Ten years is a long run for a music festival in the United States, especially given that music festivals have only crossed over into mainstream consciousnesses in the past few years. Yet, the Movement Electronic Music Festival pervaded and now flourishes as house, deep house, and especially techno have experienced a second life in America. EDM may be the banner child of electronic music currently, but veteran music fans are looking for events to satiate their deeper appetites.
This year, Movement once again takes place on Memorial Day Weekend from May 28 to 30 at Hart Plaza in Detroit, the birthplace of techno. Catching techno legends and up-and-comers alike in the genre’s motherland is a rare treat, and navigating the schedule can definitely make one’s head spin. Luckily, we at Your EDM are here to help in picking out five must-see artists to catch on each day of the festival. Below, see our picks for the must-see sets of Movement 2016:
Saturday, May 28
1. Juan Atkins and Moritz von Oswald Present: Borderland
Two techno legends team up for a very rare set at Movement’s main stage on Friday night. Juan Atkins, one of the legendary Belleville Three credited for popularizing techno, and Moritz von Oswald, a German producer famous for launching the Tresor nightclub and label, pair up for Borderland, named after the two Borderland albums the two released together in 2013 and 2016. Expect non-stop techno from its innovators themselves.
2. Kraftwerk
Closing out the main stage is perhaps electronic music’s most important outfit: the legendary Kraftwerk. Known for popularizing electronic music and the use of synths and electronic elements in songs, the German band fittingly make their way to Movement for its 10-year anniversary. Kraftwerk is bringing its lauded 3-D show to Hart Plaza, and its bound to amaze dedicated fans and passersby alike.
3. Four Tet
English producer/DJ Four Tet has been bolstering the English electronic scene for years, and he’s finally gaining the well-deserved recognition in America after being active since 1998. Last year he released the Morning/Evening album, comprised of two 20-minute songs. Never one to follow the trends, Four Tet’s discography ranges from breakneck house to contemplative ambient tracks. He’s bringing his live show back to America for this tour, and it’s bound to be a treat.
4. Zip
Movement loves booking rare artists, and the German DJ Zip is no exception. Much like other established European DJs, Zip rarely travels to America, but Movement managed to snag him during his brief U.S. tour. The founder of influential record label Perlon, Zip sticks to house for the most part, and his set will serve as a nice respite from the ubiquitous techno sounds during the weekend.
5. Maceo Plex
Opening the Main Stage for Kraftwerk, Maceo Plex is a Movement mainstay at this point. Yet, his evolution as an artist continues to intrigue fans around the world. He released his Solar Sampler EP last year, including two tracks from his upcoming Solar album that is named after his son. Plex is guaranteed to play a set full of interesting IDs and remixes, and will catapult the crowd to the future before they’re transported back to the past with Kraftwerk.
Sunday, May 29
1. Dubfire: Live HYBRID
Live techno shows are pretty rare, especially live shows with full-blown production. Dubfire is one of the few to tour behind a complete live show, and his Live HYBRID production has only grown with each new touring cycle. It just recently took the stage to Coachella to heaps of praise, and on Sunday he closes out the main stage in proper fashion with his new and improved set-up.
2. Bjarki – Live
This Icelandic producer made waves when Nina Kraviz’ label трип (or Trip) released his hit song “I Wanna Go Bang,” which became one of the most played songs from techno artists in 2015. As opposed to being a one-hit-wonder, Bjarki followed up his steam with multiple new releases, and will be releasing new EPs on трип starting in June. Bjarki also tours behind a live show, and will be making his Movement debut on the main stage late Sunday afternoon. Big shoes to fill, but we suspect Bjarki is up to the challenge.
3. The Black Madonna
House heads will certainly flock to the Red Bull Music Academy stage to see a two-hour set from Chicago export The Black Madonna, who has contributed to the Chicago house scene for years. The first female talent buyer of legendary Chicago club Smart Bar and a magnificent DJ and producer, The Black Madonna deserves her newly discovered success, and we foresee a set that fuses techno sensibilities with her hometown house roots.
4. Ellen Allien
Berlin is arguably the central hub of techno in Europe, with clubs and producers coming out of the city that leave a lasting mark. Ellen Allien epitomizes that trend perfectly, founding the long-lasting record label BPitch Control and touring keystone clubs around the world with finesse. She recently released her new EP Turn Off Your Mind, complete with two Movement-ready tracks to satisfy techno fans.
5. Magda
It’s a testament to Movement’s booking vision that many of the artists on the lineup are women, and Magda stands as one of the festival’s greatest bookings overall. Her sets switch from techno to tech house and then back to techno, all supervised under her watchful direction and enhanced by the inclusion of choice productions. Despite being from the U.S., Magda doesn’t play the country too often, so be sure to catch a rare hometown sighting from her.
Monday, May 30
1. Modeselektor – Live
The German duo Modeselektor closes out the weekend with a rare U.S.-festival headlining set, complete with their live show production to boot. Modeselektor has been gaining prominence in the form of their side project Moderat with Apparat, but this performance will focus more on the high energy, festival-ready sounds the group has become known for over the years. Expect techno, house, tribal sounds, and all sorts of off-kilter selections.
2. Nina Kraviz
The трип boss herself makes her way to Movement to close out the Acid Showcase on the Underground stage. Since her last appearance at Movement in 2015, Nina Kraviz has helped artists like Bjarki gain worldwide recognition, propelled her record label to the point of releasing tracks from artists like Aphex Twin, and toured with the resolve of an up-and-comer. But Kraviz has been in the game for a long time now, and is set to deliver acid among surreal selections during her closing set.
3. Hito
Hito moved from Japan to Berlin, Germany to advance her career as a techno DJ, and since then has become the main DJ of the Sake component to Richie Hawtin‘s ENTER tour series. She makes her Movement debut by opening up Hawtin’s PLAYdifferently presents PROTOTYPES Tour showcase on the Beatport stage, and may end up delivering a more energetic set than artists following her over the course of the day.
4. tINI
A fellow female talent talent hits Hawtin’s showcase on Sunday right, this artist of the more German ilk. tINI sticks to playing house and tech house for the most part, but her sets are known for their dynamic picks and non-stop energy. She recently played a whopping 31-hour set with Bill Patrick at the Sunwaves music festival in Romania, and we think she’ll transplant some of that determination for her Movement set on Sunday afternoon.
5. Tin Man
We speak very highly of the Acid showcase set to take over the Underground stage on Sunday, and the stage’s most exciting talent plays right before the legendary DJ Pierre: Tin Man. Expanding upon the genre by producing and mixing “Neo Acid” sounds, Tin Man is a rare treat for Americans to see, and seeing him playing after the father of acid speaks volumes of Movement’s ability to meld pioneers with innovators. Check mate, Movement.
Movement tickets are still on sale at the Movement website. See you in a week, Detroit!
