| Durham, North Carolina (April 5, 2017) – Today Moogfest unveils the full schedule for the expansive four-day festival. Exploring the future of technology, art, and music, the festival includes more than 300 musical performances, daytime workshops, conversations, masterclasses, film screenings, live scores, durational sound installations, and interactive art experiences.
The full schedule can be found online at http://moogfest2017.sched.com
*Please note, the full schedule can be viewed on Sched; however, registration and adding sessions to your personal schedule won’t be available until sign-up opens Friday, April 7, at 12:00 noon ET for Engineer ticket holders; Tuesday, April 11, at 12:00 noon ET for VIP ticket holders; and Tuesday, April 18, at 12:00 noon ET for all ticket holders.
Moogfest celebrates the legacy of Bob Moog, a visionary engineer who pioneered the analog synthesizer and other technology tools used by artists like Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, and Kraftwerk. This year’s program will feature over 260 innovators in music, art, and technology — from Flying Lotus, Animal Collective, Suzanne Ciani, Gotye and Princess Nokia to Dr. Kate Shaw, an experimental particle physicist working on the ATLAS Experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, and Joe Davis, a pioneer in creating art with genes and bacteria at MIT Media Lab. Moogfest takes place in Durham, North Carolina, a fast-growing capital of technology, culture and entrepreneurship.
Happening Thursday, May 18 – Sunday, May 21, with hundreds of artists, speakers, and sessions across downtown Durham, Moogfest contains a vast galaxy of discovery. Workshops are an essential part of the Moogfest program, as the platform prioritizes intimate spaces for collaboration and creativity. In these open learning environments, participants interact with technology tools that allow humans to creatively express themselves in new ways, so that we can design the future we want to see and hear.
From the practical to the esoteric, workshops offer direct engagement with artists, thinkers and creators performing at Moogfest and empower the individual to affect the future. Possibilities range from Laraaji’s workshop on laughter meditation, to building your own light theremin or square-wave oscillator, to a contact mic workshop with underground experimental music figurehead Pharmakon, to a workshop where NEW INC will try to build a simulated utopia, to a class on DJ fundamentals for kids with renowned Detroit techno producer DJ K-HAND, to using laser projectors for generating abstract visuals, to a hands-on workshop on the basics of building modular patches for female and non-binary individuals, presented by S1 Synth Library. Below are some highlights from the over 100 workshops revealed today.
There is still time to get prioritized access to our vast array of unique workshops. To ensure that you get your seat, consider the Moogfest Engineering pass where you can build a festival-exclusive synthesizer with a Moog Music engineer, or a VIP Pass that grants you access to all of the activities of Moogfest and select VIP areas.
Masterclasses with Moogfest Artists & Makers
Masterclasses shared by Moogfest artists allow festival-goers and performers to work collaboratively in intimate environments that promote inclusion and involvement.
Legendary DJs Greg Belson and Peanut Butter Wolf will impart wisdom and musical storytelling learned through a life digging through record crates.
Artist Gotye will lead an intimate masterclass in the round on recently deceased electronic music pioneer Jean-Jacques Perrey’s life, musical genius, and signature electronic instrument the Ondioline.
Video synthesizer designer and founder of LZX Industries Lars Larsen takes a moment to step away from the workbench and discuss the potential of modular analog video synthesis tools and workflow for the modern day video artist.
Ableton Live founder and electronic musician Gerhard Behles discusses the democratization of access to tools to create music and illuminate new ideas.
Hacking Systems
Reflect on how the last decade has been transformed by a host of arts-engineering software toolkits and engage with artists in the art of open-sorcery. In these workshops you’ll learn to breadboard a square wave oscillator from a single integrated circuit while revealing the electric DNA of the modular synth genome with Elliot Inman; spontaneously compose a radio piece with non-profit online radio station Dublab, Container and Elon Katz; learn to use affordable, off-the-shelf hardware and free open-source software to design real-time musical devices to dynamically generate music to foster mindfulness with Ico Bukvic, founder and director of Virginia Tech’s Digital Interactive Sound and Intermedia Studio.
Black Quantum Futurism
Moor Mother and Afrofuturist Affair guide workshops in this intersectional theory and practice that combines quantum physics, futurist traditions, and Black and African diasporic cultural traditions of consciousness, time, and space. Workshop participants will build future maps and quantum time capsules, shift cause and effect, and better understand the interaction between timescapes and soundscapes; use a DIY sci-fi lens to explore and reclaim mindspaces; create a sound space to combat oppression; and develop their own unique superhero identities.
