Biography
Steven Wilson, much like his No-Man collaborator Tim Bowness, refuses to confine his output to any single band or venture. Beginning in 1994, he launched independent recordings framed as “experiments in texture,” released under the Bass Communion name. Working without synthesizers or keyboards, Wilson instead assembles pieces from sampled live instrument performances, at times enlisting outside players such as Robert Fripp, thereby generating a body of distinguished ambient and electronic work. Two self-titled albums appeared before the decade’s end, the second accompanied by a bonus EP of additional experiments, while a third album, drawn from assorted earlier recordings, surfaced in 2001.
Two further Bass Communion releases stand out for their particular significance, together documenting Wilson’s entire partnership with the British underground electronic artist Bryn Jones, known as Muslimgauze, whom Wilson first encountered through the Blue Mosque collection. After an initial meeting and exchange of material, Wilson soon received a set of remixes from Jones, later learning that Jones felt compelled to “improve” any music passed to him. The results proved compelling—one No-Man remix later appeared on an official single—leading Wilson to propose a collaborative album built on reciprocal track exchanges, an idea Jones accepted. Their completed long-form project, Bass Communion vs. Muslimgauze, remained unreleased at the time of Jones’ death in 1998 and reached the public the following year; Wilson then supplied two final tracks for a similarly titled EP issued in 2000.
Two further Bass Communion releases stand out for their particular significance, together documenting Wilson’s entire partnership with the British underground electronic artist Bryn Jones, known as Muslimgauze, whom Wilson first encountered through the Blue Mosque collection. After an initial meeting and exchange of material, Wilson soon received a set of remixes from Jones, later learning that Jones felt compelled to “improve” any music passed to him. The results proved compelling—one No-Man remix later appeared on an official single—leading Wilson to propose a collaborative album built on reciprocal track exchanges, an idea Jones accepted. Their completed long-form project, Bass Communion vs. Muslimgauze, remained unreleased at the time of Jones’ death in 1998 and reached the public the following year; Wilson then supplied two final tracks for a similarly titled EP issued in 2000.
Albums
