One of Europe's leading electronic music festivals, Sonar, was held between June 12 and 14 in Barcelona and as promised MEOKO was there with the sole purpose to give you a detailed report on the entire festival. The 21st edition of the event attracted 109,000 visitors, with the By Day activities, that are usually undervalued by festivalgoers, marking a record-high attendance of 52,000. It is no surprise as the By Day instalment of Sonar was equally interesting as the By Night events.
As I wrote in MEOKO's guide to the festival, this year's line-up was a real cornucopia and set the bar too high, which was an almost sure sign it would actually disappoint, which it kind of did. Maybe it was because it was a Sonar virgin and I had heard so much positive feedback about the festival, that I expected it not to suck in the usual way festivals do. Partly, it was due to the very ambitious agenda I had prepared, which was practically impossible to achieve. Indeed, you have to clone yourself most of the time in order to see everything worth seeing. I did my best, but still I do have some regrets about both skipping some gigs and seeing other.
Now let me present you MEOKO's Sonar log that would answer the question WHY it actually failed to meet those high hopes.
First of all, my adventures started up in the air, far from Barcelona, as I travelled with Bulgarian techno wizard Kink on the plane. He even made a track with one of my DJ friends on the during the flight, so watch out for this one, it might be a real floor filler! Long story short, the Sonar crew drank half a bottle of gin on board, which provoked some serious lecturing by the likes of the grumpy air hostess and a lot of giggling on our side. The bottom line is, we had big fun on board and the three-hour flight felt like 15 minutes thanks to those fine refreshments and the wonderful company. We arrived late on Wednesday and although we had two off-Sonar party invitations, we decided to behave, so that we would be fresh to kick start the first Sonar By Day event on Thursday afternoon.
I started my By Day experience with Machinedrum's live, which was as good as you would have imagined. Next came techno godfather Daniel Miller and it was one of the most magical experiences of the entire festival. Hats down, Mr Miller, you mean business! Miller's set was probably the best hour and a half of pure techno I had listened to for the past couple of months.
Before you start throwing stones at me for not appreciating Plastikman's new live show Objekt, I must admit I am not that big of a Richie Hawtin fan, so to me it was very boring. It is quite annoying that underground techno DJs have adopted a very pop approach towards festivals, bringing more and more spectacular visual shows, trying to impress the crowd. In my humble opinion it's a poor attempt at offsetting mediocre music with breath-taking visuals. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it should be all about the music, right? If I am up for a good live show I would probably go and see Beyoncé or Madonna. When I first saw videos of Plastikman's Objekt at the Guggenheim landmark in New York, I was curious to see it at Sonar too. Only it wasn't as cool outdoors as in this astonishing museum. Indeed, the visuals on the obelisk were pretty cool, but the music was terribly boring, slow-paced and very undanceable. So I gave it a good 40-minute try and then just left. It is worth noting that the By Day crowd was much more educated and positive than the By Night attendees. First of all, the Fira Montjuïc exhibition centre was the perfect place to host the daytime events and the organisation was very smooth. What is more, the sound was way better than at the By Night events.
When the night fell I decided to check out Jamie Jones' Paradise off-Sonar event. Apart from Jamie himself, the other names on the line-up included Matthias Tanzmann, Jimmy Edgar, Infinity Ink, Fur Coat and wAFF. I don't really know how to put it mildly, but it was a really terrible experience. First of all, the club was located out of Barcelona so we had to take a taxi to get there. Although I was aware the club had an outdoor swimming pool, I was hoping it wouldn't be so Mtv-like. Oh, tell me about being in denial! The place was packed with British tourists, who were so high and drunk, they were jumping in the pool with their clothes on, stepping all over your feet (ouch!) and generally ruining the entire thing. Plus, the approximate waiting time at the bar was 40 minutes, the service was terrible and they served local alcohol drinks for only 14 euros, which was a daylight robbery, if you ask me! On the bright side, you get a hangover as a bonus!
On the plus side, there were two stages and the smaller one was actually very good. I really liked Infinity Ink's live performance, which was better than I had expected. Also the clubbers at the small stage were very bearable compared to the ones at the big stage. I must admit I really wanted to see Fur Coat playing and they delivered. My other pick was wAFF and man, was he amazing! This guy is so talented, he almost made me forget where I was. When my photographer and I finally decided to leave this MTV Grind place, we didn't manage to make our escape for over an hour. We called a taxi, which didn't show up at all. Then we called another one, but no luck whatsoever. Come to think of it right now, it was very absurd. Taxis were coming all the time, but none would stop and even if they did, they would still turn you down after a good 10 minute bargain. And I thought taxi drivers in Brussels were the worst!
