Via the Detroit News: Techno Festival To Return With New Name: FUSE-in

New leadership. New name. Same beat.

Detroit techno pioneer Kevin Saunderson will oversee “FUSE-in: Detroit’s Electronic Movement,” this year’s incarnation of Hart Plaza’s annual Memorial Day techno festival, according to Barbara Deyo, the festival’s spokesperson.

On Tuesday, Saunderson signed a two-year contract with the city to produce the festival, Deyo says.

Saunderson, a co-producer of last year’s event, is putting together a team that includes techno producer Ade Mainor as festival director.

Deyo says it’s a possibility FUSE-in—which will stress more live music than festivals past—could become a ticketed event. “We won’t know for a few weeks,” she says, noting if there were a charge, it would be “a very small fee, like $5.”

FUSE-in’s Web site is expected to go live Thursday.

Saunderson is taking over from fellow techno pioneer Derrick May, who produced the festival under the name Movement: Detroit’s Electronic Music Festival in 2003 and 2004. May had been disappointed with what he viewed as a lack of support from the city of Detroit for the cash-strapped festival.

The festival has changed hands three times since its 2000 debut. Carol Marvin and Pop Culture Media produced the first three Detroit Electronic Music Festivals.

Ahhhh, there’s a side of me that thinks they should just let this festival die off.  On one hand, it definitely brings in money for the city.  On the other, the festival has gotten progressively worse from year one.  It’s really lost that cutting edge feeling (eg, corporate sponsorship of the various stages, an admission fee??).