Second-generation Detroit-adjacent techno star Richie Hawtin is wrapping up work on his next mix-album, DE9: Transitions, which is due out in September, according to his publicist.
The CD promises to push the concept of the mix-CD, with his label claiming that it will be the first "fully encompassing" 5.1-channel, surround-sound mix. It will also come packaged with a music-and-video DVD version, with visuals to go to the music. Hawtin has apparently been exploring the latest software technology from his new base in Berlin, and the mixes will apparently come not on the song-to-song level, but perhaps deeper, on a track-by-track (as in studio tracks -- voice, drum, synth, etc.) level, a la Sasha's work with Ableton Live. (Hawtin has had a custom Allen & Heath Xone:92 mixer made to control Ableton Live via MIDI). The CD is the follow up to 2001's DE9: Closer to the Edit, and 1999's Decks, EFX & 909, a well-received series that has pushed the boundaries of the DJ mix by adding effects and the Roland 909 drum machine to the equation. The electronic music world is incredibly difficult to stay ahead of. What is branded cool one week, might be slated as dirty the next. Endless techniques are used by artists and their management to try to keep themselves beyond mainstream musical comprehension, and therefore slipping from the razor’s edge where legends can be crafted. Richie Hawtin is far beyond the forefront of electronic music. His uncrackable image matches his flawless sound and genre pioneering styles. After 4 years, he is back with his latest transformation, evolving alongside technology to ensure he doesn't get lost in a world of dated sounds, average compilations and half-assed singles. His studio in Berlin has been in full production for the third release in the DE9 series. Following on from Decks, EFX & 909 in 1999 and then Closer to the Edit in 2001 DE9: Transitions is the long awaited latest mix from Hawtin. Utilising the latest recording technologies and automation techniques, he is said to explore not only the traditional musical transition over time and amplitude (X and Y) but the depth (Z) in terms of space and perception - bringing you much closer to the edit so to speak. Released in September of 2005 on CD & DVD, DE9: Transitions will be recorded within a fully immersive 5.1 Surround Sound environment, complete with high resolution audio versions and accompanying visuals. Richie Hawtin will preview DE9: Transitions in 5.1 surround sound for the first time at Sonar, Barcelona (June 16 -18, 2005).
