Something hit the techno community like a shot in 1993: the influence of dub. While the mixing techniques (drop-outs, phasing, echoes, etc.) had been commonplace on house and techno mixes in the previous decade or so, at the time, no one was really attempting to fuse the style of King Tubby and Lee “Scratch” Perry to electronics. But in early ‘93, with the release of the first records on the mighty Basic Channel label, the long, echoing, repeating, phasing patterns on top of hard techno beats took the world by (quiet) storm.

Generally forgotten in all of this, however, is this masterful single by British group Bandulu released through indie powerhouse Creation Records dance offshoot, Infonet. Messers. Bissmire, O’Connell, and Thompson start with heavily phased and repeated keyboard wash and turn it over and over and over again for what seems an eternity (it’s closer to five minutes) before the stomping, Mills-esque drum loop comes in to move things from outer space to the dancefloor. The beat drops out again after a few more minutes, only to return, Phoenix-like, after another dark, swirling waterfall of sound. Epic. Big on vibes, atmosphere, and sticky green smoke, “Phaze In-Version” is the missing bridge between the London, Detroit, and Berlin scenes of the early 1990s. If you’re a fan of any of the above, start digging in the crates for this slept-on gem.

Infonet / INF 012T
[Todd Hutlock]