Plastikman Live at Mutek Review

[zeitgeist]

I was blown away by the music I heard on Friday night. Richie played for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, and the whole time I kept thinking to myself, this is the best music I've ever heard. It was as if he went back and rethought all of his earlier material in light of everything that's happened on Force, Mille Plateaux, etc., but he kept it firmly rooted in rhythm (rather than venturing off into Vladislav Delay territory). He arranged bits of Consumed on top of Sheet One--no easy feat because the two are very different in tone--and every other combination you can imagine of his material. Except for Closer vocals, which were nowhere to be heard--I think he decided (rightly) that it just didn't fit with the rest of the material. There was plenty of new material, too, but he used it mostly alongside of older material. The highlight of the set for me was the 10-minute-or-so reinterpretation of "Spastik" where he tore apart its classic snare march and then put it back together again. Unbelievable.

Plastikman, to me, has the greatest drum programming of anyone in the world. Some people have grown tired of the 909 or think it's stale, but he keeps it interesting and fresh.

To stop riding Hawtin's cock for a second, I will say I was disappointed in the visuals and the "show" aspect of it all. There was a ton of hype about new technologies, new visuals, and about how you never know what to expect at a Plastikman show, but for me it wasn't that different from anything else--it was only the music that put it on a different level. There were a couple fantastic visuals that really demonstrated what was possible if you connect them directly to the music (as opposed to having a separate visual person trying to match the music): images where one part responded to one kick drum sound, another responded to a different kick, and a third part responded to the hihat. These all-too-brief moments really did open my eyes to a new set of possibilities for visual integration. For the most part, though, it was just Plastikman, almost completely in the dark, and a black background. (I should be clear--I really liked this aesthetic; it was only the fact that there was so much hype about the visuals that left me disappointed.)

Clark Warner seemed to be playing an intentionally boring set to open things up. His set last July in the back room of Arc (during Hawtin's main-room set) blew me away and I'm hoping he brings more of the same to Volume next week instead of what he played on Friday. Andrew Weatherall had the toughest job of all, following Plastikman's set, and I wasn't terribly excited. He did drop "Typerope," but even that sounded a little flat after hearing Mat Jonson's live version in Detroit last week.

To put things in perspective, in the past week I've seen a Mathew Jonson live set that blew me away as well as the UR Timeline live show, and neither of those came close to matching the musik that I heard from Plastikman on Friday. The reaction of the people I talked to afterwards was uniformly positive about the music and fairly mixed about the spectacle, with most people suggesting that part of it was a bit overhyped. Great crowd, though--Mutek is awfully nerdy, and I mean that in a good way: everyone is there because they're nuts about this music, with surprisingly little pretension or other motives.

So......bootlegs, anyone? :D

[Deny Axess]

Good review. Thanx for leaving out the sentimental bullshit. To the point without "riding anyone's cock" for too long! :lol:



I was blown away by the music I heard on Friday night. Richie played for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, and the whole time I kept thinking to myself, this is the best music I've ever heard. It was as if he went back and rethought all of his earlier material in light of everything that's happened on Force, Mille Plateaux, etc., but he kept it firmly rooted in rhythm (rather than venturing off into Vladislav Delay territory). He arranged bits of Consumed on top of Sheet One--no easy feat because the two are very different in tone--and every other combination you can imagine of his material. Except for Closer vocals, which were nowhere to be heard--I think he decided (rightly) that it just didn't fit with the rest of the material. There was plenty of new material, too, but he used it mostly alongside of older material. The highlight of the set for me was the 10-minute-or-so reinterpretation of "Spastik" where he tore apart its classic snare march and then put it back together again. Unbelievable.

Plastikman, to me, has the greatest drum programming of anyone in the world. Some people have grown tired of the 909 or think it's stale, but he keeps it interesting and fresh.

To stop riding Hawtin's cock for a second, I will say I was disappointed in the visuals and the "show" aspect of it all. There was a ton of hype about new technologies, new visuals, and about how you never know what to expect at a Plastikman show, but for me it wasn't that different from anything else--it was only the music that put it on a different level. There were a couple fantastic visuals that really demonstrated what was possible if you connect them directly to the music (as opposed to having a separate visual person trying to match the music): images where one part responded to one kick drum sound, another responded to a different kick, and a third part responded to the hihat. These all-too-brief moments really did open my eyes to a new set of possibilities for visual integration. For the most part, though, it was just Plastikman, almost completely in the dark, and a black background. (I should be clear--I really liked this aesthetic; it was only the fact that there was so much hype about the visuals that left me disappointed.)

