Our hotel just outside Detroit came at the recommendation of a seasoned DEMF veteran, who promised the “best sleep of your life.” Considering the conditions festival attendees sleep under, I brushed off his remark as the result of sleep deprivation. Then I woke up Saturday morning trying to figure out how to bring the bed – frame, mattress, billion count sheets – home with me. The sun was shining and was I ready for 12 hours of electronic music.
After a brief stop at Tim Horton’s (mmm cherry cake donuts) and a few wrong turns, the crowds of people and jumping speakers directed us to Hart Plaza. We parked across the street in an underground garage for only $10 for the day – god bless the Midwest and low cost of living. Adorned with silver wrist bands, my crew and I explored Hart Plaza, learning the layout of the land. We first happened upon the Pioneer Pro DJ stage, featuring John Johr and Dieselboy, a combination of techno, house, and jungle – like that small room at a party you hit up when you need a change in music. Next was the amphitheater – VitaminWater stage – reserved for heavy hitters like Speedy J and Carl Craig, the place to be at the end of each night. My favorite stage was the Beatport Stage – techno all day and all night, where Alex Smoke and Josh Wink pumped cracks into the concrete. The Red Bull Music Academy stage was a breath of fresh air, serving up hip-hop by the Cool Kids and classic breaks by Pete Rock. And tucked underground was the Real Detroit stage, showing the rest of the world how Detroit gets down to Mike Grant and Kevin Saunderson.
With five stages and dozens of DJs, it’s impossible to see every musical act unless you want to spend the day walking around and listening to one track at a time. But I ain’t complaining. The first day alone was worth the hellish car trip. I caught snippets of thumping sets at Beatport all day, including Justin Long and Eric Johnston. Joris Voorn tore the tent down with his funky, outer space techno, and I danced in the sunlight, watching in awe as he smirked and tweaked those knobs. Next up was a double header at the Real Detroit stage – first up was Terrence Parker, the man who uses a telephone as headphones. He scratched like a madman and flooded the cave with gospel house and pure dance music. No contest, he was my favorite set of the day. Stacey Pullen hopped on the turntables, looking happy as a pig in shit to be commanding the crowd with his pure Detroit techno. At this point, my party and I had been dancing/standing for 10 hours. We caught enough of Moby’s set to be relieved he was back in his element – working the crowd and returning to his dirty dance roots. “James Brown is Dead” tickled our ears and we decided it was best to leave on top.
Sure, there were dozens of after-parties in Detroit that weekend, but after spending the day listening to electronic music, we wanted to give our synapses and legs a rest. We made a trip to the most non-DEMF event ever – Soul Skate. Luckily Detroit goes to bed at 4 AM, because we barely made it to the roller rink by 2:00. Kenny Dixon spun soul, hip-hop and funk while experts skated the ring. This was definitely not Roller Kingdom. We attempted to skate, but couldn’t keep up with the locals, so we played arcade games and watched in awe as kids did roller skating gymnastics and break dancing.
Wanting to save our energy for Day 2, we headed back to the hotel before closing. We rode down 8 Mile Road with the beats echoing in our brains and smiles plastered across our faces. I couldn’t believe we were lucky enough to do this all over again tomorrow.
NEXT: Worship on the holy day.
Link: DEMF Day 1 – Arrival
PEPPERJACKED 