In the beginning, there was only an unlikely pitch. What if Detroit, by 2000 already one of the most depressed, violent, financially challenged cities in the country, gave a free festival in Hart Plaza, the downtown river walk/concrete park, honoring techno music? What if Detroit were filled with people from all over the world on Memorial Day, having the time of their lives, raining serious coin on local merchants throughout the city?
Proving that truth is stranger than fiction, the city bought the idea. Thanks largely to a generous sponsorship package from Ford, which was introducing a new car, the Techno, DEMF (Detroit Electronic Music Festival) was green lit. And techno, which had been invented in Detroit, got its own festival — even though many of the people responsible for the decision had no idea what techno really was.
