MOVEMENT-DETROIT'S ELECTRONIC MUSIC FESTIVAL '08

Movement, Detroit's Electronic Music Festival, or DEMF, is back in 2008 for another go around. Taking place from May 24-26 in Detroit's Hart Plaza, I've been told that DEMF 2008 has scheduled one of the most exciting line ups the event has ever seen.

Before we get into this year's event, a small history lesson is in order. When over 1.5 million people showed up at the festival each year, from its beginning in 2000 through 2002, it looked as if DEMF has an incredible future as an annual event in downtown Detroit. Subsequently though, as controversy regarding the festival ensued, and the event's organization changed hands, the future of the festival was in doubt.

The Electronica music scene has been a part of Detroit's history for almost 30 years. Legend has it that Detroit Techno was started in the 1980's by the "Belleville Three," which included members Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, and Derrick May. The three men were black males from the Detroit suburb, although I say that term loosely, of Belleville, Michigan. As fate would have it, all three men bonded over music as they found themselves outcasts in an extremely white town.

After visiting Chicago and hearing the sounds of house music, the three guys decided to take house music's dance style sound from Chicago, and add mechanical sounds by using analog synthesizers and drum machines to form what is now known as Techno. By 1988-89, the European rave scene embraced the sound coming from Detroit and Techno became its own music genre.

While Techno, house music, and Electronica never took off as mainstream in the U.S., to this day, the music is extremely popular abroad, and especially in Europe. Each member of the "Belleville Three" still tours the globe and continues to create new music. European Electronica music has shown its appreciate for what Detroit has done for the genre by honoring it in many songs, including just recently the worldwide hit, "Put Your Hands Up for Detroit" by Ferde Le Grande.

In response to Detroit's great electronic history, the first Detroit Electronic Music Festival was created in 2000 by Carol Marvin, founder of Pop Culture Media, and former sponsorship organizer of the Detroit Jazz Festival and the Michigan State Fair. Carl Craig, influential Techno producer in the Detroit scene, was hired as "artistic director" for the event. The inaugural festival was deemed a huge success as it unexpectedly saw over 1 million people attend. Subsequent festivals in 2001 and 2002 drew even larger crowds, topping off at about 1.7 million.

But controversy soon ensued, as Carl Craig was fired for not fulfilling the terms of his contract. Subsequently, in 2003 and 2004 the event was placed in the hands of "Belleville Three" member Derrick May, who changed the event name to "Movement." Yet, the event's luster was just not there, and in February 2005, May resigned from his post after losing thousands of dollars.

From there, another "Belleville Three" member, Kevin Saunderson, took control of the event, and re-named it "Fuse-In." Unfortunately, like fellow friend Derrick May, Saunderson was not able to create a profit from the event, and by 2006, the event changed hands again, this time given to Ferndale based Paxahau, a electronic record label and booking agency. Paxahau again changed the name of the event to, "Movement, Detroit's Electronic Music Festival." While Paxahau claims that Saunderson, May, and Craig support the festival under Paxahau's management, only May has confirmed this, although I am told Carl Craig will perform at the 2008 event.

Since Paxahau took over organization of the event, all reports have been that DEMF is back on top and continually growing. The fact that the 2008 event is even taking place is a testament to that.

Organizers of the 2008 DEMF festival hope to continually upgrade the quality of the event in order to support its growth. An article on Remix Magazine's website states:

"The festival will feature four distinct stages - each with its own unique personality. The Vitaminwater Stage, the Beatport Stage, the Real Detroit Stage and the Red Bull Stage. This is the first year the Red Bull Music Academy is presenting a stage at any US festival."
(Remix Forums)

The article explains that, "The Red Bull Stage and the Beatport Stage represent two of the most significant improvements to this year’s festival. Both stages feature new structure designs to provide the audience with an optimal listening and dancing experience. The stages include new vinyl roofs and metal structures, ensuring a foundation strong enough to hold the sound and lighting systems. Plus, the stages provide more space, better sightlines and protection against inclement weather conditions. In addition to these new stages, the festival will feature drastically enhanced sound systems to provide attendees with outstanding sound quality."
(Remix Forums)

Like I always say, we don't pretend to be too hip at DetroitArmy, so I won't comment on the lineup, but as stated before, DEMF's 2008 lineup is apparently considered a doozy. With all this in mind, May 24-26 is a perfect time to come downtown, enjoy great weather, and have an incredible time at one of this country's best electronic music festivals. Expect to see technoheads, electronica junkies, ravers, urbanites, suburbanites, and people just trying to have a good time. Electronic music doesn't have to be your cup of tea to enjoy this event, and everyone should take advantage of this exciting festival right in our backyard.

With the expected large turnout and our support, the 2008 event should keep Detroit in the Electronica spotlight, while reminding outsiders of Detroit's status as one of the most influential cities that electronic music has ever seen.

