This is a great doc, but the best part is the absolutely priceless footage of Jeff Mills spinning at 15:30

For those who have posted below about how he didn't pioneer anything, let me give you a few simple concepts: Les Paul was one of the creators of the electric guitar. But much later, folks like Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Thurston Moore, and many others, pioneered new applications, techniques, sounds, and compositional structures. Does this make them less "pioneering" than Les Paul? No. there are many different ways a musician can contribute to the history of music. Invention/innovation is a continuous stream of events going back thousands of years, and many, many "pioneers" contribute to that stream of innovation. Hawtin made several notable contributions to electronic music. One of these of highest notoriety was the combination of abstract minimalism and dance music. His particular compositions were alien at the time, even to other electronic musicians of the 80s who had done pioneering work. In particular, a very small subset of musicinas did "serious electronic art" while at the same time having these tracks appear at dance clubs. Very few people of that era created such crossovers as well as he did. Some of his compositions have coined whole subgenres of electronic composition. The most similar kinds of contributions at the time when Hawtin got big were being made by these other big names: Richard D James (Aphex Twin), Sven Vath, Josh Wink, the Orb, Orbital, Underworld, System 7, Autechre, and Moby... a few others as well, but... a very short list of bigtime crossover artists that were coining new subgenres with each major track release and at the same time being "high art". Green Velvet, BT, Goldie, King Britt, and Paul Van Dyk are other examples of people who continued this "danceable high art" exploration process right after that initial peer group. Again, only a small number of super artists were actually attempting to do this high art process. Most other superstars were either catering to brief fads or focusing on pop music pioneering, and on pushing the limits on live shows: Sasha, the Prodigy, Armand Van Helden, Tiesto, Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, etc. Of course, electronic pioneers can be found in EVERY DECADE. Before Hawtin was the Belleville 3 who started Detroit techno, for example. other prior periods featured innovations by Front 242, or Kraftwerk, or Tangerine Dream, and so on and so forth. Its a continuous stream of pioneer cliques every few years. In short, PLastikman/Hawtin was part of a pioneering sub-clique of high art-oriented electronic artists, and no dumbass KZfaq comments by random people who don't understand the ongoing innovation proicess. could ever diminish their contributions.

Just realized - he has one of the coolest parents! Mom selling tickets at his parties and dad knowing a lot of electronics and helping his son.

The Master!! Richie Hawtin was born to create and inspire not only the scene but Techno itself. Excellent film on pioneers of Techno!!.

I love how much his family supported him..never knew how important his Dad was to his music..great doc..thank you, I enjoyed it very much.

Richie's dad strikes me as a guy that must have been phenomenal at his career. He obviously does what he loves for a living being a engineer. I mean he's obviously got a natural aptitude for electronics....and he loves it. Lucky ppl in that family. It seems like all of them do what they love for a living.

This was an awesome documentary! Ritchie and his fellow creatives did what they loved! He created out of the passion for music and sound, not for the money. I cheered him on thru out his journey! God bless him, his family and all the creatives!

I have plastikman slip mats on my 1200's still.

I can relate to him as an introverted, creative nerd that loves bangin music and wants to bring that joy to other people in live performance. a sincere and dedicated artist who makes great tracks, props to richie

Also love the way he went from extrovert to then introvert and then kind of reverted back....I find that empowering!

Very inspirational for all of us old timers who have been following Richie since the beginning. Love to see that there is life after 35! I guess its just in Berlin!

Never realized he was born in Banbury , England and I've been into his music since the early 90s! I'm from Buckinghamshire so had my mind blown!! Great docu and what a super cool mum, dad and brother!!! ;)

Listening to spastik for the first time in the early 90's while tripping on get a fix and dropping a white mitsubishi.

how can someone press dislike button after seing this music legend and man who changed the world of sound ?!?!?!! shame on you. richie legend ;))

OMG that is so inspiring!! He's my new hero!! Thanks Richie💕💕

One of the better docs I have seen on the movement, a real testimony to all those involved.

Jeff Mills spinning hard tech in what looks like "slightly altered" states is fuckin priceless. But the most important thing here is recognizing how further ahead Detroit was in the early 90s. I was heavily influenced by Mills, he actually is the only "mainstream" dj i looked up to, as techno tribes were what I really liked, such as OQP, Facom, Olstad etc.. which says a lot really if you know what I'm talking about, as they were true underground pirates. I ended up playing uderground parties from around '95 to '05, ending with a great record set full of Cluster, Pounding Grooves, Techno Slut and all the amazing English hard tech from the new millennium era. Great times 🏴‍☠️

this was such an enjoyable documentary to watch. thank you!

Thaks for this! Richie&Sven are Legends!

