We love Moogfest – it’s weird, small and full of music we haven’t heard of. And while the Durham, NC-based event, happening the weekend of May 18th, has been building hype around their daytime speaker events, the release of their music lineup has put us into full fanboy mode.
Check out some of the stand out acts below, but keep in mind the list is long and there’s tons of shit we haven’t heard of yet.
Animal Collective
Among Baltimore’s top weirdo claims to fame, Animal Collective continue to produce bizarre tracks as they slide into a new musical phase. 2016 saw them release their first full length, Painting With, since 2012’s Centipede Hz. While I might not have been keen on the new record, their live show at The National last year proved to be a friendly reminder of how talented these dudes are. And they’re not slowing down – they’ve got a new EP, The Painters, which dropped last month. Check out the single from that record below:
Flying Lotus
This producer/multi-instrumentalist should need no intro but for the uninformed, Flying Lotus has been behind some of the biggest names in hip hop and alternative R&B and soul in recent years. He’s worked with the likes of Thundercat, Thom Yorke, Earl Sweatshirt, Mac Miller, Hodgy Beats, Kendrick Lamar, Burial and many many more – he also covered bumper tracks for Adult swim for a bit. While he hasn’t dropped a full album since 2014’s You’re Dead!, he recently made his cinematic debut with KUSO, a film so intense it reportedly lead to viewers running from the theatre screaming at Sundance. Check out the trailer below:
Suzanne Ciani
Known as one of the founders of electronic music, Ciani returns to Moogfest this year with what appears to be a more traditional set – last year she hosted two four hour durations which are as intense and weird as they sound. But starting back in the early 70’s, Ciani helped form electronic music as we understand it today. Check out some of her early work below:
Derrick May
Like Ciani, Michigan native Derrick May is similarly credited with defining a musical genre. In the mid-80’s he, Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson – known as the Belleville Three – helped lay the ground work for the thump-thump-thump that would eventually become EDM.
Jessy Lanza
Once called “the latest and possibly greatest of the new ethereal soul girls” by The Guardian, Canadian-native Jessy Lanza aims to bring her electronic beats and soulful voice to the Moogfest stage. Her 2016 release Oh No topped some internet-hipster best-of lists as well, with Gorilla Vs. Bear putting it at the #2 slot.
Simian Mobile Disco
Anyone who has spent more than 15 mins with me knows I love two things: Carly Rae Jepsen and Simian Mobile Disco. While CRJ might be hard at work at a new disco record, SMD will return to Moogfest fresh off the back of their late 2016 release Welcome to Sideways which is a slam dunk for fans of minimalist techno like myself. While Moog’s price tag includes the band’s mentioned above and many more, I’d pay as much to see these guys on US soil anytime. Check out one of the tracks off the new record below:
Moore Mother
Philly based mega-weirdo DJ and performer Moor Mother will bring their terror-filled mix of lyrics and beats to the Durham stage in what is sure to be an unforgettable mix of good and horrifying.
Syrinx
Continuing the theme of throw-back weirdness, Canadian electronic music group Syrinx will reunite for a Moogfest performance that is sure to make modern vapourwave fans cream their ironic jeans.
S U R V I V E
The dudes behind the Netflix-Famous series Stranger Things’s original sound track will make a stop and perform the show’s incredible soundtrack in its entirety. Audiences will be fueled with nuances of forbidding eerie and sparse droning analog synths tinged with noir-ish ambient flourishes and menacing atonal extraterrestrial compositions.
This is, sadly, a painfully short list for a festival that is sure to stand out as not a hippy-field meet up or an explosion of drugged-out 17-year-olds – not that anything is wrong with either of those kinds of festivals, it’s just Moog offers a unique alternative for fans of numbers and knob turning.
If this fits your bill, head over to their website and find out more about what’s in store this year when the event kids off May 18th.