Discounted pre-sale admission tickets to the festival are $40 for a weekend pass or $175 for VIP tickets. The festival’s hours are 12 Noon to Midnight.

For more information on Movement 08 - Detroit’s Electronic Music Festival or to order tickets, visit DEMF or Paxahau.com
Detroit Army

IRON CHEF PLANS TO OPEN RESTUARANT AT REVAMPED BOOK CADILLAC HOTEL

The Detroit Free Press is reporting that a chef from the television show "Iron Chef" on the food network, plans to open restaurant at revamped Book Cadillac hotel.

"Michael Symon, a star of television’s “Iron Chef” food show and one of the nation’s fastest-rising celebrity chefs, will open an upscale restaurant this fall at the Westin Book Cadillac Detroit hotel." The Free Press goes on to state, "The Culinary Institute of America graduate was named one of the Ten Best New Chefs by Food & Wine in 1998."
Source: Detroit Free Press

While I have been told that Mr. Symon's restaurants in Cleveland are quite good, I still can't decide whether this announcement is exciting or just completely unimpressive. To me, an upscale chain restaurant or steakhouse in the vein of Ruth's Chris or Capital Grille would have solidified the Book Cadillac as a premier hotel destination within the city. On the other hand, an upscale unique/independent restaurant opened by a nationally known chef or even a well known local chef would also have been intriguing.

Somehow though, what seems like a low brow pseudo celebrity chef from a television show doesn't get me motivated to take out a pen and paper and write home about it. I wonder if I'm out of line?
Detroit Army

URBAN BEAN CO.

In the near future, Josh Greenwood, owner of Urban Bean Co., sees Capitol Park as a prosperous location , and you can't help but share his cautious, but readily apparent optimism on the issue. Located at Grand River and Griswold, Urban Bean Co.'s huge windows overlook Capitol Park in all of its glory, which as of right now, isn't much. In 2001, the downtown Detroit bus center was moved to Capitol Park after the former center was torn down to make way for the Campus Martius Park. Along with the temporary relocation of the bus center came masses waiting for their rides, homeless people looking for a place to stay, derelicts looking for a quick fix.

Yet, while Capitol Park's glory doesn't add up to much these days, Greenwood is depending on the area making a complete turnaround once the new Rosa Parks Transit Center opens a few blocks away, supposedly in September 2008. This turnaround will be aided by the long awaited redevelopment of the Book Cadillac Hotel. The hope is that along with the Book Cadillac, entrepreneurs like Greenwood will jump at the opportunity for successful business ventures in the area, whether it be lofts, stores, or restaurants.

With regard to the actual substance of Urban Bean Co., the place jumps out at you the minute you see it. Its bright orange exterior is of complete contrast to the gloomy exterior of Capitol Park. Its design and color scheme invites foot traffic inside, which there will hopefully be more of in September.

Once inside, Josh is the first to greet you from behind the barista counter. I'm pretty sure it's a one man operation at this point, so for a while at least, Josh is always going to be behind the counter. I talked to Josh for ten minutes and I already had judgments about his personality (which apparently, or at least I've been told, is not a healthy way to interact with people). Josh is my kind of guy. He was outwardly cynical, but behind the exterior, an opportunistic and optimistic side continually sneaked through, letting you know that there is more of him to be recognized than what he initially presents. You can tell the guy has pride in his store and believes in what he's doing.

The inside of the store is a combination of bright orange and yellow. The darkest color in the place was that of the black cat roaming around inside. On the main floor, more bar stools would be nice. but in the meantime, you can stand at the barista bar, or at the tables in front, while looking out at Capitol Park through the huge ceiling to floor windows.

The upstairs has multiple tables and places to sit within every corner. It's a small upstairs, but there's enough room for close to 15 people to comfortably hang out and enjoy a cup of coffee. Additionally, what makes this a hipper coffee shop than most, is that their are open turntables upstairs. Josh schedules known DJs when available, but he also has open turntable slots for unknown DJs trying to improve their craft and make a name for themselves.

As for the actual product, there are plenty of drink options including your normal espresso drinks, soda, Vitamin Water, Arizona Iced Tea, Gatorade, Crush, Red Bull, smoothies, and Frappuccinos. Snacks are available including muffins, bagels and pastries. He also has antacids, cigarettes, aspirin and cigars. For that matter, smoking is pretty much allowed throughout, and while I don't know if that's even legal, it adds to the ambiance.

When I was there, I got a double latte, which was fine, but to me, the place isn't about the drinks or the food. Urban Bean Co. is a place to hang out downtown, drink some caffeine, and possibly drum up a conversation that you wouldn't have normally had. Whether you do that while reading a book, doing some light work, or listening to someone spin on the upstairs turntables is up to you.

When Capitol Park cleans up, Urban Bean Co. is going to be sitting in a prime location, and instead of hearing bums asking for a quarter from across the street, hopefully, you'll be able to hear Josh Greenwood laughing all the way to the bank.

