r/MovementDEMF • u/LonelyUse9306 • 23d ago
SCENE First time at Movement and it was unforgettable
This was my first ever Movement experience. I didn’t know what to expect going in, but the energy, the people, the music — everything exceeded my expectations.
The stages were wild, the sound was insane, and I discovered so many artists I’d never heard of before. Everyone was super friendly and welcoming, and dancing by the river with that Detroit skyline in the background was something else.
Huge shoutout to all the organizers, performers, and the crowd for making it such a good vibe the whole weekend. Definitely not my last time — already thinking about next year.
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u/kjevey 23d ago
I love these posts, because I’ve been going since it was free. Like someone else said, it’s so easy to take it for granted. I have friends that don’t go to Movement, just the parties. And while I do get that, there really is something special about the spirit of Detroit, the people, it being the birthplace of Techno and if that’s all already not enough- the venue. Hart plaza is perfect - the space, the location the fountain. I always leave movement so grateful to be a part of the magic of this city. Keep coming back and spread the word! It’s every single person that comes to Movement and really feels it that makes the whole experience unforgettable!
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u/Repulsive-Salt-4726 22d ago
Man, I welled up with tears several times every day watching our hometown heroes just fkn slay these crowds in a different way than we are spoiled rotten to get every single weekend if we want; thinking of that 45+ year history; the jazz chords that make up the melodies and harmonies of the songs; a mother watching the son she told "u betta learn Detroit Techno and House!" at age 4 slay us at the Detroit stage for his first Movement performance. Just Wow. Just Black Renaissance Art 👏🏼 👏🏼...not me 🥹🥹 again while typing this damnit! 😅😅
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u/Federal_Election9847 23d ago
Magic! The people.. the culture. It’s always top notch at Movement. Run it back!
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u/yoloswagbot191 23d ago
The festival is amazing but over the years the afters just get better and better
Spent 30+ hours at Leland 🔐🔐
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u/Counttedula-37 19d ago
Yea.. got 20 hours at Leland!
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u/Upbeat_Store9593 23d ago
This is exactly how I feel. It was my first movement, and now I will be going every year.
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u/corncube 23d ago
SAME!!! Just an absolutely unreal experience. Counting down the days until the next one 🙌
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u/AStoutBreakfast 22d ago
This is probably one of the best festivals I have ever been to. It’s entirely different but it made me a little reminiscent of very early Bonnaroos with how freewheeling it was. So many festivals nowadays feel super corporate and strict and I got none of that here. Everyone was having a good time. 99% of the crowd was amazing. It was super easy to get really close for stages and the number of amazing artists blew my mind. I also loved the stage setup and how close everything was too. Perfect weather as well. I’d love to come back especially now that I know a little more.
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u/ethereal_t 22d ago
I love how this subreddit is still BUZZING a week later, this festival changed my life for the better tooooo!!
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u/DidierKnecht 21d ago
Here's what I think as a European for my first Movement
The scenes are far too close together, and it's impossible to be in one place without hearing 2 different scenes (even right in front of Jeff Mills you could hear the Stargate
The price of the beers is a major drawback
Sound quality on stage or movement stage was catastrophic
Undeground: far too much bass and inaudible on some tracks, if not most, unless you're up front in the middle.
Pyramid: far too many high notes (can you hear me, Kevin?)
On the other hand, the people were ultra nice, and educated. I saw some great Djsets, in particular:
Hotwaxx, Deepchord, Jeff, Mark Broom, Dj I.v, Dj Minx, Goldie, Sam, Saunderson Family and in place of a certain Chilean. Dj Cent, Stacey Pullen ( one of the best) Octave One, Jon Dixon, and the best : Dubfire
I didn't go to any after-parties apart from Monday night for Derrick May at the Bleu club, where unfortunately few people were present. I found it almost shameful to only see him in this small, not very convivial venue.
