A few weeks ago we announced it to you, in Sónar is already here. The great festival of electronic music and innovation arrives, another year, loaded with headliners, party and technological innovations to inaugurate the Barcelona summer and confirm the city as one of the world capitals of festivals in general, and electronic music in particular.
And although we know that you have your favorite concerts already marked in the agenda (and although you can consult the complete Program at the festival website), a little help never hurts, so we bring you some of our favorite performances and the most outstanding headliners of the festival so you don’t miss out.
Air and their first performance of the Moon Safari album. Friday 12, 22h. Sónar Club.
On the occasion of the 25 years of the release of their acclaimed debut album Moon Safari the French duo Air will be headlining Sónar de Noche this year. Moon Safari (1998), now considered a cult album, keeps the richness of the French electronic sound more alive than ever, masterfully fusing the downtempo with the heritage of the chanson française, with tracks like “Sexy Boy”, “All I Need” or “La Femme d’Argent”.
Laurent Garnier returns to Sonar. Friday 12. 18.55h. Sonar Village.
The sunsets of Sónar by Day will be headlined by three great icons of the French electronic scene on the SonarVillage by Estrella Damm stage. Folamour will present a new audiovisual show on Thursday June 13th. Laurent Garnier will finally return to the stage on Friday June 14th and the legendary Kittin (formerly Miss Kittin) will offer an exclusive four hands set with David Vunk on Saturday June 15th.
This stage will also host the East African pop, hip-hop and electronica fusion of Kenya’s Kabeaushé, the hybrid show with live percussion by Olof Dreijer (half of the duo The Knife) along with Diva Cruz and the unique Estonian rapper TOMMY CASH, among others.
AI music, the music of the future?
For the next three years, Sónar will dedicate part of its Program to the intersection between generative AI and musical creativity. The start was the independent AI festival & Music, held in 2021, but as technology has evolved, so have its applications in the creative sphere.
Thus, the Program AI & Music powered by S+T+ARTS reflects this year the use of AI in Pop (Sevdaliza), sound art (Nicole L’Hullier and Marta Verde), conceptual electronics (Rob Clouth and Lee Gamble with Candela Capitán presenting the show ‘Models’) and practical experimentation (with the Prompting Afternoons and the AI & Music Hacklab by Peter Kirn and Cibelle Cavalli Bastos). There will also be a program of talks, panels and demos that will move the conversation away from industrial optimization and toward creative expression.
Híperlocal: the best national and Barcelona djs. Verde Prato, Blck Mamba, Meritxell de Soto…
Sónar 2024 goes beyond well-known names, with a varied selection of international and national performances. Live shows by Aïsha Devi, Marie Davidson, Verde Prato, Loraine James, Kabeaushé, Iceboy Violet & Nueen, Toya Delazy and La Goony Chonga are joined by unique DJs such as DJ Gigola, Blck Mamba, GAZZI b2b DALILA, Drea, horsegiirL, Akazie, Verushka, ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U, Meritxell de Soto and great voices of Pop in Spanish like Dyce, pablopablo and AMORE.
Paul Kalbrenner (and other clubbing figures). Saturday 15. 22h. Sonar Club
Paul Kalkbrenner, Ben Böhmer or the DJ duo Adriatique… All of them will command the Friday and Saturday nights at the impressive SonarClub stage. Sónar will invite the biggest names in techno today. From the audiovisual show ‘Overdrive’ by Belgian producer Charlotte de Witte to the live acid techno of Dutchman Reinier Zonneveld.
And from proven figures of European clubbing as Jennifer Cardini b2b HAAi and Floating Points to four of the most prominent DJs of today’s rave: VTSS, Anetha and HectorOaks b2b Partiboi69.
Music, performance and contemporary dance with Candela Capitán. Saturday 15, 18:45h. Sonar Hall
Sónar presents this year several co-productions at the forefront of the European scene, with a marked radical and groundbreaking character. On the one hand, ‘CORTEX’, the co-production of Sónar with the choreographer Kianídel Valle together with the creative studio Hamill Industries and Tayhana (Rosalía’s collaborator). On the other, Lee Gamble, who will present her album Models, created with AI, in a special show co-produced by Sónar and the Polish festival Unsound, with choreography designed by Candela Capitán.
