Heinrich Zwahlen

Heinrich Zwahlen is a veteran producer, composer and performer whose career spans the full evolution of modern electronic music. Born into a long tradition of music making, he began on classical violin before moving into drums, guitar and eventually synthesizers while studying at the Swiss Jazz School in Bern. Before relocating to New York, he played guitar in a major label new wave band and became an early pioneer of electronic live sets, performing with some of the first drum machines, digital sequencers and modular rigs. His work led to collaborations with influential figures including Gabi Delgado of DAF, the techno innovators Yello and Hip-Hop legend Rammellzee. In New York his studio, housed inside a graffiti art gallery, became a hub for downtown artists, producing everything from No Wave to early electronic club tracks. He later assisted Sam Sever on Def Jam projects, signed to Ten/Virgin as Basscut and continued producing for artists and labels throughout the 90s, with credits connected to Kurtis Mantronik, Mowax and Jay Z.

As one of the first four Ableton Certified Trainers in the world, he helped introduce Ableton Live, NI Komplete and Maschine to a broad US audience by designing the original Dubspot curricula in 2008. His teaching centers on hands-on controllerism, integrated workflow and deep synthesis, with specialized expertise in sound design using Ableton Live and Native Instruments tools. Now based in Brooklyn, he continues writing and releasing music as Basscut while teaching Ableton Live, synthesis and sound design to students seeking practical skills rooted in decades of real-world experience across genres including synthwave, indie pop, hip-hop, house, trance, techno, drum and bass and electro funk.