For most, the Memorial Day Holiday weekend is synonymous with barbeques, parties, family gatherings and celebrations. But if you’re in Detroit, the Memorial Day weekend is analogous with one thing – “DEMF” aka “Movement” aka “Tech-Fest.” The 2013 Movement Electronic Music Festival once again established Detroit as the epicenter of the evolving international electronic music scene, featuring more than 100 performers on 5 different stages over 3 days.
As other electronic music festivals continue to expand lineups to include increasingly popular EDM acts, Movement stays close to its roots, featuring artists that often slip through the mainstream and shun the limelight. Not to suggest this year’s Movement lineup was anything short of extraordinary, considering the stacked talent for each stage was a who’s who from the international electronic musician and DJ community.
When the 3 day festival kicked off at noon on Saturday in Detroit’s Hart Plaza, thousands welcomed world class performers back to the Motor City with jubilation, ready to bask in the sounds of everything from Techno to House, Soul, Funk and Dubstep. If any electronic genre or subgenre exists, it was likely covered at some point by an artist at the fest. This year, Movement retooled its layout to include a new Electric Forest stage, showcasing artists slated to perform later this summer at the namesake festival in Rothbury, Michigan. At the newly designated stage, a crop of artists appealing to a younger demographic appeared, including artists such as Big Gigantic, Gramatik, Griz, Paper Diamond, Break Science, NiT GriT and Big Chocolate.
Elsewhere at Hart Plaza, the Red Bull Music Academy stage featured locally influenced performers such as Stacey Pullen, Moodyman, Richie Hawtin, Carl Craig, Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson and Shigeto, as well as internationally known artists like Squarepusher, Nico Jaar and Francois K. On Monday, rain poured down most of the afternoon, but the soaked crowd remained on the arena’s concrete steps, dancing and swaying to the beats without a hitch. Some festival goers opted for the neighboring Made in Detroit stage, which featured a lineup filled top to bottom with locally-bred Detroit house acts including Daniel Bell, Terrence Parker, Magda, Reference and Ryan Elliott. This “home-turf” stage was clearly well received by the masses, evidenced by the numerous “Made in Detroit” apparel worn by fans at Movement. And for those who couldn’t attend in person, Be.At.tv made it possible to tune in live for multi-cam webcasts straight from the Made in Detroit stage.
Rounding out the grounds were the Beatport and Underground stages, and both were substantially reworked in order to provide better experiences for even the casual fan. Moved to a location alongside the Detroit River and spectacular views of Windsor, Ontario, the Beatport stage may have featured the festival’s most recognizable act, Moby. As the night drew to a close Friday, Moby spun a classic dj set featuring tracks from his massive catalog, honed to perfection thanks to a relentless touring schedule. Earlier, Hot Creations artist Miguel Campbell set the crowd off with a snappy set of hip hop vibes mixed with funk, soul and house beats that had the audience dancing all the way to the back, including atop a concrete structure until they were moved down for safety concerns. On Sunday, Canadian duo Art Department stole the show not just with their music, but with a unique dance performance provided by member Kenny Glasgow. Stepping out front of the stage, he entertained the cheering crowd with his moves while partner Jonny White dug deep into techno/house tracks. On Sunday, two popular artists performed under alternate monikers, with Maceo Plex spinning a hard techno set as Maetrik, and Green Velvet performing as Cajmere, offering fans a chance to hear his Chicago House roots during his set.
Additional expansion provided by Movement organizers for the Underground stage was evidenced by improvements to sound, lighting and layout for the bunker-like sublevel concrete space. Featuring a stunning LED lit wall housing the DJ booth, the Underground stage was well lit from numerous angles, while sound quality also benefited from padded ceiling tiles designed to limit echo and reverb. Throughout the weekend, some of the most intense techno sets took place underground with most artists eschewing appearance in favor of creating content and substance intended to sound dark and, at times, evil. Taking place of Lucy who was unable to attend due to visa issues, local act YOS stepped in a delivered a fine set of house and techno before segueing into Serbian house goddess Nina Kraviz, who delivered another rousing performance as part of her recent climb to stardom.
The evening portion of Saturday’s Underground stage featured back to back performances of two of the world’s most well regarded techno acts, Ben Klock and Luke Slater/Planetary Assault Systems live. Originally scheduled to perform b2b with Marcell Dettmann (who also cancelled due to visa issues), Klock stepped up and drove a pounding set of minimal techno similar to what he performs regularly during his residency at German megaclub Berghain. Slater followed with a live set under his PAS guise that also is featured monthly at residencies at Berghain and other legendary international venues. With the rain continuing to fall throughout the day Monday, many festival goers flocked to the dry confines of the Undergound, treating themselves to a twisted, dark performance from the mysterious Rrose. As with any good Midwestern festival, closing out the weekend with a performance from a top-tier Midwest artist like Minneapolis based DVS1 would not only be encouraged, but possibly expected. The “devious one” met expectations head-on, performing a wicked set of non-stop beats, improvising and spontaneously creating textures ranging from smooth to complex, hard to fast, soft to loud, all drawn from his huge vinyl collection. What better way to wrap up this year’s installment of Movement Detroit, by showcasing stars alongside under-the-radar talent. And based on an upsurge in attendance, Movement Electronic Music Festival appears poised to usher new generations into electronic music discovery for many years to come.