The classic Maurizio / M-Series CD, originally released in 1997 and out of print for quite a while, is finally available again, remastered and reissued in a digipak.
"It's good, uhhhh huhhhh. Like mac & cheese. Like sunny days off. Like a bottle of water the morning after. Techno. Real techno. Get it. Really. Without a doubt some of the best techno ever. Every song is good. Every single one. How often does that happen? And it took long enough to release these. I've had a couple of them on vinyl since forver, but my car and my turntable don't get along. (mostly because I'm lazy, but whatever) If you don't know this, you should."
Fundamental - Essential
Alex | United Kingdom | 03/30/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This CD is a sample of material originally released by Maurizio on the M label, under the mother label Basic Channel.
Characteristics of this music are: minimal, relatively slow, abstract, deep, dub-influenced techno.
A basic underlying idea of Basic Channel material seems to be a regular repetitive line, mixed with repetitive but irregular sounds. In Maurizio this is expressed with a steady 4/4 back-beat, layered with a set of sounds and echoes that repeat but transform and appear less regularly.The music of Maurizio's M label is a milestone in the history of techno music. At the same time it has magnificent depth and an energetic bouncing bass drum. It leaves you with a feeling that the producer has a rich source of inspiration and complete control over his music."
Absolutely perfect minimal techno!
Grado | Stockholm Sweden | 02/19/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is one of my absolutely all time favourite minimal techno cd's and it's the most essential in this genre imo. What many don't know is that Minimal Techno is something completely different from "normal techno"
Minimal Techno shall by the book consist of a pretty slow pace, extremly deep and heavy basslines, a LOT of echoes, tight drums and hi-hats and ... nothing more. And that's what makes minimal tech so intresting, experimental and beatiful. And that's why it's often combined with more dubby tunes and vocals. Check out "Rhythm&Sound feat Tikiman" "Showcase" if you want some vocals with this kind of music."
An interesting Basic Channel side-project with historical im
Steward Willons | Illinois | 11/12/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There is a lot of incorrect information in some of the previous reviews. To set the record straight, Maurizio is a side project of Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus - a duo also known as Basic Channel. Basic Channel is essentially the creators of dub techno, and they explore it from a number of directions. Their work as Rhythm & Sound is more 'dub' than techno, and their work as Maurizio is more 'techno' than dub, thus making Basic Channel releases more balanced hybrids.
Von Oswald and Ernestus are an interesting pair. They make techno that is, by all accounts, very German. But at the same time, their label (also called Basic Channel) is located in Detroit and employs the same shroud of mystery tactics that Mike Banks used with Underground Resistance. It's very much an international project, although, at the end of the day, I think is sounds very German.
"M-Series" is a compilation of Maurizio's 12" releases, which are very difficult to find these days. Every track builds on the standard boom tick rhythm that we hear so often in techno. This basic rhythmic element is much more pronounced than in the Basic Channel material, thus making this a bit closer to techno than dub techno. However, most of the harmonic material uses their trademark dub echos, and most tracks feature that sort of hazy atmosphere, but dialed back so that the music sounds more crisp and clear.
I imagine that if you took Basic Channel tracks, removed some of the ambient sound and put the drums more in the foreground, you'd arrive at something a lot like Maurizio. I have to say, I like their work as Basic Channel a lot more. Their Maurizio material is sometimes minimal to the point that the tracks feel almost unfinished. I'm all for very repetitive, raw techno, but some of these tracks seem like they were created to be layered with other Maurizio tracks. On the other hand, there are some tracks that sound almost like Quadrant (again, Von Oswald and Ernestus operating under an alias), which I really really like.
"M-Series" is, of course, a classic. Everyone should own it for historical purposes, if nothing else. Even though I don't think it's as strong from a compositional standpoint as Basic Channel, it was so widely influential that techno fans need to hear this. It's not music that instantly grabs you. You need to spend some serious time before you start to notice the wonderful details that make this a rewarding listen. But then again, anyone who enjoys dub techno probably doesn't mind a musical challenge.
My advice is to make sure your Basic Channel collection is in order before moving onto the side projects. The Basic Channel tracks are really the foundation of a lot of techno happening today, and they are all essentials. Maurizio is good, but in a different way. Even if Maurizio isn't as interesting as the straight-up Basic Channel material, it's still a CD that everyone should own. Buy it and enjoy."
Great music -- Extremely inaccurate reviews
Raymond Hovey | Sendai, Japan | 04/07/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Where to start --
As others have mentioned, the music on this CD is a compilation of previously released 12" vinyl, and has been highly influential on various producers of dub and/or minimal techno.
The music is great!
But, as these tracks appear in edited form, I'd recommend purchasing the entire Maurizio back catalog in its original (unedited) vinyl form.
Now to debunk some of the misinformation contained in a review by SW --
Basic Channel, as a label, basically ceased to exist after their ninth 12" release "Phylps Trak II" way back in 1994.
There have been two CD compilations - "BCD" in 1995 & "BCD-2" in 2008.
But no NEW material released on the label, on vinyl, since 1994.
However, there have been two reissued 12" releases of material that originally appeared on Carl Craig's Planet E label: "Infinition/Hyperprism" a 12" under the Quadrant alias; and "Remake"(basic reshape)/"The Climax"(basic reshape) - two mixes of tracks by Craig under his Paperclip People alias.
The Basic Channel family includes the sub-labels M (for Maurizio's releases); Rhythm & Sound; Burial Mix; Chain Reaction; Wackies and Basic Replay -- the latter two focusing on reissuing late 70's & early to mid-80's reggae and dancehall. Check Basic Channel's webpage: (www.basicchannel.com) for a full discography of all their labels releases.
Mark Ernestus & Moritz von Oswald, who make up Basic Channel/Rhythm & Sound have never been based in Detroit - even though some of their early 12" releases were pressed in the motor city. Their offices are located in Berlin at Paul-Lincke-Ufer 44a, 10999.
The building not only houses their Hard Wax record store, but - being the vinyl purists they are - also their own mastering/pressing plant for vinyl - Dubplates & Mastering. All the vinyl releases under the Basic Channel umbrella are pressed to vinyl right there in Berlin.
Both D&M and Hard Wax have easily accessible websites.
Maurizio is an alias for Moritz von Oswald's solo work and is also used to credit his various remix work -- although I don't discount any contributions from Mark Ernestus.
As for Maurizio's back catalog being unavailable on vinyl - this is also untrue.
Going to the Hard Wax homepage and clicking on the listing for Basic Channel should allow you to purchase any of Maurizio's seven 12" releases - from the first 12" ("Ploy") released back in 1991, to the last ("M-7") released in 1997 - (along with all nine Basic Channel 12" releases, too)."
