​12 top tracks from the relentless Movement Electronic Music Festival

It’s just after 9:00 pm on the second day of Movement Electronic Music Festival and Dixon is taking the crowd on a mesmerizing sonic journey through surreal rhythmic tones and textures. The weather is fairly comfortable and the night has descended, then suddenly the rain starts pouring in. As is often the case with festival crowds, nothing can stop us from stomping through irresistible beats, but a bolt of lightning strikes and the music is immediately cut short. We wearily walk away from the stage, yet booming bass can be heard in the distance. Where is it coming from? Like moths to the flame the patrons follow their ears to the gritty underground stage where Sterac is delivering the most hard-core techno heard at the festival. It’s raw and rugged and undoubtedly merciless, the type of techno the Dutch mainstay is known for, which suites the eager revelers at Movement. They pack in, dripping wet, as onlookers watch streaks of steam rise from the vigorously gyrating crowd. All is never lost in Detroit, the techno calls and the rave lives on.

Despite the short episodes of rain, the eleventh year of Movement delivered what many had hoped for, an oasis of underground dance music filled with the complete spectrum of house, techno and more. As the leading festival for this style of music in the United States, it’s a necessary stop on the festival circuit for many. From conversing with the patrons it’s as if they all made their yearly pilgrimage to Mecca, with Detroit being the birthplace of techno. And it’s not just the fans that feed off this energy. The talent is as inspired as ever.

The headliners speak for themselves. Whether it was The Belleville Three, Carl Cox, deadmau5 as testpilot or Richie Hawtin, all were monumental performances. Then there was Larry Heard, an absolute legend, whose live set traversed through a plethora of his classics as well as contemporary productions like ‘Qwazars’. Soul Clap and Amp Fiddler’s collaborative live performance was beyond compare as they closed out their set with ‘Love Train’ by Soul Clap and PillowTalk, and had the entire crowd belting the chorus. Then there were the Berghain residents Ben Klock and DVS1 who delivered the finest hypnotic techno of the entire festival. There clearly are too many memorable moments to mention, but with that Mixmag has compiled a collection of the top tracks from the weekend to offer a glimpse of the madness.

If we heard it at the festival or the numerous after parties, here are the tracks that ruled over the sets during Movement weekend. Timeless tracks that work magic on the dancefloor.

Innervisions co-founder Dixon was a major highlight on the Movement lineup, especially closing out the Pyramid Stage on the second night. The day was plagued by rain, but the crowd was as anxious to dance as ever and when the storm picked up, he was playing some of his most dreamy and surreal tracks of the set. Although he was cut off for a short while, Dixon showcased a variety of memorable gems, including Âme’s timeless remix of Etienne Jaumet’s ‘Repeat Again After Me’ released in 2007 on Versatile Records. The soulful, yet manic horns on top of the steady, deep and hypnotic beat make for an absolute classic.

With six stages to choose from there is never a dull moment at Movement, but if a venture to the Made In Detroit Stage is not on your itinerary, that’s a big mistake. Here’s where the local heroes come to showcase the music that built the scene in the Motor City, from hard hitting techno to gritty deep house. The first day featured heavyweights like Kai Alce, Keith Worthy, Jammin Collins, Mixxin Mckinney, DJ Minx and Alton Miller, but Norm Talley’s set was particularly special as the first half consisted of music that featured “Detroit” vocals. Pirahnahead’s ‘Whatupdoe (Tha D)’ was a clear standout track that had the crowd, which seemed to be mostly locals, moving vigorously in the warm Michigan sun. When visiting a city like Detroit, it’s best to be immersed in the local community in order to truly feel its infectious energy.

Patrice Baumel's first release on Afterlife is a favorite peak-time track in the techno world right now, and Mixmag heard it at least twice over Movement weekend. First, powerhouse Nicole Moudaber dropped 'Glutes' in her set on the main stage on Saturday, and it hit hit hard for the thousands of people on the dance-floor. Then, at Lee Foss' Repopulate Mars closing party, Mind Against (which seemed like an odd booking alongside Shiba San and Golf Clap) closed out their set with this one and the small crowd on the patio stuck around until that final fade out. A class ending to a compelling set.

Sunday, we had a particularly techno-heavy schedule, and that night on the Underground Stage, we found ourselves with the American Midwestern artist, DVS1. DVS1's set and the underground stage he occupied made you feel like you were in the darkest of warehouses rather than a festival at sunset. We were hooked when he dropped Discrete Circuit's 'Incursion', a dark, powerful MISTRESS Recordings release, which is the sublabel of DVS1's imprint HUSH. This pounding tune left us wishing we'd ID'd the whole set.

