The 2008 Jason Donovan of Techno award.

Ten weeks off and Hawtin comes back with a set up, that lets him 'push the boundaries' if by pushing the boundaries you mean looping (which is the only answer he ever gives in any interviews written or video) or taking perfectly good tracks apart so they end up being, well an unfinished track (but sometimes four of them!) or removing all technical skill in favour of technology in his dj sets,(seriously did you see his explaination video?) or coming back with the most terribly marketed series of events ever, that and in his words on bbc radio is aimed at '17-25 year olds', or playing increasingly boring sets, or complaining about how everybody is still using vynil and how its dead, funnily enough like a broken record (seriously dude, fuck what everybody else is doing, how bout you try to push the boundaries, by well pushing the boundaries like you used to and not just telling everybody else they need to) or constantly having a very blocked sounding nose which I can only imagine is down to trying to shove half of Colombia up his face and which is why I imagine he speaks about the same things over and over again in a Tony Montana style self assured rant that is now becoming drainingly boring.
Ritchie Hawtin has gone and got himself a minus earing.
Now don't get me wrong, I think earings are cool......no hang on I don't. In fact I think the only people that think earings are cool are Bros and Jason Donovan (hmmmmm thread title?) but I think maybe even those guys realized that they should get rid of them AFTER THE 80s FINISHED.
After seeing him 3 or 4 times this year I believe he has hit a new low. What started as a slow decline into rubbish has turned into a full on sprint.
For all those Hawtin believers who haven't had your Techno dreams pissed on from his lofty height at the top of the tower fret not, I believe there is method to his madness. I think in his eyes as a god like giver of life to the techno scene in the beginning, he sees it as his duty to destroy it before he dies.
Ritchie Hawtin, I award you the 2008 Jason Donovan of Techno award.

full spectrum


or mnml?

for you ritchie



top marks on the thread tanner!

jason comes in to the cafe i manage nearly every day. top man. likes to wear shorts, even in winter

Jason sounds like Daktari??

Top rantage Tanner. I had the chance to see Hawtin a couple of times this year and neither set really did much for me. Hopefully as the minimal backlash continues he will have less sycophants in the booth and can focus a bit more on playing some decent records.

wash your mouth out - Jason is far more handsome than I and more fluent in the way of the cock (please don't sue me jason... I am not the Face)

I do like shorts and would give kylie one if the opportunity arose

Well I'm sorry if I sullied Jasons name. We still haven't caught up yet over here Per. I went to Damien Lararuz and Michael Mayer on Monday at T. Was well wicked. I should remember to text ya next time and see what your up to.
Yeah my rant sort of came out of watching the hawtin interview on RA and also the BBC 1 show Heidi does called in new djs we trust. The Minus earring pushed me over the edge.

Sweet rant for shizzer!!

Whatever else, every techno DJ in the world would STILL swap their left nut to be as good as Hawtin, even now.

Check this if you want 'cutting edge'... doesn't get much more ace than this:



Sure some older cats are saying similar things as the rant, but at the end of the day, he DOES rock the fuck out of the party, and the kids love him, even if you don't particularly like his strain of techno.

If it's SO easy to do what Hawtin is doing right at the moment, who else is doing it?

I always love the Techno Sour Grapes threads around Hawtin.
Tall poppy syndrome world wide! heh

Remember, these complaints have ALWAYS been leveled at Hawtin, at every stage of his career, and usually by people who've 'been in the sceen for ages and heard him heaps'.

Disclaimer: I think he can do better too.

But then again we are old.

I dunno. The kids do love him, and I have been an avid supporter of his, but since being in Europe I have seen him about 10 or 11 times from 2006 til now. In 2006 he was still absolutely rocking it and his sets were really coheasive, but lately I find he seems to lack direction and simply just drops massive basslines if it seems like the crowd is getting away from him. Having said that the one time I saw him be really good this year was at Field day in a park in the middle of london. He was really good then funnily enough because he wasn't over egging the messing around loops and stuff to the point of losing focus on where the set was going and played a set more similar in style to when he was playing off Serato in 06 when I arrived. (it was only a 2.5 hour set too so maybe that helped)
I don't deny anything he has done and the thread was a little tongue and cheek as well, but I have seen Deetron, Jeff Mills, Ben Sims and Surgeon, Villalobos all play technically amazing sets this year as well and heaps better. By technically amazing as well I think that the things they were all doing with the mix (which was plenty) were far more impressive than anything I have seen Hawtin do with his new set up.
Like jaw dropping good.....and that my jaw hasn't dropped with Rich in a long time.(Although obviously Villalobos was a bit limited by the 2 deck thing!)
One thing that speaks in spades in my mind is the fact I never used to miss him when he came here but now I really can't care less. The time before I saw him at Fabric, Magda played a stormer and he came on and ruined the buzz. He is still good yes, maybe not my cuppa anymore (although I still like all the tracks he plays so he should be) but I just think now that he has this amazing minus empire behind him and what seems like a good amount of stability he could lay off the partying and give us something amazing again. I'm probably putting too much pressure on him. I just want him to play so well I wanna put my hands in the air and scream fuck yeah like villalobos seems to be able to do everytime I see him, and Hawtin used to.
PS Damien Lazuras got this reaction from me on Monday...Amazing set! Mayer was a bit so-so.

maybe richie should wear a dress?

