Artifakts [bc] by Plastikman

I bought this album completely on impulse from my local crappy record store, and I must say, I have no regrets. This is some truly different, yet still completely engaging, techno. The first time I listened to this one, I thought it was complete drivel. But after a while, I got bored with all my other stuff and decided to give it another chance. I don't know what was different, but the second time, it just wrapped itself around my mind and didn't let go until the very end of the epic "Are friends electrik?" (a nice nod to Gary Numan, by the way).

There's something about the way Plastikman (Richie Hawtin) constructs his beats that makes them so much more intriguing than most techno out there. He definitely has his roots in the detroit godfathers (like Juan Atkins, Derrick May) he gives recognition in the liner notes. These are people who can construct an entire, complex song with only a drum machine, something Hawtin does himself on "Hypokondriak". Most techno artists (especially on the club/dance scene), have to hide their horrible, uncreative beats behind layers of synths and samples, but Plastikman seems completely content to strip a song down to the naked beat and show us just how perfect it can be.

Having said all that good stuff, I think it wouldn't be fair if I recommended this album to everybody. If you're the kind of person who buys a techno CD just so they can get a good dance going, you will probably despise this, because the quirky, shifting beats definitely make dancing somewhat difficult. On the other hand, if you're the kind of person who wants a deep, textured, creative, intelligent listening experience, this is definitely the one for you.