Richie Hawtin ‎– Decks, EFX & 909

Decks, EFX & 909 is the next step for Richie Hawtin after his Mixmag live album from 1995 and the increasing minimalism of his subsequent Plastikman material (the Consumed LP). Hawtin displays not only his talents as a mixer but also as a producer, using turntables, an effects processor, and a Roland pedal, plus a TR-909 drum machine for added beats. An extension of his live sets (though not entirely recorded live), the album employs a degree of improvisation rarely heard on mix albums. Cycling through 38 tracks in just over an hour, Hawtin ranges through driving, minimalist techno with inclusions from Richard Harvey, Jeff Mills, Surgeon, Pacou, Heiko Laux, Vladislav Delay, Maurizio, Rhythm & Sound, Marco Carola, and a few of his own tracks. The result of Hawtin's obvious labor of love is a mix album that manages to be simultaneously intense and moody, pummeling yet restrained. The beats are clipped and precise, rarely deviating from a 120 BPM pace. Though fans might resent the fact that it wasn't recorded live, Decks, EFX & 909 simply couldn't have been done well in a live setting -- at times, Hawtin has four records spinning at once, and the layers of sound he adds to the show make this album a highly effective techno statement. Another devastating release from North America's most effective dancefloor experimentalist.

The vinyl version of "Decks" which has three excerpts of the mix is all I need anymore. I got the cd right when it came out when I was 15 and it propelled me even further into techno than I was before and opened my ears to alot of other artists (like Nitzer Ebb for one). But the 12 inch has a 5:45mins excerpt where Richie mixes all of his "Orange" version into Nitzer Ebb's "Let Your Body Learn" creating an amazing remix/mash-up of the tracks that's better than any of the originals. It'd be great in a club, or for instance as much as I love Nitzer Ebb, the version here with the "Oranges" is better than the original, and here it's one concise track.

Of all Richie's dj mixes, this one is the most accurate reflection of Rich in full dancefloor mode. Most of his mixes are more of a reflection of something more suitable for something away from the dancefloor (yet equally funky) but for the number of times I've seen Rich play, this is the perfect reflection for how he can mix up a box of records and to that end, comparing this to my live experiences of seeing him do what he does best, this is the perfect time capsule to commemorate what Rich was like before he took dj'ing to a whole other realm. Whether it is for better or worse is a whole other debate.

This mix cd, when released, was definitely ahead of the game. The concept Richie Hawtin came up with was something no one even thought about doing.
As far as the music goes Richie goes through the whole techno spectrum. Starting off with loop based techno, then funky, tribal techno, some detroit(jeff mills), industrial(nitzer ebb) and ending with some dubby minimal techno(maurizio). All the while the mixing is exactly what techno is all about: using records to create your own music. Some highlights are the beginning of the cd which starts off with a basic loop based track (grain) which then gets layered with a driving funky treatment(g flame& mr. g) and finally layered in with good old sample based tribal funk(user). All throughout the cd you also get awesome efx like echoes, which increases the intensity during breakdowns. The standout mix to me personally is when Richie mixes all the versions of his own minus orange with Nitzer Ebb's "Let Your Body Learn". It goes perfectly with the Nitzer Ebb classic.
In conclusion if you're into Techno the way it should be mixed, this is a must have in your cd collection.