As hilarious as the antics were last year, and the large attendance of friends who went, I still felt that there was more to be desired after DEMF last year. I spent way too much time drinking at the hotel, missed out on seeing a bunch of acts, got to the festival late every day, and missed out on the wandering experience from years prior where I'd run into some memorable characters, as well as catch music acts I would not have normally. My demf experience this year was a complete 360.. in fact I can easily say it was the BEST demf musically that I have been to in the past 5 years. There were some failures and life/death experiences, but the tunes and overall vibe outweighed those by tenfold!
[Saturday]
We were aiming to get to Detroit fairly early like we always do, generally between 2 - 4, but a couple of drawbacks, including being pulled over at the Windsor border set us back.. a lot. It was well after 6 pm when we finally settled into our rooms and made our way to the festival. By this time the rain had already reached a pretty heavy downpour. We heard horror stories about the duration that some of our friends had to wait in line, but we managed to cut to the side and received our wristbands in less than 10 minutes. The combination of bad weather and it already being late put a damper on my mood, especially considering I couldn't go on any adventures while it was raining (my favourite aspect of demf is the initial entry, and checking out the various changes.)
I liked the stage switching between Torino and Real Detroit, but at the same time I don't think I spent more than 5 minutes in the underground Torino, which I had anticipated to. Didn't like the change to the Beatport stage... I like to get close to the front booth and found myself having a hard time because there was more of a crowd to snake through. Also, the left side by the train rail had been a hangout/meetup spot for us in the past... I miss the isometric layout :( The Slows food stand was a great addition to demf food. As little as I ate, I could have lived off of the "pulled pork" all weekend long! Surprisingly the demf characters were lacking this year! I remember having a list for each day with the most noteworthy; most of them this year were predictable or done before. Where was garbage man?! and 12 inch platform dude!? Maybe they were hiding from the rain? I usually take a lot of vids, but only opted to do so on Saturday night since most of my friends were arriving on Sunday, including Kotsy, who would document the rest of the festival on video anway! Thx for doing the work for us ;) Anyway... time for tunes!
Visionquest
I caught most of Visionquest while I had a hard time trying to stay dry. I think I would of been wet regardless of the rain to be honest.. cause these 4 dudes were encouraging some pre-mature dance orgasms! Typical stuff from them; a great start to the festival for me. Spent a lot of time socializing and playing drunken cat and mouse to the deep thrusting, hip swaying music. When Seth came on towards the later half the energy of the set sky-rocketed! He dropped a current fav
Lee Curtiss feat. Matt Tolfrey - Candy
which had the crowd moaning (lots of hot girls at this tent) and giving er. This song was a popular choice during the weekend. He also dropped a hot little number that samples the beginning of Prince - Let's Go Crazy. "Dearly beloved, We are gathered here today
2 get through this thing called life..." LOVE this sample.
Richie Hawtin
My expectations for Richie and the Minus crew have been low as of late. Gone are the days when they used to play fresh, slow, big bass minimal and serious techno bangers. Now they mostly play generic tech house with predictable drops and uninteresting bass lines.. at least when I've seen them. I was a disappointed with Hawtin's set as the majority of it was what I just described. The later portion of his set did get better; he surprised me once in a while with a banger. He eventually had me eating out of the musical crums that his fed me, and his last 30 mins made me forget the beginning. His closing track for Saturday night
Mathew Jonson - Learning To Fly
was an amazing melodic techno track that sounded like fireflies dancing on an industrial xylophone.
It was a cluster trying to get up to our hotel room at the ren cen! We must of waited more than 30 mins trying to push through crowds of people waiting to access the elevator. It's as if we were waiting to go to a club! ridiculous! Our elevator was so packed that I had an intimate moment with the girl who had her buttocks so tightly up against me :stongue:! Most action I've had in a while.
I Love You But I've Chosen Techno
After a few drinks we headed out to The Works which to my surprise was actually a pretty great venue. A lot of people exclaimed that it was over capacity last year and that they had to wait an hour in line, but these issues were non-existent that night for us luckily! I really enjoyed the underground detroit bar feel to this place. Both rooms were enjoyable and the outside patio was decent too.
