Richie Hawtin needs no introduction but his new Ibizan night ENTER perhaps does. Here, Defected’s Ben Lovett speaks to the man behind one of the most revolutionary new nights on the island.
Richie Hawtin announced his ENTER. project back in May, promising a highly unique, multi-layered fusion of future music, technological theatre and good old-fashioned sake. The news reflected Ibiza’s evolution from formulaic foam parties in the most decisive possible way.
“We have a real opportunity here to introduce people to the wider sounds and concepts of electronic music” Hawtin explains, by long-distance phone call. “ENTER. brings together music, people, technology, culture and ideas from all over the world in a way Ibiza has never seen before. It’s unlike anything else on the island.”
ENTER. very nearly didn’t happen. So the story goes Hawtin was discussing a regular gig with Space but going nowhere fast. He wanted to avoid clashing with those well-established weekly parties hosted by Carl Cox, Sven Vath and Luciano but position himself in the buzzy weekend run-up. Thursdays seemed like the best bet before Hawtin suddenly remembered about Cream at Amnesia, and another fatal clash….
That was last summer. Skip forward a few months to December when Hawtin was strolling across Space’s empty Discoteca dancefloor on an off-peak visit and things suddenly fell into place. Within minutes he had imagined intimate bar spaces, cool AV installations and an enterprising musical line-up – his bold framework for a different kind of Balearic night. Hawtin started to think seriously about putting ENTER. together.
Today, ENTER. is six weeks old. And Thursday nights are its anchor after all; the same night as Cream and Jamie Jones’ new Paradise night at DC-10. Judging by forum chatter and on-site media comment Hawtin is more than holding his own. To which he passionately agrees: “ENTER. has been absolutely incredible so far and, really, I couldn’t be happier. All of our events have been totally incredible, not forgetting the crowd and my team. After six shows there are already so many memorable moments and experiences, and a lot more to come.”
ENTER. sprawls across all five of Space Ibiza’s key spaces. The largest space, Discoteca, hosts the main ENTER. line-up, a fizzing mixture of techno and tech-house’s finest club performers – Hawtin is, as has been the case for most of his illustrious career, pushing 4-4 to the absolute limit alongside similarly-minded guests including Ben Klock, Sven Vath, Josh Wink and violently experimental singer-songwriter Grimes.
That frontier-spirit is maintained throughout the rest of the building, and above it. Space’s converted rooftop is home to ENTER.Air and expansive (befitting the location) sets from the likes of Francois K, Global Communication and Richie’s visual artist brother Matthew. ENTER has also embraced Space’s existing Thursday night party Kehakuma on the Main Terrace, driving forward fiercely underground flow from Heidi, Nina Kraviz, Martin Buttrich, Maya Jane Coles and weekly resident Magda, a long-term Hawtin confidante. And then there’s ENTER.Sake, an official pre-party positioned, rather originally, within Space’s tiny El Salon backroom. Early bird guests are transported to a chic Japanese reception juxtaposing traditional Sake mixologists with deep, futuristic sound-sculpting by Carl Craig, Dubfire and a number of ENTER.’s headliners.
The musical scope is sheer. “We’re trying to bring together a unique group of electronic music friends who are all at the top of their game” Hawtin explains. “The energy and excitement created when we all gather together is truly infectious and demonstrates just how rich the world of electronic music has become. Every artist brings something unique each week.”
Canadian maverick Grimes definitely spring to mind. “She brings together many different influences, creating her own unique interpretation of what electronic music can be” he suggests. “Her live show is coming up next week [August 23], her only scheduled Ibiza show this summer. It’s amazing… something that needs to be experienced physically and therefore makes total sense within the ENTER. environment.”
An environment also paying huge attention to technology. Hawtin’s music, particularly his musical performance, has always meshed tech and sound tightly together. One thinks of his recent global ‘live’ shows as alter-ego Plastikman; concerts where audio, lighting, visuals and real-time audience interaction (via exclusive smartphone app SYNK) were all thrillingly controlled by the artist. Hawtin’s 10th anniversary Minus tour in 2008, dubbed CONTAKT, also offered high concept. Each gig showcased The Cube, a pulsing LED installation able to connect with Minus fans by micro-chipped membership card and offer various exclusive downloads, prizes and in-club social networks. In Hawtin’s words The Cube allowed clubbers to “direct… thoughts, collect and share ideas, transcend language and interconnect musically in ways previously not possible.”
