What started off as a small grassroots gathering of hometown heroes has now blossomed into one of the world’s most respected electronic music festivals. Every year on Memorial Day weekend, Hart Plaza turns into the capital of techno as people hail from far and wide to make a pilgrimage to the city where it all began.

This year’s Movement Electronic Music Festival is the largest to date, featuring over 140 performers from our own backyard to around the world. The event can be overwhelming, but Detroit Music Magazine has put together a guide to help you out.

While we foremost support any artist who is homegrown, there are several national and international acts who will be sure to deliver top-notch sets as well. There will also inevitably be overlap between some of your favorite artists, but we’ve outlined some of our choices below.

The music never really ends, as there is a wide selection of pre- and after-parties to choose from, with some going as late as noon the next day. It seems as if the number of these parties grows exponentially each year, but what follows is our essential list. Plan on not sleeping Memorial Day weekend. —Inchaus

Jump to: Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Monday

Friday | May 22

Friday Pre-Parties:

Smart Bar Chicago x Resident Advisor Opening Party & BBQ with David Morales, Bicep, Derek Plaslaiko, The Black Madonna, Michael Serafini, Northside 82, and more

TV Lounge

6:00 p.m. – 4:00 a.m.

Paxahau and POPULUX present The Movement 2015 Official Launch Party with Stacey Pullen, DBX, and John Acquaviva

POPULUX

9:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.

Bleu Detroit and Dirty 313 present Movement Festival Launch Event with No Regular Play, Droog, Lauren Lane, and John Johr

Bleu Detroit

10:00 p.m. – 4:00 a.m.

Blank Code and Oktave present “An Official Movement Opening Party” with Shifted, Paula Temple, Silent Servant, Luke Hess, Donor, Keith Kemp, Alstadt Echo, Annie Hall, Gabi, and Loren

The Works

10:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m.

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Saturday | May 23

Saturday — Key Detroit Artists:

Terrence Parker

Thump Stage

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

As the pioneer of “gospel/inspirational house music,” Terrence Parker got his start as a hip-hop DJ but later made his mark by mixing a range of genres – including techno, soul, disco, jazz, and downtempo – to lend his work a distinctive sound somewhere in the vicinity of four-on-the-floor Chicago house and early Detroit techno’s dreamy vibes.

Calico

Sixth Stage

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Calico got his start as a promoter before moving into full-time music-making himself, taking the sounds of Detroit’s techno, house, and electro and putting his own spin on them by injecting industrial’s grit, dubstep’s wallop, grime’s lurch, and garage’s shuffle into the mix — in the process becoming one of the city’s most distinctive DJs.

Kenny Larkin — Live

Red Bull Music Academy Stage

4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

A member of Detroit techno’s Third Wave, Kenny Larkin has folded his deep roots in Chicago house into the formal aspects of his hometown’s style to create a brash but sophisticated sound that incorporates the Windy City’s swinging rhythms and soulful melodies with the Motor City’s mechanical beats and penchant for experimentation.

Octave One — Live

Red Bull Music Academy Stage

7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Octave One is a duo comprising the Burden brothers, namely Lenny and Lawrence, with revolving members of Lynell, Lorne, and Lance Burden added to the mix from time to time; the unit are one of the premier acts in Detroit techno’s second generation, with a rough-hewn production style and little focus on sociopolitical issues.

Stacey Pullen

Thump Stage

8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Despite a paucity of output, second wave techno artist Stacey Pullen has become one of Detroit’s most vaunted contemporary musicians, as he has bridged the gap between the classic, soulful sound of the city’s early electronic pioneers and newer developments, such as tribal house, garage, and hardcore techno.

Floorplan

Thump Stage

9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Floorplan is the alias of Robert Hood, an early Underground Resistance member (along with Jeff Mills and Mad Mike Banks) and pioneer of minimal techno, who incorporated acid house and industrial into the Detroit sound but has always kept the focus on earnest soulfulness and complex experimentation over cheap glitz and easy glamor.

Carl Craig feat. Mad Mike Banks

Thump Stage

10:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.

