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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 

Categories
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.  

Categories
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

Categories
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. 

Categories
Music News and Interviews

WKNC Interview: River Whyless 

DJ Whatsherface talked with River Whyless at the spring 2016 Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance. Listen to their conversation here.

Categories
Local Music Music News and Interviews

LBLB Interview: The Tills 

Asheville’s The Tills stopped by the WKNC studios on April 7 to chat with Phian before their show that night at The Pour House Music Hall for Local Band Local Beer. Click to hear it.

Categories
Music News and Interviews

DJ Iron Mic talks with Greg and Nathan from the Hopscotch music festival about the 2016 lineup.

Listen here

Categories
Local Music Music News and Interviews

LBLB Interview: Night Idea 

Phian talked to Night Idea before their show April 7 at The Pour House Music Hall for Local Band Local Beer. Listen in!

Categories
Weekly Charts

WKNC 88.1 FM Loud Rock/ Chainsaw Charts 5/10/16

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1 BARONESS – Purple

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Abraxan Hymns
2 DISSECTION

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Storm Of The Light’s Bane: Special Edition

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The End
3 WARBRINGER IV: Empires Collapse

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Century Media
4 BATHORY

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Hammerheart
5 DEATH ANGEL

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“Cause For Alarm” [Single]
6 AUGUST BURNS RED

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Found In Far Away Places

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Fearless
7 EXHUMED

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Gore Metal: A Necrospective 1998-2015

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Relapse
8 MELECHESH

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Enki

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Nuclear Blast
9 MUNICIPAL WASTE

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Hazardous Mutation
10 DIMMU BORGIR

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Enthrone Darkness Triumphant

Top Five Adds:

1 GRUESOME

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Dimensions Of Horror

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Relapse
2 ANTHRAX

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For All Kings

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Megaforce
3 EXMORTUS

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Death To Tyrants
4 GAMA BOMB

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My Evil Eye
5 IRON MAIDEN

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The Book Of Souls

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BMG

Categories
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