From Joseph Ross Lynn IV Sent Wed, Mar 22nd 2000, 18:56
From Joseph Ross Lynn IV Sent Wed, Mar 22nd 2000, 18:56
lks wrote > > A caveat. I haven't listened to Hawtin....know who he is, but wouldn't > know his music at all if I heard it. > > I can understand why you would want to defend him. From what I've heard > of him, he isn't bad. However, it's important that you don't go too far > with this. You argue above that Hawtin "has been there every step of the > way." Given that Detroit techno starts with Cosmic Cars back in > '82....and Hawtin doesn't appear on the scene until the early > nineties....I don't know how this can be the case. okay, okay, every step of the way since I got on board, anyway. Not since the beginning, but he has never stopped is my point. He has been a strong influence in the direction of the music/scene since he got involved. His > > The other argument above is "he brought techno to a new audience." I'm > not sure I buy this....for reasons I state below....but let's say that it > is true. That Hawtin got people to listen to the music that wouldn't have > listened to it otherwise. > > So what? This makes him an excellent publicist perhaps....but not > necessarily a good artist. Or rather, not necessarily good enough to take Regardless of what your aesthetic opinions of his art are, he made many more ppl aware of what was going on. My response, and I'm sure the response of many others, when I heard what richie did, was "What is this? Where is this from? Who else is making this music? How can I hear more?" In that sense, richie helped shed more light on the true "pioneers/originators" > > > > So, regardless of the effects on the scene today (which are VERY debateable) > > richie brough techno to a new and very widespread (ummm, WHITE, maybe?) > > audience in a very big way. If it wasn't for Richie Hawtin, I might have ne ver > > heard Red Planet, Minimal Nation, or Strings of Life. > > So are you saying that Hawtin has no effect on today's music scene? The opposite. His effect is huge, but I think today we (in Detroit anyway) are seeing long term effects of bringing the white audience into the fold. Go to any "rave" and you'll see what I mean. > Now to the new, widespread, and white audience. The reason I'm not sure > that I buy this is because techno had already made the leap to Europe > before Hawtin blew up....and when it made its way back in the form of rave > music, it seems to me that Hawtin got caught up IN that scene....but > wasn't necessarily RESPONSIBLE for it. He may have been the surfer at the > crest of the wave, but he didn't bring the wave IN did he? Yes. Frankie Bones in NYC, Richie Hawtin in Detroit. > > And of course there is the sticky question....why is it important that a > new, widespread, white, audience gets introduced to the music in the first > place? > Because white people are just as creative potent as black ppl right? Ideas get developed. Mutated. Creation occurs. Music is a collective experience. In some senses, the more the merrier, as long as there is respect (and good taste). Peace J. -- Knecht