The leader of Detroit techno’s second wave is without peer when it comes to artistic accomplishments, influence on dance music, and range of output, having worked with distortion, beatboxing, and samples to create everything from lo-fi electro jams to indelible house anthems over the course of a two-decade-plus career.

Richie Hawtin

Movement Stage

10:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

Better known as Plastikman, Richie Hawtin’s style is a blend of the most threadbare acid house and the most rigorous Detroit techno that relies heavily on archaic synthesizers like the Roland TB-303 and TR-808, but that nonetheless has proven influential for a whole generation of electronic artists drawn to his minimalist sound.

Other Detroit artists to check out on Saturday: Anthony Jimenez, Ben Christensen, Jay Daniel, Luke Hess, Mark 8en Moss, Rick Wilhite, Sinistarr, Steve Dronez, Urban Tribe

Saturday — Key National/International Artists:

Midland

Beatport Stage

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Midland makes meticulous, bass-heavy music that’s surprisingly nimble, which has earned him praise in his relatively young career.

Soul Clap

Beatport Stage

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Soul Clap are a Boston-based house duo inspired by the Afrofuturist sounds of Sun Ra and Parliament/Funkadelic.

Paul Woolford

Thump Stage

7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Paul Woolford is a U.K.-based dance producer who was inspired by the club scene in Ibiza before landing a gig there.

Dixon

Movement Stage

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Dixon is the vice president of FC Magnet Mitte, owner of a baker in Berlin, owner of Innervisions Recordings, a producer, and a DJ.

Method Man

Red Bull Music Academy Stage

8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Method Man is Wu-Tang’s most recognizable emcee and arguably their greatest solo success, especially when paired with Redman.

Cell Injection (Drumcell + Audio Injection)

Underground Stage

8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Cell Injection is actually two techno heavyweights – drumcell and Audio Injection (aka Truncate) – performing “mano y mano.”

Eats Everything

Red Bull Music Academy Stage

9:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Bristol-based Daniel Pearce draws from Chicago house, U.K. bass music, Detroit techno, jungle, and early rave – hence his alias of Eats Everything.

Disclosure — DJ Set

Red Bull Music Academy Stage

10:30 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

Disclosure are two British brothers who have reached international popularity with a series of U.K. garage singles.

Tuskegee (Seth Troxler B2B The Martinez Brothers)

Beatport Stage

10:30 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

Tuskegee is a project by Seth Troxler and The Martinez Brothers that is largely inspired by the influence of the Paradise Garage in the ’90s.

Saturday After-Parties:

POPULUX & Paxahau present Detroit Love with Carl Craig & Friends

POPULUX

9:30 p.m. – 4:00 a.m.

Dub Down, Poison Panda Producitons, and The Glitz present Bass Culture with Badklaat, Muk, OmegaMode, and more

Tangent Gallery

10:00 p.m. – 4:00 a.m.

Paradigm & Paxahau present Innervisions – Motor City Madness Night One with Dixon, Ame, Henrik Schwarz, Mano Le Tough, Recondite, DJ Tennis, and The Drifter

Leland City Club

10:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m.

Movement Detroit & KMS Records present A Night with Disclosure and Kevin Saunderson B2B Dantiez Saunderson with special guest Gene Farris

Masonic Temple

11:00 p.m. – 4:00 a.m.

Red Bull Music Academy and Paxahau present Soul Clap’s House of EFunk with Eddie Fowlkes, Metro Area, Newcleus, Recloose, Soul Clap, Stacey Pullen, Terrence Parker, Thugfucker, and more

TV Lounge

11:00 p.m. – 12:00 p.m. (May 24)

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Sunday | May 24

Sunday — Key Detroit Artists:

Gabi

Movement Stage

2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Gabi was born in Frankfurt, Germany but raised in Metro Detroit, where she discovered the city’s underground techno scene, bought a pair of cheap turntables, and taught herself to mix vinyl. Her music combines pitch-black dub techno with gossamer melodic lines that harken back to the spiritual side of the classic Detroit sound.

