Although of English and Canadian origins,
Plastikman's
Richie Hawtin is closely connected with the Detroit techno scene associated with figures such as
Kenny Larkin,
Stacey Pullen,
Eddie Fowlkes, and
Derrick May. His Plus 8 label -- co-owned and operated with
John Acquaviva -- is one of the most influential experimental dance music imprints, and
Hawtin's own tracks recorded as
Plastikman and
F.U.S.E. are highly regarded as faithful, intelligent, forward-stepping updates of the Detroit sound. A DJ of renown and growing in repute as a remixer,
Hawtin has seen his visibility as one of experimental dance music's more important and innovative figures rise ever since the release of his debut
Plastikman album,
Sheet One.
Hawtin was born in Oxfordshire, England, in the early '70s, and when he was nine moved with his parents to Windsor, Ontario, Canada. An early interest in electronic-based pop and dance music turned serious when
Hawtin discovered the tracks being pumped out of his neighbor across the river, Detroit. Beginning as a DJ in 1987,
Hawtin quickly became involved in composition through his direct involvement in Detroit's tight-knit community of musicians and producers. Combining early influences from European synth pop groups like
Kraftwerk and
New Order with the stripped-down techno futurism of Detroit innovators such as
Juan Atkins and
Derrick May,
Hawtin's tracks are as steeped in Motor City tradition as they deviate from it in terms of texture and rhythmic complexity.
Although 12" releases issued through Plus 8 and the European NovaMute label have all been pretty dancefloor-oriented,
Hawtin's attention to techno-based listening music has been just as focused through his full-length albums. His ambitious series of mix albums -- including 1995's
MixMag Live!, 1999's
Decks, EFX & 909, 2001's
DE9: Closer to the Edit, and 2005's
DE9: Transitions -- has emboldened his reputation as a conceptualist DJ.
–
Sean Cooper, Rovi