Sónar 2016
By Thomas Macaulay
Just as the Primavera Sound hangover finally subsides, the hazy memories of one heavy weekend make way for three days of new ones when the festival fun resumes at Sónar. The 23rd edition of this electronic music festival keeps the emphasis on innovation that it was founded on in 1994.
EDM has become the new pop music, but underground talents retain parity alongside commercial chart-toppers in Sónar’s lineup. Daytime revelers will descend on Fira Montjuïc while at nightfall, the party moves south to the second venue of Fira Gran Via. Club anthems from global superstars New Order and Fatboy Slim mix with new sounds such as the sultry voice and brooding bass of Holland’s Sevdaliza and the sumptuous floor-fillers of Tel-Aviv duo Red Axes.
Electronic music blends with multimedia art and discussion at the Sónar+D congress of digital culture and creative technologies: a fusion of art and technology, defining Sónar both on the stage and off.