Basic Channel is a German music duo and record label, composed of Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus, that originated in Berlin in 1993.[2] 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.[3]
History
Basic Channel was founded by Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus in 1993 in Berlin, Germany.[2] At the time, von Oswald was working as an in-house producer for the Berlin label Tresor.[4] The project grew around Hard Wax, the record store opened by Ernestus in 1989.[5] In order to achieve preferred mastering quality, the duo founded their own mastering house Dubplates & Mastering.[5]
Between 1993 and 1994, the record label released the duo's nine 12-inch vinyl singles,[4] which featured minimal information and cryptic lettering, leaving the nature of the project obscure.[3] Their minimalist sound and incorporation of delay effects inspired by dub reggae helped to define the nascent dub techno scene.[6][7][8][9]The Quietus credited these releases with "spawning a legion of imitators and earning the duo legend status among those in the know."[4] Basic Channel has since released two compilation CDs which collect edits of their 12-inch releases: BCD (1995) and BCD-2 (2008).[3]
Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus have founded numerous record labels such as Chain Reaction, Main Street Records, and Rhythm & Sound.[10] The duo's collaborative works have also been released under the monikers Maurizio[1] 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.[8]
Discography
BC-02, BC-07, and BC-08. Note the progressive distortion of the Basic Channel logo
