From The Mind Of Richie Hawtin
Few dance music DJs or producers have delved into the historical narratives and narratives of techno music like Richie Hawtin. Obviously his legacy is linked to this story. Hawtin's work composing and conducting songs, as well as hosting parties and live shows, has earned him a prominent place in the sky. For many, his most enduring legacy is his host: the ravers who flock to Detroit's famed Hawtin parties, where he wraps entire rooms in black plastic (a fire risk that can and shouldn't happen these days) midyear. artists, who attended the CNTRL History of Technology Roundtable Tour ten years ago.
His track record is impeccable: Hawtin's work as a Plastikman, as well as head of the Plus 8 and M_nus labels, was at the forefront of techno throughout the '90s and 2000s. He's always dynamic on deck: Hawtin's SoundCloud page is filled with fantastic DJ sets of all years, including official CD releases such as classic decks, EFX & 909 (1999) and DE9: Close to the Edit (2001), as well as many live cassettes, from Power 96, Detroit, from November 1989 to Flavor, Denver, from April 1994 to two live sets from 2021.
As a father of two sons, one 15 years old and the other 18 months old, Hawtin has also turned his very different interests into side jobs. He has invested in sake, creates music for Prada and was a co-developer of the Model 1, a professional DJ mixer that has recently been updated to a more compact and affordable model for the general market. Hawtin relishes "long discussions about the creative process" with people from all walks of life: "I'm curious and I love to explore," he told our Metro Times correspondent by phone from his home in Madrid. "All of these projects are more creative than commercial or economic."
METRO TIMES: Your last US tour was in 2019. Has being out of quarantine influenced your decision to participate in this tour?
RICHIE HAWTIN: Yes and no. I think the lockdown has helped accelerate the discovery of a lot of young techno artists, or maybe just artists of all skill levels, because there's a lot of streaming. Indeed, for some young artists, streaming has allowed them new relationships and time to work in the studio and hone their craft. They've come out of COVID with renewed vigor, so that's part of it.
But to be honest, this tour was almost 10 years ago, before the EDM boom in America and 2010, 11, 12, 13. I've played places like [Electric Daisy Carnival] and some big commercial electronic music festivals . I did it in hopes of attracting new kids: maybe EDM fans will discover techno and listen to something different.
We were also touring with CNTRL at the time and trying to reach out to the next generation of America a little bit more. There was a 10 year gap, then COVID. It seems that now something has really changed. There's a new generation that's filtered in over the last decade and they're ready to go out and push this music in new directions, or just expand it or showcase their talents. That was really the beginning of the idea of doing this kind of tour.
I remember when we saw you in 2015: a day of panel talks, presentations to children. This is not the tour I'm talking about, but I'm curious what similarities you see between this tour and this one.
We have events on this tour. But you're right: there are a lot of panels and discussions. Try to reach young people who may have heard of techno and are interested. The signals likely attract school-age kids who don't want to party late into the night and lead them into the wider market. One of the women on this tour, Lindsey Herbert, had attended one of these talks and is now on this tour. So I really see a correlation and a connection between what we were trying to do then and some of what's happening now.
Simply put, one of the most exciting things for me in my 30-year career has always been finding good and strong relationships with young DJs and producers who learn from me and inspire me, but also vice versa - they inspire me and energize me. It was at the beginning of Plus 8 when we had a lot 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 reach. And again that moment where you feel, or at least I feel, that new people are coming in every week, but now there seems to be a big generational shift.
I feel like I'm entering a new phase in my career, I've been there for over 30 years. It's important to me to help cultivate that energy among kids who are learning, understanding and hearing techno in its purest form and for the first time, and to share that common love for electronic music.
Nowadays I hear a lot about techno which is becoming more and more commercialized. Or maybe it's just because I live in Saint-Paul and not in a big city: I go to many parties here, but outside of those periods I don't find much techno. Where do you see it most clearly?
When you use the word techno, it conjures up a wide variety of music; so we use the word techno loosely. It is high above the earth or at least recognized by people all over the world. In Europe, and also in the Instagram generation, you can feel a real interest in techno that has catchy hooks, samples of old records, trance hooks - like 90s trance - and melodic phrases.
I think we've spent the last 30 years - us and the whole band - making music that is slowly seeping into mainstream culture. Everyone uses technology in the studio these days, so the techno sound is much more common on recordings than you hear on the radio. So, not necessarily techno is more commercial in general: the sounds and the tracks behind them are lighter and more accessible. This futuristic electronic sound is closer to ordinary people's hearing.
How do you see the techno genre today, other than your work?
The techno genre is an interesting topic because it's literally the first time I remember there was such a hype in the early days of techno. There are a lot of techno brands that are almost recreating what happened in the 90s, sometimes just rehashing some of those great records and reaching new audiences as a result. It's scary sometimes, because once you start making records that sound like the old days, techno starts to crumble with its futuristic vibrancy.
But I think that's part of it too. Techno was so new and fresh back then. I don't know if it can stay new and fresh forever because it's an art form now. There are now articles, stories, and even an academic course for learning how to make techno beats. But we are in a different place. Sometimes I'm at the same level and I scratch my head and say, "Hey, they set that record 40 years ago." And then on the other hand, I'm like, "Wow, that's exciting." This is a new entry. This is pretty much where we are. Some people like to look back and reclaim what's theirs, while there are other people who look forward and try to figure out how to make techno fresh and exciting. Like anyone who knows me, I've always been a fan of very minimal rhythmic drums, very subtractive basslines, very few vocals, very mesmerizing - maybe that's the word I've been looking for.
