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Published: February 26th 2012
The Book Cadillac
Opened in 1923, it was the largest hotel in the Midwest at the time.Detroit Architecture
Today is the second day of Movement.
I got up rather late, for reasons that are hopefully obvious.
After grabbing some food, I headed downtown.
My first goal for today was
architecture.
In the 1920s, Detroit was a boomtown.
Developers of all kinds built skyscrapers for newly rich companies.
Most of them were designed in the newest style, Art Deco.
Detroit ultimately had the third largest collection of Art Deco office buildings in the country.
The long economic slump since World War II meant that nobody could afford to replace them with new buildings, so many of them still exist.
I wanted to explore what I could.
Walking through downtown Detroit is a surreal experience.
The city core feels like the ghost of a city rather than the real thing.
With a few noble exceptions, downtown completely lacks the shops, convenience stores, bars, and restaurants found in most cities.
It also feels like a time warp, thanks to all the old buildings.
Many of them are in poor condition.
A number are boarded up.
Four are
Guardian Building
This building is possibly the finest example of an Art Deco office tower in the world. Note the relief statues around the main entrance and the geometric frieze near the top of the photo worth a special mention:
The Book Cadillac: When it opened in 1923, this was the largest hotel in the Midwest.
It towers over the surrounding streets and a nearby park.
The architecture is Beaux Arts, with nautical motifs and statues on the façade.
It was closed and abandoned for decades, until the Weston chain bought and restored it in 2008.
These days it looks glorious.
The Penobscot Building: This Art Deco masterpiece was designed by Detroit’s leading architect of the time, Wirt Roland.
It features vertical lines everywhere, with geometric patterns over the windows.
When it opened in 1927, it was one of the tallest buildings in the world.
The Guardian Building: Originally built for Detroit’s largest bank, this skyscraper is fully restored.
It may be the best example of Art Deco in the United States.
Wirt Roland incorporated abundant Aztec motifs into the design.
The main entrance is flanked by two statues of Aztec gods.
The vaulted roof of the entrance lobby is covered in tile.
The lower windows are huge, and covered in geometric patterns.
The interior
Typical downtown Detroit
A sadly common view in downtown Detroit: glorious Jazz Age buildings that are boarded up and basically abandoned. lobby contains intricate tile mosaics.
“Beautiful office building” is often an oxymoron, but with this one it’s the complete truth.
The David Stott Building: When it opened in 1929, it was one of the tallest buildings in the city.
It is remarkably narrow compared to the previous two buildings, and features thin windows that accentuate its height.
Unfortunately, the building has seen better days.
In the mid 1980s, the landlord went so far as to not pay the electric bills to save money.
After my walk, I needed lunch.
Since I had tried Lafayette Coney Island the day before, it was only fair to eat at
American Coney Island this time around.
The room is newer, and the staff is more understandable.
People stand in line and order at the counter.
The food, unfortunately, was not as good.
American dried out the hamburger meat while cooking it, a big misfire for my taste buds.
After lunch, I headed toward Hart Plaza.
Along the way I passed two of the city’s more famous sculptures.
They are featured in every
The fist
The famous sculpture of Joe Louis's fist in downtown Detroit. TV show ever set in Detroit, including Crysler's recent commercials.
The first is called “
The Spirit of Detroit”.
It features a large bearded man, holding a star in one hand and a human family in the other.
The star represents wisdom.
Unusually for a piece of public sculpture, it has a bible quote emblazoned behind it.
The other is a
large steel fist suspended from a wire.
The fist belongs to
Joe Louis, famous boxer and Detroit native.
Movement Festival
Once on the plaza, it was time for more music.
I enjoyed today much more than yesterday.
For starters, the weather was better.
It did rain in spots, but it did so as occasional drips rather than the steady downpour of yesterday.
More importantly, I liked the acts better.
Many of them played remixes of different types of music, with lots of different ideas.
Like yesterday, I wandered from stage to stage, taking in whatever seemed interesting.
Many more people came out today, so the festival appeared at its best.
The first thing I noticed was the energy level.
It was high throughout.
Soul Clap
Boston based Soul Clap performing at Movement. I took this photo with camera zoom. Even in the concession lines, people talked and danced.
People danced with hoops and some spun glow sticks on strings.
Participants did wear too many glowing sunglasses for my taste (veterans of the scene disparage these people as “candy ravers”).
Promoters often like to state that people will “party like no tomorrow” at their events; in Detroit, the “no tomorrow” part feels really close to the truth, and people partied accordingly.
It’s worth comparing this night to Paul Van Dyk’s show from two days earlier.
He is normally a rock star when he plays somewhere.
Here, he was just one good act out of many.
The other thing I noticed was the diversity.
The age range was much wider than I have seen before at events like this, ranging from teenagers to a few elderly folks and everyone in between.
The outfits were all over the place, from downright conservative to artsy T-shirts (Obey Giant was a favorite) to full costumes to body paint.
Whoever someone is and whatever they look like, if they like the music and can handle the volume,
69 at Movement
Pioneering techno act 69 performs the closing main stage set at Movement. they are welcome to join the party.
That is an important statement to make, in any city.
In a musical banquet this rich, several performers still stood out. They were:
Soul Clap: They were one of the few Boston based acts at the festival, so I had to go give support.
They played mostly mashups, where different types of music are mixed together in one song.
They had techno beats with rapping over them (which I found a really weird combination), funk crossed with house music (really good), Motown mixed with techno (surprisingly good), and much else.
The highlight of the set was a five minute (!) remix of the two decade old house classic “I’ve Got the Power” by Snap, which turned the crowd into a dancing, hand waving mob.
Really nice set.
(One complaint: They played to the crowd by wearing Detroit Tigers gear instead of the Red Sox hats they use at home).
They recorded their entire set and posted it online!
Hear it here (WARNING: Not safe for work)
See some of it
Main stage crowd
The crowd in front of the main stage feels the musical bliss. Sven Vath: He is another famous German DJ, although he currently lives in the shadow of Paul Van Dyk.
He played a set of European trance mixed with house beats.
I like both (see
These Are the Times of Our Lives) due to their intricate keyboard arrangements.
The music soared and flowed, and I ultimately felt it rather than just heard it.
I need to seek out his CDs when I get back home.
Video:
69: They were one of the first techno acts two decades ago, and their records helped spread the music style beyond Detroit.
They had the final main stage set, and it got the biggest crowd response.
People crammed into the tired pit to see them, along with any other space that had a view.
The music emphasized the jackhammer drum beats of techno, with simple keyboard lines arranged in complicated patterns over them.
I liked this set quite a bit, because it showed what the style was capable of.
Techno is music made by machines, but it can have the same musical complexity acoustic music does.
Penobscot Building
Art Deco masterpiece in downtown Detroit See part of it
The final sets brought out the only negative of the main stage.
The space is huge.
Most electronic performers stay in one place for the entire set, behind their gear, so they were swallowed by the surroundings.
The organizers tried to compensate with huge light shows and video screens, but it was only partially effective.
At least the music itself is still great, and the music is the main reason for going.
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Dancing Dave
David Hooper
“party like no tomorrow”
Nice to see an old rocker getting into trance...enlightening! Some names there could qualify for Song of the Week...the Week of "S" which kicks off this Friday evening...look forward to seeing you there.