Movement, Part 1

So here is my first installment of my posts about Movement this past weekend, Detroit's annual electronic music festival. It's going to take me all week to get through these notes because I want to be thorough and there's a lot to say! It was a great, exhausting, wonderful, disappointing, frustrating, rainy, but sunny, fun weekend!

Movement: Detroit’s Electronic Music Festival
Saturday, May 24 – Monday, May 26, 2008
Hart Plaza, noon - midnight

Afterparties that I went to:
A Night at the Museum: The Fusion of Techno and Science
Originally at Detroit Science Center, moved to Majestic Theater day of party
Friday, May 23, 2008

Soul Skate ’08 with Kenny Dixon Jr.
Northland Roller Rink, 8 mile road in Detroit
Saturday, May 24, 2008

For Those Who Know PT IV
Underground Resistance Party
Alvins 5756 Cass Ave, Detroit
Sunday, May 25, 2008

Friday night at Majestic:

Disappointing night, originally scheduled for Detroit Science Center. Great idea, but didn't work out. It was moved to the Majestic the morning of the party. I headed down at 8:30PM imagining what I had been missing because the doors opened at 5:30pm and the lineup was so tight. There were three stages scheduled for the Science Center, but only one stage at the Majestic, so the lineup was pared down considerably. When I arrived, Delano Smith was on, playing some really nice house. I wasn’t sure who it was at first, because he was up on a stage and was pretty far away, and I actually haven’t yet met him. Terrence Parker was there and he mentioned that it was Delano up there. He said that coming down to hear some good music is like therapy for him. Still pretty empty space. Huge concert hall with two bars and some round tables with chairs set up around the outside edges of the linoleum tiled dance floor. DJs were set up on an elevated stage with curtains and everything. It was a pretty interesting set-up. Not one I have seen in Detroit – because usually the crowds are smaller for electronic music in Detroit, and the clubs, bars, lounges, and restaurants they play in are smaller and more intimate. It was interesting to see who was in the crowd. Clearly some Detroiters were there. I recognized some of them from other events, and some of the older, Black men just looked like they were not festival goers from out of town, but were house heads from Detroit! Then there were a few people who looked like they were from out of town. It was quite a change to see some young white people (in their 20s) at a party with primarily Black DJs in Detroit, also not something that I have seen a lot here.

Headed outside for a bit. As I walked back in, I heard Minx call my name. Walked over and talked to her for a while. She’s so friendly. Said she doesn’t like playing to an empty room because she likes to dance when she plays and likes the interaction with the crowd. Introduced me to Diviniti, vocalist for Women on Wax, Minx’s label.

T. Linder was on of Detroit Techno Militia. Part of Submerge. Detroit Techno Militia is an interesting group of DJs, I think they are almost all white which is interesting next to some of Submerge’s other groups – like Underground Resistance. Nice techno. Then Terrence Parker was up – played some nice house music. As always, a great set. And he kept it under an hour and a half, which seems unusual for him. Then Minx was on, but only for a short time. Mike Clark came up to the stage and they switched. Mike played a really interesting set, kind of house with a lot of Brazilian beats. It sounded great!

By this time, it was getting closer to midnight, I was getting tired and ready to head home so I could conserve energy for the rest of the weekend. But I heard that Juan Atkins was supposed to play at midnight and I really wanted to see him play since I never had before. I know, can you believe it???? After watching the party promoters and others scramble around for a while making phone calls and talking with worried looks on their faces, I decided that Juan was not going to show up. After making a bathroom stop, I was getting ready to head out to my car. But I first saw Rick Wilhite, they must have called him up to finish the night. We talked briefly about setting up an interview and then I decided to head home anyway even though I really didn’t want to miss his set. I just really wanted to get home.

So there you have it, night one. More tomorrow.