Movement Electronic Music Festival 2013: Matt’s Picks
With a global techno fan base poised to descend upon Detroit for the 13th annual Movement Electronic Music Festival, the Dancing Astronaut editors prepare for their own stint of techno tourism. For followers of techno, house, and other deeper dance music genres, Movement’s lineup is certainly a dizzying opportunity to take on the finest talent on the scene right now in arguably one of the most culturally significant cities in the music’s history. There are five stages in total that’ll be bumping the bass in downtown Detroit’s Hart Plaza this Saturday, May 25th, through Memorial Day Monday. We’ll be on the ground covering the event produced by the hometown favorite Paxahau (as well as several of its afterparties), but in case you’ll be joining us, read on to hear some of our must-listen picks for the festival itself.
Saturday
Noisia [Electric Forest Stage, 9:30 p.m.]
Techno may not be the first term to come to mind when most hear Noisia‘s name. But while the Dutch trio are better known for their punishing drum and bass and progressive dubstep stylings, the talented producers have tried their collective hands at four-to-the-floor as well. Nik Roos, Martijn van Sonderen and Thijs de Vlieger made their names on stellar sound design and unconventional arrangements, which are prime ingredients for techno success. On multifaceted tracks like “Split the Atom,” Noisia punctuates off-kilter techno beats with throaty bass growls and electro synth stabs. With a wide sonic range to cover, their Saturday set has the potential to be one of the most unique and dynamic of the entire festival.
Sunday
Brodinski [Electric Forest Stage, 11 p.m.]
This pick should come as no surprise to any of the Dancing Astronaut staff, all of whom have had to at some point endure my unrequited Bromance with this French artist and label owner after covering two of his performances at Winter Music Conference. Aside from being an incredibly charismatic individual, Brodinski is a versatile demon behind the decks. He can traverse the dark techno and hip-hop worlds with uncanny ease, appearing equally at home dropping apocalyptic NT89 bombs as he is bumping Drake’s latest single. As he excels at tailoring each performance to its crowd, his Sunday-closing set will likely remain largely within the dark techno realm, but don’t be surprised to hear a couple rap and trap gems thrown in for good measure.
Monday
Maetrik [Beatport Stage, 8:30 p.m.]
While there may be no hotter name in deep house right now than Maceo Plex, Eric Estornel would be the first to remind you that his techno-oriented Maetrik project comes first in chronology… and perhaps in his heart as well. While Maetrik sets often feature all of the futuristic weirdness we’ve come to expect from Maceo Plex, they tend to be harder, darker and faster than Plex’s phased-out sunken sound. As the Crosstown Rebel’s deeper house persona has been in high demand this year, this Maetrik set likely offers both a literal and figurative change of pace that Estornel took special care in planning. As his set follows Cajmere and precedes the legendary John Digweed on Monday night, the Beatport Stage will certainly be packed and poised for what may be my most anticipated set of the entire festival.
Categories: Music