Maceo Plex
Got there just in time for Maceo Plex's live set, who I had been dying to hear since I missed him at Get Lost. Lately, his productions have been on heavy rotation for me; this guy is insanely talented! The coloured checker board lights in this dark room set the perfect ambiance while he played and also sang. He didn't play Your Style.. which I really wanted to hear, but he dropped a bunch of his such as
Maceo Plex - Gravy Train Maceo Plex - The Feeling Maceo Plex - Vibe Your Love
The strengths of his tracks lies within the way he builds them up; his choice of trademark deep bass is impeccable and makes me want to floor whore. He finished with 2 of his unreleased tracks. One of them was
Maceo Plex - Can't Leave You
which has been getting played a lot and another unreleased track with unknown ID. Could be one of his better productions yet. Can't wait to get more details. Sounds like it says "I want your love machine" or "I want your washing machine" lol.
We caught bits of cutie Elora on the patio who sounded like a female Carlo Lio. Was digging some of her stuff. Tanner Ross and No Regular Play were good and played similar to their Footworks sets earlier from this year. Justin Martin was a shocker for me; hadn't heard much about him before but he played a really good sleazy set with high energy. Wasn't feeling Robag Wruhme stripped down almost ambient set.. it was too late in the night to wind down to "opener slot" music for me.
Matt Tolfrey
Another name I'd been dying to see. This after party had win written all over it.... Actually scratch that! Winnings is more like it! I knew I wouldn't be disappointed! A great combination of sleazy tech house and bumpin deep house. I would of loved to hear more of this guy because an hour wasn't enough (At the same time I was thankful cause it was already almost 7 am!) He dropped some pretty big tunes like
Lee Curtiss feat. Matt Tolfrey - Candy
which was expected and the unreleased
Waifs Stray - Yeah Yeah!
Such a fun track! The energy levels of the room had died by this time but this tune seemed to bring all the corpses back to life. Some girls ran from the washroom midst reapplying makeup just to come jam to this track! :) Baby baby baby baby.. think about you all the time! <3 Called it a night after this track as the next 2 days were going to be more tiring..
[Sunday]
Rallied up our group who arrived Sunday and went to the festival just before 4. Took the time to give our friend a tour and check out the various stages and characters while the weather was still nice. Last year our Sunday group outfit theme was 80s workout. This year we followed the Cadenza trend of wearing fake staches (which didn't hold very well) and all wore domokun shirts! Domos are awesome. I maintained my stache for a few hours but it just wouldn't stick!! Eventually had to go back to the hotel to draw one on instead; it actually looked funnier that way :o) The characters came out to play today but like I mentioned earlier they're not worthy of listing. I did run into Grandma Techno again who is such a sweetheart.
TiNi
Was hoping to catch Livio & Roby but TiNi had taken their timeslot instead. She looked like Heidi's protege and Heidi actually came up behind her at some point, hah. Wasn't completely enjoying what she was playing but she had me bumpin'. She played that Desolat tech house sound but she didn't overdo it. She played gracefully but with a bit of flavour, with a side of phat beats.
caught a bit of Soul Clap who played a bit slower and outdoor friendly in comparison to their Footwork set. I found this stage to be particularly difficult to enjoy because it was always awkwardly packed with raver kids.
Ricardo Villalobos
The secret artist came as a surprise to some but expected for others. After playing one of the worst sets in Toronto last year I was excited to hear him play a bigger crowd. He started off really slow and took us on a journey. Despite what others thought, I really enjoyed his set. He played a variety of minimal techno, banging techno, and some deep house. He seems like a very schizophrenic deejay, but his progression made sense to me and I didn't think it was random at all. By the end of his set I was pleased and then I almost lost it. He closed with
Global Communication 14:31
which I've only dreamed of hearing live. I always thought it would have been during a Deep Dish reunion party, but hearing it outdoors in the main stage with thousands of people was pretty magical. The slow, melodic gem soothed me, and put me into a dreamlike state. Such a galactic (epic is so 2009) track to close (or open) with. <3 WOW
Sven Vath
I popped my sven cherry.. and I want to go back to that moment. Not only did he play set of the festival for me, but it was also in my top 5 sets ever!! Complete Vathstuction!! From beginning to end it was an ephemeral utopia of mind music! :eyespop: Most of his tracks were almost unreal... lots of twisted, dark, melodic techno. His opening tracks made me come up closer because I was totally losing my mind!
