Paxahau has announced today that Carl Craig will become the creative director of the Movement 2010 Festival.

The Detroit-based DJ/producer was part of the original group that organized the first edition of the festival, back when it was officially known as the Detroit Electronic Music Festival (DEMF). The beloved figure, however, was fired in 2001 by Carol Marvin, the producer of the event, in the run-up to its second edition for reportedly "failing to secure several artist contracts on deadline." Lawsuits and general ill will ensued with a flurry of accusations going both ways, but Craig has remained steadfast in his support of the festival after Marvin left in 2002. In a 2001 news article Craig was quoted thusly: "The festival is about an idea, a great idea. Just because I have issues with one person in particular doesn't mean it's going to ruin how I feel about the festival."

In the two years of festival programming that he undertook, Craig became known for his wandering eye that embraced all manner of acts from the musical spectrum—broadening the idea of the "electronic music" title to include post-rock (Tortoise), hip-hop (De La Soul and The Roots) and much more. He'll no doubt bring that same sensibility to his new role as creative director, which Paxahau—the current producers of the event—have confirmed will extend to involvement in "artist bookings and the festival's brand image."

Jason Huvaere, president of Paxahau, couldn't be happier about Craig's decision to come aboard: "Carl is a musical visionary whose ambassadorship is unparalleled. He will be able to capture the desires electronic music fans have for Movement and help us to incorporate them into future festivals." 18 Comments