Audio By Carbonatix
Richie Hawtin is central to the canon of Detroit techno. Founding (with John Acquaviva) his own record label, +8, in 1989 at the age of 19, he stamped the template from which legions of youthful DJs/producers would be cast. Now Hawtin has a new toy, an invention called Final Scratch, which enables access to thousands of digitized sounds, stored on a laptop computer, through an interface that mimics the vinyl and turntables of the classic DJ gear. (No more frenzied rummaging through the crates for him!)
As demonstrated on his latest CD DE9, Hawtin is able to break down selected songs to their component molecules and recombine the pieces to generate a bustling sonic landscape. Rhythmically, his pace traverses the few steps from sober to anxious, only periodically hitting a caffeinated spike. Put another way — and we mean this metaphorically — Hawtin is more K than X. When Hawtin mans the decks at Freedom for an elongated set (his gigs often stretch beyond the three-hour mark), there’s going to be a lot of that serpentine arm-dancing in the crowd . . . but no putting yer hands in the air like you just don’t care or whatever. This is music intended to blow your mind, and then rebuild it.