While waiting for those taxis at dawn, a guy was bleeding all over next to me. I tried to help him, because he was so stoned, he didn't have any idea what had happened to him. He kept asking me if I had his phone on me and tried to flirt and have small talk with me, while being covered in lots of his own blood. Kudos to the security guys who cleaned his wound and didn't allow him to go back in the club, but sent him off to the hospital instead. You think it can't get any worse, but it actually did! Another lad got robbed just in front of the security, whose superpowers have no limits, as they managed to catch the thief and still take care of the poor bleeding guy. Desperate and cold as we were, we decided to walk on the hard shoulder of the motorway, not having a clue as to our whereabouts. Somehow we got on a tram, full of screaming ravers, smoking cigarettes and drinking beer inside. As clandestine as it was we travelled without a ticket, like probably most of the people on the tram, as there was nowhere to buy one. Luckily the tram took us to a metro station, so we managed to get home about 07:30 am and get some well deserved rest.
After this horror experience we decided to be on the safe side of our off-Sonar parties and went to Sonar By Day really late. We were hoping to see Simian Mobile Disco's new live show, dubbed Whorl. Here's when the Spanish organisation really struck me. It turned out that, unlike most festivals where once you exchange your ticket for a bracelet, you don't need the ticket anymore, at Sonar you need your ticket at all times.
One of my friends had left hers behind at the flat and wasn't let in, although she had her Sonar bracelet on. After some arguing in Spanglish with the security, we went to the ticket office and they printed another ticket for her, explaining that there are different bracelets for the different festival days. That sounds legitimate to me! Why should it be simple, when it could be complicated? So she rocked a couple of those shiny bracelets the entire festival. This is why we almost missed Whorl, I managed to catch three tracks in the end, which is not enough for me to conclude whether it was good or bad, so I can't really tell. Here's when we missed a couple of good gigs too Theo Parrish and Despacio. I was very calm, because I knew Despacio were playing all three days of the festivals with a 6 hours gig each. That was very reassuring, until I saw the endless queue for their gig kind of a turn-off, don't you think? Nevertheless, I really regret missing that one out, as I heard it was really worth seeing.
When it comes to transportation, Sonar was perfectly organised there were two buses going from different locations to the By Night venue and almost no queues. Getting back home was another story. The queues were endless and everyone kept cutting the line and pushing, but it wasn't that big of a deal, because there were so many buses waiting to get us home.
While getting lost a couple of times at the huge Fira Gran Via centre, I managed to miss both Moderat and Royksopp, but it was my fault anyway. It's a shame, because I heard those were very good gigs. I did go to Gesaffelstein though. The first time I saw him play a DJ set was in Paris Social Club in 2011 and it was orgasmic. Back then he played house, techno and electro b2b with Brodinski. This time around he played live and to be honest it wasn't that exciting. Maybe it's just me, but the sound was terribly low and the hall was so packed that you couldn't hear a thing. I tried to get closer to the stage, but there was a serious massacre situation on the dancefloor. So I decided I value my well-being more than Gesaffelstein's art and left the room. Todd Terje came suit in the SonarPub and this was one of my highlights at the festival altogether. Although the sound was still pretty bad, Terje played live instruments and it was a really interesting show. I was really excited to see 2manydjs for the first time right after the Norwegian disco king, but I had to flee the SonarPub during the first track of their DJ set, as the sound was so bad, my ears started aching. I don't know if they hadn't done a proper sound check or if there was an unexpected technical malfunction, but it was impossible to stay in this hall without earplugs. I mean, there's a lot of distortion in Soulwax's music, you can imagine how masochistic you have to be to actually enjoy such music being overly blown-out. I was told that they almost stopped the music, trying to fix the problem, but by the time I came back the volume was really down and the problem was obviously solved. While trying to save my hearing, I went to the SonarClub, where Richie Hawtin was playing, to meet some of my friends.
As you already know, that's not exactly my cup of tea so, with all my respect, I wasn't capable of bearing more than 30 minutes listening to his minimal set. It is interesting that it was one of the most packed gigs at the festival. I don't really know if it's the Spanish or the entire crowd at Sonar, but most gigs were really packed in the rear and in the middle and almost empty in the front. This was a great treat for me, as I enjoy dancing in the front, unless someone is jumping on my feet, of course. Ravers at Richie's minimal DJ set were very religious, you could see Minus t-shirts all over the crowd, those guys really love him and that is so cute! After Richie, Loco Dice stepped behind the decks, but the music didn't get any better. Personally, I am not a big fan of his style, so I ran away quickly from the synthetic minimal techno sounds that had taken over the SonarClub. Then I came back to the SonarPub and enjoyed as hell the rest of 2manydjs mix, as it was truly amazing, despite all that sound drama happening before that. Their fans are really loyal and there was a lot of singing and dancing around. The Martinez Brothers closed the first night of Sonar with a great groovy DJ mix in their typical style that can wake a dead man and even make him dance.
