To enter Inkonst in Malmö, Sweden, always present you with a feeling of excitement and this year’s edition of ElectriXmas was no exception. Devoted fans of heavy synth music sees this as their Xmas-present and a party one will not miss. For Stereoklang this was our first visit back post the pandemic and we weren’t disappointed with the lineup. Headlining this year’s event was none other then Boytronic.
Boytronic came to the set with attitude. We must conclude that the band shines a bit stronger now that their original lead singer is back on stage and it is a bit on the positive that they now have two members in the band who can lift the microphone, especially so when the do a duett. Boytronic are forever written in the synth history books with their hit ‘You’, and although it is nice to be nostalgic sometimes it is far more enriching when a band evolves and releases new material. Energetic, fast paced and with a strong sense of presence on stage are the things we will bring with us from the 2022-edition of Boytronic. Polished classics meshed with contemporary song-writing will for sure want us to welcome them back next year to the ‘dressed-in-black’ side of Malmö.
While the DJs filled the dance floor with hard hitting EBM-remixes Emmon (aka Emma Nylén) got up on stage, sidekicked by her husband and longterm co-producer. We were thrilled to finally get to hear her latest album delivered live. The queen of the Swedish synth scene always delivers on stage with her energetic persona, cool moves and pumping bass. Compared to many in the genre Emmon tends to lean towards clean and responsive beats, rather falling into the trap of having too many layers with the risk of sounding mushy. If the crowd had been somewhat slow to get started when Me the tiger took on the stage just before her – now was time to start dancing.
ElectriXmas is an institution within the synth, EBM and futurepop scene and one cannot stress enough how vital it is to keep this underground scene alive. The devotion of the organizers are spread onto the dancefloor and although it is never easy to be the first act on stage with this audience in the house you need not worry. Me the tiger was one man short on stage but Gabriella Åström did her best to cover the space, paired with Jonas Martinsson on drums. Catchy tunes and Gabriella’s vocals is probably what stands out the most in comparison with similar acts and that they are gaining traction also abroad comes as no surprise. Five or so songs into their set the room started filling up and ElectriXmas was fired off for an awesome evening. And if it was two hard beating female DJs running the show in the lounge area later in the evening, the party was warmheartedly kicked off by the event’s long-time running Santa Clauses – Johan and Steve. Together, they welcomed all early birds with cheerful synth nostalgica, while the event organizer, Andy, welcomed everyone at the door.
After Emmon got of stage, and in awaiting of upcoming acts, Stereoklang took the usual tour among all the merchants that were lined up outside the main stage and for diehard fans this is a must. T-shirts and discs with autographs were mixed with nice memorabilia.
Duly warmed up by the eminent DJs and two more beers we were ready for Cryo and Cat Rapes Dog. Cryo are hard beating guys with a nice mix of clever synth-pads that really creates that spark to the heavy basslines. It is always a refreshing to watch Cryo live on stage. Their stage presence is strong, especially when they go into that nice duo mode, bouncing the lyrics back and forth. And if Cryo did not get you started, and before Boytronic entered the stage, Cat Rapes Dog showed us where the cupboard should stand, to use a common Swedisg phrase 🙂
CRD has that sweet blend of heavy beats and catchy tunes that few other bands can match. The devotion they show to the audience is something we all could really feel that Saturday evening. We can with confidence look forward to the 2023 edition of electriXmas. And you do not have to wait all that long to see CRD again as they will play in Helsingborg when the ice starts to melt.
LÖRDAG 1 APRIL 2023 KL. 19:00
LEAETHER STRIP – CAT RAPES DOG – AUX ANIMAUX
Charles Dickens Bar & Scen
ABOUT
electriXmas is an annual alternative electronic music event based in Malmö, Sweden’s 3rd largest city and is usually scheduled for the middle of December.
Established in its current form since 2002, electriXmas is Sweden’s longest running alternative music event. It’s the perfect round off to the year and the years most anticipated electronic Xmas party!
There is no dress code for electriXmas but the majority of visitors commonly dress according to the synth subcultures: synth, industrial, EBM, goth, cyberpunk, steampunk etc. Regardless of your style we encourage you to dress up to make it an evening not to be forgotten!