From The Mind Of Richie Hawtin
Few DJs or dance music producers have shown as much interest in the historical narrative and contemporary narrative of techno music as Richie Hawtin. Of course, his legacy had something to do with this story. Hawtin's work creating and touring tracks, as well as hosting parties and performing live, has earned him a prominent place in broadcasting. For many, his most lasting legacy is the event staging from the gigs that attended Hawtin's infamous parties in Detroit in the mid-90s, where he would wrap entire rooms in black plastic (a fire hazard that could happened or not). today), about the young artists who joined his CNTRL tour ten years ago, with discussions on the history of techno.
His track record is impeccable: Hawtin's work as Plastikman, as well as appearances on the Plus 8 and M_nus labels, were at the forefront of tech throughout the 90s and 2000s. He's always been dynamic on Cymbals: Hawtin's SoundCloud page is packed featuring outstanding DJ sets from all eras, including official CD releases such as classic Decks, EFX & 909 (1999) and DE9: Close to the Edit (2001), as well as numerous live recordings from Power 96, Detroit since Nov 1989, at Flavor, Denver since Apr 1994, various live bands since 2021.
A father of two sons, one aged 15 and the other aged 18 months, Hawtin is also involved in a large and varied set of other business interests. He invested in the business, created music for Prada and was one of the developers of the Model 1, a professional DJ mixer that has recently been redesigned into a more compact and affordable model for the general market. Hawtin enjoys "long discussions about the creative process" with people from different fields: "I'm curious and I like to explore," he explains to our Metro Times correspondent by phone from his home in Madrid. "All these projects have come from a creative space, not a commercial or economic space."
METRO TIMES: Your last US tour was in 2019. Did the result of the quarantine play a role in your decision to start this tour?
RICHIE HAWTIN: Yes and no. I think the jam helped speed up the discovery of a lot of new techno artists, or maybe just artists in general, because there was so much flow. And indeed, with some of the younger artists, broadcasting has allowed them to make new connections as well as time to work in the studio and hone their craft. They've come out of COVID with a new level of momentum, so that's part of it.
But honestly, this tour was almost 10 years ago, before the explosion of EDM in America and 2010, 11, 12, 13. I played places like [Electric Daisy Carnival] and some of the biggest festivals in commercial electronic music. I did this in hopes of attracting new kids - maybe an EDM fan will stumble upon techno and hear something different.
We also did the CNTRL tours during that time, trying to reach America's next generation a little bit more. There was a 10 year hiatus and then COVID. Something really seems to be changing now. Over the past decade, a new generation has emerged ready to step up and take the music in a new direction, or simply evolve or showcase their talent. That was really the beginning of the idea of doing this kind of tour.
I remember when we saw you in 2015: a day class with panels, an introduction for children. It's not the same tour, but I'm curious what you see in common between this tour and this tour.
We had events on that tour. But you are right: there were many panels and discussions. I tried to reach out to kids who might have heard of techno and were curious. The panels allowed kids who might be in school and didn't want to party [until] the evening to come in and take it to a bigger market. One of the women on this tour, Lindsey Herbert, was at one of those talks at the time, and she's on this tour now. So I definitely see the connection and the connection with what we were trying to do then and some of the things that have happened now.
Simply put, one of the most exciting things for me in my 30-year career has always been finding good, strong connections with new DJs and producers who can learn from me and be inspired by me, but also vice versa . on the contrary: to inspire and enliven me. It was in the early days of Plus 8 when we had a whole collection of new young producers, we were all young producers. Then it happened again during the M_nus era in the 2000s with Magda and Troy Pearce. And then we did it on the CNTRL tour to mix. And it's another time when you hear, or at least feel like every week there are new people coming into the picture, but now there seems to be a huge generational shift.
I feel like I'm entering a new phase in my career because I've been there for over 30 years. It's important for me to help educate constantly, just to share this energy among kids who learn, understand and listen to techno in a very pure form and for the first time, and share this similarity, this love for electronic music.
Now I hear a lot about techno, which is becoming more and more commercial. Maybe it's because I live in St. Paul and not a bigger city: I go to a lot of parties here, but I can't see techno outside of the time I go there. Where do you see this happening the most?
When you use the word techno, it brings to mind a wide variety of music; so we use the word techno loosely. It is very superficial or at least known by people around the world. In Europe, apart from the Instagram generation, one can feel a lot of interest in techno, which has catchy hooks, old record samples, 90s trance, hooks and melodic phrases.
I think as a collective we've made music over the last 30 years that has gradually seeped into mainstream culture. Nowadays, everyone uses technology in the studio, so techno sounds are much more common on records than you hear on the radio. So it might not necessarily be that techno is generally more commercial - it's the sound and the path behind it that's more accessible, more frequent. These futuristic electronic sounds are closer to what ordinary people can hear.
Aside from your work, how do you currently see techno as a genre?
Techno, Genre: This is an interesting topic because this is really the first time I can remember that there was so much hype in the early days of techno. There's a whole genre of techno that's basically repeating what happened in the '90s, just rehashing some of those great records and finding new audiences because of it. Sometimes it's scary, because techno with its futuristic spirit starts to break down when you start making records that sound like the past.
But I think that is also part of it. Techno was so new and interesting at the time. I don't know if it can always be so new and fresh because it's an art form now. Now there are articles, stories and even academic courses to learn how to make techno beats. But we are in a different place. Sometimes I stand up and scratch my head and say, "Hey, they made that record 40 years ago." And then, on the other hand, I think, “Wow, that's interesting. This is a new record." Here we are. Some people are happy to look back and reapply, while there are other people who look forward and try to find a way to make the technique fresh and exciting. The people who know [know] this I've always liked very minimal, rhythmic, drums, bassline, very descending, very, very little vocals, really hypnotic, that's probably the word I'm looking for.
