Charlotte de Witt closed the second day of the Movement Festival on Sunday and made history.
The Belgian DJ and producer became the first woman to perform on the main stage at Detroit's Old Techno Festival, delivering a 90-minute set that sent a wave of ecstasy through the crowd packed side-by-side at Hart Plaza has.
The dark, sultry De Witte outfit that took to the air with its latest single "High Street" caught the attention of the legendary house of techno music as it wrapped up its latest tour of South America.
Since May 27, 2000, when Stacey Bolin closed the opening day of the Memorial Day weekend event, then known as the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, all men have performed on the main stage.
De Witte, who played with The Movement in 2018 and 2019, is on his way to superstardom thanks to rising international fame and a distinct voice that lives up to the Detroit Festival brand.
"I don't take these things for granted and to be able to play the slightest role in what women do and in electronic music is incredibly disturbing," she tweeted on Sunday night.
Read more: Movement Festival 2023 Day 1: Saturday artist schedule
Read more: Detroit Motion Festival Day 3: Artist Schedule for Monday
In recent years, the movement's organizers have made a concerted effort to increase the attendance of female artists, and De Witte's Sunday collection is an example.
The move wasn't the only festival-related milestone for De Wit this year: in March, she became the first techno artist to perform on the main stage of the Miami Ultra Music Festival, which traditionally features mainstream electronic dance music.
De Witte was preceded on the main stage at Hart Plaza on Sunday by some of Detroit's techno heroes: Eddie Fowlkes delivered a solid late-night thriller, and Robert Hood used his powerful skills for an hour of heavy technical simplicity.
And there was Cybotron as Major Juan Atkins and company revisited the proto-techno he created in the early '80s, with punchy drum beats and time capsule synth lines underpinning classics like "Alleys of Your Mind."
Sunday at Hart Plaza, a familiar scene of tunes accompanied the glorious weather on the Detroit waterfront, and thousands of late-night revelers brought tireless energy.
New this year is an expanded VIP section that occupies a large space on Jefferson Street. The renovated space includes a large bar tent and amenities such as lockers, cell phone charging stations and a gas station, while greenery helps to enhance the environment. A new DJ stage was also built, where members of the Detroit Techno Militia played on Sundays.
The action will resume and wrap up on Monday with another intense day of music that will take Underworld to the main stage.
Contact Detroit Free Press Music composer Brian McCollum at 313-223-4450 or email bmccollum@freepress.com.
Post a Comment