Thanks much for the reflections on the festival and the shout out. Take care. Andrew
http://andrewdukeinthemix.com On Tue, Jun 11, 2013 at 3:39 PM, Lori Polemenakos <girly...@gmail.com>wrote: > +1 on the underground sound system and visual layout, it sounded AMAZING > compared to previous years. That said, I felt there was a bit too much > soundbleed between the Electric Forest and Red Bull/Main Stage areas, > honestly. And while slightly less so, some soundbleed was still noticeable > between the RB/Main area and the Made in Detroit stage setup -- which also > kind of shocked me with the sheer amount of house music that was played > throughout most people's sets. It created a sort of cognitive dissonance > for me, based on the talent booked this year and what I've come to expect > from the Made in Detroit area at previous festivals. > > Now, I'm an old-school and now-reformed househead who has no trouble > singing along with 99% of the anthems (it's a soul thing, a body, thing, et > al), but that's totally NOT what I'm flying to Detroit to listen to every > year. I was kind of disappointed that there wasn't nearly as much minimal > or even militant-sounding techno as I'm used to being exposed to -- > especially from new (or at least undiscovered-to-me) artists -- at this > year's Movement. Nicole Moudaber's set was one of the standout surprises > for me; hearing a set like hers that blows me away and I instantly fall in > love with is one of my favorite things about the festival, and for that, > I'm extremely grateful. To hear a woman playing such a hardcore, > relentlessly banging set made me both proud and hopeful that the whole > "female DJs are just gimmicks" mindset will eventually fade out of the > public's musical consciousness, though how long that'll take is anyone's > guess...DJ Minx had her audience on lockdown as well, but I thought Magda's > festival set was kind of "meh" this year (though her afterparty set > delivered everything I'd hoped to hear earlier that day, so I really > shouldn't complain...). > > Despite having tickets to the "Bass Ain't on The Boat" afterparty (because > hey, The Upbeats! They flew all the way from NZ - when am I gonna get THAT > opportunity again?), it got relocated to a less pedestrian-friendly spot > than the original boat setup had been, so the only one I actually made it > to was the Life and Death Detroit gig on Sunday at St. Andrew's Hall.. and > oh my GOD, so glad I had my earplugs in!! Nothing can compare to being > massaged from my scalp to the soles of my feet by a well-engineered wall of > sound in the wee hours of the morning. It took me a couple hours to realize > there was a different stage setup downstairs, and I was pleasantly > surprised at the level of sound distinction/speaker muffling between the > two (even moreso because one was essentially stacked right on top of the > other, with the venue above packed to capacity with people dancing and > everything that wasn't tied down vibrating along with the beat). > > Cheers to all the sound engineers, artists, volunteers and talent bookers > who pulled this year's level of professionalism off -- especially the > massive sound, camera and lighting rigs, nicely designed visual set-ups, > streaming video/sound recordings via be-at.tv, Red Bull software/hardware > demo room near the Underground stage, etc. Plus, everyone booked at the > festivals and the only afterparty I went to seemed to be playing during > their assigned slots, and each artist's gear looked like it got swapped out > in a timely and safe manner between sets. There weren't any last-minute > schedule changes due to talent not being able to get into the country or > missing a flight (that I'm aware of, anyway), which I know has caused some > headaches for Paxahau in the past. All of the stuff mentioned above > requires massive amounts of coordination, party-throwing experience and > teamwork to pull off seamlessly, and I know from personal experience how > hard that is... especially by day 3, when everyone's sleep-deprived and > hungover to the Nth degree. :) > > Didn't see any people passing out from heatstroke this time around, and > the crowd seemed a bit smaller than it was during my last visit in 2011, > which was... what, nearly 100k attendees? Curious to know how many people > actually went this year... at any rate, it was a vacation well-spent! > > > On Mon, Jun 10, 2013 at 11:39 PM, Darnistle McKuik <darnis...@gmail.com>wrote: > >> I know this is long overdue, but I felt an obligation (misplaced, no >> doubt) to post something about the festival. >> >> First of all, I think Paxahau should be commended for having improved >> the sound quality at the Underground Stage. The area had already >> begun sounding less and less murky each year, but this year I was >> quite surprised by the degree of aural clarity. I did not go down >> into "the pit" this year, but the quality of the sound near the >> walkways (behind the soundboard and near the bathroom) was very >> impressive. >> >> Second kudos to Paxahau for altering the orientation for the Electric >> Forest stage speakers, which worked very well. Though I wasn't keen >> on any of the music I heard from that stage all weekend, the sound was >> very full and rich, much more than previous years when the speakers >> were facing the water and the revelers had to stand on the grass. >> Dubstep bass sounded very large and powerful, which was quite nice. >> Too bad the dubstep itself wasn't in the style that I wanted to listen >> to. It'll be nice when perkier 2-step syncopation makes it way back >> into dubstep... >> >> Also, I'd like to thank Andrew Duke for some fabulous mixes that >> helped me make it through the interminable drive through >> Pennsylvania... >> >> Noteworthy sets from the festival itself: >> >> Alton Miller - surprisingly fun and thankfully not too jazzy >> Terrence Parker - He really kept the vibe going. His track selection >> was energizing and got my hopes up for a fun weekend >> Moby - I was running between stages during his set, but I really liked >> what I heard. I do hope he played "Next is the E" >> Daniel Bell - a very