As the temperatures begin to soar and the streets come alive with traditional neighbourhood festivals, the middle of June is when the summer firmly locks in here in Barcelona. ‘Sónar Week’ is when fans become a fixture in the hands of the locals, and the city transforms into the global epicentre of electronic music — the full programme of Sónar by Day, Sónar by Night, and Sónar+D joined by OFFSónar’s series of parties; The Chemical Brothers and Smith and Lyall’s Music:Response installation at Casa Batlló; the 2nd edition of the +RAIN Film Festival, showcasing cinema made entirely using AI; and a new edition of SonarMies at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion. From 12 to 16 June, Barcelona becomes an ode to the forward-thinking worlds of electronic music and digital culture.
Danny Tenaglia.
As usual, the 31st edition of Sónar Barcelona is packed to the rafters with dancefoor favourites and radical experimentalism, everything from happy hardcore to black metal, hyperpop to ambient, will be thrown into the blender and blitzed into three days of beautiful chaos. Expect everything from Air performing their 1998 classic Moon Safari to the genre-busting technical brilliance of ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U; dance music royalty in the shape of Kerri Chandler, Danny Tenaglia, Laurent Garnier and Richie Hawtin to urban stars from the United States like Kaytranada and Vince Staples; main room global giants such as Charlotte de Witte and The Martinez Brothers to viral sensation HorsegiirL and New York ‘dirty pop supergroup’, Club Cringe, who are rewriting the rulebook of what club music can be.
As usual, Sónar+D will be a meeting place for the most progressive minds in creative industries, and will be heavily focussed on the continuing impact of artificial intelligence and the frontiers of immersive entertainment and expanded reality; talks, performances and showcases will join the interactive exhibition area which features over 60 exhibitors from around the world and will allow visitors the chance to interact and experiment with the latest in audio and visual technologies.
JASSS.
CASISDEAD.
Debuting this year is the SonarLab x Printworks stage at Sónar by Night, which brings the famous London club to Barcelona with its typically jaw-dropping combination of pioneering electronic music and explosive visuals; a 10 x 6 metre vertical screen and redesigned lighting rig accompanied by artists including JASSS, salute and UK rap star, CASISDEAD.
With over 200 live shows, DJ sets, talks, workshops and networking activities across the course of the full Sónar programme and many more events throughout Sónar Week, this year’s gateway to the summer is set to be more unmissable than ever. Tickets remain for the three days and two nights at Fira Montjuïc and Fira Gran Via, and are available at sonar.es.
