Richie Hawtin The electronic music visionary and techno pioneer unveils winning PhD Scholarship at the University of Huddersfield

A PhD Scholarship winner in the name of electronic musician, DJ and techno pioneer Richie Hawtin, aka Plastikman, has now been unveiled at the University of Huddersfield.

Pierre Griscelli, a 37 year old French native has been awarded with a full three year waiver of tuition fees for the full-time PhD study titled The Richie Hawtin PhD Scholarship in Electronic Music, Cultures and Production and starting this September will receive supervision from the facilities internationally renowned staff, including tutorial support from Richie Hawtin himself.

Today’s announcement not only signals the next phase in Richie Hawtin’s dedication to music education and lifelong commitment to support the development of the electronic music scene but gives detail of his participation in a live onstage discussion alongside the winning holder of the scholarship Pierre Griscelli. moderated by the university’s Professor of Music and Head of Department of Music and Design Arts Prof. Rupert Till BA(Hons) MA PhD FHEA CMgr FCMI.

Richie Hawtin, In Conversation
at the University of Huddersfield takes place Tuesday 17^th October within the Oastler Building at the University of Huddersfield.

Tickets are free but require advance reservation.

As the winning applicant, electronic performer, sound designer and producer Pierre Griscelli was selected for his research proposal titled: “Techno Hardware-centric, Real-time, Improvisation, Performance and Production Solution” which seeks to explore the true creative and technical benefits and challenges of using hardware synthesizers in the production of techno music; as well as the distinct intersection of music production and performance.

A field deeply embraced throughout the celebrated career of electronic music pioneer Richie Hawtin, Pierre Griscelli’s winning research aim is to provide insights and recommendations that can advance knowledge in the field of music production, notably around real-time composition, improvisation and creativity.

Applications for the scholarship, opened at the start of 2023 for individuals engaged in research on any subject related to electronic music cultures or production, including studies on electronic dance music or club cultures and saw a record number of applicants. Applications required a proposal outlining the project, samples of written work, examples of creative production work or other products relevant to the scope of the scholarship.

Beginning this September the successful candidate Pierre Griscelli who has also achieved a successful 10 year sound design career in the video games industry, working on blockbusters such as Rainbow Six: Siege (Ubisoft), Batman Arkham Knight (Warner) [BAFTA for Best British Game], Kinect Sports (Microsoft) and Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft) will work within the Popular Music Studies Research Group (PMSRG), which is part of the Centre for Research in Music and its Technologies (CRMT). The PMSRG is a hub for practice-based, practice-led and text-based research around popular music. It has hosted a string of international research events including the Ambient @ 40 symposium in 2018 and the industry-focused Creative Sampling, Sound Design, Artificial Intelligence in Mixing Day in 2022.

The University has deep links with Richie, starting when the British-Canadian artist was the subject of a PhD around a decade ago. Since receiving his honorary doctorate, Richie has visited to give masterclasses and one-to-one sessions with students where he has offered advice on their music.

Speaking about the PhD Scholarship and winning applicant Richie Hawtin comments:

“I’m honoured to continue my relationship with the University of Huddersfield and participate in their PhD Scholarship program.  My hope is to offer my experience and insight into the many areas of Techno culture which I’ve been involved in over the past thirty years. To assist in a student’s exploration of the past and inner workings of our industry and help them offer new critical analysis from a contemporary perspective.”

The University features more than 20 different recording and production studios, all equipped with top-of-the-line hardware, software and plug-ins, and there is an impressive collection of industry-leading microphones and recording equipment. It’s music department is ranked 5th in the UK for music research and is ranked 25th in the QS World University Subject Rankings.

In Conversation event to take place at the University October 17th