- "Baleapop? Never heard of it" said a local when I arrived in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, a small town on the French Basque coast. The man happened to be standing next to one of the festival's posters at the time, which made his response funnier, but I was still surprised. Presumably he'd noticed its organisers at work, bringing in soundsystems and erecting stages. That can't happen often in a town that's mostly home to families and the elderly. I was expecting the locals to be aware of what was going on, even if they didn't approve.
Having previously taken over parks, beaches and a schoolyard across various towns in the area, Baleapop's sixth edition took place at Parc Ducontenia for most of the programme. The move was significant for the organisers, who initially pictured the festival happening in the park where they used to hang out as teenagers.
A festival of music and art, Baleapop featured several video screenings and art installations. Of these, Polar Inertia's Whiteout was the clear highlight. Conceived by the mysterious French collective during a residency this spring, the installation recreated the weather condition known as whiteout using 150 neon lights and artificial smoke. The horizon completely disappeared, stripping the audience of its sense of direction. Outside, the music alternated between two stages, while a third served as a small club. Too busy exploring the park and its attractions, I only managed to see the end of local band Odei on the first night, before Paranoid London closed with a set of live acid.
The next day saw Antinote DJs Zaltan, D.K. and Geena spinning next to the beach for the entire afternoon. On paper, it was one of the festival's most exciting dance bookings, but it turned to be a frustrating experience. Without a car and with only cryptic directions, finding the exact spot was difficult. I arrived late to catch the three men playing in a large, empty swimming pool hidden behind the beach's security desk. The scenery wasn't quite what I expected, though the acoustics inside the pool were incredible, especially suited to the trio's warm grooves.
That night back in the Parc, Pan European Recording artist Flavien Berger proved he's a real showman, jumping into the crowd and singing improvised lyrics over his mellow beats. Unfortunately, the rest of the night went downhill from there. Strong, persistent rain caused technical issues during Jessica93's performance and a full-on power failure in the disco tent. Eventually, the weather sapped the crowd's enthusiasm entirely and they left to take refuge in the town's bars.
Though the organisers installed a large tent in front of the stage, the rest of the festival suffered from the wet weather and the attendance dipped considerably. Those that stuck it out found solace in the festival's incredible food, consisting mostly of hand-picked and homemade products from the region. On the last day, while the Paris Psych Fest team played Terry Riley records, the main stage welcomed a kids choir followed by Voiski. The French techno producer was presenting his side-project, Kartei, a performance that involved a female singer in the role of a summer camp counsellor, improvising catchy slogans and riffing off the volunteers' names. As awkward as it was, this was a nice snapshot of what Baleapop is about: unpretentious music and art, with strong production and wonderful food, if slightly patchy organisation.
Photo credit: Eloise Louise