This tour takes place at a time when business is happening. Although there is a 90s revival going on, this tour takes inspiration from that period as we go back to the warehouse, very raw, very dark. But look and combine the artists that I think are moving forward with that kind of hypnotic minimalist style that I was a part of, or Jeff Mills, which Robert Hood is a part of, and bring that into your home. . And more important to me, because I'm from the North American region and they're connected to Detroit, which brings together artists from North America to see what they think.
Well, he's always been historically knowledgeable, and he's always made an effort to at least try to make his audience historically informed. However, what you describe sounds like a double-edged sword. Ever?
That's because no one wants to be lectured about "the past" and all. When I say the word "in the past" I start rolling my eyes. But it's important for people to know that the story of this music is bigger now than it was two, five, even 10 years ago. It's 30 years of modern techno, and then if you go back to the earlier records, the major Juan [Atkins] records, it's another 10 years. And if you go back to Kraftwerk and people like that, it's been 40 or 50 years.
So how do you put it all together when you're always trying to move forward and make new music? One of the ways to do that is to tour like this to talk to the younger generation and hear them play, hear them talk, talk, share ideas, stories, aspirations and hopefully that this common energy between us goes beyond itself. , and spread to the dance floor and spread as these young artists progressed in their careers.
Are these discussions that you speak of happening behind the scenes of this tour? Will we experience all of this as an audience?
There are no public performances on this tour. We hang out, talk and spend time together, whether it's at airports, restaurants, hotels or sound checks. But I think those discussions and that kind of waiting time will be heard and felt in the sets that we all play together on the tour and, I think, after the tour.
You are talking about warehouses. Of course, you can't get away with covering everything in black plastic like you used to.
[ Laughs ] Yeah.
I don't know if you want to give something back, but what can you do for the equivalent?
I think most people are used to going to clubs or festivals or watching live festivals like Tomorrowland or something on YouTube. Everything is so overproduced. It is very eye catching. In fact, festivals sometimes get more attention than ears. To counter this and go back to the warehouse, all we have to do is go back to the basics: a dark shop, simple and cool lighting, a great sound system and good performers. I think this is the best recipe for a great night of pure techno music.
I have always been full of contrasts. I definitely love high production events. I am one of those who performed live with Plastikman in the 2010s, with images and a whole stage presence in underground techno. I think there is a need and a place for it. But since we've become so much more visually enticing over the last 10-15 years, I think it's very important now to remind people that we need to be enticing with the sound first.
I still remember the good times at the Detroit Institute of Music or the Packard factory. Eventually you forgot whether your eyes were open or closed because it was so dark. And you were impressed by the good music. This is probably the essence of what we are trying to achieve in this tournament.
"All we have to do is go back to the basics: a big dark set, big simple lighting, a great sound system and great performers."
My next question was literally about the Music Institute. It seems to me that this may not be the only model with a black box, minimal lighting, loud music, maybe not the only one. But I know it has been a very important club for you in that sense.
You might as well start a conversation about the Chicago Power House and other places I've never been. But I was in institute. I loved going to heaven with Ken Collier. They were just black boxes that glorified the music.
I think we're in a very scary place where the eye can tell what's good by the sound. This is what happens in many industries, especially in the music industry, where our main means of communication are places like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. It's really important to try and use those channels and how we communicate to reach people, but then bring them back to where they're really forced to just focus on the music.
Based on your experience, do you think this will be a big step for many young people? Does this completely contradict your experience?
The tour is small and the capacity is small, so we will not cover a large number of people. But I think we have a great opportunity to give our viewers a really new and unique experience.
You said these are low capacity countries. What size are we talking about in Detroit?
I think Detroit... let's say on tour... you know, it's nice to have a little mystery. The capacity for the whole tour is 400 people and the maximum is about 1000 people, so the capacity is usually 600-800 people. And so it is.
We've been talking about setting up shop since we did CNTRL. In fact, we wanted to tour the CNTRL warehouse afterwards. We could never be together. We did not find any stores. We did not find the promoters. The scene in North America didn't seem ready. And let me tell you, things like that have happened, but [they] may not have been organized enough for us to tour. They were too short.
Last year I was able to do a show in Houston with about 300 people with the band I'm currently touring with. It really took me back to those days and that contrast between looking back at the '90s and [also] looking forward. It was like the 90s at a warehouse party, but all the kids were our age in the 90s. And they weren't all there for techno. They were there because they were outcasts. They did not enter the usual concert that evening. They didn't want to go to the local pub to get some to take home. They were in this dark zone listening to loud music. And I was like, "Wow, it's happening again."
That's what's interesting about this 30-year cycle. These guys were excited to do something different. It was kind of an agreement: OK, I think it's time to do this . Then we started talking to the group that helps us organize the tours. They have a network of like-minded young promoters and other DJs in North America; together they brought it all together to bring the next generation into old and mainstream techno music.
The Paxahau Presents: From Our Minds — To Be Announced 2023 tour will take place at an unnamed venue starting Friday, March 10 at 9pm with Barbosa b2b Jay Yorke, Decoder, Huey Mnemonic, Lindsey Herbert and Richie Hawtin .
Coming soon: the Metro Times daily newsletter. We'll be sending you some interesting stories from Detroit every morning. Register now so you don't miss anything.
Follow us: Google News | Latest news | reddit | Instagram | Facebook | tweets
