STREAM THE NEW PLASTIKMAN ALBUM HERE
Richie Hawtin places new album ‘EX’ on YouTube
Ever the person to push in new directions, Richie Hawtin has just put the whole of his new album onto YouTube.
Fans can now stream his new Plastikman work ‘EX’ — the first for over a decade — for free. The move by the M_nus boss is the latest chapter in the new practices that artists are employing to get their music out there.
The album came out digitally on Monday, but the vinyl, CD and special edition for the SubPac portable bass system aren’t out until July 14th. The hope is that lots of fans will stream the new Plastikman album over the next few weeks, and then buy a physical copy.
‘EX’ is a sensurround delight. Liberated from dancefloor restrictions by the album format, Richie creates a pulsing, atmospheric alien-futurist soundtrack that’s going to delight fans new and old.
The album was recorded live at New York’s celebrated Guggenheim art museum, after Richie was asked to play a special show by Plastikman fan Raf Simons, the Belgian fashion designer and artistic director at Dior.
“The music came out of me effortlessly, as I was very inspired by the opportunity to play in this beautiful architectural space renowned more for art than music,” Richie said. “The location also allowed me to step far away from the dancefloor, giving me a huge amount of freedom to EXplore any sonic ideas that I had. Art, music, architecture, painting, sculpture— these mediums are supposed to live together.”
Much of Richie’s exclusive Plastikman set at Sonar in Barcelona tomorrow night (Thursday 12th June) will consist of this new ‘EX’ material. Stream the whole of the new album here:
In the 1990s Richie Hawtin picked up the techno blueprint and took it to the edges of the universe. As Plastikman he produced an extraordinary body of work, starting with the 'Sheet One' and 'Musik' albums and incredible tracks such as the percussive 'Spastik'.
As the project progressed, Richie took Plastikman more and more into the realms of minimalism, and 2003's 'Closer' album was the last under the Plastikman name as Richie moved to Berlin, set up his M_nus label and threw himself in to his DJ career. But now, Plastikman is back!
