Organizers announced the first round of artists, musicians and programming for Moogfest 2016, scheduled for May 19 – 22 in Durham, NC.
The lineup includes Gary Numan (in a three-night residency), GZA (two night residency), Odesza, Laurie Anderson, Oneohtrix Point Never, Suzanne Ciani, Blood Orange, and Sun Ra Arkestra, with keynote presentations by “transhumanist pharma tycoon” Dr. Martine Rothblatt and virtual reality pioneer Jaron Lanier.
Of special note to DIY synth enthusiasts, there will be another two-day, hands-on Moogfest synth building workshop for Engineer VIP ticketholders. This time, VIP attendees will build “an as-yet-unreleased Moog synth module.”
Reggie Watts, comedic entertainer and synth-lover, announced the lineup in an improvised song and video:
In all, Moogfest 2016 will feature over one hundred musical acts including: Explosions in the Sky, sunn O))), The Orb, Daniel Lanois, DJ Harvey, Torey Lanez, Robert Hood, Simian Mobile Disco, Ben Frost, Floating Points, King Mez, Kode9, Hundred Waters, Empress Of, Mad Professor, Mike Dean, Moses Sumney, Mac McCaughan, Lunice, Ryan Hemsworth, Tim Hecker, and YACHT, with more to come.
Highlights include:
- A day-to-night Don Buchla Celebration, curated by Rick Smith, will feature performances from masterminds in analog sound, including Suzanne Ciani and Nine Inch Nails accomplice / solo artist Alessandro Cortini. Smith’s personal collection of Buchla instruments and documentation, one of the world’s most comprehensive, will be on display throughout the festival weekend.
- Kids’ stuff – This year’s Moogfest includes a full day of music programming and workshops that “celebrate electronic music for kids of all ages,” free and open to the public. Hosted by DJ Lance Rock & Yo Gabba Gabba, with Mark Mothersbaugh, Bootsy Collins, DJ Nanny Canteloupe, thereminist Dorit Chrysler, and others. That event will include an outdoor modular synth performance, Modular On The Spot, in the midst of a picnic-style gathering that organizers say will offer a “truly organic alternative listening environment.”
- In it for the duration. The upcoming festival will include durationals, three to four-hour-long experimental sessions with “immersive” visuals. Liturgy drummer Greg Fox kicks off the series, followed by hip hop producer Mike Dean, electronic composer Suzanne Ciani, and others. Ambient, tribal, and trance music pioneer, Robert Rich performs “the ultimate durational performance” with a 10-hour sleep concert.
A complete alphabetized list of talent announced today is below.
Dates and Tickets
Moogfest 2016 is coming up May 19 – 22 in Durham, NC. Festival ticket prices begin at $249, and range up to $499 VIP tickets. An Engineer VIP Package ($1,000) will include all the VIP perks, plus a two-day workshop building an as-yet-unreleased Moog synth module.
We’ll share more information about performers and programming as it becomes available. In the meantime, more information is available on the Moogfest website.
They shouldn’t tease us with Gary Numan unless they’re about to announce a modern Polymoog!
Does Gary Numan even use Moog synths anymore? I know he uses the Access Virus.
Are you expecting a ‘Don Buchla Celebration’ to feature Moog synths? Or a Robert Rich performance?
Moogfest has been marketed as an art + music + technology festival for the last few events. I thought that the did this pretty successfully at the 2014 Moogfest.
This looks like another cool lineup and the decision to cut it down by a day makes a lot of sense. Last time, there were too many things going on at once in too many places, and you ended up feeling like you were missing out on cool stuff, or going to an event that was sparsely attended because there were five other cool things going on at the same time.
I don’t care if Gary Numan comes with his vintage authentic special modified memory moog with original patina or a Micro Korg 🙂 I think it’s not the equipment, it’s the artist that makes great music!
Really hate yacht. Wish moog would stop trying to promote them so hard.
Great promo video.