Around 10AM on Monday morning this week, I stumbled out of No Way Back—one of the most legendary parties surrounding Detroit's annual Movement festival—into the searing sunlight of the venue's outdoor courtyard. The afterparty, cheekily named Industry Brunch, was just revving up.
Slouching against a wall and grinning like an idiot, I surveyed the wacky scene: grey-haired ravers eating plates of fruit on worn-out car tires; bearded gay men bumping chests to Pittsburgh DJ Shawn Rudiman's live set in a nearby tent; a crew of Brooklyn kids in all-black climbing on top of some rusting bulldozers. My friend DJ Volvox slung her arm around my shoulders and rasped something into my ear, something I'll never forget: "What you're witnessing right now is America taking back techno."
That line seemed to perfectly encapuslate the beauty of Movement, one of America's oldest dance music festivals. Started in 2000 under the name DEMF, the Memorial Day weekender is a powerful celebration—and validation—of homegrown electronic music, as well as the DJs, labels, and crews from all over the country who've helped push it to its present-day glory. Over three days, we asked Detroit and Chicago-based photographerLyndon Frenchto roam around the festival and its myriad afterparties to capture the spirit of what many call "techno mecca."All photos by Lyndon French
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