By Spyros Giannakopoulos

Synch, the electronica festival that ran every summer for some 10 years, first at the Lavrio Technological Park in southeastern Attica and then at the Technopolis cultural complex in Athens, was all about introducing Athenian audiences to new trends in international contemporary music scenes.

A lack of funding, however, doomed the popular event, but the vacuum created by Synch’s demise is now about to be filled by a new and ambitious music festival based on much the same philosophy.

The Plissken Festival will take place on Saturday, May 12, at Building 56 of the Hellenic Cosmos cultural venue and features a lineup of 24 acts from around the world. The all-day festival combines live shows and DJ sets in an industrial setting with two stages.

The lineup has nothing to envy in regards to similar alternative music festivals in other parts of Europe. Headline acts include the flamboyant Berlin-based electropunk act Peaches (photo), electronic band the Notwist, whose music has also been described as post-hardcore and despite its popularity in Greece has never performed here before, electronic crossover artist and experimentalist Kid606, and DJ and producer Andrew Weatherall, one of the names behind iconic acts such as New Order, Bjork and My Bloody Valentine.

Acid Baby Jesus, a local act which has been getting some attention in the past few years and performing around Europe, announced that it will not be able to attend the festival due to injury.

Tickets for the Plissken Festival, which are priced at 30 euros if purchased online and 36 euros at the door, are available at Public multimedia stores, on online at www.ticketarena.gr, www.ticketpro.gr and www.tickethouse.gr. Doors open at 2.30 p.m.

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Hellenic Cosmos, 254 Pireos, Tavros, tel 212.254.0000. For more details, log on to www.plisskenfestival2012.com.