Following on from the celebrated GAS box set released last year, Kompakt do the right thing and make this absolutely seminal collection available once again. Studio 1 was one of Wolfgang Voigt's many aliases, this time round focusing on Techno reductions which in hindsight can be readily identified as antecedents to what has more recently become known as Minimal. The entire Studio 1 aesthetic was reductionist to the core, with ten classic twelves released between 1995 and 1997 without the need for anything as frivolous as track titles or artwork getting in the way of all that space. Almost 15 years on and the first thing that hits you about these tracks is just how well they have aged, doing much to add credence to the theory that simplicity just doesn't date. The tracks sound functional and yet utterly vibrant, referencing not only the similarly uncompromising aesthetic of Voigt's spiritual brethren over at Basic Channel, but also the icy Scandinavian precision of Finland's equally influential Sahko label. So much of the Techno scene today is built on the elementary, daring steps that Voigt took in the 1990's, but just as we slip into a new era of despondency and frustration with Minimal's inability to evolve and step away from the familiarity of its often tepid surroundings, this collection serves as a timely reminder that in the hands of the right producer even the most basic ingredients can make for a sound that changes the musical climate and, some might even say, ever so subtly changes the world. Wolfgang, once again, respect is long overdue.
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Following on from the celebrated GAS box set released last year, Kompakt do the right thing and make this absolutely seminal collection available once again. Studio 1 was one of Wolfgang Voigt's many aliases, this time round focusing on Techno reductions which in hindsight can be readily identified as antecedents to what has more recently become known as Minimal. The entire Studio 1 aesthetic was reductionist to the core, with ten classic twelves released between 1995 and 1997 without the need for anything as frivolous as track titles or artwork getting in the way of all that space. Almost 15 years on and the first thing that hits you about these tracks is just how well they have aged, doing much to add credence to the theory that simplicity just doesn't date. The tracks sound functional and yet utterly vibrant, referencing not only the similarly uncompromising aesthetic of Voigt's spiritual brethren over at Basic Channel, but also the icy Scandinavian precision of Finland's equally influential Sahko label. So much of the Techno scene today is built on the elementary, daring steps that Voigt took in the 1990's, but just as we slip into a new era of despondency and frustration with Minimal's inability to evolve and step away from the familiarity of its often tepid surroundings, this collection serves as a timely reminder that in the hands of the right producer even the most basic ingredients can make for a sound that changes the musical climate and, some might even say, ever so subtly changes the world. Wolfgang, once again, respect is long overdue.
Following on from the celebrated GAS box set released last year, Kompakt do the right thing and make this absolutely seminal collection available once again. Studio 1 was one of Wolfgang Voigt's many aliases, this time round focusing on Techno reductions which in hindsight can be readily identified as antecedents to what has more recently become known as Minimal. The entire Studio 1 aesthetic was reductionist to the core, with ten classic twelves released between 1995 and 1997 without the need for anything as frivolous as track titles or artwork getting in the way of all that space. Almost 15 years on and the first thing that hits you about these tracks is just how well they have aged, doing much to add credence to the theory that simplicity just doesn't date. The tracks sound functional and yet utterly vibrant, referencing not only the similarly uncompromising aesthetic of Voigt's spiritual brethren over at Basic Channel, but also the icy Scandinavian precision of Finland's equally influential Sahko label. So much of the Techno scene today is built on the elementary, daring steps that Voigt took in the 1990's, but just as we slip into a new era of despondency and frustration with Minimal's inability to evolve and step away from the familiarity of its often tepid surroundings, this collection serves as a timely reminder that in the hands of the right producer even the most basic ingredients can make for a sound that changes the musical climate and, some might even say, ever so subtly changes the world. Wolfgang, once again, respect is long overdue.