| RICHIE
HAWTIN (DJ & Producer)
|
Co-Founder of Plus 8 Records, the mind behind FUSE, a consumate remixer,
and a dj in his own right, no-one could accuse Richie Hawtin "Plastikman"
of fucking around. from his early DJing days when he'd skip over the border
from his native Windsow, Ontario to DJ at places like The Shelter and then
hang out 'til dawn at the Muisc Institute. Getting hit where it hurts by
the Detroit techno scene in full tilt urged the young Richie Hawtin down
to his basement studio from where he spawned the first Plus 8 releases -
bleep techno (Elements of Tone - "States of Mind"), classic Detroit hardcore
(Cybersonik's "Technarchy") through blissed out house (as in home) music
(FUSE "Into the Space" and the accompanying LP "Dimension Intrusion").
Hawtin is now regarded as one of the pioneers of the acid house sound and
is at the core of a burgeoning underground scene in Detroit. "Spastik",
the latest party saw Plastikmans first ever live appearance, followed by
five hours of Richie DJing which lasted well into the early hours of the
afternoon and brought people from all over the US and Canada - you just
had to be there......called "Spastik" after the first Plastikman single
on Novamute the night featured the first ever live plays of new tracks "Marbles"
and "Fuk" - the 1200 crwod went mad and the whole thing showed why Richie
hawtin is at the forefront of something that has brought the whole Detroit
thing full circle.
"I wrote the whole of the first Plastikman LP around the time I was putting
on the Hard series of parties and finished half the album after a party
we had for my birthday at the beginning of June. I can honestly say if it
wasn't for the Detroit scene I wouldn't be where I am today."
Last years Novamute release' the debut Plastikman LP "Sheet One" saw Plastikmans'
acidic brain batterings getting the attention they deserved (and unwanted
attention from the police when an American fan was arrested for possession
of the acid tab sleeve). The follow up "Recycled Plastik", the ultimate
in percussive brutality, with the previously released singles "Krakpot"
and "Spastik" complemented by the previously unavailable tracks "Spaz" and
"Naturalistik" - tracks whose sparse rhythms are urged on by the unmistakable
heavy duty assault of the 303.
Richie "Everybody knows me cause I like the 303, that's become my trademark,
but over the last year or so, a lot of the 303 tracks got very noisy and
un-funky and against what I believed it was all about so that's why I came
back with Plastikman. To me it reflects what the 303 was designed to do.
It's a beautiful machine. I call it sexy but I can'y explain why."
Richies' forays into the Uk techno scene have led to some of the most checked-and-decked
remixes around - Xpress2 / La funk Mob and of course Robotmans "Do Da Doo".
Pushing down the barriers with even more mind melt excursions in the form
of his new single "Plastique" (October 17th). Plastikman will be performing
live in the UK and Europe towards the end of '94. Richie Hawtin will be
DJing at various checked clubs across the country. "Plastique" is taken
from the new PLASTIKMAN album due for release on November 7th 1995.
Reprinted from a 1993 press release...for more current ino then please read
on....
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PLASTIKMAN
BIOG 1998
With sculptured glasses and a close crop that make him look more like an
architect than a global DJ/producer, Richie Hawtin appears as the most understated
ambassador of the dance beat. Superficially nothing seems to have changed
since he went away almost 3 years ago. Looking like a little boy lost with
his slight frame, Hawtin parades around like nothing's changed, but appearances
can be deceptive. Forever known for his unrestrained assaults and mind altering
manifestos, Hawtin has rapidly become part of the electronic mafia. A salvo
of albums and blistering DJ/live sets have seen his name become synonymous
with his own peculiar brand of sparse dance sounds, but times have changed.
With time as an ally, Hawtin and his Plastikman alter ego, have had space
to think and develop their vision. Things are clearer now and with a musical
manifesto of revolutionary change as a guide, Hawtin has grown up and carved
out a new album that is as different as it is astounding. Prepare to be
'Consumed'.
