Black artists are gearing up to let the music play at the annual Movement Festival, Memorial Day weekend at Detroit’s Hart Plaza.
Detroit birthed techno in the eighties after the imaginative work of African-American musicians, such as Derrick May, Stacey Pullen and Kevin Saunderson. Like Motown soul, the techno style is laced with the identity of the city where it was born.
Much like in the 1980s, the new crop of Detroit disc jockeys who started spinning in venues across the city during the pandemic didn’t wait their turn to make a name for themselves.
These Black artists are set to take the various stages for Movement Festival at Hart Plaza, May 23-25:
Saturday:
K’Alexi Shelby is a Chicago house music pioneer whose upbringing in the late 70s led to a soulful house style that permeated across the city’s other artists. His enchanting, “Essence of a Dream” is known as a Chicago house classic. (Stargate stage at 2pm)
AK is a Detroit-based DJ part of the women-led Blueprint.313 collective, whose sets — which mix ghettotech, throwback RnB and Sexyy Red’s latest banger — are tough to forget. (Waterfront stage at 3pm)
Carl Craig is a Grammy nominated techno icon whose Detroit roots in the second wave of the city’s powerful techno scene during the early 1990s are known internationally. Craig attended Cooley High School. (Stargate stage at 9:35pm + Movement stage 8:25pm Monday)
JMT is a 24-year-old DJ and producer from Pontiac, whose known for high-energy performances on any given weekend as part of Detroit’s rich DJ-scene. (Waterfront stage at 4pm)
Stacey Hotwaxx Hale is a pioneer of House music, known as one of the first female DJs that played house music on the radio in Detroit at WGPR 107.5 in the 1980s. In recent years, Hotwaxx Hale has held residence at Spotlite Detroit, Marble Bar and Panorama Berlin. She blends Motown Soul with funk, techno and hip hop. (Stargate stage at 6:30pm)
Danny Brown is a critically acclaimed Detroit rapper whose collaborations range from some of the biggest names in music like Kendrick Lamar and ASAP Rocky, to Gen Z favs like JPEGMAFIA and Jane Remover. (Waterfront stage at 11pm)
Stacey Pullen is the self-proclaimed “ambassador for Detroit Techno” and is considered one of the pioneers of the genre. (Stargate stage at 8pm)
Terrance Dixon‘s 30 year career is known for blending unconventional sounds over atmospheric beats. His debut album released in 2000, “From the Far Future,” is considered a classic in the genre. (Underground stage at 5pm)
Sheefy McFly is a DJ and artist best known for his murals all across the city. His fashion style pulls from Detroit staples — Cartier glasses, fur coats and gators. (Detroit stage 9pm)
Dames Brown is a Detroit-based vocal trio comprised of Athena Johnson, Teresa Marbury, and LaRae Starr. The group mixes elements of soul, gospel and house. (Stargate stage at 6:30pm)
Zack Fox is an Atlanta raised comedian and actor best known for his funny posts on Twitter in the 2010s. Fox’s set at last year’s festival turned out a huge daytime crowd, while his DJ sets posted to Youtube have millions of views. (Waterfront stage at 7pm)
Jessica Care Moore is a Detroit poet and performance artist who has for years bridged the gap between poetry and hip hop. Her voice appears on songs by Common, Talib Kweli and Madlib, and Karriem Riggins. She’s also on the lineup on Monday at the Movement stage. (Stargate stage 9:30pm)
Peezy is a Detroit rapper from the eastside whose hit “2 Million Up” went viral TikTok. Peezy gained notoriety nearly 15 years ago as a member of Team Eastside. (Waterfront stage at 10:30pm)
DJ Stingray 313 is a techno artist and DJ who moved to Berlin, Germany to participate in the city’s rich cultural scene. Stingray performs while covering his face with a mask, “to keep the mystique up,” he says. (Underground stage at 10:30pm)
Sunday:
E-Dancer is a group comprised of legendary techno artist Kevin Saunderson and his son Dantiez Saunderson. Saunderson’s contributions to the genre helped shape it into what it has become. A member of the Belleville Three, with Derrick May and Juan Atkins, Saunderson and his family are Movement royalty. (Movement stage at 9:20pm)
The Saunderson Brothers are Saunderson’s two sons, Damarii and Dantiez Saunderson. The brothers, now in their 30s, have been hitting the Movement stage for more than a decade. (Pyramid stage at 5pm)
Zoe Tally is a Detroit DJ known for exploring sonic textures in her own music as well as what she plays. Tally performs her debut set at Movement Sunday. (Detroit stage 5pm)
Father Dukes is a Detroit DJ whose sets include selections of jungle and drum and bass tracks. Check out this set from Dukes at The Lot Radio in Brooklyn. (Pyramid stage at 2pm)
Syreeta is a London-based DJ who caters her sets for underground and festival audiences. Whether at Glastonbury and Coachella or at London’s underground clubs like Drumsheds or Tobacco Dock, Syreeta performances are energetic and house-driven. (Pyramid stage at 3:30pm)
DJ Killa Squid is a Detroit-based DJ and influencer whose sets range from footwork to Detroit rap classics from the 2010s. (Detroit stage at 6pm)
Carl Cox is a British house and techno DJ whose work helped transform UK rave scene. (Movement stage at 10:30pm)
Monday:
Keith Worthy is a Detroit based DJ raised on the eastside whose sets featuring timeless Detroit deep cuts alter the brain chemistry of listeners. (Detroit stage at 8pm)
Nia Archives is a UK-born drum and bass artist and DJ whose opened for Beyoncé and has been featured on songs with artists like PinkPantheress. Read about how she played part of the jungle music revival here. (Waterfront stage 7:15pm)
Whodat, aka Terri McQueen, is a Detroit based DJ and serious crate digger who regularly spins deep house records at Temple Bar, Motor City Wine and Marble Bar. (Detroit stage 7pm)
Green Velvet, is the alter ego of Chicago-born producer Curtis Alan Jones. He mixes funk, techno and spoken word vocals like on his 1997 hit, “Answering Machine.” (Movement stage at 6:20pm)
DJ Minx is a longtime Detroit DJ and producer who engineered and hosted WGPR’s electronic music show, Deep Space Radio. Minx helped shape house music in Detroit, and was honored with a Spirit of Detroit award in 2018. (Pyramid stage at 9:30pm)
