Richie Hawtin returns as Plastikman for live album EX

Fresh material recorded live at the Guggenheim last year.

As hinted last December, techno figurehead Richie Hawtin has announced his first album under his much-adored Plastikman guise since 2003. If you need a reminder, Plastikman was responsible for two of the definitive 1990s minimal techno records in the shape of 1993′s Sheet One and 1994′s Musik, but has been on the back burner as a recording project since 2010’s ‘Slinky’ 12″

Due to be released by Mute on June 10, EX was recorded live at the Guggenheim Museum in New York last year at the invitation of of Belgian fashion designer Raf Simons. Performed around a specially constructed LED obelisk, the gig saw the M_nus boss draw from a selection of new material created for the one-off event.

“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,” explains Hawtin. “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.”

EX is out digitally on June 10 and on vinyl, CD and limited edition SubPac bundle on July 14. The bundle includes a custom Plastikman edition of the SubPac S1, a portable bass system that conducts subbass directly to your body. According to Hawtin, the machine allows a “deeper appreciation for the music we all love.”

“As with all Plastikman albums, there is a lot of sonic information in the lower frequency range, that make the SubPac a perfect listening accompaniment in order to fully appreciate the experience,” he adds.

Well, it’s all rather exciting isn’t it? Listen to an excerpt below and see the tracklist underneath.

If you’re heading to Barcelona’s Sónar festival, don’t miss Hawtin’s Plastikman show on June 12 featuring a specially constructed LED obelisk, plus a regular flavour show the next night at SonarClub.

Update 10/06: EX has now popped up on Spotify – stream it below.

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