Brad Knutson

When Detroit techno veteran Richie Hawtin first conceived his "Decks, EFX & 909" project in 1998, it was a revolutionary exploration into bringing studio sound manipulation to a live performance setting. A couple years later, mixers with live effects became fairly commonplace, so for his 2001 follow-up, "DE9: Closer to the Edit," Hawtin used splicing, micro-editing and looping capabilities to push the envelope of the live DJ mix further yet. Now for his latest release, "DE9: Transitions," Hawtin is attempting to not only delve further into the X&Y planes of sound (time & amplitude), he's also taking a stab at the Z plane (depth) with a CD/DVD combo release that includes a 96-minute mix in Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound. While the mix features some of his original material, it also uses classic techno moments, and unreleased tracks from producers like Ricardo Villalobos. Using new software tools like Abelton Live that he undoubtedly inspired with "Closer to the Edit," Hawtin relentlessly slices, dices, and chops song elements only to seamlessly reassemble everything into a new mix, rendering the original source material almost unrecognizable. A feat compounded by the fact that he renames the tracks entirely, instead of calling them remixes; while he admits this may stir up some controversy, he argues that it is in line with the larger concept of the album (and the technology that created it). While Hawtin's live shows aren't encoded in 5.1, the amazing P.A. at Sound-Bar is the next closest thing to a Dolby-certified experience.

With John Patterson opening in the main room, John Grammatis playing on the lower level, and Shaka 23 in the Round Bar at Sound-Bar, 226 West Ontario, (312) 787-4480, on October 28. $25 advance tickets. (2005-10-25)

Also by Brad Knutson

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