Spatial Sound
Sound lives in more spaces than stereo. Experiments with “Spatial Music” have informed composition since the early 1900s. But today, 21st-century technologies for audio recording, production, and playback have revived an interest in surround sound and the three-dimensional potential of electronic music. In these workshops experience spatial audio in a 3D audio Space Jam under the guidance of Virginia Tech’s ICAT faculty; learn ways to control spatial audio in a high-density loudspeaker array; learn how to code spatial effects using the free, open-source program SuperCollider; and hear how the power of immersive audio can become a compositional and audio-engineering tool to create new musical experiences.
Instrument Design
In a very special happening, synth design titan Dave Smith will lead a masterclass on one of his most iconic synths, The Prophet. Instrument tech pioneer Dave Rossum will host an intimate conversation that illuminates his unique path and designs. Moog engineer Michael Ashton will show his workshop participants how to build their own synthesizers, from concept to circuit board to chassis. The Engineer VIP Workshop consists of two three-hour sessions (held over two days) led by Moog engineers, where participants learn the foundations of analog synthesis and are guided through the process of building their own unreleased Moog synthesizer/sequencers. The synthesizers built in the workshop will be part of a limited run of 100 units.
Techno-Shamanism
Where meditation meets mechanization, Techno-Shamanism merges technology with something more cosmic, ancient traditions with cutting-edge innovations, to tap into etheric energy and bring next-wave ideas into physical existence. Related workshops include a sleep concert/laughter meditation session with famous yogi, musician, and mystic Laraaji; a family-friendly exercise in yoga and waveform mandala art; and a conversation from Moog engineer Amos Gaynes about the connection between music, dance, and shamanic ritual.
Protest
Exploration of the universal resonance of music and the astounding resource of modern technology as tools for resistance and designing a positive future–advances in science and society don’t have to spell dystopia. Educator, humanitarian, and UNC Music and Technology Professor Dr. Mark Katz conducts a conversation with acclaimed musicians and scholars on using music to advance social and political causes; Dr. Will Boone leads a presentation on the efficacy of blues and gospel music as a counter-resistance force; EDM/social justice nonprofit Give a Beat opens up a discussion on how dance music and tech can be utilized for addressing and recovering from the effects of mass incarceration. Artist and educator Taeyoon Choi leads a workshop on how to make compelling signage that effectively starts a dialogue, and Protest Stage performer Mykki Blanco leads a masterclass.
The Joyful Noise of STEAM
Recognizing that children are the architects of our future, The Joyful Noise of STEAM offers kid-centric opportunities for exploring the exhilarating intersection of technology and the arts. Renowned techno producer DJ K-HAND will guide kids (and anyone else who’s interested) through the basics of DJing; Lile Stephens will lead students ages 10-18 in building a working light theremin; Philadelphia-based collective Metropolarity will help workshop participants identify their unique superhero identities then come together to create narrative art that tackles an issue of their collective choosing.
The Future of Creativity
Moogfest aims to illustrate the nature of our future ideas and creative industries. World-renowned figures in futurism, philosophy, and visionary art present daily keynotes on what art, creative expression, and the tools involved will look like in twenty, fifty, and one-hundred years. Armida Ascano of Trend Hunter delves into the possibilities and influence of the post-Internet generation; MIT’s artist-scientist Joe Davis will lead an exploration of interstellar communication; [descriptor] Dr. Steven Goldfarb, Duke professor Mark Kruse, and CERN scientist Dr. Kate Shaw will participate in a broadly-accessible discussion on the Large Hadron Collider and physics and math in developing countries.
To view the full schedule visit: https://moogfest.sched.org/
About Moogfest
Moogfest is the synthesis of music, art and technology. Since 2004, Moogfest has brought together artists, futurist thinkers, inventors, entrepreneurs, designers, engineers, scientists and musicians. By day, Moogfest is a platform for conversation and experimentation. By night, Moogfest presents cutting-edge music in venues throughout the city. This mind-expanding conference attracts creative and technology enthusiasts for three days of participatory programming in Durham, North Carolina. Performing artists include early pioneers in electronic music, alongside pop and avant-garde experimentalists of today.
