Category: Festival Coverage

Previews, reviews and coverage from music festivals like Hopscotch and Moogfest

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Festival Coverage

My Schedule for Moogfest

Join me at Moogfest as I cover the many films, Installations, WorkShops, and Performances. My schedule isn’t set in stone and I’ll probably need a bicycle to hop along to all the different events, but I’m super excited to see the talent. 

Thursday, my most anticipated set is Julia Holter, which is why I have her on my schedule for Saturday as well, just in case I miss her. She played Moogfest 2012 and her 2015 album, Have You In My Wilderness, was a top add at WKNC. “Sea Calls Me Home” was one of my favorites off the album. 

For Friday, my must see is GZA, the legendary Wu-Tang Clan cofounder. GZA, the Genius, is known as the spiritual leader of Wu-Tang Clan, thus making him one of the forebears of 90’s hip-hop. He is a definite must see for any fans of the genre. He was a major part of seminal albums such as Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) or his solo album Liquid Swords. GZA was known to have the second largest vocabulary in all hip hop. He will release his new album, Dark Matter, sometime later this year. 

Saturday, I’d have to say I’m split between Reggie Watts and Empress Of. Reggie Watts is musician, singer, beatboxer, actor, and comedian. He improvises his musical sets with the goal of disorienting his audience with only his voice, a keyboard, and a looping machine. Check out Watts’ song “Social Construct” for a good taste of what is to come. Lorely Rodriguez’ solo project, Empress Of released her first full-length album Me in 2015. Rodriguez, ethnically Spanish and Honduran, performs her songs in Spanish and English, creating fantastic tracks like “Tristeza”. Everything released by Empress Of has been top notch, ranging from her 2016 single “Woman is a Word” to her 2012 single “Champagne”. Both acts are sure to be great. 

In addition to the music, I plan to attend many workshops including Afrofuturism, Radio & the Radiophonic, STEAM, Technoshamanism, The Future of Creativity, and Transhumanism.

Make you sure follow us on Instagram, Twitter and now Snapchat at wknc881 to see where WKNC goes during Moogfest. 

– Ian Grice, WKNC Co-Public Affairs Director

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Festival Coverage

Films at Moogfest

While most people know Moogfest for its performances, workshops, and installations, they also host a surprisingly diverse amount of films. The genres span from surrealist horror to documentaries and even futuristic sci-fi. Although you will not find many romance films here, I am sure you will fall in love with the beauty of the cinematography and creativity. These films exhibit why film is such unique medium of art. They combine visual and auditory elements so that each works to its strengths and creates something truly special.  

One of the main film programs is titled FUTURE PROJECTIONS. This is a 9-part screening program of short films and videos that present futuristic audiovisual concepts and put on display the sheer amount of creativity from the creators.  These films highlight some of North Carolina’s very best filmmakers and musicians including Brendan and Jeremy Smyth, Edward Rankus, Bill Brown and Sabine Gruffat. Each film takes you through a separate journey, with some being guided by occasional live soundtracks from artists at Moogfest.

Many of the films featured at Moogfest are very exclusive. One such film is “The Three Grace’s Triptych”. It was created by Detroit electronic duo ADULT and focuses on the aesthetic of Midwestern horror. I am not quite sure what to expect from this film, but the fact that this film has only been presented in very few locations and will be accompanied by a live score makes it one of my most anticipated moments of Moogfest.

If exclusivity doesn’t float your boat and you would rather take your chances with a safer film, then perhaps you should check out It Follows, one of my personal favorites of last year. This lo-fi horror movie, is scored by Rich Vreeland (Disasterpeace), who has experience scoring TV shows, videogames, most notably Fez, and other films. The soundtrack to It Follows sounds straight out of a retro 80’s film where the horror genre was not dominated by jump scares. Following the screening there will be a discussion with Disasterpeace about the background and inner working of the score.

Other notable Films include “Lunar Orbit” a documentary about one of the pioneers of ambient house music, The Orb, and their unique creative process and the story of their music.  This will be a North American premiere screening with a conversation from the artists following the screening.

