PLASTIKMAN Vinyl & CDs

Review: To celebrate its 30th anniversary, techno titan Richie Hawtin aka minimal pioneer Plastikman has remastered his influential second album Musik from the original tapes and pressed it up to limited edition bio-vinyl. It was first released in November 1994 via NovaMute and his own Plus 8 and was soon hailed as a masterclass in minimal techno, catapulting Hawtin toward the heights he still enjoys today. Prior to the full album release, the track 'Plastique' hinted at a more dancefloor-oriented sound while maintaining an unsettling edge that characterises much of the ensuing album's abstract and alien allure.

Review: A truly landmark album in the history of techno, Richie Hawtin set the bar very high for himself and his Plastikman alias with this record. Sheet One is fabled in many ways, from the notorious blotter-sheet sleeve to the inscription about drug consumption on the run-out groove, but its the music itself which has stood the test of time. Wringing layers of emotion from a 303 beyond what most thought was possible, Hawtin created an exciting new extrapolation of the Detroit techno he took his lead from, foreshadowing the increased minimalism which was yet to come. Some 30 years old and still a dazzling masterpiece of modern electronic music, it's sounding better than ever on this special edition reissue via Novamute.

Review: Plastikman is in the glory years of his career, and the recognition of this of late has come in the form of various reissues and deluxe editions. One move we didn't expect Mr. Hawtin to take, however, was approving an entire 'semi-classical' reimagining of his original album 'Consumed', first released in 1998. 'Consumed In Key' is a new collaborative version made between Hawtin and pianist/producer Chilly Gonzales; every track found on the original 'Consumed' now features piano flourishings and other instruments peppered over each moody techno jam, fleshing out the pangs we could only previously imagine on first listen.