Maetrik - Crush
was one of them and it was my first time hearing it live. It was much more overwhelming and I felt like my blood flow had come to a halt.. His VDJs and incredible light shows added to the whole experience but this track on it's own is insane... from the moment the distorted groans hit to the unexpected drop towards the end. I thought the world was coming to an end at this point because of the tornado warning and high winds. My hat flew off and parts of the sky were black and chaotic. I thought to myself, I could die happy in this very moment~ Following that he proceeded to blow me away even more! (Is this possible?!) He played a stripped down, creepy remix of my favourite Prince song ever!
Prince - Computer Blue (Remix?)
The track kept repeating the words, "Is the water warm enough? Yes Lisa! Shall we begin? Yes Lisa" followed by an array of warped guitar. I need an ID on this. Mr C. likes to play this track as well.
The musical madness continued for the next few hours and I found myself completely losing touch with reality. Would of really liked to see Ben Klock play.. but I was going no where. The Vathinator also dropped
Aufgang - Dulceria (Clark Remix) Kink - Detunator
It's nice to see that this type of techno hasn't completely died yet. I left right after Sven to avoid the scenario that we experienced the night before trying to get to our hotel rooms. Really hating myself for missing Carl Craig's closing set, but it wasn't worth waiting an hour to get to my room for at the time. Took it easy Sunday night to be 100% for Old Miami, especially since I had to mentally prepare myself for the costume I would wear.
[Monday]
Need I Say More 6
It's become a tradition for us to attend the party at Old Miami; there's nothing else like it during DEMF and it's always a highlight if not THE highlight. This year was no different. We arrived just after 9 after waiting in a short line. I don't remember the party being at the capacity that it was this early last year. The "bouncer" at the front made me take off my wig for some reason.. but I later put it on when we reached the back. Oh right! I forgot to mention. I debuted my appearance as Verona Amorada: The Hooker with One Boot!! :nervous: lol. It was pretty hilarious watching people/deejays/friend's reactions to my costume. I even caught Troxler giving me a peculiar look. Sorry bud, I wanted to be the star today. I was actually surprised to see how tame he was, but someone reminded me of the fact that he was one of the dudes running the party. I applaud him for being responsible.
Footprintz were peforming when we first got there. I liked their mellow, sunny, slow bpm indie dance tracks. I saw them in Miami and fell in love. Sure, it was really mellow, but it was still early. They sang their hit
Footprintz - Utopia
Tale of Us came on after and played a great sleazy soundtrack to the feature film that was taking place in that giant backyard. They played the ruffled vagina water song aka Percolator which made me smile as I waited over 20 mins to buy a beer while I was sweltering in a black trench-coat! Not sure how I pulled off lasting that long.. I really wanted to stay in character I guess.. We left at 2, which I was satisfied with because the longer I stayed in character the more I was convinced that I was her! Is she the real me?! Ahhhh! haha
Deniz Kurtel
I was really adamant about not missing out on Deniz despite her early slot. Didn't know she was so cute too.. I liked what she played but I was a bit underwhelmed. The energy was lacking during her set and she played stripped down versions of her productions. Perhaps it was because she felt like playing more of a warm up early afternoon set? Or she didn't want to play a more upbeat set for a crowd that wasn't there?
Caught a bit of Three but once again this weekend he failed to keep me interested. At this time I was suffering from mild sunstroke and decided to re cooperate at the hotel for a bit. 2 bottles of water, a mars bar and 7 shots vodka later I jumped my way back in time to catch Art Department.