Clark Warner seemed to be playing an intentionally boring set to open things up. His set last July in the back room of Arc (during Hawtin's main-room set) blew me away and I'm hoping he brings more of the same to Volume next week instead of what he played on Friday. Andrew Weatherall had the toughest job of all, following Plastikman's set, and I wasn't terribly excited. He did drop "Typerope," but even that sounded a little flat after hearing Mat Jonson's live version in Detroit last week.

To put things in perspective, in the past week I've seen a Mathew Jonson live set that blew me away as well as the UR Timeline live show, and neither of those came close to matching the musik that I heard from Plastikman on Friday. The reaction of the people I talked to afterwards was uniformly positive about the music and fairly mixed about the spectacle, with most people suggesting that part of it was a bit overhyped. Great crowd, though--Mutek is awfully nerdy, and I mean that in a good way: everyone is there because they're nuts about this music, with surprisingly little pretension or other motives.

So......bootlegs, anyone? :D

[TokyoRaver]

Aaargh...I'm kinda interested in this visual technology, I hope he drags it with him to Volume...

[minimalism]

Friday night was one of the greatest musical performances I've ever seen.

I'll write more later, I'm too tired to think

[Maudib]

Yea great review man. Thanks for
sharing..I’m one of those that have kinda
burnt out on all the Hawtin minimal
hype but I’m actually very excited to
catch his return as Plastik man..

As far as the Visuals go I’ve
pretty much heard the same opinion:
Big hype..better music. If you want to
see what can really be done with
sound AND visuals combined as
one during a LIVE performance
check out the Ninja Tunes: VJAM
cats next time they are in town.
Now thooose fuckers make you
realize the potential of the video
sample as a musical rhythm or
beat. Very cool stuff..

Saw the UR time line over here as well
and I agree..educational and nostalgic but
flat and kinda lacking any forward vision.
Still it was great to see legends dig
back. Weatherhall’s one of
my heroes at the moment but
I’ll bet his set must have sounded
a tad bit out of place after
Hawtin. I’ll wait for Sonar
to see what I think. He’s playing
there with Villalobos (Though
I wish he was also doing a
Plastik man set.)

techy nerds rule. :)

\M/

[jmaz]

Great review! I totally agree with you regarding the music...it was truly amazing. I wasn't that craazy about the visuals either, but I was really anticipating the music as opposed the visuals I was hearing so much about. I didn't like the fact that the whole crowd was standing there watching Hawtin and really giving the night a "show" feel. I just got back home so more to come when I snap out of my bubble.

One last thing. Weatherall was SICK!!! :evil:

[Diego]

nice one!

i know they were hyping up the visuals aspect like there's no tomorrow but in the end, it's the music that makes me move. the lights and visuals are just the icing of the cake, IMO.

do we have to wait another 9 years for the next Plastikman live show?

[zeitgeist]

We spotted at least 3 professional-looking videographers filming before the show and on the dance floor, so perhaps there's some hope that this could be released. (Hawtin has to keep up with Mills and get a DVD out there, right? :p) But there was also an interview (MetroMix?) that someone posted here a few months ago where Hawtin said that this would be a one-time-only performance that wouldn't be recorded and those that wanted to see it would have to come to Montreal, so who knows what might happen.

There are some claims over on the Ableton board that the video computer kept crashing, and that's why the screen was black for half the show. No idea if that's the case, though.

I wish Weatherall could have played longer. He was playing some great records, but it was just hard for me to get back into it on the heels of the Plastikman performance. I was just started to feel it again when the place closed, after only about 45 minutes of Weatherall.

[jmaz]

There are some claims over on the Ableton board that the video computer kept crashing, and that's why the screen was black for half the show. No idea if that's the case, though.



As far as I know that was exactly the case. Very unfortunate considering all the time that was put into the show. Either way, if you forget about the visuals, or lack there of, the music was incredible.

