24 May 2025 | Words: Zahid Sarihan
OI_Music: Made in Germany opened on 23 May at Babylon with Pleizel’s live AV set
Pleizel presented a live audio-visual performance at Istanbul's Babylon as part of OI_Music: Made-in Germany, opening the festival’s first night with a set that integrated electronic music and visual arts.
The evening began with curiosity among the audience, which soon gave way to an experience shaped by narrative and continuity. Pleizel’s performance unfolded as a gradual progression from IDM into techno, where seamless transitions made each track appear part of a single, uninterrupted composition.
A key element of the set was the use of Kinect technology combined with generative AI. The artist’s live image was projected in real time onto a large screen and altered into abstract visual forms that reflected the shifting dynamics of the music. Rather than acting as stage decoration, these visuals served as an integral part of the performance, reinforcing its structure and adding an additional layer of engagement.
Throughout the show, Pleizel maintained the energy introduced at the outset, drawing listeners into a continuous sonic and visual journey. The focus on narrative coherence ensured that the connection between artist and audience was sustained across the performance.
The presentation reflected a wider development in electronic music, where audio-visual practices are increasingly central to live performance. Pleizel’s appearance at Babylon demonstrated this trend clearly, showing how the integration of music and visuals can reshape the concert environment into a more layered form of expression.
Building on the approach first heard in her Primal Touch EP, released on Mesh, Pleizel translated its emphasis on atmosphere and detail into a live setting. The result was not only a musical performance but also a collective, immersive encounter between sound, image and audience.
