FOUNDATIONS: AUSTIN BASCOM
Music for life.
Friends.
It’s Friday, and we’re back laying the Foundations with one of the House Masters.
Enjoy.
AUSTIN BASCOM
Austin Bascom was born and raised in the East End of London. In the early 1980s, fascinated specifically by Jazz, Funk and Soul he frequently attended LOCAL parties, incluDing the BRA disco, a community-based event where DJ Steve Howlett played. Austin also attended the clubs Scuds and Pynatic, which were both integral to the evolution of London’s nightlife at that time.
Holding a deep respect for London, all of the above played a significant part in shaping Austin’s development in music production.
In 1983, at the age of 15, he and his family moved to Toronto. His parents were instrumental in making this move, looking out for his best interests. He finished the last two years of high school (grades 12 and 13) and college there. By 1990, he was among those throwing warehouse parties in the fashion district, known as the garment district, in the downtown area of the city.
Austin has been fundamental in shaping Toronto’s dance music culture. Through running his own warehouse parties and working with David Nick Holder owner of DNH Records, and his collaboration and remix work with Canadian artists. He is also deeply connected to Chicago and renowned for his productions on labels Prescription, Guidance and Balance.
His contributions to electronic music are worldwide, with work on some of the most revered labels, writing across genres with flawless fluency, making him one of the most respected names in the underground music scene.
RELICS
Austin’s first release was in 1994, at the age of 26, under fascinating circumstances. In the late 1980s, he met Derrick May and briefly came to know the main Detroit guys; one of whom was a person known as Shay. Austin would regularly go down to watch Shay DJ in New York, and hang out with him, Kai Alce and others.
Austin had started making music at the time, but these were experiments and not proper productions. He recorded some of them onto cassette which he left with Shay. Two years later, Shay contacted Austin and said he had released something from the cassette.
This was Relics, and this is how Austin’s career took off.
As soon as this was released, Rob Kouchoukos from Guidance Recordings in Chicago contacted him, asking for similar material.
LESSER-KNOWN WORKS
To begin, I will delve into his lesser-known works under his real name and his other two aliases, A:xus and Blak Crowê, as well as his group work with Bang On, Charley’s Vault, Charly Brown, and Din-dunya: a production career spanning thirty-two years and still active today .
Collaborating with Thompson and V. Denardo, Bang On released a remix of Temperance – ‘Music Is My Life’ on Hi Bias Records in 1994.
In 1995, he produced one track with V. Denardo called ‘Body Salsa’ released on a various artists EP, with the who’s who of House (including Chez Damier and Ront Trent) titled ‘The Grand Lodge Of Luxor (Thebes) EP’. This was the opening statement and holy grail from Prescription Records. Incredible.
In 1996, he released one track, ‘Gabrielle’s Horns’, under the name Blak Crowê for the SSR label.
Working with Nigel Hayes under Charly Brown, two releases in 1997 were produced for the mighty Guidance label, ‘The Twilight Zone’ and ‘Freaked Out’.
From Freaked Out: My Planet Rocks
A lovely techno production.
Sounds like something that would not be out of place on 21/22 Corporation, exceptional track.
Noteworthy: this is a different version of his remix of Chaser’s ‘Blue Planet’.
As A:xus, he released 4 EPs and a critically acclaimed album in 1999, ‘Soundtrack For Life’. This incredible timeless classic boasts varied styles of electronic music, deep house, downtempo, broken beat, with flavours of Soul, Jazz, and Detroit. Including tracks featuring vocal work from Jean-Bea Englishman as Bratticus on ‘When I Fall’, Rosina Kazi on ‘Near Or Far’, and Naomi N’ Sembi on ‘Nice To See You Again’, and ‘Baghdad Café (Callin’ U)’.
My pick is Baghdad Café (Callin’ U); however, I want to draw your attention to the 1999 GDR054 release with the extended vocal version.
Callin’ U (Extended Vocal Mix)
Austin took the original Calling You from the Baghdad Cafe soundtrack. He created a phenomenal, soulful, deep house track, incorporating the powerful vocal of Naomi N’ Sembi, which propels this track as one of the most significant releases in house. Beautiful.
The Mood II Swing remixes are available here.
In 2000, with Nigel Hayes, as Charley’s Vault, they produced ‘My Answer’ for a joint EP on Hayes’ label Twilight. Think DJ Q.
And as Din-dunya with Haf S on his own label, Re:Think, he releases Analogue Stories Volume 4.
The whole EP is embedded in this video. Austin’s tracks run from 0.00 until 11.55.
