#sonar2014

Having been to Sónar Barcelona for the first time in 2013, I knew exactly what to expect – a mature and unique festival which boasts not only a top class musical line-up but a weekend of the some of the finest production I’ve been lucky enough to witness and enjoy.

Sónar is a three-day electronic and advanced music festival. It was founded in Barcelona in 1994 by Ricard Robles, Enric Palau, and Sergi Caballero and has since held events in twenty-three cities throughout the world including São Paulo, Tokyo and Reykjavík.

The festival has been divided into two parts since its inception - Sónar by Day and Sónar by Night. Sónar by Day is held at the stunning Fira Montjuïc and from 10pm onwards festival-goers can make the short journey over to Fira Gran Via L'Hospitalet to dance the night away in one of three humungous aircraft hanger stages.

Thursday saw the live worldwide exclusive premiere of Ex – the eagerly anticipated new album from the infamous Richie Hawtin alias; Plastikman. Being an avid techno fan and follower, this was one of the highlights of the weekend for me. A visually exquisite show and the best Plastikman performance I’ve seen to date, and I’ve seen a few...

Sónar by Day also saw the likes of British producer and DJ Bonobo who performed with his live band as part of his North Borders tour, Buraka Som Sistema – an electronic dance music project from Portugal specialising in a fusion of techno beats with the African zouk and kuduro genre and Henry Saiz, a techno DJ who, like Bonobo, performed with a live band.  All gave fantastic performances, gaining an overwhelming crowd reaction.  That’s one of the great things about Sonar, because of its prestigious reputation, every artist to grace a stage gives a performance of no less than 100%.

I’ve seen some of the greatest and most memorable performances of my life at Sónar by Night over the two years I’ve attended.  This year’s highlight was Chic Featuring Nile Rodgers. I’m struggling to think of a time where I’ve witnessed such a large collective of people with smiles as big as those in my life.  Favourites such as Everybody Dance and Le Freak were the biggest crowd pleasers and the entire set is something I’ll never forget.  Massive Attack, Pretty Lights and Royksopp & Robyn were also amongst the evening festivities.