...so at the moment I’m pressing a record in Germany (aswell as the two in NYC), the record that is cut and pressed this very moment with German precision could be seen upon as a very experimental – but basic and simple – techno release. Maybe the best from both worlds. The record and project I’m writing about is a 12” vinyl that will be released on Sex Tags Mania, which of course will be visually similar to all other Sex Tags Mania releases, but the audio it carries is much more different, both contextually and conceptu- ally, than on all other records we have released. I can say that it’s probably one of the more (or even most) conceptual and for sure contextual – in the same time basic and traditional – ways of presenting techno inside the framework of a 12” release. It’s the techno quintessence. The content of the record is only one loocked groove on the A-side, the B-side is blank. The audio on the loocked groove is a 4/4 bass drum from TR-909: “Bum-Bum-Bum-Bum...” going on for ever, well untill the listener removes the pick-up or electricity runs out… So the locked groove with only the basic of all techno rhythms is the only recorded content of the sound carrier entitled “Bass Drum”. (I’m considering that you’re familier with the principle of “loocked groove” on a vinyl?) As there is only one locked and endless groove on this record, the length and composition of the musical content is up to the listener to create themselves. The locked groove phenomenon isn’t anything new in the vinyl and dj culture/industry and the above mentioned could be said about alot of releases with locked grooves. But since there is only the basic sound and frame work of techno music – the 4/4 bass drum rhythm– that is cut into the vinyl it gives the project a kind of “objective” content (at least in the techno genre/discurse). I’m not saying that there is no aestethics to the bass drum, I just try to eliminate some of the (traditional) musical choices, consider- ing that techno often is seen upon as a non-musical genre. Again the stripped down musical content aswell as the conceptual and contextual value of the record doesn’t contract but rather increase the aestethic value, especially considering techno as a genre and also Sex Tags Mania as a techno/house label. That said, I will give you an introduction to why I choose exactly the bass drum sound from a Roland TR-909. As you know, I could easily have gone to the 100records studio and borrowed your TR-808 (or even TR-606) to get a more “pure” bass drum sound, a sound that would maybe be prefered for a more minimal bass drum concept where all other sounds and frequencies are eliminated. I decided to use the TR-909 sound to get away from the “minimal” and pure sound, I was looking for a more “techno” or even “house music” sound. Because this is a techno record. It’s not only (if at all) a project about minimal aspects (you know the ever developing urge on how maximum-minimalistic techno records could be). What I find even more interesting than making the ultimate minimal techno-art record ever is to make a record that is extremely minimalistic, but totally depended of it’s context. All minimalism is context based though, but pin-pointing the context I find more interesting than just the purity of minimalism. This is also why the records is released as a Sex Tags Mania release (and not the typical arty no-info white label). This release has a label, a catalogue number and is distributed and sold as all our other Sex Tags Mania records. It’s a proper 12” techno release - no apron. This maybe makes the project less valuable in the hands of the purists – but as the context is just as big as the minimal (or artistic) act itself it takes a turn, a turn all the way around, focusing on the context as the main artistic area. As mentioned earlier, the record...