Richie Hawtin - De9: Closer to the Edit

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Free Music Notes for De9: Closer to the Edit

Free Music Review: Redefining the DJ.
Hit: 5 Stars

Though the author of several significant contributions to acid techno, ambient, and searing minimal techno, Hawtin has never really taken the time to rest on his proverbial laurels. His earlier Decks, EFX & 909 mix (released by Mute and M-nus) showcased his fluid mastery of three turntables, effects processors, and a drum machine, in a rapid-fire slew of 38 tracks. With Closer to the Edit, Hawtin essentially redfines the role of the DJ: the term "remix" takes on a whole new dimension. Here, he selects some 300 different loops, beats, phrases, and noises from 70 different tracks, and pieces them together into what he calls a musical jigsaw puzzle, with the use of effects and Final Scratch software to assemble the parts. The result is a mind-boggling, layered pastiche of solid techno beats and "futuristic" funk. Hawtin skillfully infuses just enough "melody" and warm tones to round out the mix. The assembly feels like a single composition, mutating and shifting throughout the 53 or so minutes, with elements of up to four or five tracks playing at the same time. Though it is impossible to pinpoint individual tracks through this reinterpretation, Hawtin draws upon sounds from Rino Cerrone, Stewart Walker, the German label Perlon, and others--a much wider range of sounds and rhythms than in the first mix.

This mix, as well as the earlier Decks, EFX & 909, is highly recommended, especially if one has not had the chance to see Hawtin's ability in a live setting. Hawtin, though surrounded by machines and software, has proven that yes, there is a human behind the so-called machine-music--techno has made yet another step forward.

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