Techno Titan Richie Hawtin On Bringing The Noise For Prada

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Amazing beats, amazing visuals, George Lucas level lasers and an open bar. Prada's recipe for rage was revealed last night at the Faena Forum (PM) in Miami Beach. After nights in London and Tokyo, the Art Basel co-event is the third edition of Prada Extends, a global prog-techno party tour program organized by British-Canadian electronica pioneer Richie Hawtin, aka Plastikman. The four-hour session featured Colombia's Ella Minus and Buenos Aires-born hip-hop artist Sofia Gabana (with DJ Slim Soledad) in Hawtin's usual uncompromising set. These images are courtesy of augmented reality researcher Paola Olea, Colombian artist Juan David Figueroa, Argentinian QUALIA.AV (real name Adrian Lex), and Orlando designer and design expert Ginger Lee, aka SYNTHESTRUCT.

For this veteran observer and, more importantly, listener, Richie Hawtin's Live proved to be a loud Proustian transport dating almost three decades since Trainspotting , Pure's debauchery, One Night Edinburgh, where many golden generation DJs of Detroit, including Hawt. , Playing; pass Ahead of the party, I caught up with Hawt to hear his take on the underground techno renaissance and how he's teamed up with Prada, the smartest of all Milanese houses, for this delightfully hedonistic adventure. Here is the edited remix.

Sorry fans, but tonight will be the first time I've heard you live since a night at Pure , probably around 1994.

He was clean. And the name says it all. The 90s were just pure. no fuss, no money, just if you want to have a good night and love techno music, you've been here. And that's the beauty of the dance floor, the perfect sense of what it should be. Like-minded weirdos meet and connect here. It can be a powerful experience.

How did you first end up on earth?

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It was the late 80s and I was in Canada, across from Detroit. So when I was 14, 15, I was going to the city to perform and then I found great techno and dance tracks. I found music through Detroit radio and started looking in stores and clubs. I was a nervous, introverted kid who loved music and computers, then I found my freedom on the dance floor and with many other nerds like me.

The scene was so attractive that, of course, it was soon hidden and commercialized. How do you perceive culture today?

I think it's really cool how comfortable and safe the dance floor was in the 90s and that was one of the things we lost as it got bigger and bigger. But now there is such a renaissance and a new generation is coming to make the dance floor a place of union and a safe space for all again... Music should be a force that brings happiness and salvation.

So, in addition to being the headliner for the night, you're also organizing the line-up. What program?

Well, this is the third Prada Extends and the idea is to make each night reflect your local culture and scene. So here in Miami we want to explore and celebrate some of the Latin American roots here and consider the melting pot that is Miami. It will be a night of techno, house, vocals and minimalist beats... and coming back to the power of the dance floor, I think that here music and fashion have a common mission, albeit in different languages, to give All of you. a way to express who we are and who we would like to be.

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So Raf Simmons drew you into the world of Prada?

We met years ago. At one point Raph sat behind me and watched me play for hours. I always respected everyone who was around, especially when I was playing for 5, 6, 7 hours. I was there quietly, enjoying the music and the ride, and other people connected us. But I could feel how passionate he was about music and that impressed me. And we kept bumping into each other and it gradually turned into a conversation, then a friendship, then a partnership.

And this cooperation started in 2020.

Absolutely correct. I did the soundtrack for four digital shows for the pandemic show. And I think it was a perfect format for collaboration. we have created a wonderful symbiotic relationship between images, sounds and collections. This is where the idea of Prada Extends was born.

It is interesting that a form of music born 30 years ago remains modern and sounds subversive today. Do you think the 20s will see new forms of music as modern and revolutionary as techno in the 90s? Is sabotage always destined to fail?

Hundred percent! And let's hope it turns out that way. But will we be part of it or do we need a new ear to listen? I don't know... But either way, I'm sure it's going to come out of left field and hit us in the face. I hope!