Detroit Electronic Music Festival by Helene Sandi

June 3, 2008 Ninu Nina

I'm not sure where I met Helene Sandi but I know wherever there is good music, Helene is always there. She is not only a music enthusiast, world traveler, people watcher, and thrill seeker, but a writer and NYC event marketing producer for Niche Media ( Hamptons and Gotham magazines). We wanted to talk to her about music and the Detroit Electronic Music Festival that she recently visited. DETROIT DETROIT....tell us all about it! Detroit was a 72 hour dance party! A typical day during DEMF was this: wake up at noon, breakfast at half past noon, festival from 1pm-12 am, 12 am-? after party.

Dj's that really rocked:

ALEX UNDER- He did not look up from his laptop once, his set was a consistent flow of euphoric sounds and beats, that literally took me on a magic carpet ride around the world.ALEX SMOKE- he's effortless.
HEARTTHROB- His name says it all. Sexy dj who played sexy tech house
PACO OSUNA- for his fun and danceable beats.
DEADMAU5- they were truly different. from the fun remix to Daft Punk's Stronger, their progressive house tunes kept me dancing non stop for their entire 2 hour set. A very high energy bunch- they had the crowd chanting their name for awhile! Love djs who interact with the crowd like that. Plus, they literally played one of the most beautiful tracks I have ever heard...
RICHIE HAWTIN- i think this man is self explanatory. he took us back to the early techno Detroit days.

Dj's to look out for:

MATIAS KADEN- his performance was live, meaning everything we heard was being produced by him at that very moment, and I have never seen a dj with such energy and charisma! He was dancing more than most of the ravers; it was apparent in his face that he really loved what he was doing, which was so inspiring to watch! His music was extremely energetic, tech house with minimal lyrics, was really fun to dance to. BEST PARTIES:

Personally, I think the festival during the day was the best part. There were many after parties at night, but the line ups at the festival were so incredible, it was pretty impossible to get much better than that! However I heard the Old Miami party was a memorable one, with Troy Pierce, Lee Curtis, and many other fantastic djs, the party started at 6 am and went on well into the day- unfortunately I was asleep for that one Something that was really cool that my friends and I sort of stumbled upon was this Irish techno pub! Imagine a small pub, with a sports bar feel to it, blasting hard core techno with live dj and ravers. We went there at around 3 pm and it was rockin. I kept thinking to myself, "This would be the perfect happy hour spot!"

Differences between WMC and DEMF? The main difference was the crowd. WMC is full of industry people who are there more for work then pleasure, while of course there are the die hard music lovers who are there to rage as well, I believe the crowd is more of a mix of people in the music industry, and people who want to or are trying to be in that industry! It is definitely a great place to go for networking and to make good contacts, so people definitely took advantage of that. However, Detroit attracts only the dirtiest and most hard core of the ravers- why the hell else would anyone want to go to Detroit? They were there strictly for the music, and they knew who they came to see. The energy at the shows was insane- I don't think I saw a single person standing still. Also, in detroit all the best line ups were during the day at the festival, whereas in Miami, a lot of the most memorable parties were the early morning after hours...

Musical festivals you are going to this summer? SONAR- it will be my first time

Musical Influences? Madonna, because she is not only a legend, but is always changing herself and experimenting with new sounds and ideas; she has so many different sides to her which i can relate to, she never fails to impress me, and what i love most-she is totally unpredictable. Also U2 and Depeche Mode. Other favorites are : M.A.N.D.Y- i love all their remixes and to me, they are just classic. Booka Shade- 2 of the best live performers I have ever seen. Alex Under. Lucio Aquilina. Ricardo Villalobos. Radiohead. Thom Yorke. Richie Hawtin. Loco Dice. Burial. John Tejada. Audiofly- they don't just dj the party but become a part of it as well!

Mos Def, a class act and unbelievable poet, and well there is maaaaany more....

Fashion icons?

Madonna(i know, i love her),
Chloe Sevigny, Gwen Stefani, Kate Moss for always looking perfect yet effortless
and basically anyone who isn't afraid to take risks and to do something different. Not the typical runway followers.

Favorite venues to throw a party ? An abandoned warehouse in Bklyn- the possibilities are endless!

Deadmou5 one of Helene's favorites in Detroit