Continuous Mode

Berlin producer Andy Mellwig is probably best known as the non-Thomas Koner half of dub experimentalists Porter Ricks, a flagship act of the Chain Reaction camp during the mid- to late '90s. While aligned with Koner, Mellwig began releasing experimental techno 12" singles as Continuous Mode. As a child in the early '80s, Mellwig's fascination with music and gadgetry lead to the building of a synthesizer. Within a short time, the teenager had his own small studio and he also began performing a mixture of EBM (electronic body music), industrial, punk, and experimental at gigs and art exhibitions. While working at Berlin's Dubplates & Mastering in the early '90s, Mellwig became an expert of vinyl cutting and mastering, setting new standards and playing a crucial role in the development of the Berlin-based Basic Channel/Chain Reaction axis. In 1995, he released a self-titled disc by his Async Sense project on Moritz "Maurizio" Von Oswald's Imbalance label. Mellwig also formed a partnership with Thomas Koner in the '90s as Porter Ricks; the duo released a number of crucial singles on Chain Reaction (eventually compiled as Biokinetics) and revamped their sound for a number of post-Chain Reaction singles on Force Inc. that were eventually compiled as a self-titled disc. (Mellwig and Koner also hooked up with Techno Animal for 1999's Symbiotics.) A single by Mellwig as Continuous Mode was issued in 1997 by Chain Reaction; the alias popped up again during 1999 as he began issuing his material through Klang. Using the sound of latter day Porter Ricks as a foundation (which was significantly removed from the dub leanings of their earlier releases), Mellwig's layered, up-tempo material showed inspiration from the likes of Suicide and Krautrock without really directly referencing either. 2001 saw the issue of Disinformation Design on Klang, which compiled his first singles for the label.
— Andy Kellman , All Music Guide