The Festival: Detroit's Movement '09 keeps global party high and mighty fine

It makes sense that Detroit's biggest party of the year would revolve around an axis of it own creation. The Movement Festival is a product of regional imagination, born in the early 1980s when some high school kids in Belleville fused the sounds of European artists like Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode and New Order with Black American music by Prince, P-Funk and others. It began in 2000, has gone through some rough patches, but is still spinning us all on our heads -- thank you very much -- nine years later. The highlights are numerous. Here are a few recommendations, though the biggest one we have is this: just go, especially if you've never been. It has to be experienced to be fully appreciated.

Saturday's most notable performer is Carl Cox, a London-based legend who has been pounding out techno/house/broken beat hybrids since the mid-1980s. Come early for ex-Detroiter, former WDET radio late night treasure Liz Copeland (now based in Denver), who starts spinning at noon. And stick around for Mike Huckaby, whose career has gone into interstellar overdrive in Europe of late.

On Sunday, check out Detroit house music goddess (and she is) Minx and soul warrior Osunlade; Dennis Ferrer and headliners Loco Dice vs. Luciano. At Beatport, we say don't miss the Detroit debut of Germany's the Wighnomy Bros, purveyors of some of the strangest dance tracks ever made (danke, Robag Whrume and Monkey Maffia).

On Monday, look for ex-Detroiter, ambient tastemaker Clark Warner at noon, L.A. rising star Flying Lotus, London's Benga, NYC's Afrika Bambaataa -- and Detroit's Carl Craig, Los Hermanos, Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May finishing out the festival in grand style.

Movement Festival weekend passes available at the gate at Hart Plaza are $60; one day pass is $30. For more info go here.