Plus 8 Records Ltd.
Profile:
Plus 8 (also spelled as Plus8, without the space) is a Canadian techno record label, based in Windsor, Ontario and founded in May 1990 by DJs Richie Hawtin and John Acquaviva. Initial releases were by the pair themselves and their friends using aliases such as States of Mind and Cybersonik, along with other Detroit-based musicians such as Kenny Larkin. Plus 8 was, along with Underground Resistance and Planet E, one of the vanguards of Detroit Techno's 'Second Wave', capitalising on the vacuum left by labels such as KMS, Metroplex and Transmat at the start of the 1990s.
Plus 8's initial releases were a series of increasingly faster industrial hardcore recordings. The label began to retreat from hard and fast tempo after the release of Circuit Breaker's "Overkill/Frenz-E" and Cybersonik"s "Thrash" in 1992. Hawtin and Aquaviva became disenchanted with the drug fueled dynamic and rave culture that was driving hardcore techno. The label's total departure from hardcore came in 1992 when Hawtin and Aquaviva found themselves in a club in Rotterdam, Holland. The club DJ was playing one of Plus 8's records, a 150bpm version of Cybersonik's "Thrash" and the crowd began to chant along to the song. It soon became apparent that the chant was an anti-semitic football chant. The pair decided to change musical direction by slowing down the tempo and bringing funk and soul back into their music.
Important releases include early 12 inch singles from Speedy J, and Richie Hawtin's many pseudonyms including F.U.S.E. and Plastikman. The label was suspended in 1997 as Acquaviva concentrated on DJing and Hawtin on his new label, M nus, but releases (and re-releases of early material often licensed to other labels) have appeared from time to time, notably 2000's Plus 8 Classics triple 12 inch vinyl and CD retrospective.
PLUS8012 was released as T-Shirt.
PLUS8016 is a 12" release without analogue storaged sound (zero-channel record).
PLUS8018 was released as Condom in 5 different Colors.
PLUS8027 was released as T-Shirt.
PLUS8034 was released as Mug.
PLUS8037 was released as an Artwork Print by Matthew Hawtin, titled "Network". Released in 1994 and limited to 100 numbered Copies.
PLUS8048 was released as an Artwork Print by Matthew Hawtin, titled "Blue Neuron". Released in 1994 and limited to 100 numbered Copies.
PLUS8060 was released as a Mousepad with the Bat-Logo.
PLUS8073 was released as a Mousepad with the New-Logo.
PLU01LOGB06 was released as T-Shirt.
Plus 8's initial releases were a series of increasingly faster industrial hardcore recordings. The label began to retreat from hard and fast tempo after the release of Circuit Breaker's "Overkill/Frenz-E" and Cybersonik"s "Thrash" in 1992. Hawtin and Aquaviva became disenchanted with the drug fueled dynamic and rave culture that was driving hardcore techno. The label's total departure from hardcore came in 1992 when Hawtin and Aquaviva found themselves in a club in Rotterdam, Holland. The club DJ was playing one of Plus 8's records, a 150bpm version of Cybersonik's "Thrash" and the crowd began to chant along to the song. It soon became apparent that the chant was an anti-semitic football chant. The pair decided to change musical direction by slowing down the tempo and bringing funk and soul back into their music.
Important releases include early 12 inch singles from Speedy J, and Richie Hawtin's many pseudonyms including F.U.S.E. and Plastikman. The label was suspended in 1997 as Acquaviva concentrated on DJing and Hawtin on his new label, M nus, but releases (and re-releases of early material often licensed to other labels) have appeared from time to time, notably 2000's Plus 8 Classics triple 12 inch vinyl and CD retrospective.
PLUS8012 was released as T-Shirt.
PLUS8016 is a 12" release without analogue storaged sound (zero-channel record).
PLUS8018 was released as Condom in 5 different Colors.
PLUS8027 was released as T-Shirt.
PLUS8034 was released as Mug.
PLUS8037 was released as an Artwork Print by Matthew Hawtin, titled "Network". Released in 1994 and limited to 100 numbered Copies.