Art Department
It was probably the best I've seen them. Was expecting to hear only their tunes but they played a really fresh, deep house set. It was great representing our local talent. Their track selection was smooth! They played the unreleased and probably Summer 2011 song
Danny Daze - Your Everything
First heard Troxler drop this at SSFD. GREAT tune with a bassline that'll make your ears drool. Other noteworthy tracks include
Kenny hawkes & Louise Carver - Play The Game Maceo Plex - Can't Leave You Art Department - We Call Love (Feat. Soul Clap & Osunlade) Azari & III - Hungry For The Power
The right side of the stage made for a great dancing spot during their set. Did not enjoy what Justin Martin was playing.. Had a hard time believing it was the same dude who played Saturday night. Sounded a bit too industrial/rave like for my liking.
Dubfire did a good job playing the main stage. I was impressed to hear the lack of 10 minute drops! I liked what he was playing but it wasn't anything spectacular. Victor Calderone's set had potential and I was really getting into it.. and then I had to run back to the hotel. Went through what I thought was a near death experience which I don't want to get into, but I had to miss out on the end of the festival which I'm really sad about. Also missed out on seeing Lee Foss.. for the 3rd time!!! Arg!!
Overall an amazing DEMF.. qualifies for the title of best for me. Hoping to stay at a different hotel next year; the RenCen is too popular and not worth it.
Summary
Big Fails
- Getting to festival late on Saturday
- Rain
- No sign of Spiritual Dancer
- Didn't get to go to IHop :(
- Hotel chaos trying to get to rooms at night
- Missing out on Lee Foss and rest of festival
- Almost dying
Epic Wins
- Domo gang
- Old Miami for the 4th time
- Debuting Verona Amorada
- I found Troy!!!
Best Set: Sven Vath Worst Set: Justin Martin (festival) Best Live Set: Maceo Plex Most Impressive Set: Art Department Most Disappointing Set/Performance: Richie Hawtin Most Consistant Set: TiNi Weirdest Set: Justin Martin Deejay Most MIA: Misstress Barbara Best After Party Set: Mat Tolfrey @ I <3 You But I've Chosen Techno
Best Stage: Real Detroit Best After-party: Old Miami Best Festival Day: Day 2 Most Overplayed Song/ DEMF's Unofficial Song: Lee Curtiss feat. Matt Tolfrey - Candy Favourite DEMF Song: Maetrik - Crush Best Drink: Mango Orange Smoothie Best Food: Pulled Pork Sliders @ Slows Worst Drink: Tap Water Phrase of the Weekend: 2 Piece and a Biscuit Best Character: Me as Verona Amorada
Mach X
quote:
Originally posted by Knox
SVEN rocked my world.
The end.
100%
quote:
Originally posted by Cribby
I remember seeing you with that stupid stache! LOL! Good seeing ya man!
Also, HOW IN THE DO YOU ALL REMEMBER THIS WEEKEND IN SO MUCH DETAIL?! :eyes:
Cribby
quote:
Originally posted by Mach X
Also, HOW IN THE DO YOU ALL REMEMBER THIS WEEKEND IN SO MUCH DETAIL?! :eyes:
I've got a journalistic mind, and it's important for me to capture the memories so that I can write a review like this every year, :)
nadezhda
I just remembered you were supposed to bring me a moustache for Old Miami! Not like it would have done any good, since I missed you there.
Cribby
quote:
Originally posted by nadezhda
I just remembered you were supposed to bring me a moustache for Old Miami! Not like it would have done any good, since I missed you there.
I used all of them except for a sleazy gray stache that I had brought for you. Forgot to give it to someone to give to you before I left Old Miami.
The Potter
quote:
Originally posted by Cribby
I've got a journalistic mind, and it's important for me to capture the memories so that I can write a review like this every year, :)
I think I saw you...the guy with a pen, notepad & dictaphone! ;)
The Potter
After wracking some of the uncompromised brain cells, here’s a review of my virginal DEMF…
Saturday:
It was a rocky start, having got there a whole day late, owing to studies; also, with a dodgy stomach and minimal sleep, I was expecting Saturday to be a bit of a ropey rollercoaster! By the time I got on site, at 10pm, I headed over to the Beatport stage, only to find that my footwear was only conducive to playing a literal version of the playground game, ‘stuck in the mud’ – in none of my visions of urban and concrete Detroit, did I ever imagine the need for wellies, haha. To be honest, I would probably not have been moving my feet much anyway, as Hawtin wasn’t brilliant. I heard great things about Felix da Housecat’s concurrent set.
