Movement 2016: The Weekend That Techno Broke Through To The Mainstream

Does techno thrive so much on being a fringe, underground style that its newfound mainstream acceptance will signal its demise?

In the short term, maybe so. Just as dubstep so quickly became a ubiquitous part of the electronic music landscape that fans burned out on it in a matter of years, the fetishization of techno will likely assign the genre a negative connotation now that its US popularity is at an all-time high. It’s only a matter of time before the stereotypical “techbros” wearing gold chains over black V-neck tees become a subject of mockery for the rest of the dance music community.

In the long term, however, techno is so deeply rooted in the electronic music landscape that, in one form or another, it will always endure. Playing the Red Bull Music Academy Stage on Saturday afternoon was Detroit artist Shady P. His brother, Appian, performed at Movement two years prior, and the youngest of the three, who goes by the stage name Suitor, likely will as well in the coming years. Interestingly, their mother, Michelle, was a DJ herself in the Stacey Hotwaxx era of the ‘90s.

Their story is not an uncommon one in the Motor City, where techno has proven a multi-generational phenomenon that has endured the ups and downs of the ever-changing industry. The most notable of such instances is likely that of The Saunderson Brothers – the progeny of Kevin himself, who played on the Made in Detroit stage a few slots before he did on Monday.

Really, though, not much else serves as compelling a testament to the genuine passion of techno fans like the reception of Kraftwerk’s performance on Saturday evening. Despite the German band becoming something of a relic in the decades that have passed since their initial rise to fame, the Movement Main Stage was so densely packed with bodies that describing it as “standing room only” would be an understatement.

All in attendance looked on with childlike wonderment as the quartet performed an audiovisual spectacle competitive with that of any contemporary electronic music act. Songs like “Pocket Calculator” and “Autobahn” elicited roaring applause from the crowd, and at one point, they even played their own adaptation of one of the dark, driving techno songs that their typically upbeat and innocent style had eventually influenced. Truly, Kraftwerk’s performance accompanied the rest of Movement 2016 perfectly; perhaps the only thing that could have made it better was for it to have closed the entire weekend out.

Techno’s 30-year history proves it to be more than a passing phase, so Movement‘s 10th anniversary will not be remembered as the peak of the genre. Whether the next few years will hold a more volatile rise and fall for the style, just as its originators found a utopian purpose amid the hardships of their surroundings, techno will endure.

Photo Credit: Doug Wojciechowsk (Page 1) and Stephen Bondio (Page 2).