This tour runs as the business portion takes place. Because there was a '90s revival, this tour was inspired by that because we're going back to the warehouse, really raw, really dark. But it really showcases and brings together artists who I think are making headway in hypnotic, minimal styles that I've been involved with, or Jeff Mills, Robert Hood and so on. And that's important to me because I'm from the North American space and they connect in Detroit and bring together North American artists to see what's going on in their interpretation.
Well, you've always been aware of that story, and you've always made it your mission to at least try to educate your audience about that story. However, what you describe sounds like a double-edged sword. Sometimes
This is because nobody wants to be preached about "was" and so on. When I said the word "then" I started rolling my eyes. However, it is important to convey to the audience that more than two to five years, even ten years, have now passed into the history of this music. There's 30 years of modern techno, and then if you go back to the previous record, Juan [Atkins]' key record, it's 10 years away. And if you go back to Kraftwerk and people like that, it's been 40 or 50 years.
How do you balance it all while still trying to look into the future and make new music? One of the ways I do that is with tours like this to talk to the new generation and hear them play, hear them talk, talk, share ideas, share history, share aspirations and hopefully that kind of energy. shared among us transcends us all and spreads and spreads across the dance floor as these new artists make their careers.
This discussion that you speak of, is this happening backstage on this tour? Will we also feel it as spectators?
There will be no public performances on this tour. We hang out, chat and spend time together, whether it's at the airport, restaurant, hotel or soundcheck. But I think those discussions and those kinds of pauses will be heard and felt on the sets we all play together on the tour and, I think, after the tour.
Talk about fields. Of course, you can't get away with covering everything in black plastic like you used to.
[ laughs ] Yes.
I don't know if you want to give something away, but what does that have to do with it now?
I think most people are used to going to clubs or festivals or watching live festivals like Tomorrowland or something on YouTube. Everything is too much. This is a real eye candy. In fact, festivals are sometimes brighter than sunny. To work around this and go back to the barn, all we really need to do is take it back to basics: a big dark barn, simple, cool lights, a great sound system, and a good performer. I think this is the ultimate recipe for a good night of pure techno music.
I am always full of contrasts. Sure, I love highly produced shows. I'm one of those people who played live with Plastikman in the 2010s, with its underground techno imagery and full stage presence. I think there is a need and a place for it. But since we've fallen in love with so much more visually over the last 10-15 years, I think it's really important now to remind people that we have to fall in love with sound first.
I still remember the good old days of the Detroit Institute of Music or the Packard plant. You end up forgetting if your eyes are open or closed because it's so dark. And you are simply fascinated by good music. This is probably the crux of what we are trying to achieve on this tour.
“All we have to do is go back to basics: big, dark, simple sets, great lighting, great sound system and great artists.”
My next question is about the Institute of Music. For me, this may not be the only black box, minimal lighting, loud music, maybe not the only thing. But I know it's a very important club for you in this sense.
Plus, you can start a conversation about power plants in Chicago and other places I couldn't go. But I'm at the institute. I love Going to Heaven with Ken Collier. It's just a black box that glorifies music.
I think we're in a really scary place where the eye knows what sounds good. This is happening in many industries, especially in the music industry, with our main communication channels being Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. It's really important to try and use those channels and how we communicate to reach people, but then take 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 forward for many young people? Does this fully match your experience?
The excursion is small and capacity is small, so we won't be recruiting many people. But I think we have a great opportunity to give our audience a completely unique and new experience.
You say this is a low bandwidth area. What size are we talking about in Detroit?
I think Detroit… let's say, as the tour goes on… you know it's nice to have a little mystery. The capacity for the whole tour is 400 concerts, the maximum is around 1000, so normally the capacity is 600-800. And this is all.
We've talked about training since we founded CNTRL. After that, we really wanted to tour the CNTRL camp. We couldn't control ourselves. We couldn't find the campsite. Could not find the organizer. The scene in North America does not seem ready yet. And let me tell you, things like that happen, but maybe they just weren't organized enough to tour. Your message is too short.
Last year I was able to do a show in Houston in a warehouse for about 300 people with the band I'm on tour with now. It really took me back in time and the contrast between looking at the 90s and [also] looking forward. It was like a 90s party lined up, but all the 90s kids were our age and not all of them were interested in techno. They are there because they are marginalized. They didn't fit into the usual concerts that evening. They don't want to go to the local bar and pick someone up and take them home. They are in this destroyed warehouse listening to loud music. And I thought, "Wow, this is happening again."
That's the fun part of seeing those 30s. These guys love to do something different. It's really a mystery: well, I think it's about time we did . Then we started talking to the group who helped us organize the tour. They have a network of like-minded young promoters and other DJs in North America; Together, they put it all together to unite the next generation with the old and share the techno.
Paxahau Presents: From Our Minds—To Be Announced Tour 2023 will take place in a secret warehouse on Friday, March 10 at 21:00 with Barbosa b2b Jay Yorke, Decoder, Huey Mnemonic, Lindsey Herbert and Richie Hawtin.
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