By the end of the day, I at least had the CLR party to look forward to, and boy did those European guys deliver; industrial techno at its most brutal and delightful. I should have just stuck around, but greed got the better of me and I wanted to see if the grass was greener on the side; however, by the time I got to Hawtin’s afterparty, at around 3, they had stopped letting in – what the !? So much for him possibly playing until 9. With my tail between my legs, I went back to CLR, only to find that that was also closing an hour earlier, at 4. Damn.
At this point, I should have listened to my gut and called it a night; however, I somehow ended up at the TV Lounge. When we eventually got in, I was over the moon that they were still serving…if only the music had been as agreeable as the alcohol! Both inside and outside was so piss-poor. Had I known that Circo Loco was still going on, I would have been there in a flash. Eventually, I hit the sack at 8am.
Sunday:
Having given up trying to get any more sleep, and only getting an hour’s sleep at a time (I still appeared to have some of the copious bottles of energy drinks coursing though my veins), I got my arse in gear to get on site for around 4pm. I made my 1st visit to the Redbull stage, where I caught the last 15 minutes of Space Dimension Controller. I loved the more relaxed ambience of the setting, with the great view of the river, even though it was partially ruined by that seemingly pointless netting.
I was not looking forward to all the overlapping sets later in the evening. In the end, I ended up randomly spending the rest of the night with some legendary people from New York. They managed to bring in a big bottle of vodka, so the rest of the night became quite hazy! Martin Buttrich was someone I had wanted to see, and he lived up to expectations. I was then torn between Sven and Ben Klock. As soon as we saw the Torino stage, we were put off by how dark and underground it was. I guess we wanted to make the most of the sun and felt dingy caves were more suited to after-parties! In the end, Sven and his jaw-dropping visuals were more than satisfactory. It was also my first proper sight of the awe-inspiring main stage in all its pulsating glory. Watching from the sides, the sloping design reminded of the brilliant main dance stage at Exit festival. This was the last time I remembered a crowd resembling a living organism, a throbbing leviathan. Loco Dice then somehow kept up the momentum and rinsed it royally on the Beatport stage.
Now, originally, there was no way I was wanted to go on the boat, as the path seemed to be strewn with the bodies of those who had come before, and tried to do both the boat and Old Miami…all I can say is, damn those Yanks J It was $80 on the door, half of which they paid, so happy days there. At first (probably dues to all that vodka!), we were more interested in scoffing our faces with the amazing meatballs and nachos, haha. Eventually, we decided to let Loco Dice continue the process of destruction that he had embarked on from earlier. At one point, I came to my senses, and thought, “, Old Miami!”
I headed back to the hotel at 5am, facing the dilemma of whether to stay awake and go straight to Old Miami, or get some kip, but risk oversleeping. Looking back, I’m glad my body made the choice for me, as it would not have been a pretty sight…I was out like a log as soon as I hit the bed.
Mon:
I eventually headed to Old Miami as quickly as I could, getting there for around 1 or 2, but I still was not expecting a 1hr-long wait, my longest of the weekend. Whilst in the queue, I saw some guys going around on the cycle tour of the city’s legendary techno venues. In theory, I would have loved to have gone on it; but by that stage, legs need to be conserved for dancing, not peddling! I could not understand why there was such a wait, as the Youtube videos of the venue gave the impression of a never-ending garden. Thankfully, they stopped trying to let people in through the bar entrance, and opened up the garden gate – as expected, there was still space when I eventually got in at about 3pm.
Although it was love at 1st site, after a few sips of my beer, and even though I was fine in the queue, I could not consummate the relationship: as soon as I sat down, my legs just turned to jelly. I was then like, “Damn, how am I going to rescue this situation?” I then spent nearly 1hr trying to sum up the energy to get to my feet and maybe have a bite to eat. The music also stopped at one point, at which point I nearly shat my points, thinking that the event had wrapped up, without me having had at least one meaningful hands-in-the-air moment!
