Last week, techno pioneer Richie Hawtin played the inaugural episode of BBC Radio 1's Essential Mix Live Series alongside longtime host and DJ Pete Tong, which was recorded live at Exchange in Los Angeles. The set was broadcast Saturday afternoon. Stream the whole set here.
The series debut finds Hawtin, sometimes known as DJ Plastikman, dropping heavily improvised, deep, dark techno for two hours. The set includes cuts from a wide range of artists old and new including Joy Orbison, Sakro and Huxley & J. Philip, among others.
The series marks the first time in nearly 25 years that Tong is recording and broadcasting the Essential Mix program from tour stops on the road in North America. The globally lauded tastemaker and electronic dance music curator told Billboard he kicked off the Essential Selection spinoff with Hawtin because "he ticks a lot of boxes for me. He's just celebrating 25 years of his career and Plus 8 with a kind of seminal release of him putting out new music under all of his different guises. It was the right time, right place."
According to Pitchfork , Hawtin surprise-released his latest album, From My Mind to Yours, last December in celebration of his Plus 8 imprint's 25th anniversary. The album features cuts under the producer's various aliases. Listen to standout track "No Way Back" via the artist's YouTube below.
Last week Tong also hosted and broadcast the first International Radio 1: Live from Los Angeles show on the rooftop at EP & LP in West Hollywood. The event featured Eric Prydz, Claude VonStroke and MK , among others. About the event, the host said: "It's just like bringing the spaceship down to the street, and actually being face to face with the city and reflecting that on air," Billboard reports.
As MixMag reports, the International Radio 1: Live from Los Angeles show is available to stream for the rest of the month here.
