We arrived in Detroit late Friday morning and made our way to Submerge
before checking into the hotel. For such a small store, it felt like
there was a lot to delve into. I only made my way through half the
stacks before I had to leave, but I found lots and lots of treats
nonetheless. We also checked out the Detroit techno exhibit upstairs.
I'm glad Cliff (I think that was his name) brought it to our attention.
I also made a trip to Ya Digg records. I was truly surprised when I
pulled up to the address and saw the building it is in. I thought I'd
written down the wrong information. That was completely NOT was I was
expecting. The store itself was a bit hard to find, which was a good
thing because I had an opportunity to see the variety of other
businesses within the building. I guess that is a perfect example of
adaptive reuse. I wonder how many other factories have been similarly
reutilized? Gotta luv Detroit!
Ya Digg itself is a small store and still needs to settle into the
space. It apparently opened just recently. I didn't have enough energy
to dig through the stacks, so I limited myself to two small sections and
managed to spot a number of interesting items in no time. Cha-ching....
Local heads may want to check it out, though you may want to come
ready to rummage.
Friday evening I went to the film fest at Detroit Music Hall, primarily
to see Metropolis. I've had Jeff Mills' soundtrack for years and I've
seen the original movie, but never in conjunction. I thought his music
worked for the most part, though the ambient sections seemed to work
better and more often than the beat-driven sections. Seeing the film
while in Detroit seemed gave a whole new relevance to the storyline...
The 'Timeless Suite for Ma Dukes' was curious. I don't know J Dilla's
music at all, so I had no point of reference. The orchestrations did
sound interesting. However, I noticed that at least two Erik Satie
pieces were performed in their original and then orchestrated forms yet
Satie wasn't mentioned, only the song titles. If I didn't know any
better, I might assume those were J Dilla songs. I had to leave the
theatre to put more $$$ in the parking meter, so I missed the final
credits. Hopefully, Satie was given due credit. I still don't
understand why Satie pieces were being performed during that concert and
what connection Satie and J Dilla have. If anyone can explain, I'd
appreciate it...
"The Drive Home" was fun to watch. The audience reactions were very
funny.
I had to leave early, so I couldn't stay to hear Timeline perform,
unfortunately.
After resting a while at the hotel, I decided to check out the Dub
Science party. Never found it. I guess it would have helped if I'd been
in the right part of town... :) Eventually, I gave up and went to the
Black Nation party at The Works. Did Jay Denham and/or Scan7 play at
all? If so, when? Granted, I got there pretty late, but by 4am I gave
up and went back to the hotel.
I will say up front that Paxahau should be commended for having improved
the sound quality in the underground stage. After trying different
configurations, they actually found a setup that alleviated some of the
aural problems that have plagued that space. Standing on the sidelines,
the increased clarity was obvious but it became even more obvious once I
went into the pit for the full aural experience. Deep, chest-rattling
bass and sufficient representation in the mids and highs to make it
somewhat easier to discern what was actually going on in the tracks.
Of all the stages, the music at the underground stage was most often in
tune with what I wanted to hear at the festival so I gravitated towards
it.
Patrice Scott's set was nice warm-up music. Since I'd managed to tire
myself out before the festival even began, I just sat and listened. It
was a good way to ease into the weekend.
I really enjoyed Nico Marks' set too. I'd never heard of him before, so
it was pleasant treat. I liked what I heard so much I picked up one of
his CDs (he obviously has quite a number) at Record Time and have been
enjoying it. Wouldn't mind hearing more of his work.
Mark Ernestus and Scion's sets were good, but it was much too quiet. Not
that I was expecting the sound system to be cranked up all the way, but
it really wasn't loud enough to fill the space sufficiently. What I did
hear was good but I was more interested in staying out of the sun/heat
so I never lingered at the main stage for very long.
Onur Ozer's set was kinda interesting and was the only thing I heard at
the Beatport stage all weekend that I could tolerate for more than a few
tracks.
Martyn's set was simply excellent and was my favorite set on Saturday!!
I love how easily he moves between different musical styles while making
it all cohere. I danced the entire time and it made me hopeful for the
rest of the festival.
After Martyn's set, Excision played some aggressive dubstep. The
transition from Martyn to Excision was extreme. I like dubstep, but I'm
quite tired of only hearing the super hard styles that seem to have more
in common with heavy metal and hard rock than with dub or 2-step.
Excision's set may have headed down some other stylistic avenues, but I
didn't stay long enough to find out. Instead, I opted to go back to the
hotel to rest before the night's parties.
I had very mixed luck with the after-parties on Saturday. The Back
Together Again party with Orlando Voorn and Anthony Shakir didn't appear
to be happening at all. I showed up at the location and they didn't
know anything about it. Was the party moved to a different spot at the
last minute?