Shigeto — Live

Thump Stage

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The multi-talented Zachary Shigeto Saginaw is both a producer and drummer who was introduced to jazz and R&B at a young age by his father. These influences work their way into his music, as do IDM, post-dubstep, left-field hip-hop, and ambient techno, which makes for a sound that is like nothing else out there.

Danny Brown

Red Bull Music Academy Stage

8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Detroit’s most idiosyncratic emcee embodies the city’s contemporary spirit and has been embraced by both the streets and the blogs. With his lively sense of humor, enthusiasm for social media, numerous guest spots, abundance of solo work, and unmistakable fashion sense and flow, Danny Brown has been met with commercial and critical success worldwide.

Eddie Fowlkes

Red Bull Music Academy Stage

9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Eddie Fowlkes has been recognized as one of the originators of Detroit techno – along with Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson – when in the early ‘80s he DJ’d at Detroit’s Music Institute and put out releases for Metroplex Records, KMS Records, 430 West, and Play It Again Sam, which has earned him the title of “The Belleville Fourth.”

Ryan Elliott

Thump Stage

9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

As one of Ghostly International’s most acclaimed artists, Ryan Elliott first made his name in the Metro Detroit area as a highly proficient techno DJ, which led to him being asked to provide the mixed-disc side of a 2005 compilation devoted to Ghostly offshoot Spectral Sound, as well as residencies at Goodnite Grace, Oslo, and The Shelter.

Matthew Dear

Thump Stage

10:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.

For a producer working primarily in the genres of minimal techno and microhouse – two styles known for being diminutive and niche – Matthew Dear’s rise among the ranks of electronic music’s elite has been nothing short of meteoric, perhaps because his work often places more challenging material in song-oriented formats.

Model 500 — Live

Red Bull Music Academy

11:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

As the main channel for much of Juan Atkins’ best work, Model 500 was the Detroit techno legend’s alias of choice for well over a decade, starting with 1985’s iconic “No UFOs” and reaching all the way forward to 1995’s LP Deep Space. Model 500’s first album in 16 years, Digital Solutions, was released earlier this year.

Other Detroit artists to check out on Sunday: Ataxia, Bruce Bailey, Corbin Davis, Derek Plaslaiko, Earl “Mixxin” McKinney, Joel Morgan, JTC, Marissa Guzman — Live, Miguel Senquiz, Milan Ariel, Osborne — Live, Raybone Jones, The Valley and The Mountain, Waajeed

Sunday — Key National/International Artists:

Fort Romaeu

Thump Stage

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

South London-based producer Mike Greene, aka Fort Romeau, makes sensuous, euphoric left-field house.

Rone

Red Bull Music Academy

3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Paris-born indie electronic producer Erwan Castex, better known as Rone, creates music that’s both ethereal but heartfelt.

Bob Moses — Live

Movement Stage

4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Paris-born indie electronic producer Erwan Castex, better known as Rone, creates music that’s both ethereal but heartfelt.

Dubfire

Beatport Stage

5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

The Iranian-born, U.S.-raised Ali Shirazinia incorporates underground house and minimalist techno into his productions as Dubfire.

People Under the Stairs

Red Bull Music Academy

6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Underground hip-hop duo of Thes One and Double K have dished out witty rhymes over jazz-inflected samples for nearly twenty years.

Hudson Mohawke

Red Bull Music Academy

7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Freewheeling Scottish producer Hudson Mohawke doesn’t play by the rules, which has landed him gigs with the likes of Kanye West.

Maya Jane Coles

Beatport Stage

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

London-based producer, songwriter, and DJ Maya Jane Coles makes house music that’s indebted to rap and trip-hop.

Hot Since 82

Beatport Stage

8:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Daley Padley, aka Hot Since 82, has become a festival favorite in only a few years with his brand of Ibiza-influenced progressive house.

Loco Dice

Movement Stage

9:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Düsseldorf-based DJ Loco Dice began his career as a rapper before switching to a producer of house music.

Ben Klock

Underground Stage

10:30 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

Berlin’s Ben Klock takes techno and pares it back to its essentials before shading it in with pitch-black tones.

