Basic Channel was founded by Moritz von Oswald and
Mark Ernestus in 1993 in Berlin, Germany. At the time, von Oswald was
working as an in-house producer for the Berlin label Tresor. The
project grew around Hard Wax, the record store opened by
Ernestus in 1989. In
order to achieve preferred mastering quality, the duo founded their
own mastering house Dubplates & Mastering.
Between
1993 and 1994, the record label released the duo's nine 12-inch vinyl singles, which
featured minimal information and cryptic lettering, leaving the nature of the
project obscure.The Quietus credited these releases with "spawning
a legion of imitators and earning the duo legend status among those in the
know." Basic Channel has since released two compilation CDs which
collect edits of their 12-inch releases: BCD (1995) and BCD-2 (2008).
Moritz
von Oswald and Mark Ernestus have founded numerous record labels such as Chain
Reaction, Main Street Records, and Rhythm & Sound. The duo's collaborative
works have also been released under the monikers Maurizio and Rhythm &
Sound.