Foundational electronic music artist Richie Hawtin, aka Plastikman, announces the ‘From Our Minds – To Be Announced’ 2023 tour, the next evolutionary step in his lifelong commitment supporting the development of the electronic music scene.
On March 10th, this unique eight-date tour will begin in the birthplace of techno, Detroit, and come to a series of North American warehouses. With a mission to develop and increase awareness of the younger generation, the tour showcases a diverse group of North American underground artists moving the ideals of ’90s techno forward in their own unique ways.
The ‘From Our Minds – To Be Announced Tour‘ evolves from Hawtin‘s CNTRL tours in 2012 & 2015, when, as EDM was booming across the US, Hawtin toured American college cities by bus, giving a series of performances, lectures and workshops, aimed at educating a new generation of electronic music enthusiasts on the sound and origins of techno music.
Today, as techno becomes increasingly popular and commercialized, Hawtin, is once again seeking to provide context and nurture the underground, playing intimate warehouse shows with independent promoters, while highlighting a new generation of artists and celebrating the collaborative and cross-generational nature of techno.
This tour will mark the North American debut of ‘From Our Minds‘, which takes its slogan and ethos from Hawtin‘s ’90s label imprint Plus 8 and its ‘From Our Minds To Yours‘ slogan, connecting back to the early days of techno. The tour has been developed with Canada-based Genova Agency founded by artists Barbosa, Decoder, and Garrett Finn (aka Rhyot).
From Our Minds presents a fascinating insight into where Richie is channeling his creative energy. Initially discovering the tour’s rising techno talents via their demos and playing their music out live over the past two years, he turned his sights towards finding a way to provide them with the platform to grow and reach new audiences.
The artists picked by Hawtin to join this tour span the vastness of North America, from Canada to Detroit, to New York and across the South West, representing scenes beyond the traditional major cities. Label owners, visual artists, producers and DJs, these are artists that Richie believes are helping push the techno scene and sound forward in innovative new ways. The tour marks the first time they will unite together under one billing.
“Since starting my first label +8 in 1990, it’s always been important for me to help nurture, develop and promote new like-minded artists. Today with the ever-growing popularity and globalization of Techno, it’s critical to collaborate with the next generation, learning from one another and pushing forward together with open-minded curiosity.” – Richie Hawtin
Highlighting Richie‘s home country is the Canadian artist Barbosa, owner of the Heist Mode label and infamous for blurring the lines between hypnosis and brutality in his music. Out of New York is producer & DJ, Jay York, who runs the vinyl label TOCA Records with DJ and producer Decoder. Decoder, a Dallas based music producer and DJ who specializes in the realm of sci-fi & deep techno. Also from Texas comes Declan James, whose notorious experimental, genre-bending qualities have been described by Resident Advisor as “futuristic and transfixing”. Declan will also be playing b2b sets across the tour with Decoder as their side project “Frame.”
SF-born, Phoenix-based, Lindsey Herbert first encountered techno as an EDM fan on the CNTRL tour, and has been a champion of the sound in the South West ever since. Her journey now comes full circle, playing her alternating soundscapes that straddle the dark, deep and psychedelic alongside Hawtin. She’s joined by Octopus Recordings artist Michelle Sparks, another DJ that has been instrumental to the growth of the currently burgeoning underground rave scene in the South West.
Emerging from Detroit, Henry Brooks is penning a new blueprint for dark dancefloors everywhere. regularly draws parallels between the flow-like meditative state both he and his audience members connect to while he’s spinning, and his own spiritual practices. Detroit producer, DJ, and visual artist Huey Mnemonic will also represent the birthplace of techno, and the city that has been instrumental to Hawtin since he was a teenager. Mnemonic’s mission is to both preserve and add to the rich lineage of his region’s homegrown sonic culture, channeling sci-fi, technology, and the Black American experience into everything that he does.
On the West Coast, is San Francisco DJ Deep Pedi, founder of the “It’s a Journey‘ underground party, and JIA, the Guam born, LA based artist who champions the worldwide electronic community via his brand 6AM Group. Both of these artists and crews have been instrumental to the new era of warehouse parties that are at the heart of these two cities techno scenes.
Completing the bill is Richie himself, an artist who has embodied the core pillars of techno since the formative years of his career. His focus on technological advancement, coupled with the energy he puts into connecting with, and nurturing younger artists, has been a contributing factor in revolutionizing techno and keeping it moving forward.
Across the tour, all venue locations will be provided to ticket buyers the day of the show. ‘From Our Minds‘ is working with independent local promoters who are aware and respectful of the history of techno music, and its future with sustainability in the programming, planning and execution of their events.
“This is a truly exciting time in electronic music as underground warehouses are thriving and corporate structures are falling apart. We believe that working with Rich, who has always been fearless in pushing boundaries and taking risks for the sake of the music, will be a game-changing step forward for techno on this continent.
This tour is not just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us as artists and rising professionals to learn and grow, but a chance to inspire and lead the scene as a whole. It’s surreal to have the chance to collaborate with someone who has been at the forefront of the genre for decades, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.” Barbosa, Decoder & Garrett – Senior Partners of Genova Agency
Tour Dates – Venues ‘To Be Announced’
Friday March 10 – Detroit, MI
Barbosa b2b Jay York
Decoder
Huey Mnemonic
Lindsey Herbert
Richie Hawtin
Saturday March 11 – Toronto, ON, Canada
Barbosa
Decoder
Lindsey Herbert
Richie Hawtin
Sunday March 12 – Vancouver, BC, Canada
Barbosa b2b Jay York
Decoder
Lindsey Herbert
Richie Hawtin
Wednesday March 15 – Las Vegas, NV
Barbosa
Jay York
Lindsey Herbert
Richie Hawtin
Thursday March 16 – San Francisco, CA
Deep Pedi
Frame (Decoder + Declan James)
Jay York
Lindsey Herbert
Richie Hawtin
Friday March 17 – Phoenix
, AZ
Barbosa
Declan James
Decoder
Henry Brooks
Jay York
Michelle Sparks
Richie Hawtin
Saturday March 18 – Los Angeles, CA
Barbosa
JIA
Lindsey Herbert
Richie Hawtin
Sunday March 19 – San Diego, CA
Barbosa b2b Jay York
Frame (Decoder + Declan James)
Henry Brooks
Lindsey Herbert
Michelle Sparks
Richie Hawtin
