Richie Hawtin
Richie Hawtin is a British-Canadian techno DJ, producer and music technologist, known for his Plastikman and F.U.S.E. recordings and his hands-on approach to electronic performance.
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Latest
Richie’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus his backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Overview
- Roots
- British-born and Canadian-raised; his family moved to Ontario in 1979.
- Work
- Techno DJ, producer and music technologist.
- Aliases
- Plastikman and F.U.S.E., among others.
- Breakout
- Sheet One and Spastik introduced Plastikman to a wider audience in 1993.
- Labels
- Plus 8, co-founded with John Acquaviva, and MINUS.
Mini bio
How it started.
Raised in Windsor, Ontario, Richie found a musical home across the border in Detroit. He collected records, went to The Shelter and began DJing there. In his Red Bull Music Academy lecture, he recalled that his girlfriend’s persistence helped him get his first tryout.
Finding Plastikman.
Hawtin and John Acquaviva built Plus 8 into an outlet for their music. His F.U.S.E. album Dimension Intrusion arrived in 1993, followed that year by Plastikman’s Sheet One. The spare rhythms and acid lines became central to his sound, with Musik and Consumed taking it further.
Music you can shape.
His curiosity extends from records to the tools used to play them. Work with Final Scratch and Native Instruments, the MODEL 1 mixer and the Bullfrog instruments all connect to his interest in making electronic performance more expressive. He also brings music into art spaces and collaborations with Prada.
Still revisiting and experimenting.
Recent work pairs a return to his archive with new settings for his sound. Musik received a 30th anniversary edition, Kids Like Us revisited Detroit rave culture, and his Plastikman compositions have continued into exhibition spaces.
Creditschronological, newest first
Music
- 2024Musik: 30th Anniversary EditionOriginal artist and producer as Plastikman; remastered reissue
- 2022Consumed In KeyCo-creator with Chilly Gonzales; mixing and editing
- 1998ConsumedWriter and producer as Plastikman
- 1994MusikWriter and producer as Plastikman
- 1993Sheet OneWriter and producer as Plastikman
- 1993Dimension IntrusionWriter and producer as F.U.S.E.
Film
- 2025Kids Like UsExecutive producer and soundtrack artist
Awards
- Honorary Doctor of the University, 2015University of Huddersfield, recognising his contribution to music technology.
- AIM Outstanding Contribution to Music, 2014Presented by longtime collaborator and Mute founder Daniel Miller.
- Sake Samurai, 2014Recognised by the Sake Samurai Association for promoting appreciation of sake through ENTER.SAKE.
Quotes
But being in a DJ booth I could control this crowd and take them on this experience and just have fun playing cool music.Richie Hawtin, Red Bull Music Academy
In his 2013 lecture, he reflected on discovering DJing through the Windsor and Detroit club scene.
Trivia
- His father was a robotics engineer who encouraged his interest in music and technology.
- His brother Matthew painted the artwork that gave Dimension Intrusion its name.
- He recalls recording most of Sheet One in a 48-hour stretch in his parents’ basement.
- Alongside music, he runs ENTER.SAKE and has received the title Sake Samurai.
Find Richie
Follow him for sets, new music and a look inside his creative process.
Are you Richie Hawtin?
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