In focus: DeepChord

Dub, bass and echo: a tour and selection of works from the Deepchord (Rod Modell)

Deepchord aka Rod Modell is a sound-designer and audio engineer with a rich history of involvement in Electronic music over the last 25 years. He has produced a substantial catalogue of releases for his own imprint alongside the likes of Soma, Modern Love and Astral Industries, many of which are highly prized and sought after amongst the cognoscenti of deep and dubby techno.

Hailing from Port Huron in Michigan, the American producer, DJ, and musician attended art school in Detroit to study Photography during the 90s, making the city’s Eastern-Market area his home. Which just so happened to become a much celebrated location, infamous for its “Techno boulevard” where Derrick May, Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson operated out of during the same era.

Finding himself immersed in the burgeoning scene of the early 90s as it was evolving, his journey into the more experimental side of sculpting sound became an inevitable path. Around 1997, Modell linked up with Mike Schommer to work together and form the initial basis for DeepChord, and establish the now renown imprint. Inspired by Underground Resistance’s ‘DIY’ attitude and ethic, the pair set themselves on a path that would see them lay down their own blueprint in dub fuelled experiments where dub meets Techno – rich in texture and ethereal atmospherics that never fail to capture the ear or the imagination.

Harnessing the wave that was triggered from the now legendary studios of Moritz Von Oswald and Mark Ernestus in Berlin, DeepChord are considered by many to be the second wave and evolution of the Basic Channel sound, a direct ripost from Techno’s spiritual home – years before the onslaught of imitators that would come to follow.

Although Mike Schommer parted DeepChord in 2002, and Modell continued the evolutionary path as a solo operator, the breadth and richness of the music they both contributed to is nothing short of brilliance. Very much worthy of your time, there’s a lot of ground to cover and music sift through, not least because Modell continues to be highly productive in the studio.Not to mention that after 16 releases on DeepChord, he then co-founded Echospace with Steven Hitchell (aka Soultek), which is worthy of another article in itself.

There’s little doubt in that DeepChord along with Echospace are rightful heirs to the dub techno legacy, and an equally rich part of the story. So, without much further ado – here’s a selection of music we hope will help you charter a hugely impressive and expansive catalogue that spans over several decades: