Starting May 19, Durham played temporary home for the first time to thousands of concert-goers and techies at this year’s Moogfest. The three-day music and technology festival, put on by the legendary synthesizer company Moog, showcased emerging technologies in musical instruments, as well as talks by acclaimed intellectuals and artists and performance by some renowned musicians.
Events continued all of May 19 in some of Durham’s best venues, such as Carolina Theatre, American Tobacco Campus and Motorco Music Hall, as well as various pop-up tents and other exhibits.
Performing artists were united by one theme: their use of Moog synthesizers. Artists representing nearly every genre were present, though the festival had a distinct electronic and hip-hop influence.
The night of May 19 began the festival with shows including hypnotic electronic dance artist Floating Points, R&B and electronic band Blood Orange and indie-pop band Miike Snow. Legendary Wu-Tang Clan member GZA performed a two-night stay at Motorco Music Hall, while new-wave artist Gary Numan had a three-night performance at the Carolina Theatre. Electro-pop artist Grimes played a show Friday night at Motorco Park that one organizer said at least 1,600 people attended, while Explosions in the Sky headlined Saturday night’s shows to an at-capacity Carolina Theatre.
May 21 featured some of North Carolina’s most exciting rising hip-hop artists, when Durham’s Professor Toon and Charlotte’s Well$ played to a full Motorco Music Hall, while Durham’s Made of Oak and Raleigh’s Eyes Low enjoyed sizeable crowds at their electronic shows.
WKNC’s Chainsaw Music Director Jamie Halla said he was most excited to see legendary drone metal band Sunn O)))’s performance at Motorco Park and was not disappointed.
“Once I heard Sunn O))) was moved out of Carolina Theatre for being too loud and threatening to the structural integrity of the building, I knew it was something I needed to see,” Halla said.
“The fog machines were so powerful, and the music was so loud, it was unlike any performance I have ever experienced.”
David Ji, a 2015 alumnus of NC State, attended his fourth Moogfest last weekend.
“I like coming back every year, and it’s exciting this year is in Durham,” Ji said. “I enjoy the music, the people and the environment in general.”
Ji said he was most excited to see Miami rapper Denzel Curry but said he most enjoyed electronic artist Floating Points.
“[They] were amazing,” Ji said. “I loved the live instrumentation portion of it. It’s completely different from what they usually do.”
Moogfest also hosted many talks and workshops with some of the industry’s best minds, as well as serving as a platform for other tech collaboration. Singer Janelle Monae and comedian Reggie Watts were just a couple of the many artists who gave talks and demonstrations about their creative process.
There was a Microsoft “Realti” tent that incorporated one of Grimes’ songs, though she was not affiliated with the project, that provided a look into creative process and instrumentation based on a song off her latest album. Watts, shortly before his hilarious set on the American Tobacco Campus, tackled the difficult topic of Afrofuturism in his speech.
The festival featured two talks by NC State faculty, librarians Lauren Di Monte and Adam Rogers. Di Monte’s workshop taught attendees how to make synthesizers that can be worn on their wrists and played with their fingers, while Rogers taught attendees about the future of internet-integrated everyday technologies. Attendees were taught how to run simple code on an Arduino board and how to post tweets from the push of a button on a board. Rogers then explained the opportunities of a world with internet integration.
“We’ve already seen some of these technologies made available to consumers, such as Nest air-conditioning systems, and we will continue to see this sector of technology grow in the coming years,” Rogers said.
For him, the confluence of the arts and technology was the greatest attraction for Moogfest.
“It’s such an interesting combination,” Rogers said. “I mean, compared to a bigger festival like South by Southwest, Moogfest feels much more integrated. I think it’s a really great thing.”
Another large aspect of Moogfest is to showcase modular synthesizers and instrument makers to the public. Every day of the festival in the American Tobacco Campus’ Power Plant Gallery there was a pop-up show and interactive exhibition called the Modular Marketplace where creators could engage with the public about their musical devices.
One of the several creators present was Rick Burnett, owner of Raleigh’s audio hardware and software company Erogenous Tones. Burnett was there to present his three modules he designed and built, Mother’s Little Helper, GateStorm and Levit8.
“It feels great being here and being able to show off my creations,” Burnett said. “This is the first time I’ve had all three modules, and it’s been fantastic. People really enjoyed learning about them, even people not doing eurorack are just drawn from to them because of the blinking lights. I love describing how it works because, to me, it’s so interesting.”
This was Moogfest’s first year in the Triangle. From 2010 to 2014, it took place in Asheville in honor of Moog Music founder, Bob Moog, and because the organization is based there. However, Moog Music staff announced in 2015 after its gap year that the festival will be moved to Durham in order to focus more on the technology side of the festival, according to Citizen-Times. As such, the festival moved to the technology capital of North Carolina, “Bull City,” and served as a complement to the technology renaissance that downtown Durham has experienced.
As a regular Moogfest attendee, Burnett said he enjoyed his experience in Durham overall.
“At first I was a little apprehensive only because I love Asheville,” Burnett said. “I have not spent a lot of time in Durham, so I decided we would stay for the weekend to get to know the city, and I got to say, I really think Durham has done a great job.”
Moogfest offered a reduced ticket price for students, and as a top area STEM school, NCSU Libraries Fellow Lauren Di Monte said she believes NC State students gain a lot from Moogfest, as well as contributing.
“Moogfest is a great place for artists to collaborate with those at the cutting edge of the technology world,” Di Monte said. “For NC State students, it’s a great place to learn different perspectives, gain experience in the workshops and even to look for internships and jobs. It would be great to see NC State’s influence at the festival grow.”
Before the festival’s debut in Durham was over May 22, Moogfest announced the dates for its return in 2017.
In the statement, Moogfest acknowledged “the logistical difficulties of creating an ambitious festival in a new, growing town and vowed to have such issues sorted out before Moogfest opens next year,” according to Independent Weekly.
“We learned a lot at Moogfest this year,” the statement read. “And we want to assure you that the next festival will be even better. VIPs will have even greater access and perks. We are addressing the workshop signup process to better accommodate the overwhelming enthusiasm for these sessions … Over the next year, Moogfest will continue to expand this exploration of Future Sound and Future Thought.”
Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow leans over a speaker at Motorco Park during Moogfest held May 19-22.
