Merijn Straathof Rebuilds Richie Hawtin's DE9 as Free Interactive Web Instrument

Dutch designer and creative director Merijn Straathof has launched DE9 Parts, an interactive website that reimagines Richie Hawtin's landmark album DE9: Closer to the Edit Parts. The original 2001 release was a vinyl companion containing 120 individual loops used in the album's construction, inviting listeners to reassemble them. Straathof's project makes all 120 loops available online for free, allowing users to play, chain, rearrange, and process them with effects or MIDI hardware. The site's design mirrors the minimalist aesthetic of Hawtin's Minus label, featuring a black background, thin white grids, and functional dial-style controls, along with interactive 3D renders of the CD case and vinyl sleeve. Straathof, who bought Closer to the Edit at age 14, created the project as a non-commercial labour of love 25 years after the original release. The album itself was groundbreaking for its construction from hundreds of short loops and fragments into a continuous mix. The project aims to inspire further deconstruction and creativity among fans.