Pushing frontiers in his 3 loves: music, technology and sake, Richie Hawtin scored a hat trick earlier today, when he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate for music technology at the University of Huddersfield.
Also under his belt are two other awards, by the Association for Independent Music and the Sake Samurai Association.
Not easily content, Richie has delved into the realm of wearable tech, cloud services, and lately, created a music-technology platform for education, CNTRL. Music and art are inseparable for him, and he has performed alongside celebrated sculptor, Anish Kapoor’s immense work, Leviathan at the Paris Grand Palais. Even as one of the most revered music intellectuals in the scene, Richie does not rest on his laurels:
“At its core, technology based music is driven by the constant innovation and development of technology. It is my belief that this is what will forever keep us feeling challenged, excited and inspired for what lies just around the corner.”
Finding a deeper connection to the crowd, is something he constantly strives for, and is perhaps, the hardest thing a musician can achieve. Like a piece of art, countless hours go into refining his art form. Once it’s out in the public, it would be judged for what it is. For Richie, he will never settle less for anything less than perfection.
“Getting an award like this from the city is important to me. But maybe its even more important for the next generation to see that this is a true art form.”
He recognizes how the development in the electronic music scene is innately tied to advances in technology. It is his hope that in passing the baton, the next generation will be able to take electronic music further than where it already is.
