Dimensions is a multimedia exhibition celebrating the 25th anniversary of Richie Hawtin’s iconic F.U.S.E. albums. Plus 8 Records and The Vinyl Factory are pleased to release the re-mastered albums Dimension Intrusion and Train-Tracs alongside the yet unreleased album Computer Space. Originally recorded in 1993 it completes the extended range of Hawtin’s recording persona.
The exhibition presents original artworks by the visual artist Matthew Hawtin and premiers Computer Space in an exclusive listening session prior to its official release. For the first time the visual and sonic works that mutually inspired the artists are merged to a cohesive experience for a public audience.
In the formative years of the early 1990s Richie and his brother Matthew were still living at their parents’ house in Windsor, Canada and would frequently cross the border into Detroit together to immerse themselves in the developing underground Techno scene. The electrifying energy would leave a deep impression on both of them and fuelled their creativity. While Richie explored his creative vision through music, the fine art student Matthew found his expression through painting yet they would share ideas and inspiration – Richie’s album titles Dimension Intrusion and Computer Space were both derived from Matthew’s paintings and would lend as their cover artwork.
Today the early F.U.S.E. recordings are as relevant as they were upon their initial release, when they shaped the emerging sound of Techno music. Since then Richie Hawtin has moved on to his Plastikman persona, evolving DJ shows and CLOSE live performances as well as developing music performance technologies, continuously pioneering and challenging himself and the genre of Techno. Matthew Hawtin continues to evolve his art into new areas of expression. He exhibits widely and works out of Windsor and Detroit, the place where it all began.
Symmetry, futurism, bleeding edges, infinitely repetitive layers, contrasting textures and hidden messages. These words that describe Canadian artist Matthew Hawtin’s paintings, prints and sculpture could easily apply to the music made by his brother, techno producer Richie Hawtin. It’s in this solo exhibition, showcasing some of the art Matthew has made in conjunction with his brother’s record labels Plus 8 Records and Minus Records, that we can see the parallels between the two mediums.
Since he started making art linked to record labels in the early 1990s, 39-year-old Matthew has been steadily refining his work. The minimalism, clean lines, abstract concepts and layering that defines his work have been there since the beginning.
“My work has slowly been minimalised and reduced,” he says. “I think that’s what any artist wants to do, whatever medium they work with. They want their work to be refined until it’s down to its pure essence; achieve an idea in its purest form, in a way.”
The abstract shapes and colours on Matthew’s paintings for Richie’s F.U.S.E project, made in 1993, hint at his original ideas about symmetry and space. His concept for these pieces was to create 3D space on the 2D surface. Those paintings ended up becoming the artwork for his brother Richie’s ‘Dimension Instrusion’ album and 12” release, that he put out under his F.U.S.E moniker.
Examine the work that follows these early pieces and you can see how Matthew’s minimal style and reductive aesthetic intersects similar points in the development of electronic music. The early days of putting paint on canvas have developed into the flowing futurism of his fiberglass-manufactured then hand-painted Torqued Panels series. Matthew’s methods of making art have become more advanced, his materials more refined and the process more technical in parallel with the technological advances in making electronic music. In this respect, this exhibition is the story of Plus 8 Records and Minus Records told visually.
Once Again, Again offers a long forgotten snapshot of what made the beginning of the 90s such a special place to be. It was a time to champion all forms of electronic music and pour them into one big melting pot, before everything began splintering into genres and sub-genres. Back then Richie wasn’t the only member of the Hawtin family making waves as a DJ, over in the chill out room Matthew was also captivating crowds with marathon ambient sets. This unique mix compilation, available in two formats – a downloadable three hour transcendental voyage or the more slim line 75 minute CD version – represents a very personal account of what it was like.
Between 1993 and 1998, Matthew was a regular at Detroit parties like Hardest, Spastik and Heaven and Hell, providing the Yin to his brother’s Yang so to speak. For him, ambient music offered a more emotional, thoughtful and evocative journey and the chill out room was a safe place for people to drift in and out and make a different kind of contact, away from the intensity of the main room. As well the midwest, his exploits inevitably took him further a field to play at major European events like Tribal Gathering, Sonar and Time Warp.
95% of Once Again, Again originates from 1993 to 1996 including tracks by such artists as Sun Electric, Irresistible Force, Peter Namlook and MLO and should serve up a timely dose of nostalgia for the old guard, while introducing a whole new generation to the rich, dynamic history of a genre that briefly dominated the electronic landscape. Matthew has really gone back to the source with a selection that has truly stood the test of time. The result is a real joy to experience, packed with soothing textures, glistening melodies, restrained percussion and mandatory bird call. Until now, most of these tracks have only ever seen the light of day on vinyl and with that in mind, Tim Xavier’s mastering skills have also added an extra dimension – a crispness that breathes new life into this collection of floating monoliths that blend together without the slightest resistance.
So lie back, unplug all possible sources of interruption and let yourself drift through this expertly constructed spectrum of sound, to a time when a wide-eyed generation of party people really felt they could make a difference to the world. 15 years later things may not have turned out quite how we hoped, but this special mix at least proves that some of us haven’t stopped believing.
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Artist: Matthew Hawtin
Title: Once Again, Again
Catalogue No.: PLUS8107CD
Label: PLUS 8 RECORDS
Distribution: Rough Trade / Beatport / M-nus / Juno
Format: CD, wav, mp3
Release Date Physical: March 8th, 2010
Release Date Digital: March 10th, 2010
Track Listing:
1. A.S.I.O. and Paddee – Transparencies From The Outer Regions
2. Pineapple Circle – Circle Waves
3. Namlook – The Dutch Side of the Milky Way
4. Jet Chamber – Feedback Fluctuation
5. Solar Quest – Flying Spirals
6. Further – Ugene
7. James Bernard – Helix
8. The Irresistible Force – Flying High
9. MLO – Aqua
10. The Irresistible Force – Symphony in E
11. A Positive Life – Aquasonic
12. Dubtribe Sound System – Quiet Earth
13. MLO – Sleeper
14. Aedena Cycle – The Dreamshadow
15. Atlas – Compass Error (East)
16. Sun Electric – Northern Lights
17. Porcupine Tree – Voyage 34: Phase 3 (Astralasia Dreamstate)
18. Shades Of Orion – Liquid Shade
19. Theorem – Emerge
20. Gustavo Lamas – Naturales
21. James Bernard – Euph
22. FUSE – Carocell
23. A.S.I.O. and Paddee – Transparencies From The Outer Regions
24. Squid – Emprisoning Sound On a Piece Of Wax
25. Legion of Green Man – Synaptic Response (Memories Reoccuring)
26. A.S.I.O. and Paddee – Transparencies From The Outer Regions
27. Sun Electric – Sarotti
28. MLO – Birds and Flutes
29. Link – Amenity
Once Again, Again – Plus 8 Records release – Catalogue ID: PLUS8107CD
