Richie Hawtin Executive Produces New Short Film Celebrating Detroit’s Underground Techno Roots

Richie Hawtin has teamed up with director Luke Jaden on a new short film that dives into Detroit’s underground techno culture in the early 1990s. Kids Like Us follows a group of young people over one night as they search for connection, meaning, and identity against the backdrop of the city’s warehouse rave scene.

Shot on 35mm film, it brings to life the gritty spaces and pounding beats that defined Detroit’s techno movement. The film was inspired by Hawtin’s own history in the city, including his legendary parties at the Packard Plant and the birth of his Plastikman persona. Hawtin also contributed the music and sound design, adding an extra layer of authenticity to the experience.

Director Luke Jaden wanted the film to feel as real as possible, capturing the raw, cinematic atmosphere of those underground parties and the community that formed around them.

Kids Like Us is now available to watch on NOWNESS, offering a glimpse into the origins of a culture that still inspires and unites people on dance floors around the world.