Re: (313) Movement 2013
+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.comwrote: 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
Re: (313) Movement 2013
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.comwrote: +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.comwrote: 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
(313) Movement 2013
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