The Hotwax Heaven party appeared to not be happening either. I was
turned away at the door and directed around the corner, which would have
been the drum-n-bass party I was also going to check out. That party
apparently was shut down too, so instead I headed over to the Theo
Parrish/Larry Heard party. I missed Larry's set, which I hear was quite
good. The place was very crowded and hot and too dark for me to see
very much. I assume the person spinning while I was there was Theo, who
I'm not that fond of. The only reason I went was because I was hoping
to hear some groovy house, which I did hear in the beginning until it
seemed to devolve into some obscure 70s funk shtick. YAWN. The best
thing about that party was the delicious "Techno Magic" beverage I
bought at the front counter. That really helped me get through the rest
of the night and the next afternoon.
I swung by the Detroit Techno Militia party, which was fun. I wonder why
there wasn't a sign on the front door directing people to enter at the
back of the building? Anyway, the music was great and I was glad to see
some kick queens there camping it up. That was a very fun way to end a
late night.
I was slow to get out of bed on Sunday. I knew I had a long day and
night ahead of me and tried to conserve as much energy as possible. I
completely missed DJ Pierre's set. I had to squeeze in more record
shopping at some point, so unfortunately Pierre had to be sacrificed.
I caught the tail end of Larry Heard's set, which I enjoyed. Too bad I
missed his set the night before.
Orlando Voorn's set: GOLLY!!! That was rockin'! WHEW!! I loved how
energetic they were! Very infectious. The Model 500 cover was
surprising too.
K Hand's set was good, clean fun as well. She seemed to really enjoy
the crowd.
Unfortunately, I didn't catch much of Anthony Shakir's set. The tracks
seemed interesting but the set sounded a bit unfocused. I could be
wrong though, because I was very distracted at the time.
I heard part of Cassy's set. I liked her Panorama Bar mix CD and hoped
that she'd bring something interesting to Beatport mnml-fest. To be
honest, I found watching her demeanor more interesting that the music
she played. She seemed to have a calm, masterful gaze when she looked
at the audience. My more cynical side tends to believe that she could
tell how little it would take to please that crowd, as long as the bass
was dropped out for several bars then brought back in booming fashion...
The high point on Sunday, and my favorite DJ set of the entire festival,
was DJ Rolando's set at the underground stage!!! WOW OH WOW!!!!!! Now
**THAT** was the kind of music I drove 13 hours to hear!! Rolando
really served it!!! Just thinking about his set makes me wiggle :)
I did sneak away a few times to check out Derrick Carter. His set was
good, but Rolando had me hooked so I couldn't stay away for long.
On the other hand, Robert Hood's set was the BIGGEST disappointment for
me on so many levels!! I had such high hopes, but what I heard was so
uninteresting and so unlike Robert Hood that I was really shocked. I
wanted to like it, but in the end I was completely underwhelmed. Bring
me polyrhythms, dammit, not some simple beats, simple effects and trite
atmospherics. Considering how the crowd lapped it up, I must have been
in the minority. I guess the bass was booming enough to keep them
satisfied. If he had performed at the Beatport stage he would have fit
in perfectly. I left after a while and came back, hoping that the music
would have progressed, but alas no....oh well....
On the other hand, Derrick May's set at the Movement stage was
fantabulous, but that goes without saying!! I've never been given any
reason to expect any less from him. It is nice to listen to someone who
has mastered the art of DJing and can play a fluid set that covers a
range of styles/moods/textures. I love being taken on an aural journey
with some surprises along the way.
Inner City was truly FUN and I'm very glad I got to see them perform!!
After the festival, I went to the hotel to nap before going to the
Metroplex party. I got to the party around 4am. Apparently, I'd
already missed Buzz Goree, Robert Hood, DJ Stingray and Kevin
Saunderson, which truly bummed me out because they were the ones I
wanted to hear most. Juan's set was good and Derrick's set was even
better than the one he played at the festival. The DJ who was playing
on the first floor when I first got there played a lot of high speed
ghetto tech and electro. I didn't have the mental energy to listen to
anything that fast at that hour, let alone dance to it. However, the DJ
who came on after him played some similar styles, but at a more
reasonable pace so I stuck around for a while. Not sure who it was, but
I liked what he played. If anyone could tell me who was spinning on the
first floor around 5am, I'd appreciate it.
My wife and I left the Metroplex party sometime after 7am. I took her
back to the hotel then left to check out some of the morning parties.
The party at Old Miami was so much fun!! I haven't been to a morning
party since the Goa trance days and it reminded me how nice it is to
start (or end) the day like that. Some of the attendees looked very
fresh and awake, as if they were starting the day at the party, which
adds a fresh energy to the proceedings, as opposed to people like me who
were ending their night and running on sunlight, orange juice and pure
vibe at that point. The music was tolerable enough, but when the
atmosphere is that perky it can make up for lackluster DJs and an utter
lack of sleep.
I also swung by the morning party at the Atlas Bldg on Gratiot, which
looked like it would have been interesting. At that point I think it
after 9am. I knew that if I stopped I would have to stay for a while to
get a sense of the party. Sleep was more important, so instead I drove
by, listened from the street then went to the hotel to get some sleep. I
do wish I'd had more energy at that point or I would have lingered. The
crowd looked very fun and the music I could hear from the street sounded
very interesting.
