As we get in the mood for this year’s PLX festival in Sweden (which sold out in record time), why not look back at the last one? After all we never got around to telling your about the final day and the absolute highlight of the festival. While we’re waiting for the complete program to be announced, let’s marvel at the amazing artists who performed last year – like Acid Coco and Hans Berg.
Let’s go back to August 20th, 2022, Tjärö Island in Blekinge…
The last day at PLX feels like living in an alternate reality. One where everything is ok. Walking around the island and taking in nature, the rest of the world feels very far away. Suddenly it feels OK to not be able to keep up with everything that is happening online. Everyone is here for the same reason and there seems to be some kind of general consensus that you’ve left the crises of the world behind once you stepped onto that ferry.
On the Saturday I wanted to dedicate myself to taking in as much new music as possible. And that’s not really a problem because there is so much of it going round. Saturday also saw many friends and acquaintances playing records, like Tzimtzum from Gothenburg. While hearing the sounds of Swanasa playing off in the distance I made my way down to the pier where Radio Jesusparken were doing a gentle comedown set. The pier is an interesting venue, since the festival crowd mingles with the general guests of the marina. The stage is outside the marina restaurant, which kindly puts up with dancers who frown at the expensive beer and drinks served.
Back over at the Klippan stage, Welsh folk guitar player Gwenifer Raymond is playing an instrumental set on her acoustic guitar. It’s great to have such a breadth of performers coming to the same event. The following concert was legendary Danish noise band Selvhenter, whom PLX have apparently been trying to book for several years.
In fact, much of the action on the Saturday went down on this seaside stage rather than at the nighttime “club” location. And just a few hundred metres away The Zenmen from Berlin played their spaced-out tropical sounds. This was a band I hadn’t heard of at the time, but they released an album on Music From Memory in 2021 and just a few weeks ago they actually came back to Sweden to play. If it weren’t for PLX I might not have heard these guys.
It turned out to be one of those magic nights where the sun sets into sea by the Klippan stage, and for an hour or so everything turns into a spectrum from orange to pink. It’s beautiful, it’s hard not to talk about the wonders of the world as you sit on the stone slope overlooking the stage. The best concert of the festival was about to go down below us and I totally didn’t expect it.
Acid Coco is a duo from Colombia originally, but based in Berlin. I hadn’t heard any of their music and I doubt many others had either. But five minutes into their set the crowd went absolutely wild. Their mix of electro, reggaeton, cumbia and a lot of punk energy turned out to be exactly what the PLX people had been craving. Everyone just let loose completely and starting dancing like crazy and singing along to the instant hit “La chancla”.
Acid Coco had just released a new album back then, called Camino al mar, but listening to it afterwards I could hardly understand that it was the same band. The studio recordings sounded completely tame and not like the wild party I remembered. I could only conclude that their music is intended to be heard live, and they also had some help from a third member playing congas, clarinet and more.
Being in that moment, just hearing one song after another that blows your mind – that’s the feeling I connect with PLX. Is there anything better? It doesn’t matter who the band is – it could have been the most famous DJ in Europe or it could be something local that no one knows about. The PLX crew finds all of those raisins in the cake and pick them out, as we say in Sweden.
On the nearby Dungen stage, Hans Berg was setting up as Nathalie Djurbergs animations were projected behind him after the sun had finally set and it became dark. It felt like a privilege to have such world-renowned artists appear in the middle of nowhere. As an artist duo they have exhibited all over the world. Right here, the focus was on Berg’s music, which definitely had people dancing.
By coincidence (or was it?) the two final acts on the Klippan stage both had names starting with acid. After Acid Coco, Acid Hamam from Stockholm took over. Backed by Nasiri on various instruments, including oud, their set was accompanied by projections made by visual artist Adèle Tornberg on the rocky wall behind the stage. It was another set perfect for dancing, with heavy beats intermingled with Turkish and Arabic elements.
That was last of the live sets of Saturday, but Dip Shim who was the last one out on Dungen the day before had also done a live set earlier during the day, using his alias Digge Shim. This took place by the pier and was a part of Retreat Radio’s residency. That too was a very enjoyable set, even if it didn’t attract the biggest crowd – placed as it was, quite early.
The night continued at Satelliten where the cream of the crop of international DJs usually take over. I really enjoyed FKA.m4a who’s originally from London but now based in Berlin. Another well-known Berlin profile Dr. Rubenstein was supposed to close the night, but sadly had to cancel very last minute. But none of that really mattered to me because there has been so many other highlights earlier during the day, as well as a whole lot of dancing.
This year, PLX is back on the 17-20th of August and it’s long since sold out. It’s rumoured that it will be the last one ever, but we’ve heard that rumour before. Either way, see you there!
