Techno DJ Bios: Richie Hawtin
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Various artists impact the techno scene in many different ways whether that would be trying to lead the way or to make their music something separate from themselves. Richie Hawtin is someone who has imacted (and some would say dominated) the international techno music scene. The Canadian artist uses the alias of Plastikman when releasing his music onto the Detroit techno scene. He has also utilised over five different names when releasing tracks – which could mean that he had the opportunity to experiment without having any fears about what it could do to his reputation if the music wasn’t received too well.
Some of the reasons why Hawtin finds the world of techno music and electro so appealing is because of how he was brought up in an environment which was rich in the roots of Detroit techno – Ontario. Richies father having a passion for music with an electronic genre, this was also one of the defining things which allowed Hawtin to gain a love of dance & experimental electronic music as he matured throughout his adolescence.
Hawtin has always been somebody who has tried to make their own opportunities instead of having to explore the record labels of others. He created Plus-8 (a record label), in partnership with one of his colleagues whilst Minus Records was a venture he initiated for himself. This didn’t mean that he wanted to be completely independent however – like so many techno artists, he found himself drawn to Europe because of how so many American DJs had been drawn to the heavily-advanced German scene of techno music, and because of how he believed that it would give him a quality of life that he might not have been able to have in other places.
In an interview, he talked about this decision further, saying: Berlin is so liberal in so many different ways; there’s an amazing club scene, there’s a great development software tech scene, there are so many resources here.”
Hawtin’s significant releases were under the names of Plastikman, Concept 1 and F.U.S.E. As well as having a direct involvement with the music production elements of the dance industry, he has also commented and has experienced interviews of the direction of this genre for the future. The end of the 2000s saw him shake off some fears that dance music was heading in a direction which would see an untimely demise in favour of other sounds, but he counter-acted this by complementing other artists on raising the quality of their records substantially – in turn boosting the amount of people who felt drawn to listen to the tracks which were available to them.
He’s got an eccentric and minimalist style which audiences love, his contribution to minimal techno cannot be denied – and he spans through a number of different countries for long weekends performing to the masses, where he is a widely-anticipated act. Without question, Hawtin (or Plastikman depending on what he is performing!) is an act that is heavily in demand – and he is loving the chance to carry on his passion through creating exciting mixes in numerous locations.
Recent Discography:
DE9 Transitions (DVD + CD) M_nus 2005
DE9 Transitions (CD) NovaMute 2006
The Tunnel / Twin Cities (12″) M_nus 2005
DE9 Combined (2xCD, Mixed, Comp) Third Ear (2), M_nus 2006
DE9 Lite – Electronic Adventures (CD, Mixed, Comp) Mixmag 2006
Slices – Pioneers Of Electronic Music – Vol. I – A Documentary Film About Richie Hawtin (DVD-V, PAL, DVD) Electronic Beats 2006
KONTAKT RTW (CD, Mixed, Comp, Promo) M_nus 2006
RA.100 (File, MP3, Mixed, Pod) Resident Advisor 2008
Sounds From Can Elles (File, MP3, Comp, 320) M_nus 2008
Making Contakt (DVD-V + CD, Comp) M_nus 2010