As it happens every year, by Monday the lack of sleep and fatigue from
running around town all day and night had majorly caught up with me. I
slept as late as I could then stayed in bed just resting. I was
determined to hear Mauritz von Oswald, rain or shine, but my body would
not cooperate. By time I got to the festival, I'd missed their set. :((((
Since I wasn't engaged by the other acts playing at the time, I decided
to go to Forans for a drink. I haven't been there in years so it was
nice to be back. Too bad the DJ played such a monotonous set. Oh well.
Forans itself is nice to just hang out in, so I decided to indulge and
drank myself silly before heading back to the festival to hear Pullen
and Minx.
DJ Minx sent me into orbit!!! I had high hopes for her set and she
definitely delivered the goods. I danced more than I thought I would
have been able to considering just how utterly exhausted I was at that
point. Thus is the power of a good DJ set!
Every now and then I tore myself away from Minx to hear Stacey. His set
was good, from the bits and pieces I heard.
Kenny Larkin's live set was inspired and deliciously groovy. It sounded
particularly tight and well executed.
Model 500 was very good and invigoratingly loud. The Battlestar
Galactica outfits added to the ghetto-Kraftwerk mystique, which was
great. Too bad they didn't play 'Neptune'.
Half-dead or not, I was still determined to go to at least one
after-party Monday night. I decided to skip the DJ Assault party at
Oslo and take a chance on someone I'd never heard of before so I went to
the Dwayne Jensen party on Porter St. The first DJ played some truly
monotonous, amateurish-sounding techno. Dreadful! I was afraid that I'd
made a bad choice on my last night in town. I was tempted to leave
after 30 minutes, but decided to see wait to see what the next DJ would do.
I'm glad I did wait. Dwayne's DJ set was much more interesting techno
with some housey stylings thrown in. It sorta reminded me of Mark
Williams, though less driving. The tracks seemed to go on a little too
long, but they still had potential. After a while, one of the guys in
the club, who was decked out in a pimp suit with sensible shoes to
match, grabbed the microphone and started singing!! I was pleasantly
surprised to be treated to house music with live male vocals!! I made
sure to grab one of the free CDs.
Had to leave after a while so I could be sufficiently conscious for the
13-hour drive home. I listened to the CD in the car and it has
potential. The tracks could definitely use some tightening, but at
least there's something of interest there. I'm glad I took the chance
and found a new artist who'll hopefully continue improving his
production skills.
OK TIME TO HATE!
The Beatport stage seemed to be nothing but minimal eurotechno every
time I went over there. Not that I dislike minimal techno, but the
Beatport stage seemed so musically singular that it was distressing.
The area was perpetually full of people who appeared to be enjoying the
music, but why couldn't that music have been moved to different stages
over the course of the weekend? Scion and Mark Ernestus would have been
perfect on the Beatport stage, especially considering the time of day.
I'm sure Minx would have been an excellent change of pace for that area
as well.
Then the Red Bull stage by the water started to feel like some spring
break beach party as the days progressed. Thankfully, the music changed
up quite a bit and was generally interesting, but I started to wonder
about the crowd after a while. If nothing else, the crowd was energetic..
The quality of the DJs at the Movement stage seemed to be very grab bag
and the music on Saturday was particularly abysmal. For how long do DJs
think it OK to play the same damn beat and track structure? On
Saturday, the consensus obviously was that it was OK to do so for an
entire set. Over and over and over and over and over. Even when the DJs
changed it was same crap. Were they all in cahoots? When the woman in
stripper garb got up on the speaker to wiggle about to the music the
whole affair went from lame to tawdry. I assume she was connected with
the DJ somehow. Was the T&A ruse supposed to distract me from the fact
that I was hearing a third-rate DJ set? Sorry, but it didn't work!!
Though I did enjoy the aural improvements to the underground stage, I
couldn't help but wonder about the preponderance of black performers
whose styles are very "Detroit" seemingly relegated to the Made In
Detroit stage while the surfeit of mostly white minimal DJs were so
strongly represented on the Movement and Beatport stages. In a way, it
did feel like whiteface upstairs and blackface downstairs. Yeah, I know
that not every DJ who played down there was black, and I know that
popular white DJs like Hawtin and Magda have played down there, but I
couldn't shake the idea of racial bias all weekend. Perhaps Tom Cox's
sh1t-st1rr1ng on this issue had sunk in...
Also, the underground stage still has a lot of issues. The improved
sound helps, but it is still hot and muggy down there (why no fans?);
the lines to the bathrooms are too long, and the dancefloor seems like
it would be a nightmare if something happened and the crowd needed to
exit the area quickly. Cincinnati stampede anyone? With all those
factors, I could see a lot of people still avoiding the area, just like
I use to, which is unfortunate when so many quality Detroit artists are
performing down there.
OK, I'm done complaining.
I had fun this weekend and got to hear some artists I hadn't known about
before, which is a good thing. I've managed to have fun with enough of
the performances to make the festival still worthwhile overall.
Already looking forward to going back next year!
Lastly, I have to say that it was a PLEASURE to be back in Detroit!!!!
I've only been to a few cities where I am happy just being there,
regardless of what I'm doing at any particular moment.
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