For more information on Films at Moogfest check out the lineup at http://sched.moogfest.com/

Written by DJ Kevin Cossio 

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Festival Coverage

Moogfest: A Technological Obsession and the Music That Drives It

Written by DJ Michael Polzin

With festival season in full swing,
Moogfest – based in downtown Durham, NC – promises to be a treat for enthusiasts
of all sorts.  No matter if you’re a
synthesizer tech head, a visual art connoisseur, an aspiring musician, or just
an average Joe – there will be something amazing for everyone to experience at
Moogfest this year.  Let’s start with the
music.

 Over the course of this four day
extravaganza, dozens of live performances and DJ sets will be hosted across
multiple venues in Durham.  This festival
is not strictly limited to electronic music though.  Hip Hop and Reggae have also found their way
into Moogfest this year, thanks to local artist Professor Toon (Double Barrel
Benefit headliner), Blazer Soundsystem, and other cross-genre
experimentalists.  Even though most
performances will depend on a DJ set in some way, live performing artists such
as Floating Points, Bicep, and ODESZA will bridge the gap between modern,
digitalized DJ software and the organic, creative human touch.  Many of these artists will be basking in the
limelight this weekend, but there is more to Moogfest than just big name
musicians

 Let’s not forget that Moogfest is an
annual tribute to the late and great Robert “Bob” Moog: sonic pioneer and
creator of the Moog synthesizer.  As a
result, many tech scientists and musical innovators will be sharing their ideas
with the world this weekend.  One event
on Saturday that seems particularly fascinating is titled “Sensory Percussion
and The Future of Drumming,” hosted by co-founder of the music tech start-up
Sunhouse, Tlacael Esparza.  This workshop
will exhibit Sunhouse’s “Sensory Percussion” project, which is a platform that
utilizes the acoustic control of digital sound.
There will also be lectures on the future of technology, build-your-own
synth classes, other showcases of musical inventions, and much more.

 Overall, Moogfest this year is
shaping up to be another honest tribute to Robert Moog, who understood that the
technology that creates music is just as important as the music itself.  As long as technology continues to grow and
musical innovators continue to innovate, Moogfest will further extend the
legacy and life work of the man who changed the world.  

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Festival Coverage

Moogfest Raps

DJ Iron Mic gives us the run down on hip-hop at Moogfest 2016. 

This year, Moogfest’s lineup flexes some serious hip hop muscle with contributions from local favorites like Professor Toon and Well$, nationally known emerging artists like Denzel Curry and Torey Lanez, and a two-night residency from the legendary Wu-Tang cofounder GZA, mostly performing at Motorco Music Hall on Friday night. It’s going to be a crazy night for hip hop heads, and Motorco’s perfect size is going to make it intimate and hype. Get there early for Professor Toon at 7, stick around for ODESZA, and stay until 1am to watch GZA do his thing. In the mean time, listen to these tracks from Moogfest’s hip hop lineup, and get yourself ready to wild out.

Here is a Spotify playlist for all the hip-hop artists to look out for at Moogfest

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Festival Coverage

Venue-Hopping the Right Way at Moogfest 2016

During Moogfest 2016 this weekend in Durham, I will go back and forth between the many venues for music performances, workshops, and speakers.  Just like any festival goer knows, venue-hoping is no joke, especially when many of these artists are flying in from all over the world.  Who knows if you’ll ever see them again?  Here are some of the ways I plan on getting around Durham this weekend as quickly (and cheaply) as possible.

My first piece of advice is the Bull City Connector (BCC).  If you’re ever in Downtown Durham, this bus is your friend.  The BCC is the only bus in the GoDurham Bus System (previously Durham Area Transit Authority) that is completely free.  Whether you’re trying to get from First Presbyterian Church to Bull McCabe’s or anywhere in between, BCC passes over the ten event venues on and around Main Street every 17 minutes.  It runs Thursday and Friday from 6:30 am to 2 am and Saturday from 10 am to 9 pm.