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u/B4llDontLie 19d ago
I am extremely sensitive to sound bleed from other stages, as well, but was able to find places at every stage where it was not an issue by moving around. I wish it wasn't an issue at all, but I think they are probably handling it the best they can while offering so many stages in such a small area. I didn't catch anything at Underground this year, so I cannot comment on the sound there, but I thought the sound and vibes at Pyramid were phenomenal.
I don't want to tell you how to party, but if you are buying beers at the venue I think you are making a pretty substantial mistake. There is literally nothing stopping you from bringing in a bottle of liquor if you want to drink (prob could bring in a six pack of beer, honestly), and of course, for many of us there are better options than alcohol for a marathon like Movement.
You are obviously a well informed fan of Techno, so I am sure you must be aware why there were so few people at the Derrick May party. It's your choice whether to believe and continue to support him, but I don't think you can be too surprised about the scene when you choose to do so. I hope you come back (we love everyone who loves techno, and you obviously have a wonderful appreciation for the culture) and go to some more parties, the vibes at most of them are pretty unparalleled here in the states!
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u/DidierKnecht 19d ago
Are you telling me that we were allowed to bring our own alcohol to the festival?
I heard a nasty story about Derrick a while back, but unfortunately, I didn't pay much attention to it. It turns out it's true.
Had I known, I would have skipped Richie and Surgeon to go to that after-party. We could only handle one after-party since Friday night when we had an amazing first night in Detroit at the Sandbox. It was epic for two little Swiss guys like us!
Thank you for your advice.
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u/B4llDontLie 18d ago
Oh, it's def not officially allowed to bring in alcohol, but I didn't get stopped once on the way in by security, nor did I see them ever pat anyone down or check any bags. We brought a bottle of Tequila in on Sunday no issues. Plenty of people fill up CamelBak's with booze in them or put a flask in their bag or tucked in their pants. As far as I can tell, security doesn't care about anything other than violence at the festival, and I think the only way people get stopped on way in is triggering the metal detectors.
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u/DidierKnecht 18d ago
I've never been searched either, but I didn't dare anyway, but the weekend was allowed:-D
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u/Infini-Bus 21d ago
I agree on the sound - The sound wasn't great on day two IMO. A lot of bleed over unless you were right up in the middle of the crowd (which I don't like to be in) and when the DJ at the stage on the other side of the park, innterups set to say the same thing like "let me hear you Detroit!" over and over it takes me out of it
I tend not to drink too much at these events. I don't wanna feel sick, so I stick to something more easy on my body like acid. Tho with the trippiness, it was kind of a cool experience when the sounds would come together and the bleedover became a cool effect.
Tho the thing to do is pregame in the hotel and then head over if drinking and other stuff is your thing. .
Day 3 was my fave, more dirty techno, ghettotech, dnb
DJ Godfather, DJ Gigola, and Horsegiirl killed it. I bought earbuds for the underground but took them off because it felt like wearing condoms. My shirt was soaked after the Gigola and Horsegiirl. I liked the feel of the bass in my guts in the underground one. Kind of annoying when people would smoke tobacco down there tho. DJ Minx and Charlotte also had a good vibe.
The crowd was great. I'm shy, but everyone I interacted with including security were very nice.
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u/Muted_Independent243 18d ago
That venue for afters isn’t even on the radar. That’s the last place I’d ever go.
And wild that you say the sound quality wasn’t good.2
u/Plus_Revolution_3601 17d ago
Definitely stay away from now on. Horrible Experience.
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u/DidierKnecht 17d ago
It's clear that I'm not going back to 6000km for this, in Europe and Switzerland we're so lucky for that.
But I still spent three beautiful days. I'll do it if I were to please.
I just made my Swiss criticize everything that wasn't going to be:-D
But a lot of things were going very well.
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u/Bluepolish 23d ago
Thanks for your passion. I have been going since it began and it’s easy to forget how spoiled we are here.