Enter the Hawtin

One of the brightest moments of the Sonar 2012 festival for the 44100.com team was Richie Hawtin's master class about his new invention — the Twitter DJ (earlier we told you about this) — and, of course, the conversation with Richie that followed the master class.

June 16, 2012.

44100Hz
Richie, you've been talking to journalists for an hour now, before that you gave a master class about the Twitter DJ, and last night you played a crazy set. You're full of energy and looking great. I want to know everything! How do you manage to successfully combine such sides of life as career, family, travel? Your life seems very eventful — how do you manage to cope with it all?

Richie Hawtin
How do I live my life? Hmm, you know, I think it's actually always hard — finding and keeping a balance. My life is my work. I'm passionate about what I do. I also spend a lot of time travelling, and… in my view, it's very important to find a way to stay connected with friends and family. And I always love sharing with people the things that excite me. Right now I'm in Barcelona. My father's here, my friends, my brother and my girlfriend. And we have a pretty good time together — during my shows, or just at parties. You know, I've learned to combine everything at once. After all, what I do isn't an ordinary office job from 10 in the morning to 6 in the evening. My rhythm of life is completely different, and I'm lucky that my friends understand me.

44100Hz
…and support your every undertaking.

Richie Hawtin
Well, yes, of course!

44100Hz
And how was it back then, 20 years ago? How did your parents feel about your passion for music?

Richie Hawtin
Oh, I was very lucky, my mum, dad and brother always, always supported me. My brother is an artist, and we both live by creativity. We never gave a thought to acquiring some working profession, we didn't dream of becoming, say, lawyers. Mum and dad let us experiment, search for ourselves, and that freedom inspired me greatly back then.

44100Hz
Will your family go with you to the opening of ENTER.?

Richie Hawtin
Unlikely, but I'm sure — they'll definitely have fun at the closing party.

44100Hz
How did the idea and inspiration to create such a grand and unusual project come to you? ENTER., it seems to me, is not so much a weekly hangout as a chance to develop yourself and discover something new.

Richie Hawtin
Mmm… when you say "discover something new", it sounds a bit dull. Whenever you head off to a big party and come home satisfied, you discover something new — a great song, for example, or meeting interesting people. That's exactly what we want to set up in the ENTER. space — quality music, cool DJs, separate interactive zones with audiovisual installations and special lighting. There'll be a sake bar, where everyone can try unusual cocktails from Japan. ENTER. is my fantasy made real. A story of how everything came together nicely, and an extraordinary experience for everyone who makes it to us.

44100Hz
Yes, I can imagine, ENTER. will be a special venue, completely unlike the standard entertainment of Ibiza.

Richie Hawtin
Of course, I think so too. On Ibiza you can find parties for every taste, but many clubs repeat the same standard formula after one another. We, on the other hand, don't want to limit ourselves to just two dance floors and music. We're creating a surprise, and what will be there? Of course, many are anxious and looking forward to a miracle. Or take, for example, yesterday I performed at a market, an ordinary simple market in Barcelona, before a thousand-strong excited crowd. I play in Spain regularly and have done for a very long time, but you know, when you do it for the first time in a new place, you literally feel that thrill coming from your fans, and you answer them with no less feeling.

44100Hz
And on top of that, you're carrying out an educational mission — playing new music to ordinary residents of Barcelona who happen to find themselves near the market.

Richie Hawtin
Yes, I agree. I really, really like that.

44100Hz
Maybe you've heard this question more than once, but still. Why sake? I know you like Japanese culture. But why not, for example, Russian vodka?

Richie Hawtin
Hmmm, I don't know, I think… actually, that's a great question! (here Richie breaks into a wide smile) You see, throughout your whole life you find special things and concepts that take hold of your consciousness, that you fall passionately in love with. And you feel a special connection with them. For me, Japan became a source of inspiration; I'm fascinated by the culture of that country and the Japanese approach to life, how they manage to find a balance between ancient traditions and modern technology. And sake, in my mind, fully reflects this way of life, the balance between past and future. I like the taste, the aftertaste. Sake is still exotic for most people, something uncharted, and the reaction of an ordinary person is quite predictable — "wow, what's all this for, and why sake, and why Japan?" Of course, sake will add a special mystical atmosphere and mood to the look of the ENTER. parties.

44100Hz
Richie, what advice can you give young producers and musicians on how to achieve harmony in life, to create and catch inspiration every day?

Richie Hawtin
It seems to me that young producers need to concentrate on their music and not rush. Everyone wants to become a superstar, to be released on famous labels, but you have to remember — there's no need to hurry, everything in its own time! Right now so many people are trying to become part of the electronic scene, so many records are released every day. An oversupply of "DJs". Remember, no one will notice you if you don't stand out from the mass. And there's only one way to become special — that's to spend a lot, a lot of time in search of your own "self". To experiment, to try something new, to seek out your own individual sound and your unique place in the world of music.

44100Hz
Thank you for such an inspiring conversation, and good luck!

Richie Hawtin
Thank you! I can't wait for my trip to Moscow!

Every Thursday at the club Space (Ibiza) — the signature ENTER. parties