Currently enjoying “Minus Orange” by Richie Hawtin

Nobody does interesting minimal techno concept pieces like Richie Hawtin – whose work I’ve reviewed before – and 1999′s Minus Orange is certainly no exception. Heavily featured on the Decks, EFX and 909 mix album that Hawtin released the same year, the EP is a “construction and reduction” of “Oh Yeah,” the classic Yello jam that you may remember from its usage in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Numerous versions of this release abound. Long ago, I bought the three-track CD version, emblazoned with the words “orange is derived from yello.” Last week, I bought a more recent MP3 version, which seems to feature different versions of the tracks than those that appear on any of the original pressings.

Aside from a few easily identifiable samples, the tracks bear little resemblance to the source material. “Minus/Orange (1)” is a heavily booming techno anthem; “Minus/Orange (2)” and “Orange/Minus (1)” are more restrained takes on the material, having more in common with Hawtin’s work as Plastikman; and “Orange/Minus (2)” is just a brief reiteration of one of the project’s main loops.

At any rate, it’s great stuff. Very minimalist and very basic, but compelling nonetheless. Even after a decade, it’s easy to see why ravers ate it up back in the day.

A separate release from the same year called Minus Yellow, which I haven’t heard and which is only available on vinyl, contains a track called “Orange (Yellow Mix)” and half a dozen locked grooves. It’s yet another example, it seems, of how far Hawtin is willing to run with a good idea.

Posted in Currently Enjoying