IBIZA — For Minus and Richie Hawtin fans, it’s clear that their minimal techno guru has always been at the cutting edge of technology.
In 2008, Hawtin revealed a device he called “The Cube,” which was then described as “a highly advanced communications device that responds positively to the presence of humans and interacts accordingly.”
Hawtin went on to explain the mysterious technology further. “By acting as a central hub, [The Cube] allows us to direct our thoughts, collect and share ideas, transcend language and interconnect musically in ways previously not possible.”
It has taken the techno musician five years to develop something he says is even more advanced than The Cube; a new device which he revealed to the media yesterday in Ibiza called “The Rectangle.”
The Rectangle — which Richie explains as being the technological equivalent of two Cubes — is “a more highly advanced communications device that responds to the presence of humans by heating up the Japanese alcoholic beverage sake. The Rectangle monitors the level of alcohol intake of the crowd and simultaneously transmits recommended levels of reverb and other plugin information to the performing DJ.”
As Hawtin and his crew were presenting the device during the press conference, The Rectangle responded by brewing delicious sake imported directly from Japan.
“Originally, I wanted a highly advanced device on stage with me to serve warm tea during my sets,” explained Hawtin, who no longer hides his appreciation for tea.
“After approaching multiple companies including Belkin and Netgear, we turned to a Canadian company to custom-build something for us. We wanted the device to send tweets, chat messages in ICQ and control reverb input during our sets. When we were shown The Rectangle for the first time, it was already doing all of these things, and more…”
Members of the press curiously asked Hawtin if The Rectangle could perform any other tasks. Hawtin demonstrated that The Rectangle could also control the smoke levels of one fog machine, and slowly move left or right depending of the style of techno being played.
Hawtin also noted that The Rectangle’s blue lights can slowly dim, as well as switch to a reddish hue upon the push of a button.
“Once we smooth out the final hiccups, a world tour will follow,” confirmed a Minus representative at the conference, adding that the world premiere of The Rectangle will likely take place at Mutek Montreal in 2014.