Also with a strong dance prominence on stage will appear the multidisciplinary artist Blackhaine and the Italian producer Gabber Eleganza with their ‘The Hakke Show’, while Team Rolfes will present ‘321Rule’, their Virtual Reality opera with Lil Mariko, and ASIANDOPEBOYS will present ‘PHYSIS’, a 6-hour multidisciplinary performance.
Richie Hawtin releases a new live performance. Friday 14, 04:10h. Sonar Club
Few artists explore the relationship of electronic music with technology with more curiosity and creativity than Richie Hawtin. Therefore, Sónar has the Honor to host once again the exclusive European premiere of his new live show DEX EFX X0X. In an era of colossal visual projections and giant screens everywhere, techno visionary takes us back to the roots of clubbing with a surround sound and lighting designed to create a “more club than concert” atmosphere.
Vince Staple (Saturday 15, 11:30 pm. Sonar Pub) or Judeline (Thursday 13, 17:45h. Sonar Park), exponents of rap and r&b in Sonar
This year, the festival will feature stars such as the Californian rapper Vince Staples and the Haitian-Canadian DJ and producer Kaytranada, exponents, among others, of the rap and r& b section of the festival. Both arrive at Sónar with new albums just released. The enigmatic British rapper and grime producer CASISDEAD, as well as the Ceuta-born Soto Asa, who will show off his slow reggaeton rhymes, should not be overlooked either.
Laproposal also extends to Sónar by Day with the appearances of talents such as the Canary Island rapper and producer of Indian origin ABHIR, the promising singer from Cádiz Judeline and the rapper Huda.
Printworks: a London club moves to Sonar
For the first time, Sónar joins Printworks to bring to Sónar by Night the spirit of the much-missed London venue. Occupying the iconic SonarLab stage, witness to magical moments in UK bass, breaks and dance music over the years, with showcases from Mary Anne Hobbs, The Warehouse Project and a six-year collaboration with Resident Advisor, this new chapter sees the addition of a large 6×10m2vertical screen and a totally revamped lighting design, offering an immersive, audio-visual twist to cutting-edge shows from the likes of CASISDEAD, KI/KI live, Octave One, Eliza Rose b2b Dan Shake b2b Sally C, JASSS, DJ Flight & MC Chickaboo and many more.
Kerri Chandler and other house music stars. Saturday 5:30h. Sonar Club
On Friday June 14 and Saturday June 15, Sónar by Night will bring together three big names of the New York house scene. Pioneer Kerri Chandler will close the festival at SonarPub with her live ‘Reel-2-Reel’, a session in which she exclusively uses reel-to-reel tapes, open reels famous for their high audio quality and complicated nature.
He is joined on the lineup by fellow pioneering DJ, producer and remixer Danny Tenaglia and duo The Martinez Brothers. Kapote & Sam Ruffillo will present for the first time a large format Toy Tonics Jam in Spain, bringing Berlin’s most Italo party to Barcelona. Eliza Rose, Dan Shake and Sally C will offer a six-handed DJ set loaded with house pearls and salute will demonstrate why he is considered one of the most relevant rising stars of the moment
A walk through the future at Sonar+D
A finishing touch to the festival is to stroll through the 12th edition of Sónar+D aims to listen, see and understand how different actors are adapting to the new reality of the creative industries, with the widespread use of Artificial Intelligence, the economic imperative of platform capitalism and the new frontiers opening up with immersive entertainment and augmented reality placed at the center of our lives.
Once again this year, Sónar de Día extends its activity to morning hours on Thursday and Friday, with a discursive Program that will feature more than 370 artists, developers, researchers and teachers and the participation of more than 70 entities coming from all over the world. Project Area, with the support of Fundación Banco Sabadell, will present the most creative and innovative projects of the moment, welcoming all festival audiences. It will be the place to try, touch, ask, experience and, in short, discover. In addition, Sónar+D will extend its activity throughout the venue, with AV talks and multidisciplinary performances in a Stage+D which will again be in the middle of the musical journey of Sónar by Day…