- Every Memorial Day weekend, revelers from around the world make the pilgrimage to Detroit for one of the most sacred techno events of the year: Movement. Festival promoters Paxahau have a knack for mass appeal, reaching out to the candy raver and the music buff alike, all while highlighting some of Detroit's finest. This year things at Hart Plaza were a little different: Red Bull Music Academy took over the main stage, while Electric Forest (a Michigan festival oriented around jam bands and EDM artists) took the slot Beatport had last year.
Maybe it was because the neon kids spent all their time at the Electric Forest stage (which I admittedly didn't see much of), but the crowd felt homogenous compared to last year. The crazy outfits were fewer and far between, and people-watching wasn't quite as much fun. The giant concrete riverside Hart Plaza was decked out with all the usual amenities, including booths selling Christian-themed EDM shirts and trucks offering up deep fried everything (finding decent food at Movement can be a challenge, but it's a small price to pay for having five stages of music so close and accessible).
RBMA's stage was this writer's favourite, keeping the festival's heritage of house and techno intact but bringing in other genres as well. Their program started off fantastically with sunny afternoon grooves from xxxy and T. Williams, while Moodymann delivered a typically eclectic set, confusing the audience with an extended selection from Frampton Comes Alive. Saturday's dubstep stretch was capped off by a brilliant performance from Mala, one of the weekend's most buzzed-about sets.
Photo credit: Bruno Postigo
The Beatport stage, now given a nicer space on the riverside, was less adventurous. Crowd-pleasing tech house was their MO—Soul Clap, Miguel Campbell, Art Department—and they were busy all weekend. They had some big name headliners, including Moby, John Digweed and most notably Masters At Work, who delivered a haphazardly mixed set of classics and unremarkable newer material.
Housed in the shady tree-lined area, the Electric Forest stage felt almost like an entirely different event, mostly home to dubstep, drum & bass and other festival-tailored fare. The Bug was a highlight, playing a rather out-of-place set amidst a string of heavy wobble DJs. Though his storming beats pleased the neon-clad crowd, some looked confused—a group behind me debated just how "dubstep" his music was.
Hampered by sound problems last year, the dark and dingy Underground stage was given a strong makeover. Outfitted with sound dampeners and a blinding video wall, the smoke-filled room was a suitable home for day trippers and head-nodding techno nerds. Though Lucy and Marcel Dettmann couldn't make their scheduled appearances, Nina Kraviz laid down a suitably heavy set to a pit of adoring fans, while Brendon Moeller played his trippiest beats for everyone who showed up early on Monday afternoon. The Made In Detroit stage, which you could hear pumping from outside the festival, had the greatest number of locally-bred DJs, but it didn't feel quite as vital as last year. A spirited turn from Magda and a much talked-about headlining slot from Terrence Parker were its highlights.
Photo credit: Bruno Postigo
As usual, the parties happening outside the festival were just as essential as what was happening inside the Plaza. Smartbar's shindig at TV Lounge was the best choice on Friday: early arrivers were treated to free BBQ and an up-and-down set from a smiley Cassy. On Saturday night, the intimate Deep Detroit gig saw some of the weekend's best spinning, with Kyle Hall and Norm Talley going head-to-head at a coffee shop turned nightclub. Michael Mayer made his long-awaited Detroit appearance after missing last year's event, lacing the crowd at Sunday's OK, Cool party with psychedelic gems from the likes of DJ Koze. Recondite's live set for Klockworks on Monday night managed to rouse weary feet even after a whole weekend of indulgence.
Typically Movement is blessed with beautiful summer weather, but on Monday things took an unexpected turn for the worse. The sky turned a threatening grey and a stubborn downpour got stronger and stronger. Azari & III and Nicolas Jaar played to a crowd of raincoats and umbrellas, vocally grateful for the crowd's perseverance. Though obviously no fault of the festival itself, the weather was still an undeniable vibe killer: the audience was soggy through-and-through with absolutely no shelter outside of the Underground stage. Even with a few raindrops, though, there's hardly a weekend on this side of the Atlantic with as much great music all in one place. Movement remains as strong as it's ever been—it's easy to see why it's become such a ritual for so many.