16 highlights from Movement Festival’s 10-year anniversaryMovement Detroit

16 highlights from Movement Festival’s 10-year anniversary

Movement Electronic Music Festival 2016 Recap

Thousands of electronic music lovers descended upon Detroit’s Hart Plaza for the 10th annual Movement Electronic Music Festival this past Memorial Day Weekend. We went behind the scenes all three days to bring you some of the highlights from an absolutely action-packed weekend across six stages. Historic festival debuts, beautiful sunsets and dancing en masse all occurred in abundance throughout Movement’s 10-year anniversary as one of the world’s premier electronic music festivals.

Check out 16 of our favorite highlights from Movement 2016, broken down by each day.

Photo credit: Peter Liu

Grandma Techno – Day 1 Highlights

On top of all the amazing global talent that takes the stage over Movement, there are so many intangibles which add to the vibe of the weekend and make Movement such a special festival. Detroit genuinely takes pride in being the birthplace of techno and throughout Movement weekend, you’ll see folks of all ages and backgrounds enjoying the music and interacting without pretense; it’s a beautiful sight to see and an integral part of the Movement magic. While many would argue that the DJs performing over the weekend are the celebrities of the show, those in the know will boldly declare Patricia Lay-Dorsey, better known as Grandma Techno, as one of Movement’s brightest stars. Originally from Washington D.C., Grandma Techno is now a staple at Movement weekend and can be spotted scooting around in he wheelchair, obliging the hundreds of eager photo requests that come her way.

Photo credit: Peter Liu

Dam Funk – RBMA Stage

Although Movement is admittedly bursting with top-notch techno artists (this is the birthplace of techno, after all), the lineup meanders across all ends of electronic music and provides plenty of house, break-beat disco, and hip hop to whet any music lover’s appetite. Dam Funk, of legendary LA-based label Stones Throw, laid down one of his distinctly funky sets on the first day at the Red Bull Music Academy stage. The RBMA stage was a great place to catch some of the non-techno acts on the lineup, and even offered a bit of shade from the hot Detroit sun. Although Dam is renowned for his deep knowledge of ’80s boogie and modern funk, his set at Movement veered more towards house and techno, paying homage to the Motor City by dropping tracks from Detroit artists such as Omar S.

Photo credit: Michael Wasiak

Four Tet – RBMA Stage

The RBMA Stage definitely had it going on the first day, hosting a bevy of rare festival appearances that had the crowd dancing all day and into the night. One of the festival’s most buzzed about appearances came from polyrhythmic champion and producer extraordinaire Four Tet. Known for blurring the lines between electronica, classic house and techno, African music and jazz, Four Tet lived up to the hype. Dropping everything from slow-rolling funk gems to forthcoming unreleased productions to some favorites from his catalog, this was a perfect setup for Caribou’s live performance that followed.

Photo credit: Michael Wasiak

Carl Craig – Thump Stage

It simply doesn’t get any more Detroit than Carl Craig. The Planet E don is a fixture at Movement and has been with the festival throughout its history. Craig delivered a statement-making classics-filled set on the THUMP stage for the Detroit Love showcase, dropping new Robert Hood material, his sublime remix of Guti and Octave One while coaxing the crowd into a frenzy on the mic. Few can get away with wearing leather pants and dress shoes while blasting dark and beautiful techno, but Carl Craig is most definitely one of them.

Photo credit: Michael Wasiak

Caribou – RBMA Stage

Some may have flinched a little when seeing Caribou’s name on the Movement bill, but musical mastermind Dan Snaith is a true electronic music head and cites Detroiters such as Carl Craig as a main influence on his sound. Of the live performances at Movement throughout the weekend, few actually broke out the guitars and drums like Caribou did. Over the course of their closing set on the RBMA Stage, the four-piece group whipped through their star-studded catalog, doling out hits such as “Can’t Do Without You” and “Suns” to a magical and mesmerizing effect, getting the majority of the crowd to sing along at points during the set.

Photo credit: Michael Wasiak

Day 2 Highlights

Movement’s Sunday lineup kept the heat flowing right from the get-go, starting off at 2 pm for 10 hours of supremely curated acts throughout the festival’s stages. Paying little mind to the 80-90 degree Detroit sun, this dinosaur raver kept it moving all weekend long with fresh two-stepping dance moves.

Photo credit: Peter Liu

Heidi – Beatport Stage

BBC tastemaker Heidi laid down the jackin’ grooves for afternoon revelers at the Beatport stage, serving up funky licks and even some Prince reworks much to the delight of the Detroit crowd. When it comes to reading a crowd and delivering the goods, Heidi is as good as it gets. The sunny afternoon looking out over Windsor couldn’t have been sound-tracked better.

Photo credit: Peter Liu

Magda – Beatport Stage

“I speak acid,” quipped polish producer Magda. Rinsing a bunch of rare vinyl cuts with effortless style and skill, Magda delivered a clinic in acid techno sounds much to the delight of the Movement crowd. The Beatport stage definitely had it going on during Movement’s second day and was a reliable place to stop by for a popping dancefloor and amazing sets.

