Musik

by Jason BirchmeierFor Musik, the second full-length album in the Plastikman series, producer Richie Hawtin returned to everything that had made Sheet One so successful, crafting a follow-up that is as much a sequel as it is a rewrite. Once again, he powers each track with minimal yet harsh 909 percussion and adds plenty of crazed 303 acid lines, wonderfully re-creating the acid techno motifs of Sheet One. This time, however, Hawtin veers away from the pervading ambience of that album, giving Musik a much livelier feel instead, particularly toward the beginning and end of the album, where the tempos reach dancefloor intensity. The album begins with two lengthy tracks, the slow-building "Konception" and the snaking "Plastique," both of which amble on for a total of 20 highly acidic minutes. From this grand introduction, Hawtin follows with a series of shorter tracks -- "Kriket," "Fuk," "Outbak," "Ethnik," "Plamastik," and "Goo" -- that push the limits on what can be done with strictly percussion. This somewhat experimental middle section of Musik resembles the percussive tone of the preceding Recycled Plastik EP and its standout inclusion, "Spastik," forgoing acid lines and synth melodies in favor of multi-layered 909 percussion and little else. From here, Hawtin returns to the acid sounds of Musik's opening 20 minutes for "Marbles" and "Lasttrak," a very similar 20-minute stretch of slow-building, snaking acid techno. While the opening 20 minutes had been lively and energetic, these closing 20 minutes are foreboding and dark, even downright chilling at times. Taken as a whole, Musik masterfully covers all aspects of the minimal techno spectrum, from acidic anthems to ultra-minimal explorations and back, in the process showcasing Hawtin's staggering command of the Roland 303 and 909 drum machines as well as his brilliant grasp of album-level continuity.