Top 10 American Electronic Music Festivals of 2015

Movement Festival – Detroit, Michigan – May 23rd to May 25th, 2015

Words by: Amy Lennox

Photos by: Joshua Hanford & Joe Gall

Since 2006, Detroit has played host to Movement Festival at Hart Plaza during Memorial Day weekend. In 2015, the festival was comprised of a lineup that featured live sets, local talent, and techno pioneers alike. Detroit puts forth a culture like no other – the embrace of seasoned festival veterans and the local community as well as any newcomers is felt throughout. Said to have spawned the techno movement worldwide with The Belleville Three – techno culture is the basis for this festival. The abundance of homegrown talent and Michigan charm is felt all over.

On our first day, Friday we headed out to catch Tunnel Vision hosted by Auxetic to behold Eddie Fowlkes put forth some Techno funk in the alley of TV Bar while down the hall and to the left was a BBQ hosted by none other than Smart Bar Chicago and Resident Advisor. Black Madonna and Derek Plaslaiko took to the decks while we grabbed a cheeseburger playing some infectious tunes. Well-known and widely recognized as a haven for electronic music – Movement has always presented eclectic and diverse line-ups and this year was no exception. For the first part of the festival, we headed to the Beatport stage to catch Bulgarian sensation, KiNK throwing down a high-energy drum heavy set with an arsenal of equipment before heading into the VIP area which for the first time has reverse facing audio pumps. Mano Le Tough is serving classic up-tempo minimalist house on the main stage while the old school hip-hop icon, Method Man is at the Red Bull Music Academy Stage playing remnants of the 90s.

Detroit legend Stacey Pullen filled in for Paul Woolford at the Made in Detroit stage to play a rocking 2 hour set with some serious house flavor followed by another Detroit native, Floorplan. After witnessing some Detroit Love we venture over to the Beatport Riverfront stage to see Henrik Schwarz’s impeccable live set before moving on to the after parties. We make our first stop at Bleu for the Incorrect Music showcase to see local up and comer, Soul Goodman who artfully selects house tracks and provides a teaser for his upcoming new release (which we can’t recall). Incorrect Music founder Anthony Attalla then took to the decks to provide some dope tech-house jams for the local brethren before we headed over to the Leland City Club for Chicago based Paradigm’s first rendition of Motor City Madness. The infamous Innervision’s Dixon was featured on the bill along with DJ Tennis who never fail to impress and then we headed back over to TV Bar. Soul Clap met us with the last of his set followed by Audiofly who allowed for intimate beats and an intimate vibe.

Starting off Sunday at Hart Plaza, we ventured over to The Movement Stage where Bob Moses was providing melodic vocals and deep earthy originals – making the transition from the previous night’s shenanigans to the beginning of the day tolerable. Oliver Dollar was slated next on the list and properly captured the vibe prior to Loco Dice taking the realms and bringing us on a journey through the sunset. As the sky faded to black – the magic of the weekend took hold and letting us lose ourselves in the music in unison with the Detroit kinfolk who become our growing family each and every year.

As we head away from the festival grounds and to the official after party – Richie Hawtin closed out the festivities on Monday at another old city structure with seriously high ceilings and massive acoustic capability –The Detroit Masonic Temple. Richie feels at home once again and gives us the kick-bass rhythms and hard drops that everyone craves. Not being able to end it just yet…we trek back to Leland City Club for the tail end of the Rebel Rave and enter the main room to hear the luscious sounds of Francesa Lombardo. We then venture into the basement to see if a rumor is true – and lo and behold… Maceo Plex is expressing himself among the candle lit room with beautiful harmonious beats. Finley and Serge of Touch of Class then take us into Tuesday before removing their shades and offering some classic house for the the birthplace of techno, the streets of Detroit.

Tremendously evolving over the years, Movement has managed to keep its legacy and authenticity alive. It becomes a tradition to visit this iconic festival as it continuously gains momentum attracting newcomers and retaining veterans alike. Movement aka Detroit Electronic Music Festival plays homage to the original pioneers of techno and has an utmost respect for the history of dance music and music in general that is vacariously shown through the people who attend each and every year. The line-ups are so carefully curated and crafted that the everyone’s musical spirit is fully embraced and expressed.

The next Movement Festival will take place from May 28th to May 30th, 2016 in Detroit, Michigan

Click Here for Tickets!