(05/23/17 4:01pm)
Movement Festival in Detroit is back again and WIUX will be there covering all the action. The festival is important for many reasons, but most significant is its location. Detroit is a city uniquely important to music. Jazz, Blues, Pop and more have all been shaped by artists from the motor city. However, when auto plant worker Berry Gordy founded Motown Records in 1959, Detroit became a musical powerhouse. Motown made Detroit artists such as Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, and of course Marvin Gaye into superstars. After Motown’s heyday and as the auto industry began to collapse and the city spiraled into decline, Detroit continued to produce some of America’s most interesting music. Eminem and Jack White are both Detroiters. However, it wasn’t until three high school friends began to reinterpret Chicago House, that Detroit Techno was born.
Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, and Derrick May, or the Belleville Three as they are colloquially known are the founders of Techno. The music they made was uniquely rooted in a philosophy of Afrofuturism that came from their experiences growing up in an industrial city that had suffered an economic downturn, and which was heavily influenced by Afrika Bambaataa and Kraftwerk. These three, along with a few other innovators created a sound now known as the first wave of Detroit Techno. The sound took hold in places as far as Berlin and London.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGqiBFqWCTU
A few years later came a second wave. Jeff Mills, otherwise known as The Wizard, took over Detroit’s airwaves with his radio show. His talent for incredibly quick cutting and scratching on the decks earned him a large local following. Together with Robert Hood and former Parliament bassist Mad Mike Banks, Mills formed Underground Resistance, a group that was to Techno what NWA was to Rap. This second wave of Techno came about just as the genre became popular in Europe. The sound became faster, harder, and began to take hold abroad. Underground Resistance, Stacey Pullen, Octave One, Anthony Shakir, Claude Young, Carl Craig, and many more formed a diverse set of artists that innovated and reshaped Detroit Techno.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KevUFO2moZI
In 2000 a yearly festival celebrating Detroit’s past, present, and future in Techno and electronic music was born. This festival is today known as Movement Detroit. The festival is a testament to the city's importance to electronic music
This year WIUX will be back in Detroit once again, covering the city that hustles harder on its biggest weekend. If you will be there as well, we put together a list of our must-see acts for each day of the festival.
Saturday
Day one of Movement is one of the best for a taste of classic Detroit Techno. Octave One, Stacey Pullen, Carl Craig, Robert Hood, Larry Heard (AKA Mr. Fingers), and The Belleville Three are all not-to-be-missed Detroit classics. Also of note is DJ Minx, a local spinner with some serious chops, Panorama Bar resident Cassy, an internationally touring DJ whose sets are imbibed with intelligence and a flair for track selection, and Rrose, and experimental techno artist whose live sets approach chilling ambiance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFuujExs03A
Sunday
After a Saturday full of Techno classics, Sunday is a great day to check out some of the world's best House DJ’s. Honey Dijon promises jacking Chicago and New York style House that is sure to keep people dancing. Heidi's sets deliver bass heavy house with fun party-ready vibes and and a charismatic stage presence. DVS1, Cajmere, Shiba San, and Audion are all incredible acts with varied styles. Of course, Sunday’s premiere event will be Deadmau5, as he assumes his Techno alter ego: Testpilot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfFPgGNq6PA
Monday
If you’ve made it this far, you're probably already exhausted. It’s been said a million times before, but DEMF is a marathon not a sprint, so pace yourself because the final day is a good one. DJ Harvey is opening the fest with a 3-hour set that shouldn’t be missed. Harvey is a DJ legend who once famously said: “you can't understand the blues until you've had your heart broken, and you can't understand my music until you've had group sex on ecstasy.” I’m not quite sure what to make of that, but I recommend coming early to hear a great set from a true original. The Teklife showcase with DJ Spinn and DJ Taye also comes highly recommended, especially if you’re looking for a break from house and techno. Prepare to be rocked by footwork and juke by this Chicago crew. Closing out the night will be an unmissable set by the one and only Carl Cox. This is a must see, as Cox doesn’t usually spend much time in the U.S. Barclay Crenshaw, the real name and side project of Dirty bird mogul Claude VonStroke will be debuting on the Movement main stage. Deep House godfather Kerri Chandler and Hot Creations honcho Jamie Jones will also be playing can’t miss sets on the Paradise stage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZX4fn9i8mw
Whew that was a lot. You won’t be able to see everyone you want, so don’t even try. Instead, check out the acts that excite you, and if you find your groove stick with it!
After parties
I know, after parties, really?! After three days of nonstop dancing do you really want to venture out to one of Detroit’s venues to see even more acts and miss out on much-needed sleep? The answer is most definitely. After parties are part of Movement tradition. Don't question it, just go. Dance music's biggest DJ's, collectives, and labels turn out for a weekend of parties that is not one to miss. This year we recommend a few, but be careful not to overdo it. You can find tickets and more information about these parties through Resident Advisor, Facebook, or the promoters' own sites.
