The festival utilized local venues around downtown Asheville but not the main civic center auditorium used in past years, making the festival feel more intimate even though the lineup of performers was larger than ever.
Moogfest returned for a banner year in 2014, spanning five days in Asheville, NC (April 23rd-27th). The biggest treat for festival attendees was the vastly expanded daytime programming, featuring panels and talks by numerous synth pioneers along with workshops and a marketplace for electronic instrument designers and retailers. I Dream of Wires, an excellent modular synth documentary, received its theatrical debut, along with a ten year anniversary screening of the Moog documentary. The festival utilized local venues around downtown Asheville but not the main civic center auditorium used in past years, making the festival feel more intimate even though the lineup of performers was larger than ever.
The Moog synthesizer factory and adjoining store also hosted events, reminding audiences that the pervasive influence of Dr. Robert Moog on all of today’s electronic music cannot be overstated. Extremely diverse styles of music were presented during both daytime and nighttime events, and the festival’s curators chose big names from the ’70s and ’80s like Keith Emerson and Giorgio Moroder, while still offering more modern music as well.
Legendary headliner Kraftwerk delivered three performances with 3D visuals (unfortunately with a total ban on photography by visiting press), and other highlights of the festival included UK synthpop veterans Pet Shop Boys, German supergroup Moderat (Modeselektor + Apparat), and frenetic west coast MIDI controllerist Daedelus. Clark, rarely seen in the US, proved he can still overpower audiences with weird, muscular IDM, while showing off a striking new visual experience titled Phosphor, based on oscilloscope displays. Factory Floor and Metro Area garnered the biggest audience buzz at the dancefloor-oriented events. Label showcases presented by Warp Records and Ghostly International were especially strong, along with lengthy freeform “durational performances” by Gavin Russom, Dan Deacon, and Nick Zinner with Bradford Cox.
Pictured in this gallery: Walker Farrell, C Powers, Pet Shop Boys, Herb Deutsch, Dorit Chrysler, Nick Zinner and Bradford Cox, Tom Oberheim, Keith Emerson, Shigeto, ADULT, Audion, Malcolm Cecil, Dave Smith, Gavin Russom, S U R V I V E, Daedelus, Clark, Moderat, Ezra Buchla, Dan Deacon, CHIC, Volt Per Octaves, Saul Williams, Machinedrum, Bleep Labs.
For more information about Moogfest, visit Moogfest.com.
All photos by Thomas Fang.
