Looping with minimalist techno

\"Less is more" is not a phrase that many associate with electronic music, but Richie Hawtin's DE9: Closer to the Edit does subtly excite. It is minimalist techno with a basic beat and little adornment. These accessories complete an aural texture that trickles through 31 tracks in 53 minutes. All tracks seep into one another to form what is really a single song.\nHawtin is among the techno elite, but unknown to the mainstream, like many other respected artists in his field. This obscurity is reflected in the music. The Windsor, Ontario, native makes a sound that has a winter-like chill. Its minimalism rightfully counters the cycle of dense and hardcore styles that are popular now.\nDE9 starts with a track of six loops and is mostly a drumbeat. Hawtin sprinkles in other sounds about 30 seconds into the disc and after that everything blends together. There is no use in trying to identify the loops because there are too many elements to discern. You have to relax and let the beat take hold. It grips you because it is mellow and almost repressed, revealing little. He tells a story with reluctance, but while his unusual pace intrigues fans, it has little depth. \nTracks 15, 23 and 26 awaken a somber disc, but most won't realize that until a second or third listening session. Track 15 pushes the pace to dance speed and is fresh after being overwhelmed by trance for the last few years. Even Hawtin's dripping water sounds don't seem cliche, they just fold into his mix.\nDE9 is dance music, but requires accompaniment. It is the slowdown at the end of the rave, the "get out of my club" music. Hawtin achieves the goal of doing a lot with a little, but the disc is hard to finish. It might be quietly exciting for individuals, but probably works best in a DJ's set.\nRating: 8