Electronic Beats Festival Gdansk 2012

Electronic Beats Festival stands out among other festivals with its unusual format. It successfully combines performances by both well-known artists - for example, Roisin Murphy, whose music enchants anyone, even someone far removed from music - and artists who aren't known to the general public. Electronic Beats picks young musicians, often with a rather abstract sound, who have their own views on creating electronic music.

Another feature of the festival is its venue - small European cities: Cologne, Graz, Bratislava, Prague and Gdansk would hardly gather so many big-name artists on one stage by themselves, yet within this festival the line-up finds a great response in the hearts of the audience - locals and tourists alike. In Gdansk in particular, all the tickets (priced from 400 roubles) were sold out several weeks before the event!

In each city the line-up was special and unique and lured connoisseurs of quality electronic music onto the dancefloor. As it happened, we found ourselves in a small port town on the coast of the Baltic Sea - Gdansk. Despite our short stay there, we were completely charmed by the city: beautiful architecture, a clear sky and smiling people.

As we approached the venue, we saw more and more young people. Not far from the entrance stood a group of kids with puzzled faces and a sign reading "will buy a ticket" in their hands, but while I was there none of them managed to buy one; the box office was working only nominally and we walked into the building without queuing:

The venue chosen by the organizers was a real delight. The bar with food and drinks, as well as the smoking area, was separated from the main dancefloor. The first act for us was a performance by the local electro-punk band DAS MOON - a powerful and flawlessly tuned sound rang out within the walls of what was once the "V. I. Lenin Shipyard".

We noticed that some small changes then occurred in the order of the artists' performances. Jazzanova and Paul Randolph took the stage; stunning energy radiated from the musicians, and the audience responded to them no less gratefully. Very warm music with a swinging groove engulfed the hall.

Next to perform was the enigmatic Tom Jenkinson aka Squarepusher. A crowd of young fans gathered at the stage, eager to hear his new album:

This performance left unforgettable impressions - very emotional and powerful music conveyed through an unusual combination of sounds and complemented by mesmerizing video effects.

And so we prepare for new emotions. New decorations are being set up on stage, and very soon they'll present their new album Digitalizm! Right before the festival began, a meeting was kindly arranged for us with Jensy (Jens Moelle) and Isi (İsmail Tüfekçi). The guys were very warm and smiley. Having greeted one another, we began the conversation.

...and here the duo is already on stage, and from the very first beat they blow up the dancefloor with their signature sound. The crowd, as one, jumps in time and sings along to the old and new songs. This is exactly how we picture a real rave!

We catch our breath during the lyrical performance by Dilon, and for the finale the long-awaited concert of James Blake awaits us!

Three came onto the stage: Blake himself on keys, a drummer who looked more like a watchmaker, and a bass guitarist. The performance was mesmerizing. The musicians played the songs with incredible sensitivity, building tension toward the climax of the tracks, which in the finale thundered with deep bass across the whole venue.

Friends! We've tried to convey to you our most vivid emotions about our trip to Gdansk for the Electronic Beats Festival, and of course we recommend that you visit it (and get to know "little" Europe along the way) next season!

BONUS: Electronic Beats' video report on the festival that took place in Gdansk -