The local news this morning reported it was the most tickets sold since
it went private. It is very interesting to see how the movement brand
has evolved. It will be very hard to get a crowd the size of the free
festivals but I think electronic music is not going to fade away in our
lifetime.
Afterparties? Visionquest's "need I say more 7" party at the Old Miami
was cool, the weather was great and the backyard was bumping until about
8pm Monday. The cover was 10$, drinks were taxed up for the holiday and
the sounds were oversexed (sexy lyrics), housed up, and minimal funk
basslines. If the partied had continued further I might have just
stayed there as it was closer to home. Cheers to the Detroit-Berlin
crew for "keeping it real."
Monday evening at Heart Plaza seemed busy as usual, arabmusik was
beating on his Akai, seemed to have a 90s rave sound. To elaborate,
breakbeats and shrill monophonic synth lines in the vein of early
prodigy--except with dubstep beats--seven minutes was plenty for my
Detroiter ears. There was the typically beatport euro minimal stage and
the "harder sounds" of the underground stage, the two stages sound good,
beatport had a better sound. Keven Saunderson was at the main stage and
Jeff Mills closed. Saunderson's set impressed me, I'm not sure why this
is the first time I've really been impressed by him--perhaps my taste
has changed or the DEMF vibe has changed since 2000 and his style has
remained the same and that is what I really appreciate, can't pin-point
it. Jeff Mills played as the wizard, it has been a few years since the
last Wizard show in Detroit. He played all the classics and a few
unknown old school jams. Towards the end he went into early Axis techno
and finished with a seven or so minute 909 drum solo, amazing drum tabs.
DS
On 05/29/2012 03:05 PM, Arturo Lopez wrote:
Couldn't make it this year. What's the verdict? Festival proper, weak
or good? Afterparties better as usual? Standout sets?
-Art