This is a oddly inspiring documentary for me. It was a part of my early journey in discovering and appreciating electronic music, but now I watch it as almost a comfort thing :p Idk what it is honestly, means a lot to me. Richie has been an icon for years, and an inspiration to me since I started making music. Also we’re both Canadian lmao

I never really connected to his music that much threw the years, but that doesn't mean I did recognize how well its done. All my friends had his records, slipmats, or stickers. I've listed to a lot of it and even heard him spin a few times back in the abandoned venue days. Never the less I enjoyed his story very much. This documentary explains it well. I can totally relate to feeling like an outsider, and remember them nights at the Shelter. That booth in the basement man...lol Glad to of caught this video!

oh my God this is documentary movie is brilliant. it's made with love for Richie, i feel it

A talented pioneering artist with an amazing supportive family.

My full respect to Richie Hawtin! A real music master! Open for experimenting with sounds and rhythms! And living in Berlin! A city where I want to go in the future!

Wow. What a great doco. Love the footage from late 80s Detroit. Magic.

Nobody owns electronic music and that is what makes it so special. Unfortunately, the society and music industry in the US never really helped this kind of music take off the way it did in Europe. And part of that is due to the origin of electronic music in Europe plus the love of overseas American genres. So technically Detroit was at a disadvantage marketing an promotion wise as Europe became the most popular outlet for this kind of music. Lets not forget the electronic funk era that came before that as well. Outside a brief period in the late 80s and early 90s were many house DJs had gigs in on radio stations various cities across the US, there never was a sustained popularity for this music in the country like there was in Europe. And that follows what happened with Disco and even Rock and Roll which while popular in the US also exploded in Europe as well. But new disco, soul, funk and R&B are all but dead on the airwaves in the US today outside of songs made over 20 years ago.

Wow. This is absolutely incredible documentarian work on a subject that many people cherish but can't find enough of. This blew me away- thank you!

RESPECT FOR RICHIE AND HIS MUSIC

This is surely an amazing documentary...it shows so much about Detroit and Techno pioneer's as well !! Great

First time I had even heard of Richie Hawtin, and heard his music, was when I was browsing through a handful of CDs a friend of mine gave me, one of the CDs happened to be the album Closer by Plastikman, I was intrigued by the album cover so I decided to give it a listen, and I found I really liked it, I must get myself another copy of it.

A Legend in Germany💪🏼

Thank you! This was great! I'm from the Netherlands and I have familiy near Windsor / London, Ontario! Now I'm not a technofreak - I'm the opposite of minimal - but I am an electronic producer and dj who is a bachelor in IT, so this reminds me of my own life.

Great doc wish i would of see it 12 years ago 😁

What a great documentary. Richie Hawtin is definitely an inspiration in so many ways. Glad to hear he is finding time to work on a new album - this is all good news. Thanks for sharing! :)

What a great interview, humanises a guy who's shipped from Club to Club like so many of them. We all know he's proper but great stuff 👍✌️👍✌️

Richie has the coolest dad.✌🏾

This dude had the emo sweep in the 80s - genius! lol

This the second time I watch this.I plan to go to Berlin this year and I hope to meet him over there!

very very good amazing and still and much a big part of the Techno scene with live shows A master legend

Watching this in 2020 makes it even more interesting.

Oh that analog vibe from 2:50!I could listen that till my funeral...

I bought my first plastikman record at dr disc in windsor while on a school trip to a national competition in detroit. part of the group were in detroit and weren't allowed out of the hotel, but those of us in windsor could freely wander in windsor. Kowalski is probably the reason I discovered plastikman.

Man, when I heard Plastic Man first time I was blown away and I still play it once a while 30 years later. my buddies and I always made music which started with an Amiga (even C64 before) and then additional MIDI devices joined in but always dreamed about 303 and 808/909 but these were very hard to get back then (early 1990) but I cannot believe how close all of this was happening because I’m from London as well! Great documentary! Greetings from Canada! Ps: Just imagine if we had what’s available now, you can get several 303 clones with midi for a fraction of how much the original 303 was just few years ago. I build my XOXBOX 15 years ago and this is probably the only synth I wish I kept, well JP-8080 I wish I kept as well...

Truly an Artist as a whole

Thank you for this great documentary! I watched this movie today morning in my bed and it was very interesting. I'm from Germany and I really was surprised to see him learning the german language at the Goethe Institut! Wow!

Awesome! inspiring! One of the best!

Dope documentary no wonder I love him 🙌🙌🙌

I love that he loves Germany as much as I do

one of the best docos i have ever seen!!!

Cracking documentary the man is a legend

As a new electronic music producer this was a very interesting documentary. Thanks!

