Artist: Scion
Title: Arrange and Process Basic Channel Tracks
Label: Tresor
Ca. No: 56200-2
Formats: CD
Release: 22 July 2002
Barcode:
CD: 7 1875 56200 2 1
Scion (Pete Kuschnereit aka Substance and Rene Löwe aka Vainqueur) have
arranged and reworked back-catalogue tracks from Basic Channel (Moritz von
Oswald and Mark Ernestus) with the help of Ableton's "LIVE" audio software.
The short-lived series of mysterious Basic Channel records released in the
early to mid-'90s made a secretive duo, (Mark Ernestus and Moritz Von
Oswald) cult legends. Beginning with the Enforcement record in 1993, the
duo quickly created one of techno's most fabled empires. In addition to
successive releases on the Basic Channel label, Ernestus and Von Oswald
inaugurated several other labels, including Chain Reaction, a popular label
for third-party producers such as Monolake, Porter Ricks, and Vladislav
Delay. Furthermore, the two also established and until recently oversaw the
Dubplates & Mastering (aka D&M) vinyl-cutting studio, and Ernestus continues
to personally oversee the Hardwax record store in Berlin (and on the web).
Scion is René Löwe from Potsdam and Peter Kuschnereit from Berlin. Both
started their experiments in creating electronic music in 1990. Eventually
René's and Peter's mentors Mark and Moritz from Hard Wax / Basic Channel
founded a new label called Chain Reaction as a platform to present their
friends' music. Scion's first release in late-1995 was called "emerge 0-2".
René and Peter also worked on their solo-projects Vainqueur (René) and
Substance (Peter) and both artists released solo-CD-albums on Chain Reaction
in 1997.
Much like its Detroit and Chicago predecessors, from which the duo found
enormous inspiration, Basic Channel became more myth than reality during the
past several years. Though Ernestus and Von Oswald shelved the moniker in
1995 after releasing a retrospective CD, the records continue to sell, in
Europe as well as in the States. Moreover, the international techno
community speaks of Basic Channel with the utmost reverence, respecting the
duo's long-held interest in anonyminity. This veil of mystery only
furthered the Basic Channel legacy since the records featured no credits or
publishing dates, only a cryptic label, the D&M or NSC logo, and in rare
cases coloured vinyl.
Mystery alone does not make music legendary, however, and Basic Channel
certainly produced some of the past decade's most influential techno
recordings. In 1993, when the first Basic Channel record surfaced, what
most people now term minimal techno had not yet evolved. The nine Basic
Channel records-all of them incredibly varied in tempo and mood-defined the
style, along with another legendary techno artist, Jeff Mills, who
contributed to the Enforcement record. Where some of the records such as
Radiance and Inversion explored the limits of ambient dub-techno-with
individual tracks lasting upward of 20 minutes-most of the other Basic
Channel records featured a more intense style of techno that looped
relentlessly with minimal variation.
No matter whether a given record was ambient or intense, all of the Basic
Channel records mesmerized listeners, both literally and figuratively. The
endless loops and their nearly undetectable variations-not the mention the
marathon running-lengths-resulted in a dizzying whirlwind of gritty techno
in its rawest form. For each record, Ernestus and Von Oswald returned to
their roots-Jamaican dub-reggae, Chicago house, and Detroit techno-and
incorporated these classic sounds with a Berlin state of mind quite
antithetical to the slick commercial dance music sweeping through Europe at
the time.
Perhaps because Basic Channel embraced classic sounds and introduced the
minimal style, its legacy has grown even greater with each passing year.
The nine records continue to sell while most dance records go out of print
within months. The name Basic Channel has become a household name within
the techno community, with countless DJs and producers professing their
reverence. And it doesn't hurt that superstar DJs such as Richie Hawtin
continue to feature the records in their mixes to this day. In fact, all
things considered, no techno artist-besides perhaps Underground Resistance
or Jeff Mills-has attracted such a cult following.
It is perhaps fitting then that Tresor is releasing this album in
2002-nearly a decade after Ernestus and Von Oswald debuted as Basic
Channel-featuring nearly the entire back catalogue. In the grand techno
spirit of experimentation and innovation, Chain Reaction recording duo
Scion-Pete Kuschnereit (aka Substance) and Rene Löwe (aka Vainqueur)-mixed
the records with Ableton's Live audio software. The resulting mix showcases
just how timeless the Basic Channel records truly are, sounding just as
definitive today as a decade ago.
The selection is focused on the more clubby tracks of the BC-projects Cyrus
(Enforcement, Recall, Inversion), Phylyps (Trak I, Trak II), Quadrant (Q
1.1, Infinition), Octagon/Octaedre, including The Climax - basic reshape and
also the atmospheric tracks as found on the Basic Channel CD (EFA CD
11110-2, 1996). Most of the tracks were previously only available on
(import) 12-inches.
The result is not a simple mix-CD or compilation, but the connection of new
software possibilities combined with Scion's experience as DJs and a live
act.
~ Jason Birchmeier
Scion will be performing their work for this release on live tour this
summer.
Tracklist:
part 01 w/ material from
cyrus: inversion (BC-05)
the climax (basic reshape) (PE65263)
mutism (BCD)
radiance III (BC-08 / BCD)
part 02 w/ material from
cyrus: presence (BC-05 / BCD)
q1.2 (BCD)
"remake" basic reshape (PEPCP 2 / BCD)
radiance I (BC-08 / BCD)
quadrant: infinition (PEQDT 1)
part 03 w/ material from
quadrant: infinition (PEQDT 1)
rhythm & sound: music a fe rule (RS-01)
octaedre (BC-07)
octagon (BC-07)
part 04 w/ material from
octagon (BC-07)
phylyps trak II/I (BC-09)
q1.1/IIII (BC-04)
part 05 w/ material from
phylyps II/I (BC-09)
q loop (BCD)
part 06 w/ material from
phylyps trak (BC-02)
phylyps rmx (BC-03)
part 07 w/ material from
cyrus: enforcement (BC-01)
phylyps trak II/II (BC-09)
part 08 w/ material from
phylyps trak II/II (BC-09)
the climax (basic reshape) (PE65263)
part 09 w/ material from
the climax (basic reshape) (PE65263)
octagon (BC-07)
cyrus: recall (BC-01)
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