AK: 2025 Movement Festival preview
She’s building a legacy at 160 BPM
Audio By Carbonatix
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AK is the pseudonym of DJ and producer Alanna Greenlee, returning to the Movement festival for her second time this year. She is a co-founder and resident of Blueprint, a party series that seeks to honor the lineage of Detroit techno by amplifying the sound of the future. As a rising voice over the last couple of years, AK is always pushing her own personal sound, and we caught up with her ahead of her upcoming set at the Waterfront Stage this Memorial Day.
Metro Times: Detroit electronic music has a lot of old heads (that we love) and big names. You are relatively newer on the scene. What does the new wave of Detroit talent and parties have that differs from some of our beloved career DJs?
AK: While I love being a part of the newer generation of talent on the rise, I feel like the parties now are a bit watered down and are missing the essence of that true Detroit feeling. Of course I wasn’t around to experience some of the most pivotal, earth-shattering club nights in Detroit history, but I long for the freedom and authenticity as well as musical inebriation that we once had in the city. But, I feel like there’s a nice handful of us trying our best to not so much recreate the past but reimagine and pay homage to it.
Metro Times: When I’m at an AK set, the beat is jacking and the blends are sexy. You tend to operate at a higher frequency (and BPM) than most other local DJ sets or club nights that I attend in the city. Is there a certain sound, genre, or era of music that has been especially resonating with you lately?
AK: Yeeees! I take pride in having range to play whatever I feel, but I love everything fast! I feel like life is kinda slow and mundane at times so it’s nothing like some 160-170 BPM, footwork, jungle, hardcore, and hardgroove to get the blood pumping. I’ve been really into late-’90s hardgroove! Sexy vocals, deep kicks, fast percussion, yet immersive all at the same time.
Metro Times: How might an AK set differ between daytime or early evening at Movement vs. peak time at the club? Do you adjust the mood?
AK: So funny story – when I was younger starting out, most promoters would put me on opening or closing slots to “turn up” or “bring the bass” or “ blow the reds” (jk) and as time went on, I kinda grew out of all the chaos and am trying to get nine hours of sleep at night. I feel like now I rarely get to play daytime sets in the city, everyone wants me out past midnight… so I honestly don’t have enough concrete data to compare the two, haha! I’d like to play more daytime events so I can pull out my house and disco and more open format crates! I find myself having to adjust quite a bit given the environment or set time. It all works out in the end though.
Metro Times: What is your go-to food or beverage item to help get you through a full day at the festival?
AK: Coconut water! I also need the Spicy Tori Ramen with ginger beef from Ima, some lemon-pepper wet wings from Gladys Nite, or Kelly’s Bar, and close it all out with a few Jägerbombs. I’m just a girl!
Metro Times: If you could curate your dream Movement stage line-up, who are some of the acts you’d book?
AK: Off the top of my head… Regal86, Max Watts, Tim Reaper, Juana, DJ Assault, Tyga Paw, AMX, Jeff Mills, Sel-6, Scan7, BAEBAE, MoMa Ready, Kilopatrah Jones, Nia Archives, Marvelito, Black Rave Culture, Stonie Blue, Devoye, Colored Craig, Bambii, MGUN, Akua, Suburban Knight…
Metro Times: What is one (or a couple) of your favorite Memorial Day Weekend memories?
AK: One would have to be when I did Underground and Black with Ash Lauryn in 2022. I was the baby on the bill, I played my first serious house music set and I felt so safe and comfortable and surrounded with love and my amazing peers. Ate!! Another one would have to be last year’s Blueprint pre-party, where we had two rooms going and one had a light installation by our friend Nix based out of Chicago. I had never seen anything like it, and felt like we really solidified ourselves in the game off that one. The music was banging, the lineup was pristine, I closed out at 5 a.m. It was a dream.
Metro Times: Do you have any pre-set rituals to help center you and find your inner selector?
AK: I pray…. like a lot…. and I meditate. I spend a huge amount of time in complete silence because by the end of the weekend my ears are shot. I tend to focus on grounding my energy, because my anxiety is usually through the roof. I give myself a sound bath with singing bowls and listen to different solfeggio frequencies, tuning forks, rain sounds, etc. I like to listen to absolutely nothing before I listen to everything… you feel me?
Metro Times: Are you cooking up anything special for your festival set? Any extra pressure to show up and show out on your home turf?
AK: It wouldn’t be fun if I told you right?? Although I’ve done the festival before already, this time is special and a wee bit more challenging because I’ll be on the Waterfront stage right before some huge names, so that kinda sends a little chill up my back! But, I think y’all are really gonna love the set I have in store this year! I’m so grateful to share my gifts once again and I can’t wait to see everyone on the other side. This is still surreal to me — I’m really taking it all in.
AK performs at 3 p.m. on Monday, May 26 at Movement Festival (Waterfront Stage presented by JARS); Hart Plaza, Detroit; movementfestival.com.
