Monday, December 16, 2013

Moogfest details promise label showcases, speakers

Asheville's reconfigured Moogfest revealed the initial plans for its five-day April 2014 festival last week. Independent record labels Ghostly International, Warp Records, DFA, RVNG INTL, Fool's Gold, and No. 19 Music's Social Experiment and Driftless Recordings will curate showcases during the April 23-27 festival. The aforementioned labels represent artists such as Battles, !!!, A-Trak, Phantogram, School of Seven Bells, Danny Brown, Flostradamus, Grizzly Bear, Julia Holter, Com Truise, Pillowtalk, Yacht, Brian Eno and Aphex Twin. If you listen to Sirius/XMU often you'll recognize many of those names.

In addition to those curators, Raleigh's Hopscotch Festival, Detroit's Movement Festival, AFROPUNK - a Brooklyn cultural organization, and Austin electronic music retailer and repair space, Switched On will also host showcases as will collaborative group Crew Love.

The nightly live music lineup has not yet been announced, but experimental performance artist and musician Laurie Anderson (pictured above), disco pioneer Giorgio Moroder, film composer Cliff Martinez, and instrument pioneer Roger Linn are among the speakers that will participate in the daytime conference. Over 60 talks, panels, discussions, film screenings and presentations will take place at eight venues over the course of the conference. Music will take place at 10 venues across the city nightly.

This is Moogfest's ninth year. The festival was created to honor pioneering synthesizer inventor Bob Moog, who called Asheville home until his death at age 71 in 2005. The festival features artists to whom Moog's work was essential in creating a futuristic, often experimental sound.

Moogfest parted ways with concert promoter A.C. Entertainment in 2013, in-turn giving Asheville two electronic music-focused festivals. The inaugural Mountain Oasis Festival took place over Halloween weekend - Moogfest's former season, while Moogfest moved to the Spring.

The music lineup, which will feature around 100 acts, is expected to be announced this month. Tickets, which are already on sale, are available here.