The Smartbar pre-party promises a huge lineup of residents and headliners. If you’re looking for a true taste of Midwestern talent, this is the spot to be.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U66uPl4J7XU
Discwoman's 3rd annual Detroit afterparty on Saturday is a great choice. The New York collective and record label focuses on creating safe spaces for partying and elevating women in dance music. If you had to sum up Discwoman in two words: Techno Feminism. Cofounders Umfang and Volvox will ensure this party goes off with a bang, and Detroit native and international touring DJ Mike Servito will take a headlining spot at this excellently curated party.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuJLPRzwZLE
Finally (and this is the one I’m the one I’m most hyped about), The Tangent gallery has put together what essentially amounts to a mini-festival outside of movement: 3 nights and an industry brunch at the venue during Movement weekend. If you don’t have passes to the fest, it’s honestly worth coming in town just for this. The first night is hosted by legendary Berlin nightclub and record label, Tresor. Day 2 is the No Way Back 10 Year Reunion. This night will be excellent, with incredible DJs such as Carlos Souffront and Derek Plaslaiko on deck. However, if you had to pick just one night, head to the Tangent Gallery on Monday for the Bunker New York Party. This night is promising to be one of Detroit’s best. The Bunker is one of New York's best underground clubs, and residents Mike Servito, Gunnar Haslam, and Justin Cudmore, have risen into the upper echelons of House and Techno. With excellent support from Eris Drew, Antenes, and Israel Vines – just trust me on this – don’t miss this party if you’re in town. As if all that wasn’t enough, each night has a special headliner closing each room.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqt8IhINNfU
Finally, if you’re in town and have the time, Detroit has a lot of history to check out. A good entry point for a lot of that history is its record stores, which showcases local labels and (if you dig hard enough) promises hidden gems within the stacks of vinyl. Memories and Melodies, Detroit Threads, 3rd Records, and Peoples Records are all worth checking for Detroit’s best Techno, House, Soul, Funk, Motown and more.
That about wraps it up! Festival coverage of Movement starts this Friday. Be sure to follow WIUX on whatever social media platform floats your boat for full festival coverage. We also have a couple interviews in the works. Nothing to announce yet, but stay tuned, and have a fun and safe Movement Detroit.
(02/20/17 10:47pm)
We are excited to announce a very special interview coming to 99.1 Friday February 24th at 3pm ET. When it comes to House Music, Chicago is a place of legend. Countless innovators and inventors have come from Chicago, from Frankie Knuckles, to Ron Trent, to Derrick Carter, to Green Velvet. When Chicago’s current house scene comes to mind, no name is bigger than The Black Madonna. A veteran of the Midwest’s rave scene and a small-town Kentucky native, in many ways it was both surprising and inevitable that Marea Stamper would become a figurehead of Chicago’s still quite alive and well House Scene. But that’s exactly what happened. The Black Madonna, who takes her stage name from a common and symbolic depiction of The Virgin Mary in European art as a darker woman, has become one of the worlds most desired house DJs for her selection that spans genres, from Disco, to Techno, to House, and Funk. She has also become notorious for her statements on the politics of dance music and developed a reputation for booking top talent in her position as Smart Bar’s booking agent. In an interview with Red Bull Music Academy, she remarked:
We did something at the time which I caught an enormous amount of s**t for, but we went through and we decided we were going to have a more diverse residence program. It wasn't just going to be men. Now, dance music talks about this kind of stuff all the time, but you have to understand, four years ago, the shit that I caught for what I did in Chicago, you cannot imagine…..We set some standards and values, and if you were going to be a DJ who was just a selector, you had to be so fucking good….. I think, at the time, there was this sense in America, in dance music in general, that if you were just like a bro in the sea and everybody got a turn…I was like, "You know what? I got one shot at this, and if dance music is really a meritocracy, which is what you guys have been telling me the whole time, and why I'm not allowed to play this and that, woah... it's just not going to work….Smart Bar is a meritocracy now. Then what? People lost their f***ing s**t.
Another notable Black Madonna quote is emblematic of her beliefs about the politics of dance music:
Dance music needs riot grrrls. Dance music needs Patti Smith. It needs DJ Sprinkles. Dance music needs some discomfort with its euphoria. Dance music needs salt in its wounds. Dance music needs women over the age of 40. Dance needs breastfeeding DJs trying to get their kids to sleep before they have to play. Dance needs cranky queers and teenagers who are really tired of this s**t. Dance music needs writers and critics and academics and historians. Dance music needs poor people and people who don’t have the right shoes to get into the club. Dance music needs shirts without collars. Dance music needs people who struggled all week. Dance music needs people that had to come before midnight because they couldn’t afford full admission. Dance music does not need more of the status quo.
The Black Madonna is back home in Chicago to take a victory lap after a tour that saw her jet-set across continents and play to crowds at some of dance music’s most storied institutions such as Panorama Bar in Berlin. She plans to release a single in 2017 entitled “He is the Voice I Hear”. She scheduled three dates at Chicago’s House institution, Smart Bar, where she served as the buyer and then creative director.
I caught up with her at the second of those dates and mentioned that I was involved with student radio back in Bloomington. She was gracious enough to agree to a phone interview, remarking that she owed a lot to her own college radio station and has a soft spot for student radio. By the way – her set back to back with Techno Dj Ben Sims killed. It was obvious from the get-go that we were listening to one of the best selectors out there. I was able to chat with Marea a few days later over the phone. We talked about student radio, living in Chicago, and traveling the world. You can check out the full 30 minute interview on 99.1 this Friday at 3 pm ET, and we will have it up on our website soon after. If you like what you hear, The Black Madonna will be playing one more date in Chicago – a very special all night set (According to Smart Bar’s website doors open at 10 pm and the club closes at 5 am. You do the math) before she leaves her home for a residence at London’s XOYO and another round of touring across Europe and the world.