Richie Hawtin Scores Prada's Pradasphere in Milan
Techno producer Richie Hawtin, performing as Plastikman, created a distinct soundtrack for each room of Prada's Milan exhibition.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Dance and Electronic
Richie Hawtin produced multiple soundtracks as Plastikman for the Pradasphere exhibition at the Prada Galleria in Milan, with a different composition designed for each room. Some material was reworked from the Pradasphere II project Hawtin created in Shanghai in 2023.
Why it matters
The project extends Hawtin's ongoing collaboration with Prada, which has included scoring five runway shows since 2021 and leading the Prada Extends music and culture programme. It shows how fashion houses are commissioning electronic musicians to shape immersive exhibition environments.
Hawtin has scored five Prada runway shows since 2021, and his Pradasphere II soundtrack was created for the 2023 Shanghai retrospective. The stub does not provide attendance, ticket, or viewership figures for the Milan exhibition.
The players
Richie Hawtin
A Detroit-born techno producer and DJ known for his Plastikman project, who has also been a long-running creative collaborator with Prada.
Miuccia Prada
The Italian designer and co-creative director of Prada who directs the Pradasphere exhibition inside Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.
The details
Hawtin's Plastikman soundscapes use subtle frequencies and rhythms designed to be felt as much as heard, with a separate composition for each room of the Prada Galleria exhibition directed by Miuccia Prada. Prada Extends, the programme he helped create, debuted at Tate Modern before travelling to Tokyo, Miami and Bangkok.
Timeline
1913: Fratelli Prada founded the brand at the Galleria site.
2021: Hawtin began scoring Prada runway shows.
2023: Hawtin created the Pradasphere II soundtrack in Shanghai.
May 2026: Hawtin released the Bullfrog drum machine with Erica Synths.
Industry Dynamics
The Milan project follows Prada Extends, which launched at Tate Modern and then travelled to Tokyo, Miami and Bangkok, showing luxury brands treating music as a sustained cultural asset rather than a one-off sponsorship. It places Pradasphere within a wider pattern of fashion houses commissioning electronic artists to shape exhibition and show experiences.
For readers who want to hear the work, the Pradasphere soundtracks are tied to the exhibition itself rather than a standalone release in the source. Access to the Milan installation is limited to visitors to the Prada Galleria while it runs.
The takeaway
The Pradasphere project shows how a single artist's sound can be used to define the atmosphere of a luxury exhibition across multiple cities. Listeners interested in the crossover between fashion and electronic music can follow how Hawtin's work moves between runway, gallery and club settings.
Further reading
Explore more in Dance and Electronic coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by DJMag.
