If the press release accompanying this new Plastikman
album is to be believed, the most interesting fact about
it is that, for the first time ever, Richie Hawtin’s
voice is heard on record. Yet it is actually nothing
more than a detail compared to the depth of the music
created by Plastikman on Closer.
Very few artists can claim to manage successful careers
as respected DJs and musicians in the way Richie Hawtin
has. In the last ten years, Hawtin has proved to be
one of the most forward-thinking activists on the electronica
and dance scenes. Born in England, Richie Hawtin grew
up in Canada, but it is with the effervescent Detroit
scene of the early nineties that he is most commonly
associated. His blend of minimal techno and acid has
been his trademark sound since the early days. His first
official full length, Dimension Intrusion,
originally released on his Plus 8 label, was snapped
up by Warp and included in the seminal Artificial
Intelligence series. It is however for his relentless
DJing and Plastikman project that Hawtin remains best
known. First in the Plastikman original exploratory
trilogy of minimal acid, Sheet One was released
in 1993, and was followed a year later with Musik.
The concluding part, Consumed, which delved
into far sterner territories, was released in 1998,
with , which collected a number of rare and unreleased
tracks following soon after.
Five years after the consecutive release of Consumed
and Artifakts [bc], Hawtin unexpectedly revives
his project, with this new album. Closer started
taking shape after Richie finished recording Ask
Yourself, the opening track. Although it was not
the first track recorded, it proved determinant in how
this album would sound. Pursuing his sonic exploration
of minimal techno started with Consumed, Closer
is, if anything, darker than its predecessor, and, on
Hawtin’s own admission, his most personal record
to date. The opening track, Ask Yourself, sets
the tone for the rest of the album. Kicking off with
Hawtin’s barely audible and heavily distorted
voice, the isolationist setting of the first half completely
obliterates the musical canvas of previous Plastikman
releases to explore the most secluded areas of electronic
music. Sometimes reminiscent of Biosphere’s
Substrata,
especially on Lost and I No, Closer
is like watching music through a microscope. Each sound
appears blown up and singled out, invariably evolving
into stark atmospheric landscapes, highlighting the
hypnotic nature of Hawtin’s music. This sometimes
only half works, as on Ping Pong, which appears
almost too linear and predictable, but elsewhere, on
Mind Encode, Disconnect or the excellent
epic Mind In Rewind, it actually provides this
album with some fascinating moments. As he toys with
crackles, static noises and a ghostly ring tone, he
ventures into beautiful abstract territories. The album
concludes with another epic, I Don’t Know,
which sees Hawtin re-introducing for a short time elements
of 303, as if to say that this entire album had only
been a dream and that Plastikman is truly in charge
in the background.
With this fourth Plastikman album in ten years, Richie
Hawtin demonstrates once again how he combines dance
music and ethereal soundscapes within precise compositions.
Perhaps his less accessible album to date in many ways,
Closer also shows Hawtin at his most vulnerable.
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