Moritz Von Oswald and Mark Ernestus. The label's output consisted of the extended friends and family of the Basic Channel duo, which centered around the Hard Wax record store in Berlin.The label's sound focused on a...
, which released non-Von Oswald/Ernestus productions and helped launch the careers of dub-influenced minimal techno
Minimal techno
Minimal techno is a minimalist sub-genre of techno. It is characterized by a stripped-down aesthetic that exploits the use of repetition, and understated development. This style of dance music production generally adheres to the motto less is more; a principle that has been previously utilized, to...
producers such as Monolake
Monolake
Monolake is an electronic music act based in Berlin. Originally consisting of members Gerhard Behles and Robert Henke, Monolake is now perpetuated by Henke while Behles focuses on running music software company Ableton, which they founded in 1999 together with Bernd Roggendorf...
and Porter Ricks; Basic Replay, which specialises in reggae and dancehall re-issues; Main Street, for house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
-related releases; and Burial Mix and Rhythm & Sound
Rhythm & Sound (record label)
Rhythm & Sound is a dub techno German record label, a sub-label to Basic Channel. It was founded in Berlin by the duo Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus, also known as Basic Channel...
, which saw the duo's sound move away from the Detroit blueprint and closer to vocal-lead dub and reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
. Their With The Artists album, released as Rhythm & Sound and featuring celebrated reggae and dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
vocalists such as Sugar Minott
Sugar Minott
Lincoln Barrington "Sugar" Minott was a Jamaican reggae singer, producer and sound-system operator.-Biography:...
, featured in the top 50 records of the year for 2003 in The Wire
The Wire (magazine)
The Wire is a British avant garde music magazine, founded in 1982 by jazz promoter Anthony Wood and journalist Chrissie Murray. The magazine initially concentrated on contemporary jazz and improvised music, but branched out in the early 1990s to various types of experimental music...
magazine.
Basic Channel also run a comprehensive programme of re-issues for the American reggae label Wackies
Wackies
Wackies is an American independent record label specialized in reggae and dub music.Founded in the 1970s by Lloyd Barnes, as the Wackie's House Of Music based on White Plains Road in New York, the name Wackies also include a record shop and a studio...
.
Basic Channel
- Cyrus Enforcement (BC-01, 1993)
- Phylyps Trak (BC-02, 1993)
- Vainqueur Lyot (Reshape) (BC-03, 1993)
- Quadrant Q 1.1 (BC-04, 1993)
- Cyrus Inversion (BC-05, 1994)
- Quadrant Dub (BC-06, 1994)
- Basic Channel Octagon / Octaedre (BC-07, 1994)
- Radiance I / II / III (BC-08, 1994)
- Phylyps Trak II (BC-09, 1994)
- Basic Channel BCD (BCD, 1995)
- Paperclip PeopleCarl CraigCarl Craig is a Detroit-based producer of techno music, and is considered to be one of the most important names in the Detroit second generation of techno producers and DJs...
Basic Reshape (BCBR, 2004) - Quadrant Infinition/Hyperism (BCQD, 2004)
- Basic Channel BCD-2 (BCD-2, 2008)
Rhythm & Sound
- Rhythm & Sound Rhythm & Sound (Rhythm & Sound, RSD-01, 2001)
See Rhythm & Sound (record label)
Rhythm & Sound (record label)
Rhythm & Sound is a dub techno German record label, a sub-label to Basic Channel. It was founded in Berlin by the duo Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus, also known as Basic Channel...
for a complete label discography.
Selected Burial Mix Releases
- Rhythm & Sound w/ Paul St. Hilaire Showcase CD (BMD-1, 1996)
- Rhythm & Sound w/ The Artists Rhythm & Sound w/ The Artists CD (BMD-2, 2003)
- Rhythm & Sound The Versions CD (BMD-3, 2003)
- Rhythm & Sound See Mi Ya 7" box set (BMD-14-20, 2005)
- Rhythm & Sound See Mi Ya CD (BMD-4, 2005)
- Rhythm & Sound See Mi Ya Remixes CD (BMXD-1, 2006)
Other Related CD Albums
- Various ...Compiled (Chain Reaction, CRD-06, 1998)
- Round One - Round Five 1993-99 Main Street Records (Main Street Records, MSD-01, 1999)
- Scion Scion Arrange And Process Basic Channel Tracks (Tresor, Tresor 200, 2002)
- Maurizio M Series (Maurizio, MCD, 2003)
- Various Basic Replay (Basic Replay, BR-1, 2007)
Paul St. Hilaire
Paul St. Hilaire (aka Tikiman) is a reggae vocalist from the island of DominicaDominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, and was the second vocalist (after Andy Caine) to collaborate with Von Oswald and Ernestus, steering their sounds away from 4/4 techno. In 2003 he set up the Basic Channel subsidiary False Tuned. His vocals have appeared on many electronic releases, including those by pioneers Modeselektor
Modeselektor
Modeselektor is an electronic music band formed in Berlin, featuring Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary. The group draws heavily from IDM, glitch, Electro house and hip hop. In an interview the group said regarding their sound: "Happy metal, hard rap, country-ambient, Russian crunk. We don’t like...
and Stereotyp. Two self-produced CDs have been released by him - "Unspecified" and "Adsom".
External links
- Basic Channel -- official homepage.
- Basic Channel (artist) / Basic Channel (label) discographies at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
.. - The Wire: Basic Channel.
- Stylus: Basic Channel.
- dig: Basic Channel
- Moritz von Oswald Trio premier at CTM08