31 Images of Cutting-Edge Artistry and Futuristic Technology from Moogfest 2018

Article by: Laura Mason|@masonlazarus

Tue May 22, 2018 | 12:06 PM


It makes sense that Durham, North Carolina's, Moogfest would be on the bleeding edge of sound technology. It is, after all, the annual celebration of the legacy of inventor and synthesizer pioneer Bob Moog.

For four days over the past weekend, the forward-thinking fest transformed downtown Durham's usual vibe into a playground of pop-up performances, transformative performance installations from its Spatial Sound centerpiece, and interactive art such as the Nokia Bell Labs and Delta Sound Labs data-art set, “Vorticity,” or R.E.M. co-founder and visual artist Michael Stipe’s A/V dance piece, “Thibault Dance.” The festival’s free stage in the heart of the American Tobacco Campus on Saturday drew an hundreds more in addition to the officially counted numbers, with performances by hip-hop legends Pete Rock and Ali Shaheed Muhammed, plus indie-soul songwriter Moses Sumney.

Earlier in the week, Moog Music Inc. announced its newest synthesizer, the Grandmother, which was being built on-site the Moog Pop-Up Factory throughout the weekend. The release sold out before the festival ended, finding its way into the hands of participating artists such as Madame Gandhi and Nick Hook of Spiritual Friendship, who used it during their Thursday afternoon Durational Performance (which you can listen to here), as well as vanguard jazz flutist Nicole Mitchell, who held the Sunday Durational as the festival’s closing performance,

Check out mesmerizing photos from Moogfest below.

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Photo by: Moogfest

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Moogfest 2018 Ryan Bell 2

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