Day three of Movement, Detroit’s Electronic Music Festival ’08 unfolded as expected, with a slow start, a spot of weather, a big finish and plenty of great music throughout. The Paxahau run event closed out running just as smoothly as when it had started two days prior, only the masses in Hart Plaza were a lot less composed and certainly much less rested than they had been upon arrival.
Opening with some thunder in the underground was Detroit DJ Townz who seemed content on continuing the vibe from the previous night. In any other setting, his set might have seemed ridiculously heavy for the mid-afternoon, but the underground stage turns day into night, and the crowd moving to his audio selections seemed to be using his downpour of rhythm to clean out the mental clutter built up during the previous two days of music and partying.
When Twonz’ work had taken effect it was off to the sunshine filling the main stage as Austrian DJ Cassy was running through appropriately breezy beats. Smiling while she effortlessly link track after track, she kept things in motion without loading up her sounds with any extra bits or pieces. Her relaxed attitude behind the decks informed her music and effortlessly translated to the crowd out front.
Par Grindvik certainly wasn’t the most visually exciting performer on the weekend, but his Monday mainstage set didn’t require any special displays. Working solo behind a laptop, the now Berlin-based Swede set to work carving out beats that seemed laid back without sacrificing any of their low end drive. Melodies over top would steal the focus, but after a while, he knew when it was time to return to the rhythm and make sure the dancers stayed in motion.
Up next was Canadian trio Cobblestone Jazz who performed here as a duo, but lacked for nothing in their sound. With one member working an impressive spread of old gear and the other splashing piano and other keys over the top. The improvisational sounds went off where the afternoon took them and enchanted the gathering crowd until the dancefloor was in full motion.
Back at the underground Derek Plaslaiko was at work, and his job is simply rocking whatever venue he happens to be in at the moment. Drawing the crowd in as he built his set, Plaslaiko took things from the sounds people wanted to hear to the sounds he wanted them to hear, all the while keeping a masterful watch over every aspect of the mix and working the EQ with precision to dial everything in to fit the instant.
That set things up perfectly for techno legend Kevin Saunderson whose regular Movement performances are often highlights. Working with classic grooves and choice new selections, Saunderson stayed on the harder side this night and had the crowd set to explode when he played a hard hitting mix of his classic “Good Life”.
Closing out the weekend on the main stage was Speedy J who worked from his two laptops from beneath the chopped up video displays created by VJ Scott Pagano. J kept things on the banging side refusing to let up, except for the brief moments he pulled back the bass so he could bring it back with an overwhelming effect. The flashing images of architecture and abstractions glowed above the performers and they made sure they sent the crowd home with a little something they hadn’t seen or heard before.
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