Ticket information
Engineer Festival Pass (limited quantity) – $1500
This two-day synth-building workshop, led by Moog engineers, invites a select group of enthusiasts to build their very own unreleased Moog analog synthesizer and sequencer. The hands-on workshop is conducted in two three-hour sessions within the Pop-up Moog production facility. No experience is necessary, but basic soldering knowledge is recommended. Participants in the Engineering workshop also have VIP access for the duration of the festival. Priority access to all festival venues for performances and conference programming: conversations, workshops, and installations. Access to exclusive VIP viewing areas and events and gift bag. Complimentary food and drink in select locations. Workshops are available via RSVP. Engineer Festival Pass holders will receive first priority on a limited basis. Pre-Sale Engineer Festival Passes available for a limited time, while supplies last. Buy here
VIP Festival Pass – $499
VIP access for the duration of the event. Priority access to all festival venues for performances and conference programming: conversations, workshops, and installations. Access to exclusive VIP viewing areas and events and gift bag. Complimentary food and drink in select locations. Workshops are available via RSVP. VIP Festival Pass holders will receive first priority on a limited basis. Buy here
Festival Pass – $249
General Admission for the duration of the event. Access to all festival venues for performances and conference programming: conversations, workshops, and installations. Workshops are available via RSVP. VIP Festival Pass holders will receive first priority on a limited basis. Buy here
Payment plans are also available. Simply select ‘Monthly Payments with Affirm’ as your payment method during checkout. More details are available here.
A growing list of participants includes:
Flying Lotus, Michael Stipe, Animal Collective, Talib Kweli, Suzanne Ciani, Mykki Blanco, Derrick May, Omar Souleyman, 808 State, Jessy Lanza, Simian Mobile Disco, Moor Mother, Syrinx, Dr. Kate Shaw, Joe Davis, Princess Nokia, Function
ATLAS @ CERN, Adam Rogers (NCSU Libraries), Alexander Lerch (Georgia Tech), Alissa Derubeis (S1), Andy Cavatorta (MIT Media Lab), Avalon Emerson, Berklee College of Music, Charlie Gersbach (Duke), Chris Ianuzzi, Church of Space (CoS), Colleen, Container, DJ Lance Rock, Dave Harrington, Dave Rossum, Deantoni Parks, Dr. Timothy Hsu (Georgia Tech), Driftless Recordings, Duke University, Elon Katz, Elysia Crampton, Felisha Ledesma (S1), Flatsitter, Gaika, Georgia Tech, Gerhard Behles, Gil Weinberg (Georgia Tech), Goldsmiths, Gotye, Greg Belson, Halsey Burgund (MIT Open Doc Lab), JDH & DAVE P, Jason Evans Groth (NCSU Libraries), Jason Freeman (Georgia Tech), Joe Zobkiw, Jon Gibson, Jubilee, Julia Kaganskiy (NEW INC), K-Hand, KING, Kate Shaw (ATLAS @ CERN), Katherine Hayles (Duke), Kill Alters, Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein of S U R V I V E, Lafawndah, Laraaji, Lars Larsen, Lauren Di Monte (NCSU Libraries), Laurie Spiegel, Lena Willikens, London O’Connor, MIT Media Lab, MIT Open Doc Lab, MNDSGN, Magenta by Google Brain, Marc Fleury (CoS), Marisa Anderson, Mark Katz (UNC), Mark Kruse (Duke and ATLAS @ CERN), Mary Lattimore, Matthew Davidson (Berklee College of Music), McQueen Adams, Metropolarity, Michael Bierylo (Berklee College of Music), Michael Clamann (Duke), Michael Winslow, Mick Grierson (Goldsmiths), Miguel Nicolelis (Duke), Mumdance, NCSU Libraries, NEW INC, Nanny Cantaloupe, Nick Zinner, Nona Hendryx, Not Waving, Noveller, Octo Octa, Peanut Butter Wolf, Pharmakon, Pie Face Girls, Princess Nokia, Public Science (Francis Tseng & Fei Liu of NEW INC), Pye Corner Audio, Rebecca Fiebrink (Goldsmiths), Dr. Richard Boulanger (Berklee College of Music), Russell E L Butler, Ry X, Ryan Shaw (Duke), Scott Metcalfe (Peabody Institute/Johns Hopkins), Silent Servant, Stephanie Dinkins (NEW INC), Steve Goldfarb (ATLAS @ CERN), Sudan Archives, S U R V I V E, Suzi Analogue, Synth Library, Taeyoon Choi (NEW INC),Tasha The Amazon, The Afrofuturist Affair, The Haxan Cloak, Tom Richards (Goldsmiths), UNC, VHVL, Virginia Tech ICAT, Visible Cloaks, Vivan Thi Tang (Goldsmiths), Walt Gurley (NCSU Libraries), Wolf Eyes, and Zoltan Istvan |
