The Metro: Detroit’s Movement festival celebrates techno music’s history, progression

Movement Electronic Music Festival recently announced its 2024 lineup. The renowned Detroit event celebrates the history of techno — in the city it originated — and the future progression of the music genre.  

Movement Music Festival Director and Paxahau Principal Jason Huvaere joined The Metro on Tuesday to preview some of the unique experiences festival goers can expect this year. Paxahau has put on the event since 2006, and Huvaere says he realized right away organizing the festival was not a part-time job.

“It’s kind of like putting together, you know, a 1,000 piece puzzle, and giving yourself enough time to do it,” Huvaere said of the event’s staging. “You can’t do that big of a puzzle overnight.”

Movement takes place in Hart Plaza over Memorial Day weekend, May 25-27. Huvaere says the feeling that different areas of the park have their own personality and vibe is very deliberate.

“It’s a beautiful unique park that we have in Hart Plaza, and we try to really extract the best out of it,” he said. “And that’s why we work so hard to create those different areas at the level of production that we do. ”

Movement’s mission is to produce live performances that can’t be contained in a club, Huvaere says. 

“We like doing things when there’s a live element to it, that we can’t do throughout the rest of the year. Shows that just won’t fit inside of a club or shows that really are kind of a new idea that has been born from the winter before,” he said.

Last year, festival organizers diversified the lineup by including a broader range of artists from different genres, including hip-hop. That trend will continue this year, Huvaere says, with performances planned from electronic music staples like Chris Lake, Masters at Work and LTJ Bukem, alongside acts respected for their work in hip-hop and soul, including Ludacris, Tee Grizzley and Dames Brown. 

Festival attendees will also have a chance to see Wajeed, host of WDET’s The Boulevard, perform on Saturday, May 25. 

More headlines from The Metro on March 12, 2024: 

• The Belleville Boys and Girls Club is bringing back sports programs for kids ages 6-14. Local Vice President of the Boys and Girls Club Chris Kyles and Sports Program Coordinator of the Belleville Tigers Conor Sampson joined the show to discuss fun ways for kids to stay active in the program.
• Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan recently proposed a $2.7 billion city budget plan to city council for the 2025 fiscal year. Chief Financial Officer for the City of Detroit Jay Rising joined the show to help break down the proposal and the budget’s impact on residents. 
• Imam Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, joined The Metro to discuss how people and communities are observing Ramadan. 
• WDET’s Pat Batcheller and Outlier Media reporter Laura Herberg discuss a final settlement agreement between the Great Lakes Water Authority and the city of Highland Park. The city owes about $55 million to GLWA. The agreement, reached last week, will stop a previous judgment against the city and other lawsuits. 

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