While Rob sneaks out for a few to catch his breath, I'm sneaking in, soap box in tow. As most of us know, the Memorial Day festival, DEMF, Movement, call it what you will, is upon us once again. Unlike years past where the announcement of the line up was awaited eagerly by each and all, this year its like, "Chop, Chop, let's do it."
This will be my first festival away from Detroit. In years past I have had the pleasure of rolling out of bed at 11:30 on Saturday and sauntering down to Hart Plaza by 12:00. I would see who I wanted to see, hop the decrepit People Mover, and head home for dinner. Then head to my after party of choice. This year will be a bit different; I have put 268 miles between Detroit and myself. And while it will be refreshing to be back in the D for the long weekend, there are already things that are irking me about this year's production.
The aforementioned line up. Where is it? Now while I sit here and bitch about my possible 4 hour drive to Detroit, there are people internationally teetering on the edge of their seats waiting to see if its worth their while, and their Euros, to make the trip. Don't get me wrong, I know it's a project to get 100 or so artists to commit in stone, but damn, throw us a bone.
Next, it's the on-again-off-again nature of this year's event. Yay or nay. Again, it's a frustrating concept for those who will have to book flights, take vacation from work, and get their expenses straight prior to the Friday before the event. Granted, most of these on-again-off-again rumors come from sources who brushed shoulders with Derrick May's cousin's sister's fiancé back in '89 at the Music Institute. Which leads me into my next irk...
The "Know It All" attitude of some people who are frighteningly close to the festival's inner workings, on down to the Message Board messiahs who let us know what's right on a daily basis, is disturbing. I admit it whole-heartedly, and Rob can attest, I had my foot stuck in this attitude when I lived in the 48216. But after leaving the D, and taking a step back and evaluating my experiences during my time in the City, and the feelings that hit me when I experienced music there, it started to make me feel foolish myself. The whole Man, if you haven't heard about Kenny Dixon's latest impossible to find release, can't name drop the entire KMS catalog, don't play at 6 bars, 5 nights a week, don't get the Kraftwerk, George Clinton metaphor, it's not Jeff Mills enough attitude is old.
I¹ve seen people knocking the possibilities of artists like Erykah Badu and Floetry playing the festival, for reasons like they aren't "Detroit" enough, or that they don't pertain to House, Techno, IDM, etc. Give it up. Without Motown there would be no R&B, and without R&B there would be no house and techno. So if that isn't Detroit enough, maybe I'm missing the point. And I'm not going to post a long linage of Detroit related artists and concepts, if you have access to allmusic.com, then you can solve that problem yourself. All I'm saying is that I appreciate the opportunity to go down to Hart Plaza every Memorial Day weekend and take in the vibe of the people and get reunited with people I haven't seen in a long time. I mean every now and again we all have to reach down and pull our purist wedgies out and see that "It is what it is"
Ian Dinsmor can't decide where he wants to live. A former Chicagoan who moved to Detroit, he now resides in Chicago with his lovely wife Jen and their 12 cats. When he's not working a full time job he secretly performs Leroy Burgess karaoke at dingy Chi-town dives. He hates the White Sox, misses Mike Himes and longs for Lafayette Coney Island at 4am.