- Audioriver literally takes place on a riverbank. This year, it had five stages spread across a several-hundred-metre stretch of the Vistula, Poland's longest river. Plock, the host city, seems like it would usually be a sleepy one, but when Audioriver rolls in its population grows by about a third. Locals make up just a small portion of the attendees, as the majority of Audioriver's crowd is drawn from the rest of Poland, with some also travelling from nearby Germany and France.
There is an impressive level of cooperation between Audioriver's organisers and the local government. In addition to the festival grounds, the event takes over Plock's entire city centre. In the main square, a stage blared house music until early evening on Friday and Saturday amidst makeshift bars and stalls selling clothing and records. The festival site is a five-minute walk from the city centre, and numerous festival-related activities take place in the main square, meaning the local economy clearly receives a decent injection from Audioriver. It's the kind of relationship that would certainly not be possible in many countries. The way Plock authorities have opened their arms to Audioriver was great to see.
It had been a while since I attended a festival where the focus was squarely on big-room sounds, and I was quickly reminded of the different approaches DJs can take when playing to crowds of 5,000 or more. Some artists clearly have an edge over others in these situations, and those who specialise in big room music were far and away the best received. Gary Beck, known for his big breakdowns and white noise, played one the most-loved sets of the festival. From a stage called the Circus Tent, he dished out two hours of massive, hook-driven techno, barely letting the beat (which essentially sounded the same from start to finish) give way. His experience at such events has likely taught him that any let up in energy prompts the exit of a few hundred people, so here there was none.
Daniel Avery was another highlight, though his approach was very different from Beck's. Rather than opting for big cuts, he delivered a smooth selection of glossy, futuristic house, and was able to keep feet moving without overdoing it with the filters. Lucy and Speedy J played one of the festival's final slots, and trod a stylistic middle ground between Beck and Avery. Playing fairly straightforward techno, almost every transition was delivered with a barrage of effects, repeatedly killing the set's momentum as the kick drum disappeared over and over again. It seemed like they'd have been better off with simple mixes, and letting the music do the work for them.
Other big crowd-pullers included Booka Shade and John Digweed. The former—decked out in black V-necks, skinny jeans and bowler caps—seemed like caricatures of the '00s Berlin tech house scene they came from. Bobbing along to the formerly ubiquitous "Mandarin Girl," "In White Rooms" and "Body Language," they were clearly boosted by the warm reception they received. Digweed commanded a similarly receptive though at times lethargic dance floor during his sunrise set on Sunday morning, which mostly comprised breakdown-riddled, up-tempo tech house. Dense & Pika's crunchy live house early on Saturday night was surprisingly well-suited to the cavernous Circus Tent, thanks to smooth execution from start to finish and booming, swung percussion.
It's not hard to see why Audioriver is a festival loved by so many Polish youth. The experience doesn't come with too much fuss—a city with plenty of amenities is within walking distance, the location is great and the lineup offers plenty for even the most casual electronic music fan. Audioriver has been growing steadily for the past few years, so hopefully its organisers can handle its ever-increasing popularity.