Globe-trotting DJ gets key to the city

For someone raised in the Windsor area, Richie Hawtin has created a surprisingly international career in electronic dance music.

On Wednesday night he was the one surprised — with a key to the city, handed to him by Mayor Eddie Francis in front of a crowd of techno fans.

“His successes are significant,” Francis said before giving Hawtin the framed ceremonial key. “He’s the best at what he does worldwide. Being the best at what he does, he has been able to position the City of Windsor well. He has been a successful ambassador to the city. And he continues to inspire a younger generation.”

Hawtin is in good company. Others who have received the honour include: president Bill Clinton, president Jimmy Carter, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville, race car icon Roger Penske and Prince Michael of Kent.

“Getting an award like that from the city is important to me,” Hawtin said. “But maybe it’s even more important for the next generation to see that this is a true art form.”

Though Hawtin is a globetrotting DJ, and now lives in Berlin and Ibiza, he also maintains a studio in Windsor, where he sometimes still lives.

Hawtin is a music innovator, one of the so-called second wave of techno artists. He emerged in the early 1990s, becoming one of the biggest Detroit techno artists. known for his minimalist beats.

Now he’s innovating in a new way, thanks to CNTRL, the world’s first electronic dance music tour combined with a university lecture series. The tour includes stops at New York University, American University and McGill.

Besides headlining Wednesday night at the Boom Boom Room, Hawtin joined a panel of DJs — Loco Dice, Carl Craig, Ean Golden, and Eddie (Flashin) Fowlkes — at the University of Windsor to discuss the roots and power of electronic music.

“We don’t want people to think electronic music is a passing fad,” Hawtin said. “It has been around a long time. This is a serious and well-respected art form, and we hope to give people a way in.”