Seattle to Remain Famous for Coffee and Rain
Thanksgiving Pairing Suggestion: Dessert Isn't Just a Meal
Eight Things A Seattle Sports Fan Can Be Thankful For
Seattlest Pix 09Nov25
Can't Miss It: Thanksgiving Eve
[This is part three of a series of posts on Movement, Detroit's Electronic Music Festival, held Memorial Day weekend. Part one introduced the festival using Seattle events as points of reference. Part two described the musical experience.]
Along with a Seattle contingent of attendees, the last few editions of the Detroit Electronic Music Festival have featured Seattle talent on the bill. Last year Jeff Samuel played the Paxahau-sponsored Underground Stage, while Jerry Abstract played an afterparty. This year, Seattle was represented by SunTzu Sound, who managed to turn what was initially only one gig into a mini-tour. Here's a short recap of their various Detroit-area adventures.
SunTzu showed up a few days before Seattlest in order to play a date in Lansing. Producer John Beltran (who played the Baltic Room not long ago) has opened a new club there and booked SunTzu Sound to play there. They played their set to an appreciative crowd (many of those in attendance made the trek to the festival to see them again), but that wasn't the most memorable aspect of that leg. The night after their gig the crew was hanging out at the same club, and not only did they get to see Stevie Wonder, they got to see him make his way on stage to play some impromptu harmonica along with the band (video here). Cross-continental text messages displayed their enthusiasm.
The night before the festival SunTzu was planning to just take it easy before their set the next day. They planned to go see Rich Medina, who they're bringing out in a few months, but they received a last-minute call informing them that Medina missed his flight, and asking if they wanted to fill in. They accepted, and opened for Kevin Reynolds and John Arnold to a sparse crowd in Oslo's basement.
The festival itself found SunTzu battling the disadvantage of an early set, but they still managed to develop a healty crowd by the end of their set (as more people started to fill out the festival grounds). Other DJs and producers mingled in the crowd, chatting with one another, and occasionally making their way to the turntables to check out a particular track being played, introducing themselves after the set was complete.
That evening was the original party for which SunTzu was booked. Situated in the newish Comerica Park (where the Detroit Tigers play), the venue was a bit atypical, but worked incredibly well. With two floors, patrons had the choice of witnessing Amalgama Records followed by Jeremy Ellis and John Arnold downstairs, or watching SunTzu on the roof. Along with the music played by SunTzu, they had the bonus of the view of downtown Detroit. SunTzu played the entire night on the roof, closing out their set with soul classics and earning the respect of Detroit natives who can be a bit picky in their musical tastes.
With that under their belts, SunTzu used the bulk of the rest of their time in Detroit as music fans, enjoying the festival and taking in the afterparties (and the attendant afterparty tension among promoters and law enforcement regarding cessation of alcohol sales). J-Justice represented SunTzu Sound solo on the closing night of the festival at a party sponsored by Ubiquity Records, while the rest of the group made their return earlier that day.
Playing Movement represented a big step for SunTzu Sound. The fact that they managed to turn one afterparty appearance into four dates is a testament to their hard work and perseverence. They're some of the hardest working guys in Seattle's scene, and it's good to see Seattle well-represented outside of the Pacific Northwest.
Photos courtesy of J-Justice
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
Post a comment (Comment Policy)