It’s a frighteningly ironic thought that, in the wrong hands, technology could kill techno, with everything being on a plate removing the quest of one man pouring his soul into a machine to go somewhere new and unpredictable. Not for Richie Hawtin though. It’s over 15 years since he bust out with Plus 8 and he’s never stopped trying to bust his sonic brassiere. The third installment in Richie’s DE9 series pushes the boundaries of creating, mixing and hearing music but, while embracing new developments like Ableton, wants to move your ass as well as blow your mind. This veritable journey encompasses Richie’s own productions, unreleased tracks by the likes of Marc Houle and Daniel Bell and even seminal influences like Hood and Shelby, which he has fucked with so severely he’s given them new names. It’s the ongoing principles of deck manouvres, extreme remix tactics and irrepressible creativity applied to the latest kit, thus creating a breathtaking sonic journey like nothing else. Deep, spacey and riveting. It comes in 5.1 surroundsound, running 96 minutes on a DVD which also features two videos, explanatory film and footage of Richie from Germany’s Time Warp. There’s also a 75 minute CD version of the main piece. This is about as far advanced as techno gets right now but, the best thing is, Hawtin’s party spirit still rages as hard as his questing.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: KRIS NEEDS
