Few DJs are taking full advantage of the sound possibilities afforded by the advances in technology. Luckily, Richie Hawtin is—and he’s doing it, crucially without losing sight of the big picture. Of course, even fewer DJs probably have the clout, money, and time to undertake a project in which nearly 110 tracks are combined over a 75 minute mix, but…well…you know. Music-wise, the mix rarely has the highs or lows associated with many of the most famous recorded collections of our time, but that’s never been Hawtin’s job or aim (think of him as Saul Bellow to Fatboy Slim’s John Grisham). What we have instead is a calm, calibrated, and incisively minimal mix that showcases a tasteful selector who has the uncanny ability to unlock the hidden interlocking elements of modern techno.

M_nus / Minus 32 CD
[Todd Burns]