If you want to hit up Nasher Museum either to catch the Unique Dissertations // Cosmic Communications presentation by tAz Arnold on Friday or just to take advantage of the free admission that your Moogfest pass grants you for the weekend, you can hop the BCC to the Durham Bus Station and then take the 6/6B for $1.00 each way (or purchase a day pass for $2.00).  If you’ve got extra free time, the Nasher Museum is a five minute walk from Duke Gardens, which is a fun and beautiful walk (aka super Instagram-able).

Last, but not least, the method of alternative transportation that I will certainly be using this weekend is my bike.  First and foremost, biking between venues is (in my opinion) the fastest, cheapest, and easiest way to expedite venue-hopping.  Parking is going to be impossible, and some of the walks between venues could slice a solid fifteen minutes out of a set.  Skip the hike.  Grab your bike (I can hear you groaning at my rhymes through the internet).

Secondly, if you haven’t heard yet, Moogfest partnered up with a few local bike orgs and New Belgium to host the Bike to Moogfest initiative, inviting festgoers to leave their cars at home and bike to the festival.  Signing the pledge to do so puts you in the running for a pair of VIP tix and a Detroit Bikes 3-speed.  They’ve even got long-term bike parking at Diamond View Park where your bike can nap safe-and-sound for the duration of the festival.

I plan on maximizing my Moogfest experience by taking advantage of anything faster than walking (or parking) between venues.  But however you choose to navigate Moogfest this weekend, be safe, stick with your pals, and make it to as many of the insanely cool shows this weekend as possible.  Bon voyage!

Brought to you by former Program Director, Yvonne Chazal, who also once upon a time lived in Durham. 

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Festival Coverage

Moogfest Spotlight: Radio & the Radiophonic

While performances by Grimes, ODESZA and Son Lux might be capturing the excitement of some festival-goers, this year’s Moogfest is promising to be much more. Music is really just one aspect of this festival billed as “the synthesis between music, art and technology.” It explores all types of audio, from performance to podcasts.

In “Radio & the Radiophonic,” the series taking place on May 20 and 21, the history and future of radio are the topics of conversation. From Ira Glass’ “This American Life” to Marc Maron’s interview with President Obama in a garage, radio is an important tool in the world of communications today. With live podcast recordings and conversations with the movers and shakers reinventing radio, this series provides Moogfest attendees the chance to plumb the depths of new and exciting audio, away from Motorco Park.

The first day of the series will start with a Soundwalk, a chance for festival-goers to realize that the world around them is already full of interesting soundscapes; not all innovative sound comes from a Moog synthesizer.

Immediately following, a gathering of the most interesting minds in radio and podcasting are coming together to discuss how the traditions of radio have created the audio landscape we know today.

An artist of note in this session: Kaitlin Prest, host of Radiotopia’s “The Heart.” Her work innovates not only audio storytelling, but how women and men talk about sex, love and everything in between. A good primer on her work is an episode of the first season of “The Heart,” when she explores the life of one of the first recipients of sex reassignment surgery, Lili Elbe.

Friday afternoon, an audiophile’s dream becomes reality when Hrishikesh Hirway sits down with ODESZA to break down one of their songs. The acclaimed Song Exploder podcast sits down with artists and has them explain each bass line, each snare, each high hat, and all the odds and ends of a particular song. Check out Sylvan Esso explaining how “Coffee” came to be.

Saturday in the series begins with another live recording of a podcast, No Effects. Listen and learn as Jesse Holter talks with two artists about their lives, their work, what makes them tick and what makes them cry in his longform interview.

Innovation in audio is so much more than music; it’s also in the ways that we communicate and learn, and radio is at the forefront. This series promises to be one of the most interesting and human ones at Moogfest.

And who knows, maybe it’ll help you become the next Ira Glass.

