Latest releases reviewed

RICHIE HAWTIN
Slices: Pioneers of Electronic Music, Vol 1 Sense
***

Richie Hawtin, this is your life. Slices, the electronic music DVD mag, moves into the realm of  documentary-making with this look at the life and career of the Canadian techno figurehead.

Film-makers Maren Sextro and Holger Wick certainly delve deep, rounding up interviews with Richie's parents (it was his dad who first first instilled a love of technology in the young Hawtin), home videos of his initial trips to Detroit, and family snapshots.

Much more interesting are the interviews with Hawtin's peers, such as Mike Banks, Derrick May,
Sven Vath and John Acuaviva, with their comments often telling us as much about the interviewee
(Detroit native May's "skinny little white kid" putdown smacks of a chip on the shoulder) as Hawtin
himself. While there's a huge emphasis on where Hawtin is at these days, the film-makers appear
to have strangely skimmed over his seminal Plastikman days.

It seems that there is still scope for a second big red book on Hawtin. Jim Carroll
www.sensemusic.de

THE BEATLES
The Beatles Liverpool
Artsmagic
***

This series could have legs - pick a world-famous band, travel to their native city, interview as many important talking heads (friends, fans, pundits) as possible, and put the group into the context of their locale. This contains a whopping five hours of footage as it it talks to 20 people and explores more than 60 key Beatles sites. Some of the locations are crucial and credible (The Cavern), some are less
credible (the three houses associated with Ringo Starr's childhood), but for ardent fans of the Fab Four there's enough here to warrant a lengthy Do Not Disturb viewing session. Your host is BBC Radio Merseyside presenter Spencer Leigh. Tony Clayton-Lea