Plastikman, Richie Hawtin's production alter ego, is a dark, sinister project. The brainchild of an acid-influenced mind perhaps, but however you look at Plastikman, and hear the sounds coming from him, you cannot escape his enigma.

Soundscapes that are at times inexplicably bleak, yet rich with trippy, downtempo fervour is what Plastikman is all about. Plastikman is a concept, as much as it is a real person, contained inside a body, designed to take electronic music into a new dimension, to places it has never been before and infect people's minds with it. Whatever was going on in Richie Hawtin's head when he developed Plastikman is anyone's guess, but beyond the disturbing, corrupted nature of the music he gave birth to under this moniker is something very, very sophisticated.

In the same way our world needs scientists, music, particularly electronic music, needs someone like Richie Hawtin. I'm reluctant to use the term 'pioneer' as it's such an overused word in music, but it certainly can be attributed to Hawtin. There was a day when a mixing desk, a few samplers and a laptop was enough to make a great live performance, but Plastikman has changed all that with his live show. We've seen the videos and we've heard the stories of Hawtin, cocooned inside an LED screen, sending packed-out arenas into hypnosis with his sensually stimulating techno odysseys. Now we can finally see the iconic live show ourselves, but more stunning than ever as Plastikman 1.5 will soon be touring Europe and the US, with three dates booked in the UK.

I've already secured my ticket for the London leg of the tour, to be held at Brixton Academy, and I would strongly being prompt about doing the same. Early bird and tickets for the balcony sold out within the first 24 hours of their release, and as with any high-profile event in London, the rest do not hang around for long. If Plastikman alone isn't enough to tempt you, then support from M-nus royalty in Magda and Ambivalent may do so. He will also hit up Manchester and Glasgow before he moves concludes his tour in Italy on December 7th. The links below are the places to get your tickets for any one of the three parts of his three UK stops:

Plastikman 1.5 - Manchester Academy, Manchester: Thursday December 1st 9pm-2am (£25)
Plastikman 1.5 - Brixton Academy, London: Friday December 2nd 9pm-2am (£27.50)
Plastikman 1.5 - Barrowland, Glasgow: Saturday December 3rd 8pm - 1am (£25)

To celebrate the news of this tour, for I can hardly contain my excitement, here's my top 5 of Plastikman. It took me a to compile this list, for all of Plastikman's output is original in a very unified style, but what I've come up with reflects his most indulgent and compelling work. Whether it's his eccentric infatuation with the letter 'K' in his track-naming (I'm sure it has nothing to do with ketamine, seriously), or his acid obsession (which might have something to do with the corresponding narcotic...), all Plastikman's work exhibits a musical mind adverse to playing it safe.

5. Plastikman - Marbles


4. Plastikman - Plasticine


3. Plastikman - Spastik


2. Plastikman - Konception


1. Plastikman - Are Friends Electrik?