The story starts way back in the late 70's, when the family Hawtin uprooted
leaving the rural idyll of deepest Oxfordshire trading it for a life in
Windsor, Canada, a quaintly different proposition altogether in comparison
to it's metropolitan neighbour across the water, Detroit. Richie's father
took a job at car giant GM and the lure of the sprawling motor city proved
an early attraction for Richie, who made regular trips under the tunnel
to satisfy all those pre- pubescent needs, cinema, shopping, etc. Detroit
stayed with him throughout his early teens and a baptism into the heady
world of music at the hands of Prince in Detroit was Hawtin's first official
live experience.
With music gradually strengthening it's grip on young Richie, he soon began
to supplement his record collection by regular trips to local record stores
picking up the latest German and English electronic masterpieces by the
likes of Nitzer Ebb et al. By the summer of 1984, the future sparse agenda
of Hawtin wasbeginning to take shape through his developing love affair
with the minimal grandeur of the European electronic pioneers. Yet the mind
of Hawtin had already been turned on to the possibilities of the electronic
medium by his father's collection of Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk records.
Concurrent with his growing love of the electronic pulse the teenage Hawtin,
like many others nationwide, was gripped by the fashion for breakdancing
and it's musical accompaniment, electro. Without his knowledge Richie became
familiar with the early works of the Detroit pioneers such as Juan Atkins
and Derrick May, yet it would be some time before the penny would drop and
Hawtin would realise that the amazing music he was hearing was actually
being produced on his very doorstop over in Detroit. The proud motor city
was soon to play a major role in the life of Hawtin.
"I remember listening to Jeff Mills on the radio playing all this crazy
shit when he was called the Wizard" Hawtin reminisces fondly. "I looked
out for the records he was playing and found a few stores in Detroit selling
the tracks. 1 looked on the labels and found a lot were from Detroit and
1 was like Holy Shit!, this stuff s from right here." By mid 1987 Hawtin's
mind had become opened up by the proximity of a city whose rapidly increasing
musical output was reinstating the city to it's once dominant Motown driven
position as number one dance city. Intrigued, astonished and driven by the
alien sounds of Kevin Saunderson and his Detroit contemporaries, Hawtin
tamed his passion and channelled his love affair with the electronic beat
via his latest hobby, DJ'ing. Starting DJ'ing at a club in his home town
of Windsor, Hawtin was soon invited over the river to DJ at The Shelter
underneath St Andrews Hall in Detroit. It was here he became fully exposed
to the rapidly developing scene in Detroit and equally showcased his talents
to a captive audience. Soon realising that the DJ's that he admired were
actually composing their own music, Hawtin's insatiable appetite to consume
and participate soon led him towards the studio in order to satisfy his
passion. The world was soon to be exposed to a crazed and psychotic musical
vision .
Always comfortable with computers and technology, Hawtin soon became involved
with Kenny Larkin putting together a number of prototype tracks, although
the pair were hindered by the lack of equipment, sculpting their sounds
on a lone keyboard. Yet Hawtin was yet to meet his future collaborator,
the hyperactive John Aquaviva who was introduced via a mutual friend. Aquaviva,
who was already studio literate and additionally owned a bank of equipment,
hit it off with Hawtin and both headed to the studio armed with Hawtin's
love of the sparse electronic rhythms coming out of Detroit and Europe and
John's studio knowledge and love of the disco beat.
Finding that Detroit had an already saturated musical infrastructure, the
pair were forced into the position of starting their own label. Plus 8 Records
started in 1990 in order to expose their warped sounds to a wider audience.
The label's success rapidly snowballed with others attracted to the sparse
minimalism of Hawtin's youthful output. The label soon picked up tracks
by the likes of Kenny Larkin and a developing Speedy J and soon became forced
to initiate the subsidiary labels Probe and Definitive to channel the varying
strands of dance music that the label soon began to attract. With Hawtin
learning his craft and the label's success constantly showeasing the sounds
of Plus 8 to a receptive audience, Hawtin was poised to become a global
phenomena with his own peculiar brand of electronic alchemy. Yet the grandeur
of his Plastikman alter ego was yet to woo a whole generation of kids reared
on a diet of electronic beats and wild acid lines.