good, groovy set. Not as starkly minimal as I've >> come to expect from him, but very good nonetheless >> Cajmere - Loved the vibe! Where are the kick queens when you need them? >> Derrick May & Kevin Saunderson - Excellent, as always! Who else could >> have inspired me to dance in the rain and cold for so long? >> >> As is true every year, the after-parties are overwhelming in their >> number and variety. There weren't any mega-events for me year, where >> so many people I want to hear will be playing at a single party that I >> don't really make plans to be anywhere else. That made deciding on >> which parties to go to harder, but it also meant I got to explore more >> of the after-party scene. Plus, there's always something to be said >> for a night of quality party-hopping. >> >> Friday night, I went to the House Headquarters party @ L!V Resto. I'm >> not sure who was playing when I got there, but I did hear Gary >> Chandler (fun, but very disjointed) and DJ Assault (Lordy be!!). As >> always, I missed DJ Godfather. I think it must be written in the >> stars. >> >> Saturday night, I went to TV Lounge for the first time. Every year, I >> mean to go there but end up somewhere else. The music was pretty >> good, for the most part. Not sure who I was listening to in the >> separate rooms, but it was all enjoyable enough. To tell the truth, I >> don't remember much about the music, but I liked the club itself quite >> a bit. I'll have to make an effort to go there again the next time >> I'm in town. >> >> After TV Lounge, I went to Club Waterfalls to hear DJ Minx et al. >> Unfortunately, I didn't realize until the night was over that there >> was more music happening on the second floor. DUH!!! Sadly, no Minx >> for me. The music I did hear on the main floor wasn't bad at all, >> though the sound system was painfully shrill. I almost left several >> times because the treble was so sharp and loud that it hurt my ears >> (not even listening to old Whitehouse is so harsh). However, I >> persisted and eventually got to hear a DJ whose set really caught my >> attention. I asked him his DJ name and he said "DJ 50 Meal" (??). >> What a strange name for a DJ. >> >> Sunday night, I was at Club Waterfalls again to hear DJ Bone and Shawn >> Rudiman. I didn't get to hear Shawn, but DJ Bone's set was truly >> invigorating and I danced the entire time I was there. Unfortunately, >> I had plans to be at the Echospace/Terrence Dixon party that night as >> well, so I couldn't stay as long as I would have liked. It was very >> difficult for me to leave, but it had to be done. >> >> Echospace's set was easily the most memorable point of the entire >> weekend for me!!! I went there expecting to be bathed in their >> evocatively meteorological techno-dub, but instead was engulfed in a >> throbbing kaleidoscope of sound, all still on the meteorological tip. >> All of this in a truly gritty, grimey warehouse setting. What more >> could I ask for? I danced and danced and danced and danced and >> danced, and even indulged my inner speaker-whore for most of >> Echospace's set. Their rhythms were much more energetic than on their >> recordings and though it retained their trademark >> variations-on-a-Basic-Channel-theme, there were several points where >> the music morphed into something surprisingly reminiscent of late-90's >> minimal psytrance (dense layering of aural particulate and relative >> independence of constituent bass lines). Ah, what I would have given >> to have been on acid for their set!!. I get all wet and gushy just >> thinking about how aurally sumptuous that was!!!! To top it all off, >> they were giving away copies of "Soundtrack for Silent World". >> >> I'm not sure who played after them. The music was good, but >> Echospace had sent me so far out into orbit that I spent most of the >> next set I spent trying to return to earth and regain my senses. >> >> Then there was Terrence Dixon.... I'm not sure what that set was all >> about. I was really very confused by the whole affair. Who were the >> two guys with him and why did the one cover his face with a bandana? >> What were they contributing to the music? And what was going on with >> the music, which seemed very out of whack and disjointed? I'm not >> sure what they were trying to achieve but it didn't quite gel, at >> least not in my opinion. Funny, because Terrence was one of the main >> reasons I went to that party and I was left feeling very perplexed by >> I'd heard. I'll cut Terrence some slack, though, since his new album >> is fantabulous. >> >> Afterwards, I stopped by The Works around 6:00am and heard Silent >> Servant. I was surprised that their set was as good as it was, since >> their album had left me unimpressed. It was engaging enough to give me >> enough energy to make it to the party at Old Miami. >> >> The Monday morning party at Old Miami is always very refreshing, >> though by that point in the night/morning I'm fading fast. >> Regardless, I do love a morning party even though it was much too cold >> outside for me to be willing to stay very long. Cassy showed up >> shortly before I left, which was a nice surprise. She's very cute in >> person. I lasted until about 10:00am then headed back to the hotel to >> sleep. >> >> Needless to say, I got to the festival very late on Monday (alas, no >> Ellen Allien). The cold and rain really started to bother me, so I >> left the festival for a while to go to Motor City Wine (loved the Carl >> Craig cremant) then Forans for my traditional first drink of the >> weekend. >> >> Since I had a 10 hour drive home on Tuesday, I promised myself I >> wouldn't stay out past 1:00am Monday night. I went to The Works to >> hear Ben Klock and ended up staying until 3:00am. It is always so hard >> to leave a club when the DJ is playing a really good set. Pity I >> couldn't have stayed longer... >> >> All in all, it was a very enjoyable festival this year. I think next >> year, I'll have to rearrange my non-festival daytime activities so >> that I can catch more of the artists I want to hear who are scheduled >> early/mid afternoon, then come back later in the evening. >> > >
