Movement Detroit organizer Paxahau quickly bounced back after heavy rain halted day two of the festival. These weren’t the darkest clouds on their horizon by a long shot.
Inclement weather hardly rained on the parade that was Movement Detroit 2024. The annual dance music festival ran from Saturday, May 25 – Monday, May 27, save for a few hours of silence on Sunday evening due to severe rain and winds.
It was a disruption, to be sure. There’s no sweeping that under the rug. Compared to how changes in the economic climate have started to loom over music festivals like Movement, though, it seemed pretty minor in the grand scheme of setbacks.
Ever since the COVID pandemic, rising costs and tepid spending habits among music fans have begun to price festival organizers out of the market. This has led to US dance music gatherings like Dirtybird Campout, Imagine Music Festival, and Backwoods at Mulberry Mountain getting called off.
Movement, which mostly caters to the laser-focused dance music niche of house and techno fans, should theoretically find itself more at risk than most. Against all odds, however, 2024 daily attendance fell within its usual range of 25,000-30,000, according to early estimates.
Not long after the gates opened at 2pm on Saturday, Hart Plaza quickly filled up with revelers as Detroit staples like Aboudi Issa, Ataxia, and Stacey Hotwaxx Hale took to different stages. By my own recollection, charging through all in attendance was the same electricity I felt the last time I attended Movement in 2022. Only this time, I couldn’t chalk it up to the end of a pandemic.
Was this year’s lineup to thank? Not particularly. In terms of artist draw alone, big-name Movement 2024 billings like Richie Hawtin, Solomun, Barclay Crenshaw and Fatboy Slim are roughly on par with key 2023 headliners like Charlotte de Witte, Underworld, and Kaskade.
One thing that does always set Movement apart is its focus on homegrown talent. Roughly half of each year’s bill is Detroit-based artists. While most of them may command a relatively modest social media following, this approach has succeeded in earning the support of a special kind of fan.
“There are always new generations of fans,” Paxahau spokesperson Morin Yousif told EDM Identity. “Once they get more into electronic music and explore techno and its history, Detroit becomes this obvious epicenter that’s full of amazing talent and rich musical heritage. The festival’s programming is unique to the city and the genre itself.”
What is now known as techno did indeed originate in Detroit in the late ’80s before spreading and mutating in nightlife communities across the globe. Its long list of early forerunners included artists like Claude Young, Stacey Hotwaxx Hale, and the late K-Hand.
All three were also featured in an on-site exhibit called “Respect the Architects” meant to honor unsung heroes of early Detroit electronic music. The four-sided arrangement of images accompanied by short bios could be found behind the festival’s subterranean Underground Stage since it debuted in 2022.
“This is our third year into the ‘Respect the Architects’ exhibit, and it’s a collaboration we do with Resident Advisor and Waajeed‘s Underground Music Academy, who curate the exhibit and add new people every year,” Yousif said. “It came out of an idea of highlighting and showcasing not only artists, but also people who have helped shape the Detroit techno community.“
This isn’t the only way Movement aims to do right by locals. The festival’s Detroit Stage exclusively bills up-and-coming homegrown talent. Not only that, but seminal figures like Delano Smith and Stacey Pullen were billed on its namesake Movement Stage.
Perhaps there’s a lesson to be learned here. Paxahau’s evident focus on honoring the roots of Detroit dance music has earned it a brand loyalty uncommon to other festivals. These strong ties could very well be what has helped it weather the turning tides of the industry.
The love could be felt more than ever amid the rainstorm on Sunday. Paxahau asked attendees to evacuate Hart Plaza shortly after 6:30pm, and after a torrential downpour that left huge puddles all over the site, they reopened the gates around 10pm. It was a turn of events bound to elicit grumblings from attendees who had their plans derailed.
Despite crammed entrance lines and sets from artists like Nicole Moudaber and Joseph Capriati getting cut, fans overwhelmingly voiced their support for Movement’s organizers on social media. It certainly helped that they extended Sunday’s hours by 30 minutes and offered single-day pass holders free admission on Monday. The overall glowing reviews nonetheless point to how highly fans regard Movement Detroit, rain or shine.
“When we announced that Hart Plaza was reopening, hearing all those people cheer — you could hear them as they were walking in — it was really cool,” said Yousif. “Seeing that is a testament to how much people love this event and what it means. They came out full force, ready to dance and have fun.“
With that, another Movement Detroit is in the books — and for a number of reasons, it was an occasion to remember. If you missed it, not to worry. It’s safe to say the festival isn’t going anywhere.