You can find more information and a complete schedule at http://moogfest.sched.org/artist/radio_amp_the_radiophonic.1ulb3snr

– Mirtha Donastorg, former WKNC Co-Public Affairs Director

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Brief History of Moogfest

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Moogfest is an annual music, art, and technology festival held in May in honor of Robert Moog, inventor of the Moog synthesizer and pioneer of electronic music. Previously, this festival has been held in Asheville, North Carolina, where Moog spent the last 30 years of his life, but this year will be held from May 19th-22nd in downtown Durham, North Carolina in 17 various locations. The festival will be headlined by such artists as Grimes, Miike Snow, and ODESZA. You can get tickets by going to moogfest.com/tickets.

Moog developed the first commercial voltage analog controlled synthesizer with Herbert Deutsch in 1964. While there were other synthesizers on the market at the time, Moog’s invention began to rapidly gain popularity after it was showcased at the International Pop Festival of 1967. After that, the sound of his machine gained popularity through the 1970’s and was used to create the sound of crucial albums of the 20th century, like the Beatles’ “Abbey Road.”

Moogfest officially began in 2004 when one of Moog Music’s New York representatives wanted to have a music festival to celebrate the 50th anniversary of electronic music. The first festival was held on May 18th, 2004 in B.B. King Blues Club in New York. It was a one night show that sold out in honor of Moog’s birthday. Unfortunately, Moog died the following year, but his friends and coworkers decided to keep the festival going in his honor.

In 2010, Moogfest was moved to Asheville, North Carolina after Moog Music partnered with AC Entertainment, a music promotions group that helps produce other big music festivals like Bonnaroo.  That was also the year it changed from a one day to a three day event, multi-venue festival. It featured artists as Massive Attack, Sleigh Bells, Caribou, and MGMT. 

Moogfest coming to the Triangle is an exciting prospect. It is big and important festival, and being in the Triangle will add to both scenes. Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill are all rapidly growing urban areas, with new night, social, and music scenes. Moogfest will find an excellent new home here.

– Marissa Jerden, WKNC Co-Public Affairs Director

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Festival Coverage

Shakori Hills Spring 2016 Review: Big Mean Sound Machine

As a Shakori Hills frequent flyer, Big Mean Sound Machine is clearly a crowd favorite at this point. Hailing from Ithaca, New York, this afrobeat powerhouse packs a pretty funky punch with their tight rhythm section, jazzy guitars, smooth keys, and prominent brass section (one trumpet, one trombone, and one baritone sax for this Spring Shakori).

Big Mean Sound Machine’s Saturday afternoon set took place on Shakori’s biggest stage, the Meadow Stage, and with constant calls for people to dance along, definitely got the crowd bumpin’ and grindin’ as one happy group of campers. They began with a track off of their new(ish) album, “Contraband,” that really got everybody out of their seats, followed by another tight jam with a wicked Santana-like keyboard solo that sounded like it could have been coming from a double-humbucker guitar. With the bassist acting as the front man and vocalist, the whole band worked together to trade off solos and rhythm breaks, but never letting the audience forget how the brass section was really leading the groove.

The Big Mean crew continued with a slow, spacey, dub jam with some duet guitar solos laid gently, yet powerfully over the backing rhythm set by the rest of the band and the fast hands of the man on congas. After a loud, sustaining ovation from the crowd, they led on with more of their traditional, hip shakin’, afrobeat jams that really got everybody dancing their hearts out. Then as the set was coming to a close, they decided to pay homage to the homeland, and origin of their sound and style, Africa. They skillfully and respectfully rode on with a slow, smooth song from the great Ethiopian musician, Mulatu Astatke, the father of Ethio-jazz.

After saluting the great Astatke, Big Mean Sound Machine finished off with another track from their new album, thanked everybody in the audience for joining them for a beautiful Saturday afternoon jam, and invited everyone to come say hey over in the merch tent. The brass-led afrobeat always seems to get the people moving, and Big Mean Sound Machine are some of the greatest promoters of this sound in modern day music. It was one funky, soulful set that the Shakori people enjoyed once again, and hopefully will experience for many Shakoris to come.

