You’ll RAVE About the Birthplace of Techno’s Biggest Party!
True electronic dance music and (and even hip-hop) fans should check out Movement Music Festival. Why? Because Detroit is the birthplace of techno music and has celebrated this in festival form since 2000 (MMF was fully established in 2006 after taking over for its predecessors). Yes, Euro dance floors are where electronic music stems from but in the 80s, Detroit really turned the tables (yeah dad jokes already) on what spawned the electronic dance music millions enjoy today.
This 3-day Memorial Day weekend is not only an iconic festival and takes place in Downtown Detroit’s unique Hart Plaza, you’ll be surrounded by a very inclusive crowd (usually sans frat bros and super drunk face planting first timers) but you’ll have dozens of food trucks, bars, and vendors to keep the party going and your dancing energy up. So put your baby beads on, grab your glow sticks, polish up the hula hoop, and get those furry boots ready for shufflin’ because the next photos are gonna have you so stoked for next year’s Movement Music Festival you won’t even need any molly. Just remember what Detroit legend Andrew W.K. would loudly say, ” When it’s time to party, we will party hard”!
Day or night, rain or shine, the Movement party is in full effect for three days straight!
Speaking of local (and international) legends, GRiZ closed out the festival in a very saxxy fashion.
The prettiest party people can be found in Detroit.
You’ll time travel one way or another but the best bet is blasting off to some outer space jams at the Stargate stage (that portal is a year-round installment future-people)!
It’s a jungle out there and in there (in VIP you animals)!
Old Town Road? Nah, it’s that urban cowboy flow!
The third day of the festival always falls on Memorial Day so feel free to party your patriotic pants off!
Every year features a huge new art installment from local artists: 2019 – Kevin Lyons/1X Run “Friendly Monsters”
Even the police are cool, you can COP a game of hacky sack with DPD’s finest.
The weather for Movement is usually warm but Gucci Mane made it straight BRRRR during his set!
Downtown Danny Brown had downtown Detroit dropping it to the ground all night!
Marijuana is legal in Michigan so you can smoke with your (service) dogs!
You’ll be applauding the banging beats of dope DJ duos like Golf Clap!
Shu betta get you some Shigeto! Give the drummer some!
You can even hit the Sweetwater Sound tent and test the sweet gear of your favorite DJs in hopes of one day being Lil’ Mix Master Mikey.
Movement puts the real underground into underground music with a stage that is located below the streets of Detroit.
VIP? Yes, very inclusive parties of very interesting people in very intriguing places!
Hats off to all the B-People (that’s PC for B-boys and B-girls) windmillin’ and back spinnin’!
Where else can you find a party pyramid?
Madlib has mad good taste in white wine and beats!
This bar was totally the ship(ping container)!
You too will think, “Mmm ah yes, solid beat choice my good disc jockey”!
Finding vinyl magicians will be no problem with OGs like DJ Godfather on the 1s and 2s!
Sometimes you just have to MIME your own business and let other sleep of last night’s after party.
Speaking of afterparties; In the true techno spirit of Detroit, you will find after parties, pre-parties, day parties, and parties that don’t stop for four days, indoors and outdoors.
Late night/early morning ragers can be found anywhere from warehouses to one-of-a-kind gathering places such as Lincoln Stree Art Park! (Photo cred: Lincoln Street Art Park)
Literally, parties happening from sun up to sun down! (Photo cred: TV Lounge)
It wouldn’t be a Motor City after party without some wheels of steel spinning behind the front half of an old school whip. (Photo cred: Marble Bar)
No matter where Movement weekend takes you, find a nice place to rest now and again and keep on truckin’!
If all else fails, BYOH is highly encouraged (bring your own hammock).
The biggest thing to remind yourself when attending Movement is to be kind, have fun, hydrate, and as our friend, Griz would say…
The second biggest thing to remind yourself is on this wiseman’s jacket!
If you even remotely enjoyed anything in this amateur photofest, you’ll LOVE the upcoming book “They Call Me Grandma Techno“