From this era, scene 100% just hit the 27min mark, I remember Ritchie being Ritchie Rich for a min, and the first time I've seen it on vid. 🙌 this documentary is dooe, when it started and Amir was on camera, I haven't seen amir in 30yrs but, was like, "that's amir" haha!

i remember a friend of mine had a set of vinyl w/ analog loops by richie hawtin. best grooves ever!!

15:35 Jeff Mills,throws records around. Organised chaos.

Glad to live in Belgium born 1980 and experienced everything which is now history, from (acid hard) house to techno to hard tek to trance. We are fortunate to be part of this as country. And still going strong (f*** dimi Vegas ànd like mike) I went once to Tomorrowland in 2009 and u càn fînd solid music, just avoid main stage, lol

Pioneers of electronic music...two words: Vince Clark.

@myoldreteacher Don´t forget that this documentary is from 2006

Truly inspiring. Much more respect for the man now than before.

Last time I saw him was august 2005. Belgrade, Serbia

...amazing work! Superb documentary! Thank you!

Ritchie wow! So long time ago you began! 👍

We have to say that he has been lucky in having all that expensive machines, in the '80s, as a young guy. Said this, long life to Richie.

I start watching the video at any point and I always watch it till the end!!! Love it!

Didnt realise he was from Banbury! I am from Northamptonshire too

overkill is still such a perfect track after all these years.

I wonder if Richie's dad knows how amazed I was by his live plastikman set down in lonely old Melbourne Australia

Great documentary about this legend. Remember is COLOMBIA , not Columbia.

wicked doco. He makes music for the future

This is really cool. I just recently got into electronic music starting from the 2009 dubstep scene to the new electro sound mainly american stuff but i was always interested in daft punk but this is actually really cool. Im a bedroom DJ kid and i love learning new things like this. I also watched the Limelite documentary. New inspiration right here!

Wow this is awesome! Thanks

Thank you! This documentary just blow my mind!

Some great 90's nostalgia here thankyou.

Got even more respect for this guy now!

Thank you Richie!

Very Inspirational. It just started my newest album.

That album fuse one of the best ever electronic albums early 90s

Oh man: 15:50 having serious Detroit flashbacks :D

Took Techno to a new level.

Genio de la Buena Music love RICHIE HAWTIN, Vive el Techno

I know there is someone out there who can provide us with the names of every song played in this documentary. Please, the internet is up for grabs today and you have the opportunity to win it.

Saw Richie play on his Birthday at Pacha with Danny Tenaglia .... Absolute jaw dropping set

7:30 I thought only I did that. That’s another great thing about vintage electronics is when they’re on the floor the hand controls become foot controls

never really heard of him before watching this .very interesting :)

Always been a big fan ever since I was a kid buying his records. From My Mind To Yours was a deliberately retro exercise, and also suffered a bit from lack of editing, I think - either he used to self-edit very ruthlessly in the 1990s, or someone back at Plus8 used to tell him when enough was enough, but I felt like there were a few too many tracks, and most of them were a few too many minutes long.

Sheet one is still on of my albums

Wow. Memories. I remember when sheet one was released and people were cutting up the cassette cover and selling it as real acid in the D. Took a couple myself in hopes. Love DETROIT.

detroit dj's left us for big europe money in steps ritchie...THANK YOU

the min_s label is what you hear u can hear his influence all over the place... i've recently attended one of his shows in the summer and cant wait for the next.Richie's vibe is simply amazing a destinguishable (not sure if this word exists)

insane. i love watching the roots of techno and house take place!

Great documentary, I have really no idea where Richie currently resides. Anyone? Oh he definitely looks better with longer hair. Love the music, great artist.

A LEGEND IN HIS OWN RIGHT>>>WHT A JOURNEY>>>

Really enjoyed this doc. I was into plus 8 from the early days , but kind of lost interest as the 90's moved on, but this doc brought home just how interesting and progessive the label was. I think the interviews with Derrick May articulates the socio-political angle of a white kid from Windsor landing in the detroit techno scene very well

Derrick May..last Dj I danced to in Brooklyn before the lockdown. Was amazing.

Ritchie Hawtin aka Plastikman Is the Number One of the Techno music in the world !!!

Listening to these everyday :)

I think i heard his name, but shit was way beyond by the time he rolled up on the scene, shit had well evolved, a different Richard writ the way and his name was Richard David James and he is the footsteps that everyone follows, a true genius....

One of the pioneers of the most prevalent and influental techno sound: worth noting. There are more "important" people, sure, but who are you to decide worth noting and who isn't? Clearly people are interested in him.

Richie Hawtinnnnnnnnn 🤟🤟

If Daniel miller says you’re a pioneer, you’re a pioneer...

Goob job, Richie! So inspiring.