Dog Blood (aka Skrillex + Boys Noize)

Movement Stage

10:30 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

Dog Blood are an EDM supergroup – the duo of French touch-influenced Boys Noize and brostep megastar Skrillex.

Sunday After-Parties:

POPULUX & Paxahau present Nina Kraviz, Robert Hood, Terrence Dixon, Bjarki, & Exos

POPULUX

9:30 p.m. – 4:00 a.m.

Boysnoize Records 10th Anniversary with Boys Noize, Skrillex, Danny Brown, Destructo, Pilo, and Escor Krist

Masonic Temple

10:00 p.m. – 4:00 a.m.

Dirtybird & NightSneak present Dirtybird 10 with Claude VonStroke, Justin Martin, J. Phlip, and Ardalan

Fillmore Detroit

10:00 p.m. – 4:00 a.m.

Droid Behavior & Blank Code present INTERFACE | SCENE 2015 with Reeko, Rødhåd, Steve Rachmad, Luis Flores, DJ Hyperactive, Raiz, Subversive, Project 313, and more

The Works

10:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m.

Paradigm presents Visionquest and No. 19 Social Experiment Detroit — Motor City Madness Night Two with Visionquest, Ryan Crosson, Lee Curtiss, Benoit & Sergio, Nick Bassett, Lee Foss, Tied Collective, Art Department, Kenny Glasgow, Shaun Reeves, Nitin, and Maher Daniel

Leland City Club

10:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m.

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Monday | May 25

Monday — Key Detroit Artists:

Charles Trees

Red Bull Music Academy Stage

2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Charles Trees has omnivorous taste in music, which is reflected in his own recorded output, drawing from influences as far-flung as jazz, folk, rock, funk, hip-hop, techno, rave, and noise. He released his first solo work in 2009 on the Moodgadget label and has been featured on compilations with Ghostly International.

Nick Speed

Red Bull Music Academy Stage

2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

A staple of the Motor City, hip-hop producer Nick Speed has worked with 50 Cent, Mopreme Shakur, Lloyd Banks, M.O.P., Talib Kweli, Phat Kat, Musiq Soulchild, Bishop Lamont, Proof, Elzhi, Guilty Simpson, Supa Emcee, and many others, in addition to rapping in 9-2-5 Colony, his own hip-hop crew, in the late 1990s.

DJ Godfather feat. Good Money

Red Bull Music Academy Stage

3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

DJ Godfather has demonstrated throughout his two-decade-plus career an uncanny ability to integrate electro, techno, hip-hop, and booty bass into his sets without killing the fast-moving flow, a skill that many of his peers are sure to envy. Moreover, he continually adds new techniques to his repertoire and runs a label.

JETS (Jimmy Edgar + Machinedrum)

Red Bull Music Academy Stage

4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

JETS are the duo comprising Jimmy Edgar and Machinedrum. Edgar is a Detroit-based producer who mixes electro-funk and R&B with experimental techno for a digital take on seductive music. Machinedrum, the alias of producer Travis Stewart, has moved in his career from left-field hip-hop and IDM to variations on house, dubstep, and juke.

The Saunderson Brothers

Thump Stage

5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Damarii and Dantiez Saunderson are the offspring of Kevin Saunderson, one of the “Belleville Three,” – who along with Juan Atkins and Derrick May, is credited with pioneering Detroit techno. Together, the two brothers are following in their father’s footsteps and carrying on the legacy of the city’s rich musical legacy.

MK (Marc Kinchen)

Thump Stage

9:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Although best known as a house producer, Marc Kinchen balanced the style with the spirit of New York garage and the intensity of Detroit techno, the latter of which he picked up from his time working with Kevin Saunderson at KMS Studios, before eventually moving to Brooklyn to form his own label, Area 10 Records.

GRiZ

Movement Stage

10:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Grant Kwiecinski, aka GRiZ, is a producer and saxophonist who describes his music as “future-funk,” a blend of electro, funk, and soul that has found him a great deal of success – from playing house parties and local shows to supporting artists such as Bassnectar, Pretty Lights, Gramatik, and Big Gigantic before eventually headlining his own tours.

