Basic Channel Explained

Basic Channel
Origin:	Berlin, Germany
Years Active:	1993–present
Current Members:	Moritz von Oswald Mark Ernestus

Basic Channel is a German music duo and record label, composed of Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus, that originated in Berlin in 1993. The duo have also worked under other names, including Rhythm & Sound and Maurizio, and have founded offshoot label imprints such as Chain Reaction and Main Street. Their releases in the 1990s are regarded as pioneering examples of the minimal and dub techno subgenres.

History

Basic Channel was founded by Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus in 1993 in Berlin, Germany.^[1] At the time, von Oswald was working as an in-house producer for the Berlin label Tresor. The project grew around Hard Wax, the record store opened by Ernestus in 1989.^[2] In order to achieve preferred mastering quality, the duo founded their own mastering house Dubplates & Mastering.^[2]

Between 1993 and 1994, the record label released the duo's nine 12-inch vinyl singles,^[3] which featured minimal information and cryptic lettering, leaving the nature of the project obscure. Their minimalist sound and incorporation of delay effects inspired by dub reggae helped to define the nascent dub techno scene.^{[4] [5] [6] [7]} The Quietus credited these releases with "spawning a legion of imitators and earning the duo legend status among those in the know."^[3] Basic Channel has since released two compilation CDs which collect edits of their 12-inch releases: BCD (1995) and BCD-2 (2008).^[8]

Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus have founded numerous record labels such as Chain Reaction, Main Street Records, and Rhythm & Sound.^[9] The duo's collaborative works have also been released under the monikers Maurizio^[10] and Rhythm & Sound.^[11] As Rhythm & Sound, the duo have recorded more faithful takes on Jamaican dub in collaboration with vocalists such as Paul St. Hilaire, Cornell Campbell and the Love Joys.^[6]

Discography

Basic Channel

Albums

• Basic Channel – BCD (1995, BCD, CD)
• Basic Channel – BCD-2 (2008, BCD-2, CD)^[12]

Singles

• Cyrus – "Enforcement" (1993, BC-01, 12")
• Basic Channel – "Phylyps Trak" (1993, BC-02, 12")
• Vainqueur – "Lyot RMX" (1993, BC-03, 12")
• Quadrant – "Q1.1" (1993, BC-04, 12")
• Cyrus – "Inversion" (1994, BC-05, 12")
• Basic Channel – "Quadrant Dub" (1994, BC-06, 12")
• Basic Channel – "Octagon" (1994, BC-07, 12")
• Basic Channel – "Radiance" (1994, BC-08, 12")
• Basic Channel – "Phylyps Trak II" (1994, BC-09, 12")
• Basic Channel – "Remake (Basic Reshape)" (2004, BC-BR, 12")
• Quadrant – "Infinition" (2004, BC-QD, 12")
• Basic Channel – "Q-Loop" (2014, BC-CD, 12")^[12]

Burial Mix

Albums

• Rhythm & Sound w/ Paul St. Hilaire – Showcase (1998, BMD-1, CD)
• Rhythm & Sound w/ the Artists – Rhythm & Sound w/ the Artists (2003, BMD-2, CD)
• Rhythm & Sound – The Versions (2003, BMD-3, CD)
• Rhythm & Sound w/ the Artists – Rhythm & Sound w/ the Artists (2004, BMLP-2, LP)
• Rhythm & Sound – The Versions (2004, BMLP-3, LP)
• Rhythm & Sound – See Mi Ya (2005, BMD-4, CD)
• Rhythm & Sound – See Mi Ya (2005, BMLP-4, LP)
• Rhythm & Sound – See Mi Ya (2005, BM-14-20, 7" box set)
• Rhythm & Sound – See Mi Ya Remixes (2006, BMXD-1, CD)^[13]

Singles

• Rhythm & Sound w/ Paul St. Hilaire – "Never Tell You" (1996, BM-01, 10")
• Rhythm & Sound w/ Paul St. Hilaire – "Spend Some Time" (1996, BM-02, 10")
• Rhythm & Sound w/ Paul St. Hilaire – "Ruff Way" (1997, BM-03, 10")
• Rhythm & Sound w/ Paul St. Hilaire – "What a Mistry" (1997, BM-04, 10")
• Rhythm & Sound w/ Paul St. Hilaire – "Why" (1997, BM-05, 10")
• Rhythm & Sound w/ Cornel Campbell – "King in My Empire" (2001, BM-06, 10")
• Rhythm & Sound w/ Paul St. Hilaire – "Jah Rule" (2001, BM-07, 10")
• Rhythm & Sound w/ Shalom – "We Been Troddin" (2001, BM-08, 10")
• Rhythm & Sound w/ the Chosen Brothers – "Making History" (2002, BM-09, 10")
• Rhythm & Sound w/ Love Joy – "Best Friend" (2002, BM-10, 10")
• Rhythm & Sound w/ Jennifer Lara – "Queen in My Empire" (2003, BM-11, 10")
• Rhythm & Sound w/ the Chosen Brothers – "Mash Down Babylon" (2003, BM-12, 10")
• Rhythm & Sound w/ Jah Batta – "Music Hit You" (2003, BM-13, 10")^[13]

Rhythm & Sound

Rhythm & Sound
Founded:	1997
Founder:	Moritz von Oswald Mark Ernestus
Defunct:	2002
Status:	Inactive
Genre:	Dub reggae, dub techno
Country:	Germany
Location:	Berlin

Albums

• Rhythm & Sound – Rhythm & Sound (2001, RSD-1, CD)^[14]

