Basic Channel – BCD

I am unsure as to whether this is supposed to be a compilation or an album, because if it is a compilation, it fails, but as an album, it is quite good, once you get into it. For those unfamiliar with the works of Basic Channel, this is not the best place to start. Of their previous work showcased here, only the more ambient ones are present. Tracks such as "Inversion" and "Octagon" are given the flick in favour of each part of the "Radiance" EP, which may be brilliant, but again, if you're unfamiliar with it, it means nothing to you. This is not the best place to become acquainted with it. Having said all that, tracks such as "Q Loop", "E2E4 Basic Reshape" and "Q1.2" are all brilliantly hypnotic tracks, and are only available in the forms presented here on this disc. On first listen, all of these tracks seem like fragments. On Scion's "Arrange And Process Basic Channel Tracks", these fragments (along with the rest of the Basic Channel catalogue, and extras here and there from some closely related side ventures) are used to assemble a truly instantly mesmerising album. If you start there, then come back to this, you will realise that these fragments are not really fragments at all - just exceedingly challenging tracks way ahead of their time. A true cornerstone which continues to inspire today.

Hmmmm, Any manufacturer will tell you CD's should not be stored in sleaves. A CD is bulletproof polycarbonate, but has almost no chemical resistence, and bleach in paper, or petrochemicals in plastic WILL degrade surfaces!
On close inspection you'll notice that the (ever ugly) Jewel case has an air gap between the disk and the holder, with the only point being the hub itself. Even atomic oxygen is an issue. Maybe the trick is to shave down the hub a little, or make a (legal) backup copy for the metal box and store the original in a vacuum flask in your refrigerator.

Unlike the rest of these guys I had never really heard of scion or basic channel until recently. The track arrange and process 7 appeared on a tresor compilation I had so upon hearing that I decided to investigate further. I do listen to a lot of techno but I have to say that this album is superb and one of the best I have ever heard. Deep and dark layered dub-techno thats so well programmed and just keeps flowing with intense energy. I can see why there are a lot of comments posted on this page.

Basic Channel has become its own description - - and for good reason. How else to describe those warm, dubby sounds, the strict rhythms, the electronic squelches? Basic Channel were innovators of the best kind, and their sound is legendary. On this compilation of their tracks, there’s no need for introduction. There’s the hiss and crackle of “Mutism” to the warped trickle of “Radiance (II)” and the dubbed out notes of “Lyot” and “Presence” to the more house-based tracks of “Q Loop” and “E3E4 Basic Reshape.” Believe me, these are the ones that started it all.

I've heard many reports of the CDs in these metal boxes cracking because of the hub being too tight. This is the case with this disc, the Maurizio comp, and all of the Chain Reaction discs that came in these metal boxes. If you haven't done so already, I recommend storing the disc in a plastic sleeve inside the metal box, that way you get the cool look of the box, but not the cracked discs.