Kevin Saunderson & Derrick May present “Hi-Tech Soul”

Thump Stage

10:30 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

Kevin Saunderson is one of the most prolific of the original Detroit techno icons, having also recorded with Inner City and the Reese Project. Between his own name and his aliases, he has appealed to both the mainstream and the underground. Derrick May married the mechanical beats of new wave with the euphoric fever of the club to create a paradigm shift in house music. Together, they join the stage at Movement as “Hi-Tech Soul.”

Other Detroit artists to check out on Monday: 313 The Hard Way (DJ Seoul B2B DJ Psycho B2B T. Linder), ADMN, Al Ester, Andy Garcia, Annix, D. Wynn, DJ Minx, Keith Kemp, Loner.9 — Live, Marshall Applewhite, Neil V., Sterac aka Steve Rachmad

Monday — Key National/International Artists:

Route 94

Beatport Stage

4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

London-based DJ Rowan Jones, better known as Route 94, began as a dubstep producer before moving into deep house.

Classixx

Movement Stage

6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

The Los Angeles production duo of Michael David and Tyler Blake add Italo disco and funk to their house-flavored tracks.

Phuture — Live

Thump Stage

6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Phuture are seminal to the story of Chicago house for their iconic 1987 single “Acid Trax,” which defined the sound of acid house.

Joy Orbison

Red Bull Music Academy Stage

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

London-based dubstep producer Peter O’Grady records as Joy Orbison and has quickly gone from the underground to a major hitmaker.

Ten Walls — Live

Movement Stage

7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Lithuanian DJ and producer Mario Basanov, aka Ten Walls, melds his tech-house with classical theory for a grand-scale sound.

Lee Foss

Thump Stage

8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

The owner of the Hot Creations label is also one of the most influential forces in the underground house and techno world.

Maceo Plex

Movement Stage

8:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Eric Estornel, better known as Maceo Plex, draws from both house and techno and has performed for a long time at clubs in Ibiza.

Nicole Moudaber

Beatport Stage

9:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Nigerian-born, U.K.-based, and of Lebanese heritage, Nicole Moudaber credits New York with launching her DJ career.

!!!

Red Bull Music Academy Stage

9:45 p.m. – 10:40 p.m.

!!! (pronounced “chk chk chk”) are a Sacramento-based dance-punk group who incorporate disco and funk into their music.

Squarepusher — Live

Red Bull Music Academy Stage

10:55 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

Tom “Squarepusher” Jenkinson is a U.K.-based drum & bass producer with significant jazz fusion influence in his work.

DJ Snoopadelic (aka Snoop Dogg)

Movement Stage

11:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

DJ Snoopadelic is an alias of Snoop Dogg, one of gangsta rap’s seminal artists, whose unmistakable drawl has been his calling card for over twenty years.

Monday After-Parties:

Black Butter Records presents Gorgon City, Kidnap Kid, MK B2B Lee Foss, and ADMN

POPULUX

9:30 p.m. – 4:00 a.m.

TheHundred & The Glitz present: Country Club Disco Movement Closing Party with Moon Boots, Christian Martin, option4, Golf Clap, Doug English & Ross Regs, and Holographic

Drive Table Tennis Social Club

10:00 p.m. – 4:00 a.m.

Dirty Epic presents Anthology with Atom & Tobias, Reaganz, Derek Plaslaiko B2B Mike Servito, Bryan Kasenic, D’marc Cantu, and more

The Works

10:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m.

Crosstown Rebels & Paradigm present Rebel Rave — Motor City Madness Night Three with Damian Lazarus, DJ Three, Francesca Lombardo, Mathew Jonson, Seth Troxler, Skream, and Thugfucker

Leland City Club

10:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m.

The Official Movement Closing Party with Richie Hawtin, Loco Dice, and Guti

Masonic Temple

11:00 p.m. – 4:00 a.m.

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For more information on the Movement Electronic Music Festival, including tickets, full schedule, and frequently asked questions, please visit the official website. Detroit Music Magazine wishes everyone a safe and enjoyable time at this year’s event; check back during Memorial Day weekend for our coverage of the festival!

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