Below are photos of the scene at Urban Bean Co. and a link to the complete flickr set:

Main Barista Counter

Front of the Bar

Looking Out Onto Griswold

Heading Upstairs

Upstairs-Turntables Towards the Far End

Upstairs

The Intersection-Seen Through the Upstairs Windows

Complete Flickr Set At: Complete Urban Bean Co. Flickr Set

Urban Bean Co. is located at:
200 Grand River Ave.
Detroit, MI
48226
313-962-9898
Website: www.myspace.com/urbanbeanco
Normal Hours: 7:00 a.m. -10:00 p.m. weekdays, and 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. weekends.
Detroit Army

2008 Detroit Fringe Festival

The Fringe Festival is back this year and hopes to improve upon an impressive showing in 2007. The Fringe Festival runs for 32 hours straight in celebration of experimental music, performance art, fashion, film and visual art. This year's performers include legendary rap music pioneer DJ Afrika Bambaattaa, Polka Floyd and Champions of Breakfast. Visual artists include world renowned artist Mark Ryden and Detroit's own Niagara and Glenn Barr.

We don't pretend to be too hip at Detroit Army.com, so while I can't comment on many of the performers, Afrika Bambaataa definitely rings a bell. He was instrumental in the development of hip hop in the 1970's and rose to fame especially in the socially conscious crowd in the 1980's. We had no idea what he had been doing for the last twenty years, but what do we know? Apparently he continued to speak out against apartheid in South Africa and more recently had taken on the challenge of curbing gang violence, all while continuing to spin, make records and collaborate with other artists.

Whether you know the artists/performers listed or not, the whole idea of the festival is pretty cool. Detroit doesn't/can't have a late night scene (unless you are at a house party, or doing something illegal), so the thought of being able to hang out and watch bizarre behavior, acts, and performances with a bunch of hardcore hipsters all night in Detroit sounds like good times to me.

The show is hosted at the Music Hall Center for Performing Arts in Detroit, beginning at 2 p.m. April 5 to 4 a.m. April 6. Tickets are $35. Music Hall is at 350 Madison Ave., Detroit.

Call (313) 887-8500
Visit www.musichall.org
For a complete festival lineup, visit www.detroitfringefestival.com

Oh, and also, the host of the show is Flint native Sandra Bernhard. (I hesitated at mentioning this fact earlier because I can't stand her, but it is what it is.)
Detroit Army

Pure Detroit

Pure Detroit is now somewhat of a veteran in the Detroit apparel world. While a relatively new brand, Pure Detroit's start seemed to coincide with the recent emergence of downtown. Pure Detroit was started by Kevin Borsay and Shawn Santo who opened the first store in 1998. Since the first store opened, it then moved to the corner of W. Congress and Shelby, and is presently located in the lobby of the Guardian Building at 500 Griswold. They have also expanded and now have stores in the Fisher Building lobby at 3011 W. Grand Boulevard and in the Wintergarden of the Renaissance Center. Products are additionally available at Pure Detroit Website: www.puredetroit.com

Pure Detroit carries t-shirts, long sleeve and short, hoodies, hats and belts. The prints on the clothing include phrases such as "Detroit Funk," "Detroit Soul," "Detroit Rock City," "Detroit is for Lovers," "Detroit City," "313" and of course prints that just say "Detroit" in various letter designs. Some of their newer prints include "Enjoy Detroit," and print which they call "Detroit Transit," which is drawing of a bus with Woodward scrawled upon the top.

The shirts are classic and a nice addition to anyone's Detroit collection, but personally I'd like to see newer styles come out more often. Many of the current styles have been around since almost the beginning and an infusion of new designs would add some spice to the ones available. That being said, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The prints that are currently available seem to be popular and apparel is one aspect of just one business venture that the entrepreneurs who started this store are behind.

If you want products made in Detroit, Pure Detroit is the place to look. They not only have clothing, but they also carry a multitude of Detroit made products including Pewabic Pottery, historic and contemporary photographs, music, books on Detroit, functional art created from remnant automotive parts and local specialty food products such as Red Pelican Mustard, Detroit Spices Co. products, Faygo glass bottle Rock & Rye, Germack pistachios of Sanders hot fudge.

Pure Detroit is definitely a place to check out if you have not done so. The stores have classic products that all Detroit aficionados should have, in addition to apparel which should be found in all Detroiters' closets. Pure Detroit stores seem to have the right mix of new Detroit culture, in addition to old Detroit flavor. With continued success, Pure Detroit is on its way to turning into a Detroit institution.

Pure Detroit Website: www.puredetroit.com
Pure Detroit Stores are located at:

Guardian Building Lobby
500 Griswold Suite 250
Detroit 48226
313-963-1440

Fisher Building Lobby
3011 W. Grand Blvd Suite 101
Detroit 48202
313-873-PURE

Renaissance Center Wintergarden
Detroit 48226
313-259-5100
Detroit Army