VitaminWater Stage
Movement Festival 2011Movement Festival 2011 was a huge success, smashing the attendance record dating back to 2005 with 99,282 festival attendees! Unless you were in the middle of the stage, there was plenty of room to stomp your feet and get down! There is definitely potential here for growth as we are seeing a large number of festival go'ers that are more eclectic and educated than ever in the techno scene! I personally have been to various parts of the world to dance on some of the best dance floors including London, Ibiza, Miami, NYC, LA, Berlin...and I have to say this was truly one of my best experiences! The city embraced the techno community with open arms, the people were warm and the city was dark, perfect for some deep, funky, sexy techno bass lines! Also contributing to the experience was my ability to stumble back to my hotel room at the Renaissance Marriott, killer vibe and hospitality!!In addition to the festival, this city attracts the best of deep, funky, techno, d&b heads! This is the only place in the US during Memorial Day Weekend that you can find this caliber of music! I like to consider it a mini WMC week, without all the hooplah! This city is solely focused on the music, and boy did they bring it. The after party scene was stellar, attracting homegrown acts like Visionquest and pulling some of the best talents from Europe. A must see...let's take a look at some of the better acts from each stage.
The main stage was hosted by VitaminWater and brought in the likes of Felix Da Housecat, Sven Vath, 69(Carl Craig), Dubfire, Green Velvet, Fatboy Slim, and Special Guest Ricardo Villalobos. Prior to this festival, I have had the luxury of seeing all the artists with the exception of Green Velvet, so maybe I knew what to expect. What I didn’t expect was a live performance by Green Velvet to blow my mind! Mr. Cajmere himself wrecked the mic for about an hour singing many of his old and new hits! He had the stage rocking with 2 dancers that looked like he pulled from the street, leaving it all on stage! 2 thumbs up from Mr. Bumps himself!
Villalobos, what do I say…..I mean I’ve seen him in one of the best clubs in the world, Amnesia! Can I compare? Do I compare? After all it was his first visit back to the US since 2000whatttt??? Who knows! All I know is that minimal isn’t meant for the main stage! I love the guy, and I understand his role, however when we only get 2 hours of the guy, we’d like him to be rocking the stage the entire time, right?!? Although, I really got into the last hour of the set, so I can’t complain. If we ever get another chance with the legend himself, maybe our voices will be heard….actually he could probably care less! He’s the man, he doesn’t have to care!!
Sven was Sven playing some great techno choons, gazing into the crowd with those eyes, rubbing his chest, and licking his chops. He truly lives up to his “Party Animal” reputation, entertaining nonetheless.
Dubfire played some really great deep dark techno that seemed to fill the speakers in a real good way! For the commercial heads, well everyone was ranting and raving about Fatboy Slim, I have to say he had me shaking it a bit. Overall, I was pulled to the great talents of the other stages. It will be interesting to see who hits the main stage next year. I didn’t talk much about 69(Carl Craig) cause I missed it to get my groove on with Loco Dice at the Beatport Stage (come back for a review of the Beatport Stage). However, I did hear that he came out in a white body suit. Detroit techno boy wonder Carl Craig is in the middle of a quick tour, performing live under his 69 (pronounced “six nine”) alias, and he kicked it off on May 28 at Detroit’s Movement Festival. Craig first introduced the 69 project back in 1991, debuting it on his own Planet E label with 4 Jazz Funk Classics. This is the first time he’s toured as 69.
Let your voices be heard and drop some comments on some artist you feel should be on the mainstage next year?
My overall pick for this stage, hands down Green Velvet! For you LA heads, he is at Avaland 7/30, check it out! Here are a few more of his tour dates:
06.18.2011
EDC @ Dallas
Dallas
07.01.2011
Boat Party
Toronto
07.02.2011
D-Days Summer Festival (Dance Days)
Niederkorn
07.22.2011
Tomorrowland Festival
Boom
07.30.2011
Avalon Hollywood
Hollywood
08.20.2011
Move Club
Campo Grande
Related posts:
- South West Four Weekender 2011 Main Stage Acts Announced
- Featured Festival: Movement - Detroit Electronic Music Festival 2011
- 34,820 ATTENDED FIRST DAY OF MOVEMENT ELECTRONIC MUSIC FESTIVAL 2011
- Coachella Music Festival - Indio, CA - April 15-17, 2011
- Sonar Festival 2011 Recommended Afterparty: East Ender