When the Second Wave of Detroit hit in the mid-’90s, the English-born, Canadian-domiciled Richie Hawtin was at its cusp.
His emergence dovetailed with Norman Cook’s evolution from mopey indie bass-player into Acid Rave Godhead.
“Yeah, we go way back,” Cook notes. “Richie does what he does so well and has never once compromised himself artistically. He just gets on with it, whilst always pushing the boundaries music and technology-wise.
“Me being a party DJ and him a lot more serious and deeper, we tend not to be on at the same time, which is why I get to see him so much. I’ll finish and then catch Richie’s after-hours thing where he takes it to a different place.”
Those sentiments are echoed by Matador, the Irish techno-fiend who’s joining Hawtin and Cook at Kilmainham.
“I first heard Richie’s stuff in DJ sets, and on Dave Clarke’s World Service compilations,” he recalls. “That was my starting point in terms of exploring the techno genre seriously.”
Fandom turned into friendship when Matador shared a DJ booth with Hawtin.
“I’d given myself a year to make my music career work, and I was three weeks before the end of the deadline, when I supported Rich in Dublin. It changed everything. Right to this day, we speak once a week and he’s become a good friend and mentor. He’s one of those people where you can’t help but have respect for what they do.”
Matador has seen first-hand just what a heavy-hitter Hawtin is.
“Rich is a serious industry player and has invested a lot in me and shown a lot of faith,” he ventures. “So what can you do but thank the dude for all he’s done. We’ve a good working relationship and I only put music out on his Minus label. I’m committed to them and I wouldn’t really want to be with anyone else.”