By late 1992, Plus 8 and the early sounds and vision of Hawtin were beginning
to reach fruition. The label had released it's 'From Our Minds To Yours'
compilations to widespread praise and Hawtin's musical agenda of sparse
minimalism was falling into place. By 1993 London based NovaMute was sufficiently
impressed by Hawtin's output to offer a deal and establish a relationship
that continues to this day. With Richie now fluent and capable in the studio
and able to transfer his vision to musical sounds, his debut album under
the name of Plastikman for the label in 1993, 'Sheet One' was something
of a revelation. With rampant drum assaults violently fed through and looped
back via filter after filter, the sounds of Hawtin were completely alien
and revolutionary. Not infused with the lush orchestration of fellow Detroit
contemporaries, Hawtin stood alone battering listeners with incessant polyrhythmic
drum patterns and a rigid agenda of minimalism. Original as much as revolutionary,
Hawtin had arrived. Rapidly following up the success of 'Sheet One' with
his second album 'Muzik' in 1994 and a momentous Glastonbury appearance
in 1995, Hawtin soon gathered a rapid following among the public and critics
alike. It had been 10 years since Hawtin had fallen for the lure of the
synth, but in that time, Hawtin himself had added an extra chapter in the
ever developing history of electronic music. And then silence.
"I began to feel hemmed in when 1 started putting the new album together"
Hawtin remembers. "That's why it took so long, 1 needed some time, some
silence to gather my thoughts". Having established a stern template based
his dance floor friendly minimalism born out of his growing status as globally
applauded DJ, Hawtin was beginning to force himself into a corner. Predominantly
known for functional tracks that were lapped up by dance floors across the
globe, Hawtin soon found himself in a position where he was in danger of
taking the easy option trading on his glories, knocking out digestible tracks
and sounds that had made his name. Yet idly utilising old ideas is something
alien to the Hawtin psyche, a need to develop and evolve has permeated his
output and Hawtin was not about to fall prey to lazy repetition when it
came to putting together his latest album. "I'm my own worst critic" he
states emphatically. "I did a lot a tracks but 1 felt they didn't take a
step forward, they were covering the same ground so 1 gave myself a gap,
took myself out of the public eye and 1 think that was really helpful".
With time to breathe, gather thoughts and digest new musical forms that
were beginning to interest Hawtin, he was able to focus new ideas, take
a step back and re-emerge with an album that absorbs previous ideas using
them as pointers to further visions and thoughts. Off the dance conveyor
belt and without the need to spit out 12" after 12" for the sake of it,
Hawtin was free to explore and develop his visions. The album 'Consumed'
was about to be conceived.
"Consumed is more to do with first LP, Sheet One" Hawtin explains. "This
album is based on small ideas expanded. It's much darker and has a lot more
space and depth than previous tracks, it's almost 3-dimensional. 'Consumed'
is without doubt a major leap foward for Hawtin. Freed from the shackles
of expectation and with time as a buffer, Richie has carved out a lush work
that satisfies his new found vision. The album is a testament to Hawtin's
growing confidence and status as full fledged musical artist as opposed
to functional dance producer. The album carves it's own environment, dangerously
deep and lush, the warm sub- aquatic sounds on the album envelope the listener
like a giant blanket. With minimalism still on the agenda, Hawtin has in
fact taken this maxim further utilising the most sparse of instrumentation
while at the same time coming out with a larger sounding album. Production
values are to the fore with each sound worked on with minute precision so
every possibility of that sound is explored to it's maximum potential. The
album is musically complex while at the same time understated and with a
seemingly effortless skill something great has been created. To enhance
the effect, the artwork and sleeve design is meant to act as an outward
representation of the music within. A dark horizontal window takes the viewer/listener
into a void, an apparently small space that somehow seems much larger when
'inside'. The fruition of all Hawtin's visions, 'Consumed' is music from
within that void.
Precisely thought out and developed to it's furthest corners 'Consumed'
is a masterpiece.
March 1998
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