In the world of electronic music, Sónar is a phenomenon. Its a festival, Jim, but not as we know it in the UK. Theres every electronic music act you could mention, from the techno mastery of Jeff Mills to the hip-hop scratchings of DJ Krush, via impromptu electronic pop by the Scissor Sisters (but more on that later ), its all there for you to enjoy. And its not in a muddy field somewhere in the West Country, its in Barcelona a land where the living is relaxed, the wine is red and the tapas is truly superb. As a first-timer at Sónar, I knew at least that my lifestyle in Barcelona was going to be an improvement on the usual round of festival fun: terrible food; sleeping in a tent; plus a dose of ravers back– that ache you get in your lower back from dancing on a slope in the outdoor area. Here Id have a hotel, the beach, sunshine and a busy city centre to explore if I wasnt making a nuisance of myself at Sónars day and night programmes, that is. And while something told me that Id be too busy to explore the town, it was at least nice to have the option. Quite frankly, anything is better than the usual sea of tents at a British festival
rnKarolina Krasuska www.everynight.co.uk
After an insanely early flight on Easyjet which was shared by half the British press corps, the DJ Mag crew proving that they know how to travel in style we arrived at around midday on Thursday, in good time for Englands (eventual) victory over Trinidad and Tobago, plus a tapas binge that is, even now, requiring some redevelopment in parts of central Barcelona. Our patatas bravas explorations aside, it was a rather poor showing from the Trust/Itchy crew on Thursday we set out for the Chibuku party at about 1am (reliably informed that this was the perfect time to go out), then found the mission of getting a taxi was going to be a long, messy affair. It was at this point that we realised wed been up for 24 hours, after rising in the early hours to make it to our flight, so we decided enough was enough for one night – and promptly finished the night off with a pigs trotter and a final glass of San Miguel.
Friday saw the festivities start off properly. Our first day at Sónar-proper started with an impromptu performance by the Scissor Sisters, of all people. Jake Shears and Ana Matronic charmed the Sónar by Day crowd, as they played a selection of their hits, including Take Your Mama. This went down well with the very chilled crowd, as did the revelation that the band had met their manager at Sónar five years previously. The Scissor Sisters might not seem like prime Sónar material, but it was the recognition that their track, Comfortably Numb, got from Britains DJs that bought them their record deal – which explains the warm reception they got from the Brits lazing in by the Sónar Village stage. As every hairdressers favourite band went through their back-catalogue, they chatted with the audience; with Ana remarking on the fact that for a largely gay band, they seem responsible for quite a baby boom amongst their friends. But soon, even this surprisingly good act had to move on. They were definitely the performers of the afternoon, but they were followed by Bus featuring MC Soom-T, who also delivered one of the best sets of the festival. After asking around, we found out that their Feelin Dank on Scape Records is one to check out. Their twisted kind of glitch-funk was a real antidote to what had gone before, but its strange combinations like this which make Sónar so special. Indeed, the odder side of Sónars appeal is perfectly illustrated by the presence of Senor Coconut, aka Uwe Schmidt, the German producer with a fetish for Latin funk. Again, he was a big crowd-pleaser, even if he left us feeling eager for the tougher sounds of Sónar By Night.
rnKarolina Krasuska www.everynight.co.uk
If taste (and indeed, memory) serves correctly, Sónar By Night on Friday was much more what were expecting. Just imagine the best club night that youve been, but staged in an aircraft hanger that makes Fabric look like a dilapidated crack den and a small one at that. Here we witnessed breathtaking sets by DJ Krush, Laurent Garnier and in particular Jeff Mills. The huge setting was definitely the perfect venue for Jeffs audio-visual feast. Beats galore poured down as visuals of James Brown: Live At The Apollo burst through more screens than we could count. A trip over to see DJ Shadow proved a poor choice (great beats, basic rappers prompting one UK DJ nearby to remark that Shadow was clearly sick of blurring the line between experimental hip-hop and the more commercial kind choosing the latter, it seems), but Jeff really made the night worthwhile. Nightmares On Wax also managed to bring a bit of soul to proceedings, but finally we ended our evening with Sasha. The progressive one was definitely playing it safe for his first Sónar, as he ploughed through an extended set with his customary smoothly mixed tunes. There was little of variation (none of the breaks he has been known to play of late) and on reflection it was a shame that one of dance musics most visible characters didnt take advantage of Sónars broadminded reputation and play something a little different. However, in the early hours of Saturday morning, few people seemed to have any complaints
rnKarolina Krasuska www.everynight.co.uk
Obviously, recovering from the highlights of the previous night took some doing, but eventually we resurfaced to find that Fat Freddys Drop were happily entertaining almost all of Sónar by Day. They were the highlight of Saturdays daytime events, captivating us with their chilled dub beats; just perfect for recovering from the night before.
On our second and final trip to Sónar By Night, we found ourselves on another varied foray into modern clubbing sounds. First, we saw the Infadels sweating through a torrid set (guys, t-shirts next time, you could get heatstroke!), then witnessed Miss Kittin mix it up, only to enjoy the light-hearted hip-hop of Ugly Ducking all the more. But finally, we had to split ourselves between the heavy techno of Dave Clarke and the more minimal offerings of Richie Hawtin and his perennial companion, Ricardo Villalobos.
Eventually the latter pair won out, with what was the perfect music for the perfect time that time, of course, being very, very early on Sunday morning. And that, of course, is when all the after-parties kick in . and where our account must sadly end. Next time, we vowed, a flight out on Monday instead!