Hip-hop trio De la Soul, experimental rock band Tortoise and drum'n'bass innovator LTJ Bukem are among the 70 performers slated for the second Detroit Electronic Music Festival, organizers announced Thursday.
Set for May 26-28 at Hart Plaza
in downtown Detroit, the fest — one of the largest free music events in the world — will also feature techno experimentalists Autechre and house veterans Carl Cox and Laurent Garnier.
A hallmark of last year's festival, the brainchild of techno trailblazer Carl Craig, was its emphasis on local luminaries who have contributed greatly to dance music. Though the scope of the festival has since expanded, techno deities Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson — who will perform with his Inner City ensemble — are among those who'll represent for Detroit this year.
Some of the Detroit artists scheduled to perform also will visit the city's schools and community centers before the Memorial Day weekend festival to educate students about electronic music, organizers said.
Other popular electronic acts set to appear at the four-stage event include Doc Martin, Glenn Underground, Jazzanova, Cristian Vogel, John Aquaviva, Mark Farina and P'taah. A complete lineup is available at the festival's official Web site.
Officially renamed fOCUS://DEMF/2001, the festival will be sponsored this year by the Ford Motor Co., which has used Detroit techno in its ad campaign for the Focus since last fall.
"The Drive Home: The Story of the Detroit Electronic Music Festival," a documentary of last year's festival — which drew an estimated 1.5 million people to Detroit and included performances by Richie Hawtin, Mos Def and the Roots — will be shown in Detroit theaters before this year's event.
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