I'm sure thats next on his agenda.

I'm waiting for him to bust out a cape.

its going to happen.

Great to see Dan Bell getting props for his set at DEMF
http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature-read.aspx?id=995

Was definitely a favourite.

that RA list kinda surprised me......but in a good way

richie's new setup...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogXc7sN3_4Y&eurl=http://www.basementhum.com/2008/11/junxion-v4.html&feature=player_embedded

richie who?

I didn't see this thread till now.. I've been a fan of Hawtins or sure but the last couple of people I've spoken to who have actually seen him play live - not watched three minutes of a youtube video or listened to a recorded set - have said he was pretty shite compared to the DJs around him on the gig.

And this from people who know a bit about it - they might not be major experts, but they're def not punters. They've said he was just lame, flat and not at all entertaining compared to the others.

R

Agree Rob. I think thats the problem. As I said, I have seen Magda, Heartthrob and Marc Houle play better sets around him. Which I find a shame.
For the record I don't really find that Contact stuff cutting edge either. Syncing up 8 lap tops to one thats holding a master sync and flicking between them at the master laptop sounds like hawtin dj'ing and all the others choosing his tracks for him. (although a friend of mine said it worked really well at Sonar, but he says each and every other time he has seen it it seems to get worse and worse with the artists just coming and going off stage as they please and a general lack of coheasiveness)
Its just a show. and he said as much in the bbc interview. The kids need something to watch. From what he said, I think he wants to become a commercial entity. Its the whole professionalism vs artistic argument that can also be leveled at artists like banksy (and in particular the lasarides street art galleies) where something becomes commercially viable and then if a person strays from the line people have come to understand and like they risk abandonment from their target market. Its an interesting conundrum. Possibly quite an interesting discussion too.

In you view Matt, what IS actually cutting edge about that clip?



I would never have an issue with a artist deciding they wanted some commercial success. But, I think the defining point is, whether they use that commercial success to fuel another, 'deeper' project, or whether the commercial project just becomes the focus, because that is what makes them money.

Where has Plastikman gone?

Which is why I used quote marks. I actually said it was ace....


As for Hawtin bashing - I just find it amusing.
Lots more can be said, but I'll leave it at a quiet chuckle from the corner.

Ah. Gotchya.



It is the problem, when you start our so genuenly cutting edge, inspire so many people.. then slip..

High expectations..

to all you haters.... richie just needs a big hug!

Sheet One is a great album, not much else from him has maintained my interest over the years. Not sure why you would need more "cutting edge" when the creativity, musicianship and techniques contained within Sheet One still piss over many "modern" productions...

Well at least it got some conversations happening in here. Even if short lived.

more convo happens in here these days than in the house forum

The other day I found an old mix of his I had from 2001

Pretty good too - you immediately notice it is about 8-10bpm faster than what he plays now.. Maybe he needs to speed things up again

I think people forget, Hawtin's always played things like rhythm & sound, slowed down techno dub, but then rocks things up to full on big room freak funk... a lot of the older sets you'll hear would have only captured his 'prime time' rather than the deepness, and likewise now, you'll hear him deeper than harder... just what's fashionable.

Still, can guarantee all of you guys in NZ would probably wet not only your own panties, but the panties of ya grandparents too if you could see him! heh
(not that some of you need an excuse to wet ya grandma's panties!)

I would like to have a conversation with him, when there were not any cameras or company representatives around.

I'm surprised at you guys. Maybe a little research is in order...
He OWNS most of the companies around him!

hahahaha

i saw him with steve bug in a'dam in 2003. he was amazing. one of my fav gigs ever..
now its almost 2009 and he is not so amazing. its how it goes.
he ebs and flows, just like our tastes.

you should probebly see a doc about the pantie wetting, could be a sign of prostate problems

Techno incontinence pants??

I think thats because most people that listen to house music actually live in apartments these days...

Compact ones.

micro

Ritchie Hawtin owns Native Instruments?

Yup, a part of it, and Beatport too.

ahhh is there no end to the man's genius?

yep

Comment still stands.

I would like to know what he thought of the software/future of DJing if he didn't have a vested interest.

There are many many links of him talking over these points, and if you read them you'd be aware that he chops and changed his ownership to suit, not the other way around.

Sorry.. my brains running a little slow today.



What do you mean?

Think it's a slow brain day all round.
I mean that he chops and changes his ownership of companies when he thinks that they are worthwhile technologies.

personally i think in all fairness, hawtin and those new minus parties rock. but yeah, he could be loosing it a bit with that earing of his. i wonder if he has one on his privates...