Episode 11 - 80's Countercultural Explorations in Basel and London - special guest - Christoph Fringeli - Praxis - Datacide

80's Countercultural Explorations in Basel and London

For the eleventh episode of "Tales From A Disappearing City," I am joined by my long-time friend, Christoph Fringeli, who runs Praxis Records and produces Datacide magazine. Christoph started Praxis in 1992, and since then, he has released a constant stream of cutting-edge experimental music that spans across all genres of electronica. The tunes he creates and releases can be described as harsh and abrasive but are designed to be played loudly on sound systems and in various reclaimed spaces. He describes Datacide as "a magazine that covers experimental electronic music, from the avant-garde to hard dance music, radical politics and counterculture, in-depth political and historical analysis and critique, as well as experimental fiction, poetry, and visual work."
In part one of our conversation, we discuss Christoph's upbringing in Basel, Switzerland, and how he became involved in post-punk as well as the emerging experimental tape swapping scene that was developing in the 1980s. We also delve into topics such as how he got into radical politics and the wide range of subcultural influences that began to shape his work. These discoveries were made in Basel and during his regular trips to London. We touch upon his Vision label, which preceded Praxis and released a series of fanzines, tapes, and vinyl records. Additionally, we explore his work at a distributor in Switzerland, which provided him with unparalleled access to the latest underground tunes. Episode 12 will feature Part 2 of this interview where we will chat about his move to London, starting Praxis records as well as a subject we have covered in previous podcasts, the influence of the monthly Dead by Dawn parties that he was involved in and were held in the 121 squatted arts centre in Brixton, South London in the mid 1990's.