So where does ENTER. fit in with such lofty cultural ambitions? Each room within Space has been touched by technology and transformed to offer live internet feeds of sensory content, as well as striking screen and light-based visualizations of sound. Space’s Sunset Terrace, ENTER.Interakt, becomes innovative exhibition, blending sweeps of ambient music, suspended ceiling props and interactive projection – where bespoke animations walk alongside you – to fully immersive effect. Over in the Discoteca, ENTER.’s biggest names provide nerve-rearranging house and tech under a canopy of specially- programmed light discs and displays. There are discs on the walls too - their powerful strobe-like operation disconnecting revellers even more drastically from humdrum reality. ENTER really is seeking to provide a club environment like no other.
“Ibiza is the perfect place to further explore my event concepts” Hawtin suggests, “concepts that have been developing since the early Warehouse parties I threw in Detroit in the late Eighties and early Nineties; not just the more recent activity with CONTAKT and Plastikman. I hope that by combining many different elements together I can heighten the audience’s experience. So far we seem to be achieving this. It’s been incredible.”
Sake is Hawtin’s other key ingredient. Hawtin has oft been described as obsessed with Japanese culture and it is well documented that he has been training, where DJ commitments allow, as a sake sommelier. He is strongly inspired, he says, by the similarities between the sake community and the electronic music scene: “The sake industry is very like our scene, a small, independent tight-knit community filled with creative people trusting their intuition and following their feelings to produce something truly unique. These are mostly family-run businesses. I felt connected to the idea of people continuing this tradition… there was something that really brought me back to why I first got involved in music… starting my own label and bringing artists together.”
ENTER.Sake serves premium Japanese sake, a Hawtin hand-selected menu of sake cocktails prepared by renowned Barcelona cocktail bar 41° and from midnight, after the weekly pre-party, eclectic Japanese electronica courtesy of native spinner DJ Hito. The injection of history and heritage into ENTER.’s forward-thinking set-up is there to augment rather than contradict. Clubbers and commentators aren’t disagreeing.
Nor for that matter is Magda who, like Hawtin, sees the magic of the past in ENTER.’s, and Ibiza’s bright future: “I feel like it’s definitely an exciting time on the island because so many people are doing their own night and it reminds me of the old days when everyone came together.”
Polish-born Magda first met Brit-born Hawtin in late Nineties Detroit, where both grew up on the same dynamic techno. Magda joined Minus in 1998 and became his main on-tour opener; their association and her sound rapidly developed. “Richie is very involved with ENTER.” she confirms. “He even walks round pouring sake for guests. I see how passionate he is about this project, he puts 100% into every aspect of the night. I like ENTER. because of its simple promotion. It’s not over-the-top Ibiza-style, and leaves a bit more to the imagination. The line-ups are interesting as well, especially with some of the more experimental artists playing upstairs. It’s a nice balance between all rooms.”
Following 2010 debut album From The Fallen Page, and her subsequent official departure from Minus in order to set-up successful imprint-of-her-own Items & Things, Magda has established massive solo profile. Nonetheless, she remains close to Hawtin and Minus; a prosperous family which also includes Paco Osuna, Heartthrob and Matador. All are sharing responsibility for ENTER this summer.
“I’m really looking forward to the next few weeks at Space” Magda enthuses. “It’s going really well so far! I’m pretty impressed with the consistent turnout each week, and I especially love the pre-party at the sake bar. It feels like a separate small club where you can play anything. ENTER. is getting better and better.”
Hawtin and team remain focused on serving out the rest of their Ibizan summer strongly. But the night’s initial impact has already crystallized plans for expansion. “We’ve still got some major moments to come this summer, like Grimes and a special Minus Versus… party next month [September 13]” he stresses. “But, yes, we have some exciting plans to announce soon, which include taking the full ENTER. interactive experience on tour.” And one would hope back to Ibiza next year.
ENTER. has done exactly that….
Words: Ben Lovett
For info on ENTER visit http://enter.m-nus.com/
