RICHIE HAWTIN TEAMS UP WITH ALLEN & HEATH TO “TAKE DJING TO THE NEXT LEVEL”
The annual NAMM trade show for musical products is now underway in Anaheim, California (Jan 21-24), promising a round of announcements from the world of DJ technology. To kick things off, techno ambassador Richie Hawtin has issued a mysterious statement from NAMM that’s already fueling speculation.
The DJ has aligned with tech innovator Andy Rigby-Jones, who masterminded Allen & Heath’s Xone mixer series, to develop a “an instrument to take the artistry of DJing and performance to the next level.” Hawtin also tweeted that the collaboration has been two years in the making.
The partnership with Allen & Heath and parent company Audiotonix already has a name attached, Play Differently, and a bare-bones website. As the message on the site reads, “The ethos of Play Differently is to create products that will magnify the individuality and expand the creativity of today’s generation of electronic music artists, producers and DJs. We hope to encourage and inspire creatives to Play Differently.” Aside from those words, all that the site reveals are some sleek black knobs in close-up.
Hawtin is a proponent of Allen & Heath’s Xone:92 DJ mixer, so it’s possible the collaboration with Rigby-Jones is a new iteration of the Xone. As reported by DJTechTools, some dedicated tech sleuths on the Hispasonic forum have been honing in on recent photos of Hawtin in the booth to see what new mixer he’s working with. Do those mystery knobs on playdifferently.org look familiar?
Now that Hawtin has our attention, stay tuned for more revelations from NAMM.