Detroit Electronic Music Festival: 2007 Lineup Announced
Author: GoldFuZion
Friday, March 16, 2007
This year's Movement festival will be highlighted by performances from some of the city's most well-renowned and ultra-reclusive techno luminaries.
Moodymann, aka Kenny Dixon Jr., will perform with a full band and headline the festival's first night, May 26.
Techno godfather Juan Atkins will headline the fest's second night with his Model 500 project.
Jeff Mills, or "The Wizard" as he's known in Detroit techno lore, will close the festival, now in its eighth year.
These are just a few of the 40+ acts Movement producers Paxahau announced recently on the festival's Web site, www.demf.com with more to come.
Also performing will be Richie Hawtin, Stacey Pullen, Anthony "Shake" Shakir and many more...back to that a bit later.
The festival, which began in 2000 under the 'Detroit Electronic Music Festival' banner, drew an attendance figure of roughly 45,000 in 2006.
This year's announcement marks the earliest the festival lineup has been revealed for a long time. In fact, for the past several years, the performers have been announced only weeks, sometimes days, before the festival, due to turmoil within the festival's management. In most year's past, the event itself has been up in the air while the fat lady was readying her vocal chords, promoters having thrown together events at the last minute on several occasions when it looked as though it wouldn't happen at all. This will be one of the few years in which the event has gone a full year with solid footing and planning since last year's event ended.
After changing hands several years in a row, electronic music event promoters Paxahau took the reigns in 2006 and were, by and large, applauded for putting on a smooth, drama-free event. Paxahau stated that this year's festival will have better sound quality on the four music stages.
"There will be a significant enhancement in sound and layout," Paxahau President Jason Huvaere said Thursday. "The sound is going to be a totally different experience than in years past."
Lineup Details:
Moodymann (Kenny Dixon Jr.) is a Detroit techno/house artist known for his innovative use of reworked riffs, samples and grooves taken from the City's historically influential jazz, soul, funk and disco scene. Rarely appearing live, his headlining performance at the festival is the first show in support of his upcoming studio album and will include a full stage show with a band.
Juan Atkins, who is widely regarded as the godfather of Techno, began in the 1980s recording what stands as perhaps the most influential body of work within the genre. Model 500 will headline the main stage on Sunday at the festival, highlighting the continuing influence of his music on a global scale.
Jeff Mills is a planetary superstar of techno, an unwearied hero of mega-events and an ace of the three-deck mix; his musical touch has been a force on this city's dance scene for over 20 years. Jeff returns to Detroit to headline the festival with a main stage closing performance on Monday night.
Other 2007 special performances include German producers Booka Shade, who have earned a reputation as one of the world's most exciting live electronic music acts. Their performance at the 2007 festival will mark Booka Shade's first appearance in Detroit. Also performing live will be Octave One, featuring Detroit natives, brothers Lenny and Lawrence Burden, who have released groundbreaking underground dance anthems on their Detroit-based record label, 430 West Records.
In addition to Moodymann featuring Pitch Black Ci Tags