There was a soft humid breeze, neon lights blazed in every color of rainbow sherbet, and shiny industrial skyscrapers framed the second evening celebrating German music at SXSW 2024. This night was dedicated to electronic music, and on the main screen at the Coconut Club where German Music Export and Initiative Musik beamed their names, there were shifting thermographic-colored images of melting neon bunny faces, a floating grinning mouth, a kneeling couple facing each other. Though the crowd came and went, the dance floor was always full. “They’re German,” a lanky baseball-capped man screamed to his friend as the opening duo Session Victim played. It was the complete opposite vibe to yesterday’s solemn, harrowing, and downright majestic event spotlighting classical music — think Matrix versus Spring Breakers.

The first performers, Session Victim — the funk-ified and punk-ified house duo Hauke Freer and Matthias Reiling — were in their head-bobbing element. Speaking to Stereogum after their set, around the corner from Neon Loft where Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” was blaring onto the street, Freer mused: “No matter where we go, where we end up, we try to perform and impress each other. We’re lucky that that often translates to people also liking it.”

The two playfully sparred with their headbanging, looking to each other throughout their set to maintain a level of pure enthusiasm. In a second’s glance one might have missed when Reiling pulled out his bass, playing live alongside a pulsing electronic background that shifted from celestial to technicolored grooves. Were they impressed by each other tonight? “I was impressed by Matthias,” Freer chuckled. “You can actually play the bass and that’s nice!” Reiling grinned: “I have my moments.”

It should be noted that Session Victim have a few ways of performing; they do vinyl DJ sets, and they also perform their own works. They mentioned how they’ve been in the US for over a week now performing a DJ tour. “We played records, no shows,” Freer said. “But now we brought out the live set,” Reiling added. The duo paired Reiling’s live bass with a few drum machines and a range of laptop instruments that, as detailed by Freer, they “can rearrange and sort of dub that and play it in different ways and orders. During the live set, we can play harder or softer and go other ways. So it’s always a bit of improvisation.” 

Reiling continued earnestly, “It can also go wrong. And it does sometimes.” The duo rehearsed tonight’s show, but when performing they expect to leave the script early when things are going right and embrace freedom of the present moment. “The longer we do this, the more room for error we are leaving,” Freer said. “If we’re not excited or we have to be on our toes to play, I think we agree, there’s no way to excite the audience.” Reiling agreed with a grin and his low-pitched laugh. 

Nils Hoffmann was the second artist to light up the roof at Coconut Club. Hoffmann reigns from behind his booth with ease. He bobbed from side-to-side under a solar system of disco balls. His set felt the most patient and sprawling of the evening, building to galactic drops. When he played the rubbery, synth-focused track “High Power” — off his third album Running In A Dream, which came out last month — the air felt buzzier. Compared to Session Victim and the closing act Malugi, Hoffmann’s set was meditative and bright, allowing the crowd to catch its breath a bit. By the water cooler, Justice’s Gaspard Augé looked sleek in a brown suit and leather boots, bobbing his head.

The final energy-drink boost of electricity came from Berlin-based artist Malugi. He was beaming — and I mean grinning and bouncing — under the disco ball galaxy. While shifting levels, his headphone band covered the middle of his forehead like a thin visor. His charisma was so earnest and pure, his energy alone could persuade the crowd into euphoria. But Malugi’s mash of pop, trance, and house is infectiously fun. He was constantly jumping up in the air with both hands held high. A woman in a gold dress and shimmering birthday sash joyously rang in another year; someone at the front of the crowd held up their iPhone with a strobe light effect, asking “Who’s got the molly?!?”; And, a couple times within the first 30 minutes of his set, the crowd gave a hearty ‘Ooh-ah, Ooh-ah’ chant. It was a hit. 

It’s not a surprise that Malugi’s charming aura kept the energy vibrant as the night carried on into the morning. Chatting with him before his set, I asked about his mindset going into an event like this. “That’s a big question, honestly,” he said, grinning. “But I even feel confident to answer it. The mindset is the most important thing. Coming from Berlin, techno is very introverted, strict, and grown-up and I always was looking for more joyful takes on club music that I didn’t find in the city too much. When I started, blending in pop remixes or a pop appeal into my music, this is when I realized people were starting to react to my music. I felt like I was on to something and got much bolder in my vision.”

Malugi explained he was excited to see the crowd’s reaction and match his set to the physical energy in the room. “The music I play is very physical and I hope to see that feedback today,” he said. For German Music Import and Initiative Musik’s second night, the feedback was glowing. 

Check out more photos from last night’s showcase below by Brynn Osborn.