Canuck techno leader Richie Hawtin announced EX, his new live album as Plastikman, just last week, but it's already out. The digital release date is today (June 10), and it's available to stream in full.
The 53-minute set was recorded at the Guggenheim in New York on November 6 of last year, at the request of fashion house Christian Dior's artistic director Raf Simmons. The results include quiet ambient passages and thumping beats, with the emphasis on texture rather than danceable energy.
Hawtin said in a statement:
I knew that Raf was a long time Plastikman fan so by accepting his offer to perform at the Dior event at the Guggenheim I knew I'd set myself up to a huge challenge. Although Raf was happy to have the already complete Plastikman Live 1.5 show, I locked myself away in a series of intense studio sessions and quickly recorded enough new material for the performance and realized I might also have enough for a complete new album. 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. 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.
Hear the album below. Physical copies of EX will follow on July 14 via Mute.
The 53-minute set was recorded at the Guggenheim in New York on November 6 of last year, at the request of fashion house Christian Dior's artistic director Raf Simmons. The results include quiet ambient passages and thumping beats, with the emphasis on texture rather than danceable energy.
Hawtin said in a statement:
I knew that Raf was a long time Plastikman fan so by accepting his offer to perform at the Dior event at the Guggenheim I knew I'd set myself up to a huge challenge. Although Raf was happy to have the already complete Plastikman Live 1.5 show, I locked myself away in a series of intense studio sessions and quickly recorded enough new material for the performance and realized I might also have enough for a complete new album. 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. 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.
Hear the album below. Physical copies of EX will follow on July 14 via Mute.