The Netherlands-based pair’s work is reflective of a festival that caters to more esoteric and experimental tastes. With Rewire's lineup continuing to titillate in 2023, this year’s action is not to be missed.
Amongst a field of festivals that look increasingly identikit, Rewire platforms a diverse array of artists closer to the margins than the mainstream.
Pushing the boundaries of the electronic, jazz, and pop genres, to name a few, this year’s Rewire showcase lets the likes of Kelela and Fever Ray loose to perform their stunning, new LPs. At the same venues, collaborative performances by Tim Hecker and multidisciplinary artist Vincent de Belleval, amongst many others, and world premieres from eclectic newbies like Alto Arc (consisting of Deafheaven’s George Clarke, PC Music’s Danny L Harle, Hundred Waters’ Trayer Tryon and make-up artist Isamaya Ffrench) are set to fill The Hague with wide-ranging sound.
No Plexus – consisting of vocalist and composer Brechtje Plexus (Bec Plexus) and producer Allison Wright (No Compliments) – are another emerging duo given the opportunity to strut their stuff. For the 2023/24 season, they are Rewire’s Young Artist in Residence and as we speak, are all-set to release their debut LP Gen_Y.
The album has a variety of tastes and textures to devour. At one moment, vocals feel like a protest, commanding with a speech-style cadence, before moving to more operatic terrain as well as into regular pop structures. Production is equally changeable, while retaining a common penchant for the avant-garde. Sometimes it's abrasive, reminiscent of Amnesia Scanner’s brutal electronics, and others there’s a lighter touch, bringing a PC Music-style bubblegum flavour. All of the while, songs are interspersed with lengthy or manipulated samples you might find on a traditional hip-hop track.
In the age of the internet, such diversity is perhaps to be expected – but the sound itself still makes you stand up and take notice. We chatted to No Plexus about the story behind their album Gen_Y, the duo’s own working and private relationship, as well as what they have planned for Rewire 2023.