Metro Times contributor Maximilian de la Garza comments without restraint about the gender imbalance at Movement Detroit, the 16th annual techno festival running through Monday at Hart Plaza:
Of the 139 performers playing Movement . . . this year, a mere eight are women. This may not come as a surprise to many, and, of course, it's shitty that this isn't surprising. . . .
As the festival has grown and the millennial crowd gets younger and more receptive, Movement's selection of dudes plus also more dudes does look a bit outdated.
De la Garza does his part to offset the tilt with advance interviews of two local DJs on Sunday afternoon's lineup -- Marissa Guzman and Gabi (Gabriele Schwarz).
"Gabi's music is a welcome reprieve from the skittering, frantic sounds of techno you'll hear at so much of the fest," he writes.
[She] dips into the grooves of deep house, a slinky meditative throb that lifts you up high and then gently brings you down. Gabi has mastered that fine art of balancing a crowd by knowing when to push them and when to reel them back in.
The self-taught DJ found herself touring all over the world in the last year as a resident Paxahau DJ. After her successful first Movement gig last year, she is in demand. . . .
She believes it's her choice of music that sets her apart from the rest. "That soul (I play) is sexier and softer."
Schwarz, a part-time DJ and full-time foster care social worker for Wayne County whose stage name is pronounced "Gābi," tells Metro Times' writer: "I didn't even know I would be performing until the lineup came out."
Her showcase set on the main stage also draws attention from a Nashville-based music site, Festival Snobs, which tweets a mini-gallery to its 9,500 followers:
.@Gabi_Detroit kicking off @MovementDetroit Day 2 on the Main Stage. #MovementDetroit pic.twitter.com/aMMXu3BWJ9
— Festival Snobs (@FestivalSnobs) May 24, 2015
Schwarz also earns this early Monday from an Ann Arbor fan:
Shout out to @Gabi_Detroit for kickin off @MovementDetroit right! Easily one of the best sets all day.
— Westing (@AdamWesting) May 25, 2015