An exciting roster of over 150 participating artists are heading to the 11th edition of the electronic music festival Moogfest scheduled for May 18th-21 in Durham, North Carolina. The biggest confirmed names include indie rockers Animal Collective, the glitchy Flying Lotus, dance act Simian Mobile Disco, Stranger Things soundtrack composers Survive, acid house legends 808 State, Stones Throw label founder Peanut Butter Wolf, modular synthesizer pioneer Suzanne Ciani, and Gotye, performing a tribute to late French electronic producer Jean-Jacques Perrey.
In addition to four days of music, there are numerous stages presenting thematic programming, classes, workshops, conversations, film screenings and live scorings, installations, and presentations by instrument brands. The festival will center around multiple themes: The Future of Creativity, Black Quantum Futurism, Hacking Systems, Instrument Design, The Joyful Noise of S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math), Protest, Sci-Fi Wishes & Utopian Dreams, Spatial Sound, Transhumanism and Techno-Shamanism, each with their own unique programming. As nearby Raleigh, North Carolina has been the site for the controversial “bathroom bill” restricting bathroom access for transgender individuals, social impact is at the front of the organizer’s minds, and Black Quantum Futurism and the Protest stages will provide a platform for underrepresented voices.
Moogfest has been held since 2004 to commemorate Robert Moog, the inventor of the Moog synthesizer, who passed away in Asheville, North Carolina in 2005. The Moog line of products were the first to combine commercial viability and a compact size, in addition to doing away with patchbays in favor of the familiar piano keyboard. Today, the instruments are widely recognized today for having a superior, sought-after analogue sound.
Visit the site for more information. General admission passes for the event are $249. A VIP pass runs $499 and will get you priority access to all events, complimentary food and drinks in some areas, and a gift bag. Those interested in building their own instruments can pay $1,500 for an engineer festival pass to participate in a two-day synth-building workshop led by Moog engineers. This tier also includes VIP access.
As of this writing, the full list of slated artists and participants includes:
808 State
Animal Collective
Avalon Emerson
Colleen
Container
Dave Harrington
Deantoni Parks
Derrick May
DJ Lance Rock
Driftless Recordings
Elon Katz
Elysia Crampton
Flatsitter
Flying Lotus
Function
Gaika
Gotye
Greg Belson
JDH & Dave P
Jessy Lanza
Jon Gibson
Jubilee
K-Hand
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
Kill Alters
King
Lafawndah
Laraaji
Laurie Spiegel
Lena Willikens
London O’Connor
Marisa Anderson
Mary Lattimore
Metropolarity
Michael Winslow
Mndsgn
Moor Mother
Mumdance
Nick Zinner
Nona Hendryx
Not Waving
Noveller
Octo Octa
Peanut Butter Wolf
Pharmakon
Princess Nokia
Pye Corner Audio
Rbts Win
Riddim Macka Sound System
Russell E.L. Butler
Ry X
Silent Servant
Simian Mobile Disco
Sudan Archives
Survive
Suzanne Ciani
Suzi Analogue
Syrinx
Tasha the Amazon
The Afrofuturist Affair
The Haxan Cloak
Vhvl
Visible Cloaks
Wolf Eyes