Joseph Capriati played too many gems to list here, but the recently released ‘Pool Party Music’ by Mall Grab might have been the most surprising, and yet the most lively of the entire set. The main stage amphitheater was packed from the start as Capriati delivered a high energy display of relentless techno and house. His performance was clearly a major stop on the lineup for many. Mall Grab on the other hand has been on a tear as of late. His music has been featured heavily in DJ sets around the world, from jacking house to mesmerizing techno, and the versatility of his material seemingly knows no bounds. ‘Pool Party Music’, released on Hot Haus Recs, is a major tune to look out for this summer.

UK based DJ and producer Leon Vynehall has been at the top of the house scene for many years, so his set on the first day was highly anticipated. He plays a wide variety of dance music, from the bass heavy new school tunes to more classic and soulful jams, delivering an eclectic selection spanning time and space. Toward the end of his set he dropped the S-Tone mix of Montego Bay’s ‘Everything’, an absolute classic released in 1992 that commands fairly steep prices on vinyl resale markets like Discogs. Much of the crowd recognized the track, singing along to the irresistible vocal hook.

We heard and witnessed the performance of 'At Les' by Carl Craig and Versus Orchestra on the final night of Movement. It was a beautiful, cinematic experience that only put us more in awe of Carl Craig as a producer. Don't let the beginning fool you, 'At Les' is a techno masterpiece which stood out as an appropriate ending to an intense weekend. Detroit techno meets Hans Zimmer is the best way to describe this song, and if you get the chance to catch this performance live, do so.

Despite heavy delays due to weather and two very unfortunate mixer mishaps, testpilot, better known as deadmau5, still managed to show off his techno chops with a selection of harsh, underground tracks. Ctrl’s ‘Charge’, off Token Records’ 2014 EP release stood out as one of Zimmerman’s finer selections. Paired with minimal flashing green lights and garnishes of pitch black (whether that was intentional or due to electronic complications), the thundering production represented what a testpilot set could be capable of.

Finally, a song ID for one of our favorite tracks consistently dropped by Seth Troxler. You may have heard it alongside The Martinez Brothers at London’s latest Tuskegee takeover or during Seth’s Absolution Berlin performance. He even dropped it mid-set at last year’s Movement appearance on the main stage, yet it never fails to rile up a deafening cheer. Troxler’s edit of !!!’s ‘I Feel So Free’ with Moffa Lost Sounds Of Saturn is an outright banger. Through headphones it’s a pleasant, funky tune - but on the dance floor its echoing chimes morphing into spiritual piano solos and soulful vocals brings an indescribable, blinding energy that causes a crowd to lose its mind.

If there's one song that defined the shining, soulful house essence of Old Miami, it was Moodymann’s ‘Shades Of Jae’. Blaring through the speakers at the ripe hour of 4PM, nearly 10 hours in from the start of the world famous Detroit party ‘Need I Saw More’, Doc Martin dropped the infectious beat to a crowd of 300 cheekily smiling, screaming, sunglass-wearing music lovers. It’s the type of track who’s spine tickling funk gives everyone stank face for a second before throwing their hands up and two-stepping across the floor, a melody that has you swing dancing with a stranger then throwing your heads back in laughter because it’s just that good. Forget that you might have waited well over two hours to get into Seth Troxler’s infamous Monday morning party, with vibes like this nothing else really mattered.

One of our favorites at Movement Detroit was undoubtedly Audion, who brought a ravenous crowd delirious for severe, twisting techno and rough synthy sounds. Matthew Dear’s darker alter-ego is known for modular obscurity, his most famous track being the monster ‘Mouth To Mouth’. After 45 minutes of rain, lightning and pure Audion richness, the Detroit icon dropped the Dense & Pika edit of his biggest hit, off the recent ‘Mouth To Mouth 10’. The ground shook into the familiar hook and spinning build-up with the sun miraculously bursting through the clouds, creating one of our defining moments of Movement as Dear jumped on top of the decks to take a bow.

Andrés played this familiar tune at Seth Troxler's infamous Need I Say More backyard party. While it'd be satisfying to have a recording of Andrés' 8AM set at Old Miami on the Monday of Movement, it wouldn't be the same as hearing it during the surreal hours of some of the smoothest selections of all time. We'll continue digging for his edit of N.E.R.D's classic 'Run To The Sun' but for now just listen to the original and imagine what it sounded like at the time. This was the absolute perfect morning jam after one long weekend of techno and late night parties.