Festival season is just around the corner and this year, one of my favorite festivals, Moogfest is coming to Durham, North Carolina from May 19-22.
Moogfest 2016
Their first lineup announcement came with an eclectic mix of headliners. First, the electronic dreaminess of Odesza, who have been making waves in electronic circles since 2012. Then, there are two residencies by respected innovators in their crafts: Gary Numan (3 Night Residency), and GZA (2 Night Residency)
Gary Numan is a veteran pioneering craftsman of electronic music since the late 70s, landing the hits “Cars” and “Are Friends Electric.” Since then he’s gravitated towards a forward thinking brand of industrial, landing exciting collaborations with Nine Inch Nails. GZA is the most well known and influential member of the Wu-Tang Clan, with the highly influential Liquid Swords solo record under his belt.
Other big names include: avant-gard pioneer and wife of the late Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson; post-rock royalty Explosions in the Sky; the atmospheric Blood Orange; drone metal gods Sunn 0))); the ambient elegance of Oneohtrix Point Never and Grouper; the ever weird and out-there-ness of Reggie Watts and Sun Ra Arkestra.
As usual there’s tons of acts, with over 100 names that I’ve never heard of, and look forward to exploring a lot of the undercard in the months leading up to the festival.
In addition to there being a section for “Future Sound,” there’s also a section for the “Future Thought” which includes lectures, readings, seminars, panels, and demonstrations by some of the most progressive, forward thinking artists and writers. On the top of the list are Dr. Martine Rothblatt and Jaron Lanier, both top selling authors on the subject of Futurism. There are also lectures and panels on Afrofuturism, Art and Artificial Intelligence, Hacking Sound (Systems), Instrument Innovators, Radio and the Radiophonic, and many more.
While I love the outdoor festivals in the summer, there’s something to be said about festivals that take place in a city. The festival moved from Ashville North Carolina which I went to once in 2012, and had a blast! The streets were full of music and anywhere you went it seemed like someone was playing music somewhere. It’ll be interesting to see how the festival changes now that it’s in Durham.
Article: Steven Klett