ABACUS
It is under his Abacus alias between 1994 and 2025 that Austin cements his name alongside the other House Masters. It is astonishing the quality of this man’s output for thirty-two years, and continuing. Twenty-seven EP’s writing for: Prescription, Balance, Fragile, 83 West, DNH, Guidance, NDTAL, Innermoods, Phonogramme, D3 Elements, and his own label Re:Think. Not one bad release. It is timeless music of the highest standard.
I will lay out my picks, which are likely going to come from a significant number of releases, no apologies here. Please do check out all Abacus releases in full.
Following the Relics EP, mentioned four paragraphs from the top of this article, he started gaining prominence with a series of seminal releases: one is on the legendary Fragile label, ‘The Abacus E.P.’, a superfine EP to grace vinyl. I have embedded the whole EP. Essential.
The Abacus E.P.
From the Foot Therapy EP: Come On
Abacus – My Brazilian Love, three incredible productions, difficult to pick one over the other.
I choose Evolution
Collectors Edition: here we have a version of Come On, B side, the original version is found on the Foot Therapy EP. However, the original for this track came from ‘True Love (4 A.M. Deep Dub)’ from 111 East Records in 1993.
A side - Untitled
The Earthly Pleasures E.P. on 83 West Records is a trove of funky-jazzy deep house, with the lovely 88 BPM beauty of ‘Lazy Hazy Crazy Days’ as B2, also found on the Soundtrack For Life Album.
Sunrayz
Moonbeamz
Lazy Hazy Crazy Days
On Nick Holder’s Label DNH, two tracks of a blend of Deep House / Techno, Then and Now.
Analog Trks Volume One, Were Cookin’ Now
Not only is this a beautiful piece of music, but it is also exceptionally well thought out, crafting a strong social message: in this case, about food and the soul. There is this instant positive connectivity thing going on within this piece which would positively connect the listeners to other people in the right way, which is the whole point of music. However the real point here is that it is done with true dedication and craft for the art, understanding how to do that without manipulation and letting it be free flowing, done with careful thought, which is very different to what the music industry is currently doing.
For those who know me, you understand where I am coming from; to others, this message is within my older posts. To unite, coupled with the music, makes this an incredibly powerful track and one that puts this at the very top of house music.
Analog Trax Volume 2 featuring Mikael & Bratticus
When I Fall (Winter Reprise)
As promised, returning to this track. This track is soulful, deep, and raw. It is the haunting vocal of Michael J. Bensonn as Mikael that is so special here and so powerful; it brings a tear or two. Bratticus provides further depth. Austin’s precision music programming finds the perfect balance. Simply gorgeous.
In 1998, his first release on his Re:Think label was produced.
Sweet Embrace
Trouble (Deeply Rooted Beatdown) from African Hi:Fi Volume 1. 2006, his second release on his label.
It was not until 2024, an eighteen year hiatus, that he relaunched his label, focusing on delivering innovative and thought-provoking music, his more experimental and forward-thinking productions.
Two single-sided releases on the Innermoods label, ‘Lausanna’, and the one below.
Basic Amounts
In the following releases, I have embedded full EP recordings, except for the one from Lost Stories Volume 2. Just Enjoy.
The Lower End Theory EP
Analogue Stories Volume 2
Analogue Stories Volume 1
Music For Table Tennis from Lost Stories Volume 2
Analogue Stories Volume 5
Analogue Stories Volume 3
Austin is not prolific, more precisely, a very measured producer; his music is never about spectacle, it is about subtlety, the rhythm, texture, timbre, the soul and connecting to the heart. He makes music for people who listen with their whole body. Music that does not age because it is not chasing anything, it is waiting for the listener to connect to it. It is emotive, deep, soulful house, slightly abstract in nature. His unique production style and sound signature, coupled with incredible attention to detail, have not only kept his productions at the forefront of house music but have also brought together a significant and diverse group of artists for collaboration and remix work.
Quality music is a passion in creating, but to the listener, it is timeless. It is correct to say that Austin’s music is exactly this: a man completely locked in concentration, focusing only on producing timeless pieces. His current output shows greater maturity than his first productions, which is quite an incredible feat, since those early pieces are faultless.
I feel a lovely, underlying sense in Austin’s production strategy: that he is making music for people who feel things, and that this is what drives him. It is all about the heart and connecting. What is really impressive is that he disappears for years at a time, only to return with more passion for his art, enhancing the beauty within his productions and an even stronger connective message.
A man who has never lost sight of the art, through hard work, which is what our overriding message is all about.
The heart of it, his music, is not trying to be a glancing memory. Rather, it is to truly be felt by the heart of the listener and embed itself in you as ‘Music For Life’.
Until the next one, I will leave you with this lovely track from ‘iDRUM This Djembe’ in 2011 on NDATL Muzik:
Welcome To The Party
Be Safe.
Peace and Love.
Stef