Thankfully, someone who recognised me from the Zone came to my rescue and persuaded me to get to my feet…and within a few minutes, I seemed to have made a miraculous recovery. Another drink later, and I seemed to be the most energetic mover there, whilst everyone else was wilting around me! The music was truly fantastic (I think Ryan Elliot was playing, though no-one really seemed to know, and then Cassy came on), so deep and melodic – with the gorgeous weather, the whole experience had an almost Balearic feel to it. I don’t think the huge grin left my face for the rest of the time that I was there & I found myself dancing with my eyes closed on many occasions. Randomly, I met some doctors who had just finished their shift at the nearby hospital & had stumbled on the party. I also bumped into some cool guys from San Fran, who at one point dragged me from the bar to see something: the moving veterans’ tribute, for which the music had stopped, and a thundering gun salute took place. I could have happily stayed there until the sun went down, but the San Fran guys encouraged me to head back, so I shared a cab with them.
Back at the fest., Dubfire played a blinder, much to my surprise, because I normally find him a snoozefest. Zabiela was then fun on the Torino stage. I decided to head to Hot Natured to avoid the rush. It was the first time I had heard the guys, and I had yet to be convinced by the new sound, but they delivered in emphatic style. For some inexplicable reason, even though I was feeling good, I then decided to sit down…schoolboy error! I woke up an hour later. There was not long left, so I made the most of the last few minutes. When we got kicked out, we were stood around looking at each other, and expecting that there must be something still going on in a city as big as Detroit. After walking around, we happened upon the Dubfire after-party, but they had stopped letting in. We should have heeded the warning presented by the comatose guy sprawled outside the club, but I guess we just dismissed him as a lightweight!. The Works was still open for a couple of hours, but even they eventually had to shut…and it was time to bring the curtains down on my 1st pilgrimage to the techno motherland.
Final thoughts:
I will punish myself with a thousand lines: ‘I shall not be a naughty boy by going on the Sunday boat’.
After my experience of British festivals, I was amazed that the festival does not seem to do Chavs – maybe it’s due to the lack of drum and bass and hardcore, haha. Long may DEMF be devoid of aggression and attitude!
There is always a trade-off between feeling on better form physically and wanting to see all the action. It’s a hard one to balance.
I can do enough nocturnal clubbing in Toronto, so unless I have not seen the DJ before, less after-parties next time, and an earlier arrival on the festival site, to enjoy the sun and to not have to battle against the bodyclock.
Never sit down for too long, as legs are liable to seize up even more!
Old Miami was the best event of the weekend.
The festival has a unique charm and character, which it should continue distilling and marketing as a unique selling point for many years to come. It actually felt really good to know that, as well as being a hedonist, I was playing a part in helping the city to continue to rise from the ashes of industrial decay. I will definitely be back.
patpicos
quote:
Originally posted by The Potter
Great review!
The Potter
quote:
Originally posted by devnull
Great review!
Cheers, matey. It's the 1st one I've ever written! I just felt I had to document the magical and spellbinding experience. I'll hopefully bump into more of you TOTAs next time :)
nadezhda
quote:
Originally posted by Cribby
I used all of them except for a sleazy gray stache that I had brought for you. Forgot to give it to someone to give to you before I left Old Miami.
Aw well it's the thought that counts! :)
Shaya007
quote:
Originally posted by Cribby
I've got a journalistic mind, and it's important for me to capture the memories so that I can write a review like this every year, :)
It's all that coffee..lol
:toothless
Mach X
Ok, next year I'm bringing a voice recorder and going to record my thoughts at every moment... then sit down, go over it and summarize and publish.
Still in AWE of the detail you guys can do this.
You probably think I was just off my ass drunk, but I wasn't really, always in the moment and soaking it all in.
Awesome reviews! SPECTACULAR! Everyone, great job!
@ The Potter... sorry we never met up, all the txts and calls, never happened.
PS - Listening to the Paul Kalkanbrenner set now, sounds like that was a fun time as well, but FATBOY SLIM > PK :D Had to have my priorities straight!
