Ah, Studio 1, but not the Jamaican Studio 1. Continuing our series on Early Minimal House/Techno, I had to post the definitive minimalist dance album, Mike Ink aka Kompakt boss Wolfgang Voigt’s Studio 1. Released from 1995 to 1996 and then pressed onto CD in 1997, this is by far the most repetitive (it’s almost unchangin) but true to the roots minimal techno/house you’ll ever get to hear. Compare and contrast to modern so-called “minimal music” please, you may begin.

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….

… 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. Boomkat

Part 1