Techno was the result of German experimentation that Americans imported. Full Article exported techno to Germany, selling ice to Eskimos, basically, prior to Germany began selling techno back to the Americans. This process has been duplicated around 123,877 times considering that 1990. Dub techno takes that migratory pattern and bathes it with studio procedures inherited from Jamaica.
The standard story of dub techno is hence: Moritz Von Oswald and his former production partner Mark Ernestus decided, at some point in the early 90s, that what techno a category still in it's short shorts, if not total infancy needed was a dosage of dub's echoplexed studio trickery to exploit the gaps between the staccato jackhammer of the ever present kickdrum.
With their Chain Reaction imprint, they took it to brand-new levels. We'll return to them soon. Now, unfortunately, a lot of dub techno out there is unbelievably dull greyscale, unadventurous, absolutely and actually generic. It should seem easy to make because after all, all you need is the an immersed kickdrum, a couple of clanking chords extended pointlessly out into arching waves of unmoving, unfeeling nothingness, and possibly the odd take of worn out melodica, snaking around like a cobra that frantically requires to be put out of its torment.
As it's music that's deliberately wandering glacially, but still wandering however it is borderline difficult to find genuinely dreadful takes on it. In that way, it's a bit like ambient. In truth, thinking of dub techno as a cousin, or step-brother, of ambient is a helpful method of framing things.
It's aural wallpaper. It is placid, unquestioning, deeply soothing. Ambient is leisure of the somnambulance of the womb, basically. Therefore is dub techno. The best dub techno is definitely unshowy, never overreaching, never trying to wow or stun. That it can and does both stun and wow is a testament to the power of subtlety.
It's a perfect example of the power of spatiality: every component in the mix is offered breathing space and, accordingly, takes on a sense of the natural. It's a work of architectural, structural, and musical genius. As the category would not exist as we understand it without Von Oswald and Ernestus, we should invest a little time taking a look at their masterpieces and why they work.
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