There are very few music festivals in the world that incorporate thoughts about the future and technological advancements in the world of music. The ever-expanding, ever-advancing Moogfest is right on top of all the other festivals.
Right from the artist curation to the programs on offer, Moogfest always has an eye for the future during every edition. Apart from a few cancelled events owing to location changes, Moogfest has happened every year since 2004. It’s held in May, close to the legendary founder Robert ‘Bob’ Moog’s birthday, who sadly passed away in the year 2005.
(Courtesy: spin.com)
Although Moogfest has now expanded to having conferences about the future of music and technology, it has always maintained its roots in the humble synthesizer, the very instrument that made Moog a household name in the music industry. Several of the world’s best musicians have endorsed the ever-popular Minimoog Voyager and its other synthesizers, like Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Mick Jagger, Giorgio Moroder and Kraftwerk to name a few, the latter having performed at Moogfest before.
(Courtesy:Β meltcreative.net)
In terms of music technology, Moogfest has always had a lot to offer. Right from introducing kids to synthesizers to discussing and showcasing art and artificial intelligence, Moogfest is as diverse as it gets. This year’s themes are to segregate their massive list of events related to music, art and technology, namely Afrofuturism, Art And Artificial Intelligence, Hacking Sound, Instrument Innovators, Radio & The Radiophonic, STEAM, Technoshamanism, The Future Of Creativity and Transhumanism.
In short, you’ll see a robot playing a marimba, use HTML programming to create music, indulge in a Star Wars-themed collective beat-making session, watch a guy with a cybernetic eye make sounds by sensing colours, join Google in finding out how artificial intelligence will help create music, discuss the biological evolution of the human race and how cyberconsciousness is becoming a part of our daily lives and make plants communicate with virtual synths to create bio-digital art. If this list hasn’t broughtΒ out the Einstein in you yet, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
(Courtesy:Β mountainx.com)
The acts on the lineup for the music festival are simply stellar. The mighty ODESZA is on the lineup, and so are Grimes, Explosions In The Sky and Bob Moses. Several other prodigal talents are on the lineup, encompassing a variety of genres, talents and, of course, synthesizers. Rest assured, you’re probably not going to listen to music like this for a long, long time.
(Courtesy:Β bluebanner.net)
Festivals of the same magnitude as Moogfest are very rare, especially in Asia. With a booming scene in the continent, and especially in our country, we strongly think such festivals could open doors here. It’s not that India hasn’t had a synthesizer festival before; the first-ever SynthFest happened in 2015 in Mumbai, and it aims to be an annual extravaganza for musicians and producers looking to diversify their skills and network.
To sum it all up, Moogfest is for free-spirited individuals, thinkers, and people who want to open their mind to newer possibilities and directions. It’s not just for musicians or fans of electronic music: it’s for everyone with an open and receptive mind who’s ready for some inspiration by innovators and experts from all walks of life. Moogfest aims to be a true transformational festival, and boy does it succeed.