Big Mean Sound Machine Bandcamp: http://bigmeansoundmachine.bandcamp.com/

– DJ Sundae

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Festival Coverage

Shakori Hills Spring 2016 Review: Temple5

Temple5 is one very smooth, 7-piece, organic hip-hop jazz group out of Wilmington, North Carolina. After rockin’ the Pour House for the April 14 edition of Local Band Local Beer with Durham natives The Beast and Zoocru, one could only expect more sweet vibes from them at the always beautiful Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance. And after performing at the fall edition of Shakori last October, Temple5 knew what a great audience would be waiting to jam with them.

Temple5 was scheduled to play the intimate Cabaret Tent on Saturday night, and after setting up all the mics and instruments, including drums, bass, guitar, saxophone, trumpet, keyboards, and Moog synthesizer, they jumped right into the first track. However, not without playin’ the crowd a little first. Left wondering where their front man MC was, saxophone player Malik Rae introduced him after some soulful intro jams.

Their set was filled with rhythmically driven hip-hop swing with layers of talk box guitar licks, jazzy piano measures, and powerful brass melodies. On top of all this head bumpin’ goodness was some quick paced, intelligent bars from MC Louis. And even though the MC took center stage, they all took turns playing lead roles, dealing out solos, and bouncing with the audience that came to pack out the little tent in the mud.

They jammed on some of their own tracks like “Drop The Mic,” but also played some great covers including The Roots’ “Get Busy,” Missy Elliott’s “Sock It 2 Me,” Digable Planets’ “Rebirth of Slick (Coole Like Dat),” A Tribe Called Quest’s “Can I Kick It?” and a little tease of The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Warning” and “Machine Gun Funk.” These weren’t just normal covers either. Temple5 was always keen on adding their own lyrical and rhythmic flairs to these hip-hop classics that definitely got the crowd goin’ wild. After confirmation with the man behind the soundboard, they even gave in to the audience’s plea for “ONE MORE SONG!” and finished the night strong.

Temple5 is an extremely talented group of musicians, gratefully supporting the local hip-hop jazz scene. Definitely somebody to check out.

Temple5 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Templefive/

Temple5 Bandcamp: https://temple5ilm.bandcamp.com/

– DJ Sundae

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Bull City Buzz

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Moogfest is an an art, technology and music festival taking place in Durham May 19-May 22.

This is the first year that Moogfest is happening in Durham. From 2010 until now, Moogfest has taken place in Asheville, N.C. Before that, New York City was the birthplace and home for Moogfest. For Durham to be the host city of Moogfest signifies its burgeoning arts and music scene.

Durham is locally known for being home to talented and musically diverse artists such as Sylvan Esso, The Mountain Goats, Bombadil, Xiu Xiu, and Professor Toon. Moogfest is a great opportunity for local artists to perform, and is a great addition to festivals such as Hopscotch (set in Raleigh) and Art of Cool (which took place May 6-8 in Durham) that are helping to promote the Triangle’s ever-growing arts and music culture.

Earthly and Professor Toon are two local artists that are performing in Moogfest (you can check the full lineup here). Earthly is an electronic music duo (brothers!) from Carrboro, N.C. Their sound is hard to deny dancing to, with claps and beats that are often hectic yet rhythmic. Their style is reminiscent of artists like Eric Copeland and Dan Deacon. To hear more of Earthly, check their Soundcloud.

Professor Toon is a hip-hop artist from Durham, NC who released his album Taking Notes this January. He performed at the second night of WKNC’s own Double Barrel Benefit 13 that took place this February at Cat’s Cradle. He has a unique style, with beats that often sound distorted. He has songs that are super hype such as “Professor (You Know it)” and songs that are more downtempo like “Who Gon (Stop Me)”. To listen to Taking Notes, go to his bandcamp.

Moogfest taking place in Durham will be a great way for locals and visitors alike to explore all of the venues, restaurants, and general goodness that Durham has to offer. To learn more about Moogfest, go to their website and keep checking our blog for more updates.

– Ryan Ezell, Afterhours Music Director