Singles

• Rhythm & Sound w/ Tikiman – "Music A Fe Rule" (1997, RS-01, 12")
• Chosen Brothers / Rhythm & Sound – "Mango Walk" / "Mango Drive" (1998, RS-02, 12")
• Rhythm & Sound – "Roll Off" (1998, RS-03, 12")
• Rhythm & Sound w/ Savage – "Smile" (1999, RS-04, 12")
• Rhythm & Sound – "Carrier" (1999, RS-05, 12")
• Rhythm & Sound – "Trace" / "Imprint" (2001, RS-06, 12")
• Rhythm & Sound – "Aground" / "Aerial" (2002, RS-07, 12")^[14]

M-Series

Albums

• Maurizio – M-Series (1997, MCD, CD)^[15]

Singles

• Maurizio – "Ploy" (1992, M-1, 12")
• Vainquer – "Lyot" (1992, M-2, 12")
• Maurizio – "Domina" (1993, M-3, 12")
• Maurizio – "M-4" (1995, M-4, 12")
• Maurizio – "M-4.5" (1995, M-4.5, 12")
• Maurizio – "M-5" (1995, M-5, 12")
• Maurizio – "M-6" (1996, M-6, 12")
• Maurizio – "M-7" (1997, M-7, 12")^[15]

Main Street

Albums

• Round One to Round Five – 1993-99 (1999, MSD-01, CD)^[16]

Singles

• Round One – "I'm Your Brother" (1994, MSR-02, 12")
• Round Two – "New Day (1995, MSR-04, 12")
• Round Three w/ Paul St. Hilaire – "Acting Crazy" (1995, MSR-06, 12")
• Round Four w/ Paul St. Hilaire – "Find a Way" (1998, MSR-08, 12")
• Round Five w/ Paul St. Hilaire – "Na Fe Throw It" (1999, MSR-10, 12")^[16]

Related releases

Albums

• Scion – Arrange and Process Basic Channel Tracks (2002, Tresor, Tresor 200, CD)^[17]

Further reading

• Web site: Underground Resistors (page 1 of 2). The Wire. Biba. Kopf. July 1996. 9 January 2020. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090618132154/http://www.thewire.co.uk/articles/132. 18 June 2009.
• Web site: Underground Resistors (page 2 of 2). The Wire. Biba. Kopf. July 1996. 9 January 2020. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090620004008/http://www.thewire.co.uk/articles/132/?pageno=2. 20 June 2009.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Label of the month: Basic Channel. Resident Advisor. Matt. McDermott. 31 December 2018. 9 January 2020. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190110211826/https://www.residentadvisor.net/features/3365. 10 January 2019.
2. Web site: Record Store Week: Hard Wax. XLR8R. Dunn. Johnson. 21 July 2014. 6 February 2020. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191101160409/https://xlr8r.com/features/record-store-week-hard-wax/. 1 November 2019.
3. Web site: Lock The Studio, Turn Out The Lights: Basic Channel 25 Years On. The Quietus. Rory. Gibb. 14 May 2018. 9 January 2020.
4. Web site: On First Listen: Basic Channel. Stylus Magazine. Nate. De Young. 2 June 2005. 8 January 2020. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20080321075627/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/on_first_listen/basic-channel.htm. 21 March 2008.
5. Web site: 25 of the best tracks for testing bass. What Hi-Fi?. Joe. Cox. 12 October 2018. 9 January 2020. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180710163316/https://www.whathifi.com/features/25-best-tracks-testing-bass. 10 July 2018.
6. Baines, Josh (October 15, 2015). "A Bullshitter's Guide to Dub Techno". THUMP. Vice Media. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
7. Web site: The Strange and Frightening World of... Basic Channel. The Quietus. 9 August 2012.
8. Web site: Basic Channel: BCD-2. Pitchfork. Philip. Sherburne. 13 August 2008. 9 January 2020. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170615101154/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12081-bcd-2. 15 June 2017.
9. Web site: Basic Channel. Spin. Philip. Sherburne. 6 September 2012. 9 January 2020. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200202034906/https://www.spin.com/2012/09/basic-channel/. 2 February 2020.
10. Web site: A Bullshitter's Guide to Dub Techno. Vice. Josh. Baines. 15 October 2015. 8 January 2020. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190530140216/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/pg8gg9/a-bullshitters-guide-to-dub-techno. 30 May 2019.
11. Web site: Techno pioneer Moritz von Oswald's latest mixes Afrobeat and 'emptiness'. The Guardian. Ben. Beaumont-Thomas. 23 June 2015. 9 January 2020. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170602113810/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jun/23/mortiz-von-oswald-german-techno-fela-kuti. 2 June 2017.
12. Web site: Basic Channel. Basic Channel. 25 February 2020. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130502050411/http://basicchannel.com/label/Basic+Channel. 2 May 2013.
13. Web site: Burial Mix. Basic Channel. 25 February 2020. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20130718043154/http://basicchannel.com/label/Burial+Mix. 18 July 2013.
14. Web site: Rhythm & Sound. Basic Channel. 25 February 2020. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20130518185424/http://basicchannel.com/label/Rhythm+Sound. 18 May 2013.
15. Web site: M-Series. Basic Channel. 25 February 2020. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20130302231852/http://basicchannel.com/label/M-Series. 2 March 2013.
16. Web site: Main Street. Basic Channel. 25 February 2020. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20131213065248/http://basicchannel.com/label/Main+Street. 13 December 2013.
17. Web site: Dub be good to me: the strange and challenging art of the remix album (page 3 of 5). Fact. 16 August 2012. 25 February 2020. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190403190417/https://www.factmag.com/2012/08/16/dub-be-good-to-me-the-curious-art-of-the-remix-album/3/. 3 April 2019.