Basic Channel and the birth of dub techno

Two people and a record shop

Mark Ernestus ran Hard Wax, a Berlin record shop that became a must-visit for techno and dub lovers. Moritz von Oswald was a drummer and producer who worked with Detroit on the 3MB project. In 1993 they founded the Basic Channel label and started releasing records with strikingly simple, minimalist sleeves.

What dub is

Dub was born in Jamaica in the 1970s. Producers such as King Tubby and Lee "Scratch" Perry took reggae recordings and pulled them apart: dropping out instruments, adding echo and reverb, moving sounds around in space. The studio became an instrument. Basic Channel applied the same philosophy to techno.

What dub techno sounds like

Instead of melodies you hear short chords that ring out in echo, spread and fade. Underneath works a soft, steady kick, and the whole thing sounds as if it is coming from the next room or through fog. Tracks are long and change slowly, almost imperceptibly. Listen to "Phylyps Trak" or "Octagon": this is music you sink into, not music you wait for a drop in.

Chain Reaction and those who followed

In the mid-1990s Ernestus and von Oswald launched a second label, Chain Reaction, for other artists working in a similar spirit. It released records by Porter Ricks, whose "Port of Call" sounds like an underwater recording from a harbour, and Monolake, the project of Robert Henke. Henke later co-created Ableton Live, software used by countless producers today.

Legacy

Dub techno is still alive: from deep club sets to ambient albums for headphones. When you hear a chord echoing endlessly over a kick like a heartbeat, you are probably listening to Basic Channel's heirs. The founders themselves later moved towards reggae with Rhythm & Sound, going back to the roots of dub.