Richie Hawtin wants to educate and entertain North American EDM fans

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Richie Hawtin has just concluded his first Ibiza residency and is now ready to take on North America with a 17 day multi-city musical experience called 'CNTRL: Beyond EDM' which aims to educate the younger EDM generation as to what lies beyond the more mainstream EDM sound that dominates the various mega festivals and major events across the country right now. The CNTRL series is much more ambitious than simply a multi-stop tour of various DJs, but rather an opportunity for Richie Hawtin and like minded artists to showcase their talents and style and hopefully create new life long fans before EDM truly becomes mainstream.

Richie Hawtin: "the resurgence of electronic music in America and how different it is to what we did or where we came from. It just seems to me like it’s the right time to step up and be part of this continuum and this momentum that’s gathering....I expect to live and breathe CNTRL for those 22 days and try to inspire and educate, but also learn and get re-inspired by the people that we meet at the conferences and at the clubs."

(Source: Beatport Interview)

This is truly an exciting time to be an EDM fan as you have the CNTRL and the Sonar Festival traveling across North America this Fall as these legends try to bring underground music to the forefront. Guys like Richie Hawtin, Seth Troxler, Loco Dice, Paul Karlbrenner, and many others would like to expand the consciousness of new fans and find out whether this North American awakening towards electronic music also includes their unique brand and sound. If Europe acts as a guide to what the North American EDM boom might become in a few years then it is only a matter of time until the minimal, techno, house, tech house genres that currently dominate Ibiza will filter through and appeal to the wider audience here. Or will it? Only time will tell. 

To hear what Richie Hawtin and Loco Dice have to say about their upcoming CNTRL tour, listen to this:

According to the video they both want to "represent our version of what EDM is... and share it with the North American people."

Here's an excellent documentary on Richie Hawtin found thanks to another Beatport article that highlighted the 10 best docs on the Detroit techno movement:

Some interesting facts:

  • The idea of 'Plastikman' came about from an acid trip at a friend's place where he laid on the floor and felt himself sinking into it. The Plastikman concept ultimately became the first ever techno brand.
  • It took Richie Hawtin over a year to convince fans that it was him behind the decks following his drastic change of style from a bald head with dark rimmed glasses to the look that he has today.
  • Richie Hawtin was 'planking' way before it became mainstream. (1:04:30)

Richie Hawtin will be starting his 'CNTRL: Beyond EDM' tour across Eastern North America starting on October 29th in Buffalo, NY. Tour stops in Canada include November 5th in Montreal, November 6th in London, ON, November 7th in Windsor, and November 8th in Toronto.

If you want to hear what has got Ibiza buzzing for all these years then it is recommend that you check out the CNTRL tour and Sonar festival if you are living around the Toronto and Montreal area.