I have to say this early work of deepchord is a milestone album filled with organic warmth and hidden depth submerged in it's icy sound. The deep just got deeper with the huble duo known as deepchord which have credited Basic Channel as a huge influence in their production but yet seem to adventure into a sea of deeper thoughts. The melodies are quite simple, subtle but evolve in such a way it keeps the listener intently focused and mezermized by it's subtle finess, something you could leave on for hours and it would feel like only a second went by. I would have to say this is a MUST HAVE for fans of Basic Channel, Maurizio or Chain Reaction, the sonic boundaries have been pushed forward from the hands of these Detroit based artist.

So this came out in 2000. Dub techno was, at the time, a rare, expensive treat that would normally be found on £7 12"s with limited print runs and esoteric catalogue numbers. Lots of filtered pads, barely audible hihats, rumbling sub-worrying basslines... and hiss. Lots of hiss. And yes, it was Basic Channel that started this.

Deep Chord were one of the first artists not featured on Chain Reaction and related labels, to imitate this style accurately: cross a little Maurizio with a lot of Vainqueur and add a dash of Quadrant Dub, and you get your typical Deep Chord track. "01-06" is a compilation of their first series of tracks, although there are more than 6 tracks so I don't know why they've titled the album thus. They're all very well produced hypnotic dub techno pieces, and quite capable of reducing puny stereos to their component parts. But there's two problems.

Firstly, they can't write decent melodies. Yes, this is a blanket statement - they can't. FACT. Go and listen to Quadrant Dub's lilting vocals, Enforcement's incessant, spiky synth arpeggio (all 13 minutes of it!), and the sparse filtered synth parts on Maurizio. Want the very best example? Rene "Vainqueur" Lowe's own "Faith". They're minimal, sure, but very memorable. I don't find Deep Chord's to be the same - usually one or two note pad washes and THOSE short warbly synth prickles, and little else. Arranged pretty much the same way on every track.

Secondly: Deep Chord have become The Real Influence. There are tons of artists now, reproducing this same style, that may well cite Basic Channel as an influence. But lets be honest, most of them sound rather more like Deep Chord. Mid-tempo 4/4 jaunts with the SAME filtered pads, subtle hihats, and the ever present tape hiss. BC and dub techno wasn't ALWAYS like this - Trak and Enforcement were both pounding, punishing hard techno workouts with their own heavy doses of deep bass and delay effects, but Deep Chord don't seem to attempt anything of the sort. They restrict themselves to the endless not-too-fast not-too-slow washy dub tech that Vainqueur mastered with greater flair back in 1997! It's the same on every track contained here on 01-06, with little more than varying tempos to seperate them.

A mere shadow of Ernestus' and Von Oswalds capabilities, Deep Chord may have a lot of polish, but certainly aren't bothering to innovate. If you like this stuff, good for you, but I find it overrated, unsatisfying and hideously boring. At least Sustainer - Cuantico has better melodies!

If you've heard any Deep Chord, then you know what to expect, and this collection will NOT disappoint. If you haven't heard, then it's the minimal 'deep house' dubby sound. Soft chords (heh, DEEP chords) low bass pulse, not too different from Basic Channel or Porter Ricks stuff, but Deep Chord is a bit more hypnotic & soothing. GREAT CD!