Last fall, Richie Hawtin stepped outside the conventional dance music format to deliver a contemplative two-tracker titled Time Warps. Now, he’s derived inspiration from some of his earliest recordings for “Acid King,” aptly titled as it hints at the style of acid techno he championed three decades ago.
Clocking in at nearly 11 minutes, “Acid King” stands out nearly as much for its artfully distorted snare drums as its Plastikman-reminiscent 303 lead. The release also includes a “Stripped Mix” and a “F.U.S.E. Bass Dub,” in addition to a track consisting of isolated percussion samples as well as one of the echoing spoken word vocal.
“As a teenager growing up on the other side of the river from Detroit it was impossible not to be heavily influenced by the sound of Detroit radio and the music being produced there,” Hawtin recently wrote of his early musings. “Listening to my earlier productions of 1990 you can hear those influences, first more as imitations and then slowly developing into something more.”
Richie Hawtin rose to fame in the ’90s not only for his own recordings, but those of the artists signed to his and John Acquaviva‘s influential Plus 8 imprint. Time Warps marked his first “dance floor-focused EP” since 1999’s Minus Orange.
“Acid King” arrived August 6th via From Our Minds. Purchase it in digital format via Richie Hawtin Bandcamp and look out for a vinyl release in late September.
