MOVEMENT, DETROIT, MICHIGAN Maya Jane Coles
Heidi
Monday’s sweltering 34-degree heat is no match for Nina Kraviz and Cassy’s relentless techno-steeped sets, which give us no choice but to dance, and Kevin Saunderson elevates pulses as he strides through the stage’s penultimate performance.
Jeff Mills’ closing set steals the show (and festival), though, and remains in our hearts the longest. With minimal crowd interaction and an arsenal of turntables and hardware in front of him, Mills plays a set as ‘The Wizard’ that connects the dots through American dance music’s history in an incredibly emotional 90 minutes of nostalgia and celebration. The opening portion of his set starts off in the ’70s and ’80s via Freeez, Kraftwerk and Cybotron, and literally has some of the older attendees around us in tears as they bask in the memories of the music they spent their adolescence dancing to. As he progresses into the hey-day of ’90s techno, time stands still and he drops his own classic, ‘The Bells’, as thousands of people throw their hands in the air singing along to its infamous
melody without a hint of irony. From there, Mills steps it up even further by firing up his drum machines and maneuvering them live with inhuman prowess and agility. His set ends just as the music and energy can’t go any higher and everyone filters out dazed, passing under an exit banner that says ‘Thank you for supporting Detroit’.
DJ Mag interviews Mills the next day and asks him if he ever plays sets like this elsewhere. He tells us that a lot of the tunes he played in the beginning are tracks that he can only, and will only, ever play in this city because of its history. His explanation serves as a summation of the weekend and why everything we experienced, both musically and otherwise, felt truly special, taking place in the Motor City. We leave Detroit feeling like we understand electronic dance music in a way we never did until we finally experienced it here. Movement is easily the most genuine festival we’ve been to and is a deserved homage to the enduring birthplace of so much of the music that we love. ZARA WLADAWSKY
MOVEMENT’S MAGIC MOMENTS The key tunes that defined the festival
GREEN VELVET ‘Flash’ (Velvet) There’s something positively electric about hearing thousands of people of all ages around you shouting, “Cameras ready, prepare to flash!” while an onslaught of 909s hit you. ‘Flash’ was by far DJ Mag’s most heard track in Detroit, and its brilliance lies in the fact that it never got less than a full-force response from the crowd.
PLASTIKMAN ‘Spastik’ (NovaMute) Detroit still loves Richie Hawtin and this was evidenced by all the times we heard his pummeling masterpiece ‘Spastik’ throughout the week. Fists punched the air and people pogoed around with complete abandon to the driving percussive snares and monstrous kick that keeps this classic techno track positively terrifying in the best of ways.
INNER CITY ‘Good Life’ (Virgin) Of all the times we heard this throughout the week, nothing compares to seeing Inner City play it live at the KMS 25 — Tribute To Detroit afterparty on Sunday. It’s a fail-safe feel good tune of the highest order that evokes (ahem) good memories of the good life.
DONNA SUMMER ‘I Feel Love’ (Casablanca Records) Seeing that many of the pioneers of Detroit techno used to DJ Italo disco back in the day, it was fitting to hear ‘I Feel Love’ throughout the weekend as a fitting tribute to Donna Summer’s recent passing. Her lilting vocals, combined with Moroder’s soaring synths, still sound as fresh as ever before.
www.djmag.com 067
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