Sonar!!
Well it’s been an immensely busy few weeks lately, hence the lack of posts!
Since my return from Sonar, my head is still in its reminiscent bubble albeit with a huge bout of post Sonar blues. My first time there and I can say with fervour, it was one of the most awesome festivals I’ve ever been too. The festival itself is a platform for discovery and inspiration and being exposed to such an eclectic mix of electronic music and emerging artists I’m counting down the days till the next one. And not only was this my first Sonar but also my inaugural trip to a European festival. Look! No wellies! Woo hoo!
For those of you who arn’t aware, Sonar is essentially a multimedia arts festival which takes place during 3 days in June. It’s split up into Sonar by day where the action takes place right in the heart of Barcelona, just a short walk from La rambla in the CCCB and MACBA venues. By night, punters make the out of town trip to an immense venue (think aircraft hanger) to witness a menagerie of DJ’s and acts. Come the end, you emerge into the daylight to carry on or catch some sleep before you do it all again. Sonar in a nutshell!
Having watched a heck of alot of music as one can imagine, here’s some of my highlights. The first being Austrian act Elektro Guzzi. What would appear to be just a regular band – drums, guitar, bass etc. actually produce live techno without the use of computers or pre-recorded loops. I have to say it was absolutely awesome so no surprises that they pulled a huge crowd. Genius stuff! Unfortunately this video does not do it justice, so I urge everyone to see them live!
UK based Necro Deathmort were another act on my list of people to see. With just two of them, they both play guitars in their set, mixing death metal with techno and breakbeats, it was like nothing I’d ever heard before. Dark is what comes to mind, what with the death inspired visuals and creepy, warped sounds, perhaps comparable to Aphex Twin. It was also the loudest gig I’ve been too, hello tinnitus! Luck had it that I bumped into them at Sonar by night so we had a bit of a chat – apparently they’ve only been playing together since February this year, amazing! And what extremely lovely chaps they were too!
Plastikman. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.
The much hyped up Joy Orbison totally lived up to expectations. No decent live recordings of his set I’m afraid but get your ears around this tune.
An audio visual feast sums up this guy – Nosaj Thing.
And on to Caribou – an act who I’ve always wanted to see live. THE tune of Sonar had to be this one. For me it encapsulates the festival and wraps it all up into a bundle of awesomeness. There are no decent live clips of Caribou at Sonar but for my final highlight and to give you an idea of how amazing they are live (recorded at Bowery Ballroom, NY) fold your ears and eyes over this one.
Until next year!
