The 16th installment of Detroit’s Movement Electronic Music Festival (formerly known as DEMF) is now in the books, so while those who attended ice their sore legs and feet, here’s a recap of what took place this year. With a newly added sixth stage, redesigned setups throughout Hart Plaza, a star-studded list of performers and total weekend attendance upwards of 100,000 fans, here are highlights from Day 1 (May 23rd) at Movement Detroit.
Perfect weather accompanied Saturday’s inaugural acts, mitigating the frustration some attendees experienced with lengthy will call lines before entering the festival. The wait was worth it once fans charged inside, finding their way to the Made in Detroit/Thump (“Detroit Love Showcase”) stage located closest to the gates. A variety of local Michigan acts including sets from Terrance Parker, “Lord” Stacey Pullen and Floorplan led to a live finale set from the currently touring Detroit Love combo of Carl Craig and Mad Mike Banks.
Nestled below the concrete of Hart Plaza, the Underground Stage brought the thump with deep, dark, powerful sets from Cell Injection (Drumcell + Audio Injection) and Regis, much to the delight of techno and drum & bass purists. Upstairs at the big Movement stage, crowds swayed to the Innervisions act Dixon before yielding the stage to local icon Richie Hawtin, who performed a signature house set in front of possibly the largest Movement Saturday crowd to date.
For those seeking more uplifting house sounds, the Beatport stage along the Detroit Riverwalk was a welcome reprieve, with the “E Funk” duo Soul Clap providing the soundtrack for a mid-day dance party. Fresh off their successful Kickstarter campaign for a new music video, the Boston-based duo of Elyte and Cnyce brought nasty funk riffs and deep house cuts that would make the funk-master George Clinton lose himself in the groove. The headliner combo of both Seth Troxler & Martinez Brothers as “Tuskegee” closed out the night to a horde of dancers climbing the pyramid walls.
Over at the tree-filled, repositioned Red Bull Music Academy stage, house legend Kerri Chandler worked up the excited crowd as dusk fell on Movement. Soon after, Bristol, England’s Eats Everything fired on all cylinders during a frenetic and, at times warped, 90-minute tech-house set.
Disclosure, a big draw for the Movement Detroit lineup, closed out the Red Bull Music Academy stage with a killer set for their rabid fan base. Breaking from their customary live arrangement, the duo entertained the masses with a “Wild Life” DJ set, a huge treat for those who missed out on seeing them during their lengthy world tour in the past year.
Day 1 of Movement brought a little bit of everything and if the crowd was hungry for more, a number of stacked after party lineups awaited them throughout the city that night. Who sleeps during Movement anyways?