Photo credit: Peter Liu

Art Department – Thump Stage

Last year’s Movement festival was the last ever gig for Art Department as a duo, with Jonny White and Kenny Glasgow heading their own ways to pursue different artistic interests. White has since kept the Art Department moniker and laid down a Detroit-inspired set on the Thump stage, much to the delight of the crowd.

Photo credit: Peter Liu

The Black Madonna - RBMA Stage

Everyone loves The Black Madonna, and with good reason: the Chicago-based selector and Smart Bar talent booker has a vast wealth of dance music knowledge and always smashes it when behind the decks. Her selections are top-notch and her mission to restore equality in dance music, decrying the all-too-prevalent male chauvinism that has pervaded today’s industry, is truly inspiring. Her set on the RBMA stage was a no frills, sweaty and spectacular affair.

Photo credit: Peter Liu

Ellen Allien - Thump Stage

Bpitch Control boss Ellen Allien laid down one of the most acclaimed sets of the weekend, fearlessly weaving between house, techno, breaks and IDM on the Thump Stage. Those that caught Allien’s set left drenched in sweat as the Berlin dance icon melted genre boundaries with devilish skill and dexterity.

Photo credit: Peter Liu

Dubfire - Main Stage

Dubfire closed out the main stage with a bang, delivering a hybrid live/DJ set that had festival attendees buzzing headed into the night’s afterparties. Ever a master at delivering sublime techno, the SCI+TEC boss weaved improvised versions of his own productions into some ethereal techno for maximum effect.

Photo credit: Peter Liu

Day 3 Highlights

With so many amazing acts on the bill over the course of the three-day festival, Movement is definitely an endurance test for lovers of electronic music. Considering the debauchery that abounds at the festival’s afterparties, the vibrant energy of attendees on the closing day of the festival is a testament to the passion and love that Detroit and Movement have for electronic music. The Underground stage was a favorite destination on the festival’s final day, hosting a who’s who of dance veterans as part of a special Acid Showcase.

Photo credit: Peter Liu

John Digweed – Main Stage

When it comes to techno history, there are really only a couple of names that stack up to John Digweed. Rocking the main stage for two hours of moody electronics, the ever-consistent Bedrock head honcho took his audience for a true voyage across various decades in dance music. Not shy about his love for playing Movement, Digweed’s set was one of the most inspired of the weekend and showed why he is continually asked back to play the fest.

Photo credit: Peter Liu

Justin Martin - RBMA Stage

Pizza-loving Dirtybird OG Justin Martin drew one of the largest crowds of the weekend, as festival attendees crowded the RBMA stage for his infectious blend of booty bass. Hot off the heels of his newest album Hello Clouds, the San Franciscan dropped several choice cuts from the album, which the knowledgeable crowd warmly received and bopped along to. Martin’s fun energy behind the decks is truly contagious and continues to feed into why he’s one of the most cherished performers in the dance world.

Photo credit: Peter Liu

Get Real - RBMA Stage

After a year off from the official festival lineup last year, the Dirtybird crew went all in at Movement this year, taking control of the RBMA stage for the better part of the night. Get Real, the titanic collision between dance heavyweights Green Velvet and Dirtybird boss Claude VonStroke, was definitely a highlight for lovers of the low end. Rattling the massive stacks with gurgling and booty bouncing house, Get Real delivered a clinic in bass-infused dance music.

Photo credit: Peter Liu

Kevin Saunderson - Thump Stage

One of techno’s founding fathers, Kevin Saunderson is an absolute staple at Movement and has been with the festival since its inception. Techno is a family affair in Detroit, and as part of his Origins: Elevation showcase on the Thump Stage, Saunderson rolled out his sons, MK, and Guy Gerber before closing out the stage. Even after all these years, Saunderson remains unpredictable yet consistent, showcasing not only the origins of Motor City techno, but also just how far the genre has come since starting it as part of the Belleville Three.

Photo credit: Peter Liu

Boys Noize – Underground Stage

Some may have thought that Boys Noize wouldn’t be up to the task of delivering the goods on the Underground stage, but the German techno-electro Don brought the heat and then some. Veering away from what one might normally expect from his sets, Boys Noize truly dug deep into his bag as part of the Acid Showcase and bludgeoned the crowd with tons of VIP edits, Detroit classics and exclusives. 303 sounds were most definitely alive in the 313 for Movement 2016.

Photo credit: Peter Liu

Danny Tenaglia – Beatport Stage

There aren’t that many people out there who can fill in last minute for Richie Hawtin, but New York vet Danny Tenaglia is definitely one of them. After Hawtin had to cancel his closing set on the Beatport stage due to visa issues, Tenaglia was announced last minute to fill in the gaping three-hour time slot. Ever the professional, Tenaglia thrilled the Detroit crowd with a barrage of techno and drummed-out bliss, closing out the Beatport stage with panache and style.

Photo credit: Peter Liu

See you next year!

Another magical year in the books for Movement Detroit. 2016 was jam-packed with amazing performances, rare live debuts, and enough grooves to last a lifetime. People from all walks of life and backgrounds came together from all over the world in the birthplace of techno to celebrate and enjoy underground electronic music. Now that we’ve all finally recovered from the festival and its notorious afterparties… see you next year?

Photo credit: Peter Liu

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