PLUS8048 was released as an Artwork Print by Matthew Hawtin, titled "Blue Neuron". Released in 1994 and limited to 100 numbered Copies.
PLUS8060 was released as a Mousepad with the Bat-Logo.
PLUS8073 was released as a Mousepad with the New-Logo.
PLU01LOGB06 was released as T-Shirt.
Sublabels:
Contact Info:
Plus 8 Records Ltd.
731 Walker Road
Windsor (Ontario)
n8y 2n2 Canada
Tel.: +1 519 258 1331
Fax: +1 519 258 6248
E-Mail: x@plus8.com
731 Walker Road
Windsor (Ontario)
n8y 2n2 Canada
Tel.: +1 519 258 1331
Fax: +1 519 258 6248
E-Mail: x@plus8.com
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Reviews & Discussion
Despite the fact that Plus 8 has had a limited number of releases in the past several years, records on Plus 8 continue to be at the top of my personal Top 10 List. I was blown away the first time I heard Plastikman's "Spastik". After feeling the intensity of that track I was inspired to buy some turntables and start mixing techno. I had the same feeling recently when I listened to Adam Beyer's "A Walking Contradiction" which prompted me to write this message.
Plus 8, major techno label with not only music releases in their catalogue. the missing cat-no´s always are very special, strictly limited and prettey funny gimmicks. For example: I have a mousepad for with the cat.no PLUS8073. But there are a lot more of this releases like a cup, a condom ... Great Idea and definitely collectors most wanted releases.
From the very start, Richie, John and Dan were quite supportive of our small but growing scene on the East Coast. Cybersonic, Psyance, Final Exposure and Kenny Larkin's first releases all are classic underground moments during the birth of the U.S. rave scene from 1990 on. Along with Plus 8 and their sub label Probe, Richie Hawtin and Dan Bell became the ones that made techno exciting on all fronts. There was the strictly for the headstrong sounds of 'Circuit Breaker', Trac-X and Trac-L records which were just drum experiments, hard, gritty and unmatched in weirdness. Spiritual High which had Trance roots. The LFO vs. Fuse project which just took opposite ends of hard techno and house to create a fusion that still after 12 years works. As a DJ who worked 4-6 gigs a week during the mid-nineties, "Spastik" by Plastikman will be my most memorable moment in my history. A record that was way to advanced to explain in words. Richie went beyond the call of duty on that creation. A history that has marked and celebrated techno in its finest moment. Plus 8.
Plus 8 definitely shaped how a lot of Americans preferred their techno and perhaps single-handedly made the Roland TR 909 a success (post-mortem), in the days of its release it was ridiculed in the music-instrument press as sounding "bunk"! I believe this label was also very largely responsible for the success of the Roland TB 303. Whatever your tastes, you've got to admit - they are unique sounding. I wasn't particularly moved as such by this label, but I was a fan of whatever Richie Hawtin material I heard - because his music possessed that rare quality of uniqueness. Were it not for Richie, I may have been like a lot of other drummers in the late '80s & early '90s who hated "machine music". But as it were, the more "mechanized", the better! Richie had that quality. But I lost touch in the later '90s when Richie got a little too self-involved and started making what I perceived to be silly music. Or was it music? It was just scattered blips and gurgles - I couldn't dig it as much as the earlier stuff. As stated earlier, this label didn't flip my lid, I was into NovaMute about 1993, but I did enjoy the Richie Hawtin releases at this time. But I wasn't a "DJ", and therefore wasn't at the shop every week checking out all the latest Plus 8 releases. If I were into it, however, I'm almost certain I would've liked just about all of it! I was too busy buying up old analog synths to be buying up dozens of records every week. Any way you slice it, Plus 8 was a phenomenal label in its heyday. As for now - well, honestly I haven't heard enough to really judge. Techno as a whole has gone down in quality, and I'm sure I'd ruin the fun for all if I heard the new stuff and complained about it. I'll just be happy knowing that Plus 8 was once the trendsetter for innovation! All the vintage stuff I have is KILLER!