Moogfest 2014: The Advancement of Culture and Technology

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Moogfest 2014: The Advancement of Culture and Technology

Laser Lights During The Pet Shop Boys

After taking a break for 2013, Moogfest came back stronger than ever in Asheville, North Carolina for an epic five-day adventure of sound and art. Opting to move from its usual position in late October to beautiful April, festival organizers have saved traveling patrons from the overpriced hotel rooms associated with Autumn in the mountains. With the addition of the daytime events including lectures, talks, performances, and workshops, Moogfest has secured itself as an east coast commodity. With the pioneer of electronic music and inventor the Moog Synthesizer, Bob Moog having called Asheville his home for many years, and with the Bob Moog Foundation and the Moog Factory both located in Asheville, it feels natural to bring such an amazing event back to the mountains of North Carolina. Moogfest carries the strong theme of new technologies, futurism, and synth-heavy music. Music lovers and geeks unite to watch over 100 musical performances and dozens of educational and interactive talks and workshops.

CHIC Ft. Nile Rodgers

Moogfest is known for bringing some of the best musical acts from all over the world. This year featured headliners Kraftwerk (who performed with 3-D glasses synched visuals), The Pet Shop Boys, M.I.A., and CHIC ft. Nile Rodgers. In addition, dozens of local musicians were given a time to shine and expose themselves to new fans. This year featured the Broadway Outdoor stage on Lexington Avenue for the weekend and was free to everyone. The outdoor stage featured top-notch acts such as Mix Master Mike, Two Fresh, Eliot Lipp, and Zed’s Dead. The Orange Peel, one of Asheville’s premier venues, had the likes of RJD2, Daedelus, Flying Lotus, and the Ghostly International Showcase. The room with the legendary acoustics, The Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, featured most of the headliners. The US Cellular Center Basement was a constant dance party with the DFA Showcase, Dillon Francis, and DJ Sasha. The other main venue in town, The Asheville Music Hall, was highlighted by house music extraordinaire Mark Farina, Bottin, and Escort. New Earth had two stages rocking out with the likes of the legendary poet Saul Williams, YACHT, Dan Deacon, plenty of local showcases. The Emerald Lounge also kept the party going with local legend Marley Caroll, RBTS Win, and Machinedrum Live.

Mix Master Mike

The daytime schedule was chock full of special appearances, film showings, performances, and workshops by the top of the industry. Events took place at the Diana Wortham Theatre, Asheville Community Theatre, Mill Room, Masonic Temple, Altamont, Asheville Art Museum, and Renaissance Hotel. Asheville was shown unique daytime performances by Nick Zinner of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bradford Cox from Deerhunter, Dan Deacon, and Gavin Russom formerly of LCD Soundsystem. Exploring technology talks were abundant, with MIT Technicians and the best technicians at Google spoke on new innovations in sound, mechanics, and robotics. David X. Cohen, Simon Singh, Stewart Burns, and Ken Keeler gave a perplexing speech on the hidden mathematical riddles in two of the most famous television shows of all time, The Simpsons and Futurama. In addition, there were Ableton and Monome workshops for those interested in learning how to make electronic music.

M.I.A.

It is easy to say that Moogfest 2014 had a little something for everyone. Between the musical acts that you will not find at any other festival this summer and the abundant learning opportunities, Moogfest this year has truly turned into an east-coast South by Southwest Festival. Those in the music industry were delighted to be able to network at the conferences by day and dance by night. Here in Asheville, everyone is clearly anticipating next year’s Moogfest.