Richie Hawtin debuted his highly-anticipated audiovisual show “CLOSE” at Coachella over the weekend.
CLOSE is Richie Hawtin’s endeavor to humanize the performative process of electronic music; an effort to fuse the technical spectacle of computerized visuals and synthesized sounds with the interactivity and connected nature of a rock performance. Commenting on the current state of DJ performances to the LA Times last week, Hawtin quipped, “If I came from outer space and I saw a DJ playing, I would actually think that DJs are a strange breed of humans that only have a torso and head.”
Using video mapping technology, viewers are presented with a unique perspective of Richie’s live performance. The visuals reveal his actual movements on stage, with a variety of angles and views of his gear as he executes the live show.
While live electronic music is beginning to become almost as prevalent as DJ sets in the current era, there is currently no performance which matches the elaborate echelon which Hawtin has reached with CLOSE. As the spontaneity of his cerebral techno improvisations met with the synchronicity of his compelling visual production, Hawtin’s new live project lived up to its name more than duly. And, considering the ephemerality of its duration (Hawtin will only perform CLOSE in the US at Coachella and Detroit’s Movement Festival), those who are fortunate enough to attend their set know that it is a once in a lifetime experience.
Photo: Julian Basjel
Watch a portion of Hawtin’s CLOSE debut at Coachella below, featuring the live version of Emery Warman’s ‘Miami Connection’ (Whyt Noyz Remix).