[Micromini]

To stop riding Hawtin's cock for a second, I will say I was disappointed in the visuals and the "show" aspect of it all. There was a ton of hype about new technologies, new visuals, and about how you never know what to expect at a Plastikman show, but for me it wasn't that different from anything else--it was only the music that put it on a different level. There were a couple fantastic visuals that really demonstrated what was possible if you connect them directly to the music (as opposed to having a separate visual person trying to match the music): images where one part responded to one kick drum sound, another responded to a different kick, and a third part responded to the hihat. These all-too-brief moments really did open my eyes to a new set of possibilities for visual integration. For the most part, though, it was just Plastikman, almost completely in the dark, and a black background. (I should be clear--I really liked this aesthetic; it was only the fact that there was so much hype about the visuals that left me disappointed.)



I won't be able to claim any objectivity on this one, but I can give some responses and clarifications.

I think everyone agrees that the music was beyond criticism, and proved how much that material holds up over time. Additionally it broke out of the laptop ghetto and showed how creative artists can be when they think expansively about their tools and their music.

The media (video and light) were underdone to some people's taste, considering what we'd said about what we've achieved. Others were glad that it ebbed and flowed. However, you got a glimpse of how much can be done here, and what to look for in the future. Rich went in a completely unscripted, impromptu direction that none of us on the crew were prepared for. Some tracks had video, and he just decided not to play them. Some things he played, and there was no video for them. Not to sound arrogant or unrealistic, but seriously, the hype is totally justified. The system that Rich has for live shows now can create a spectacle unlike any other. Unfortunately, he didn't unleash it that night because some of the final software programming had been done in the hours leading up to curtain time, and because he was improvising, rather than following a script.

No computers crashed, nothing failed, though some of us on the crew looked at each other and wondered. This was Hawtin fucking with everyone, and doing what he felt in the moment. We did prove that this can be done. An artist can play live video and music together, and control lights, sound, etc. the whole experience. There's a whole door that's been opened, and even if Rich didn't kick the hinges off it, you're going to see more of this from him, and when he's perfected it, you'll know.

Thanks to all who came. The crowd on Friday night more than doubled the record for attendance to a Mutek event, and certainly brought a bunch of new faces to one of the most important festivals in North America. I think it's fair to say there's more to come, and more to say when that's been done.

[bassbiznatch]

plastikman's live performance blew my mind.

several times, my jaw dropped to the floor next to my pile of drool as i kept saying *HOLY SHIT*, *OH MY GOD*. at some points, i felt chills up and down my spine, it was that good.


this guy just keeps getting better and better, not only reinventing himself but the standard of music. fucking brilliant. those visuals were so mind boggling, too, i kept following the visuals along with the music, excellent.

good job kevin! im just sad i didnt get to meet you. i want to hug you, you did an awesome job.

GO KEVIN!!!!!!!!!!!


:D

[eVa]

Not all of the comments I've been hearing from ppl are positive. Also I heard that on some other boards ppl have very diff opinions about the show. Any other comments other than "That was the best music I've heard in a long time" ? Just curious - seriously.

[minimalism]

Imagine if Mozart had access to every compositon he'd ever written at the touch of a button or the twist of a knob. Then imagine if he had the ability to mix, delay, filter, and just generally fuck with all of it in real time.

Imagine hearing parts of sheet one, musik, consumed and closer used as source material to create something completely new.

Imagine hearing some of your favorite records of all time in a new way.

close your eyes, shut the fuck up and dance.

Friday night in Montreal I experienced a feeling while dancing that I've only expierienced a few other times. That time unspooling, ego melting, god within shit.

[bsb2002]

so you're saying you liked it?

[Diego]

fucking green w/ envy!

[nworldsound]

ok. I know this thread is ancient, plus I don't want to hate on richie, but feel the need to disagree with the majority here.

I was there. I thought the visuals had some great moments and the music was dated and monotonous, and smothered by too much gear in a bizarrely sci-fi cockpit. Would much rather have seen him just as a DJ, where he can be really brilliant. The high point of the night was Richie's opening DJ, who played a really nice mix of some super-minimal beats and ambient stuff. Pretty amazing to hear that in a club filled w/thousands of people. did a lot for the anticipation.

-Morgan

[Micromini]

I'm glad this thread came back. It's perfect timing.


We've just posted videos, pics and an interview with Rich about the show on Plastikman.com.

If you follow the link to "live" (natch) you'll see the interview, embedded in each answer are videos and pictures from the show.

What happened that night was a beginning. You'll see.




:)