One of the most shocking things at Sonar was the way drug dealers would approach you in the crowd, starting to list all items in stock, as a waiter at a fine restaurant, reciting all of the desserts on the menu. The only time I had seen such a thing was in Amsterdam, when a tiny old man came to me and asked me if I wanted to have a good time. I first thought he was offering sexual service, but one of my local friends explained he was actually selling drugs. You can't deny those people have good direct marketing skills though. It turns out Sonar is not just a festival, it's a treasure island. I found a total of 14 euros, a full cosmetic bag, flip flops, glasses and headphones at the two festival locations and gave everything to the organisers, except for the 14 euros, of course. If you have lost something there, don't panic, the festival has uploaded a very extensive list of everything lost and found during this year's edition. You can check here if they have recovered your lost items.
On the final day of the festival, we decided to ditch the By Day gigs for the Social Experiment off-Sonar party. Sometimes things just feel right and this was the best party we went to during our stay in Barcelona. The location was perfect – near the sea, in a small park out of the centre the crowd was amazing no shirtless six-pack guys or drunk hipster girls, only music fans, who knew exactly why and what they came for. Not to mention the line-up Eric Volta, Louie Fresco, Dennis Ferrer and Art Department. The vibe was so strong at this gig, it was intoxicating! Moreover, the entire Sonar festival line-up lacked seriously in the house music department and this is where we took our house dose. We enjoyed some ace-quality house music and some proper techno at the Social Experiment. Eric Volta didn't surprise me that much, as I expect nothing less than excellent selection of him. Louie Fresco played more on the tech side, which was a blessing in disguise, compared with his trademark dark and slow mesmerizing beats. Dennis Ferrer really killed it at this gig. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but respect and love for this man, but he exceeded my wildest fantasies about playing top-quality tech house! I can't wait to see him playing again! The only thing I regret is having to leave so early, in order to be able to see the closing acts at Sonar.
I am saying this because I am a huge (I mean H-U-G-E) Art Department fan and it was the second time I missed them recently. Nevertheless, we were so excited while leaving the party, that we miscalculated our travel time and we ended up missing both Art Department and Massive Attack, the latter being the sole reason we left so early. Well, it was more than an hour ride to the By Night venue, so by the time we actually got there Massive Attack had already finished. I hate to say this but it is the second time I miss them in a month, as I decided to skip their concert in Sofia, because I was so sure I was going to see them at Sonar. It is a pretty big deal as Massive Attack are one of my favourite bands, that are somehow responsible for who I am right now. I am not joking, I cried three times the first time I saw them live and it was both tears of pleasure and pain! Things didn't get any better when some of my friends said their concert at Sonar was mind-blowing.
Anyway, let's keep it positive, Matthew Dear was playing next and boy, was it good. Despite this performance was signed under his house moniker he delivered some pure techno, that no music lover could ever dislike. Matthew was one of the best things that happened at Sonar, especially considering the fact that I also missed his Audion live at Sonar By Day.
After some not-so-interesting concerts by Rudimental and Chic featuring Nile Rodgers I saw Brodinski. The French techno gangsta has a very peculiar style and if you don't enjoy this kind of techno à la française, it would be really hard for you to appreciate it. Except that his DJ skills have no match. I am serious, his mixes are so technically pure and supreme you remain mystified. Even if you don't like his selection, which could be rather bizarre, as he really enjoys dropping hip hop during his sets, you can't deny this man is one hell of a good DJ. What is more, he's enjoying himself so much while playing, it's contagious. It's no wonder Tiga calls him a DJ's DJ. Then Boys Noize started playing and I had to run screaming as the feeling of listening to him play is something I call ear-rape. Around 4 am, my biggest fears about the weather came true, as an apocalyptic rain started pouring down. Normally, I wouldn't mind it that much, as most Sonar halls are indoors. Only that the closing gig I stayed for, Tiga's mix, was in SonarPub, which is an outdoor venue. Still, the man of the moment, Tiga, was unstoppable, despite the Biblical deluge raging on during his set. It was funny that some people were dancing in the puddles, which at that time started to look more like oceans to me. Most ravers had found shelter under the grandstands near the entrances of the hall. Overall, it was a legendary gig and somehow the thunders in the sky made it even more beautiful.
As years pass by I think to myself more and more that I should stop going to festivals, because that's too mainstream for a music junkie like me. I get really annoyed at drunk and stoned tourists, overcrowded venues and people filming the entire gig with their cell phone or heaven forbid, their tablets. All the bumping and pushing doesn't really sweeten the deal either. The crowd at Sonar was relatively well educated in that matter, although the usual suspects (naked guys, overdressed girls and screaming tourists) were not absent. But I do realise that booking all those A-list names means you have to go commercial. Otherwise it would be simply not economically viable to do an event at such a large scale. Although the line-up was somewhere in the middle between mainstream and underground, I couldn't shake the feeling of being disappointed. It's like having casual sex with a stranger, it's exciting, but even if it is good, there's something missing. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is intimacy. There's nothing like a small club gig. A place where you can feel a part of a community with shared values, where you feel every single one of the crowd as close as possible, without having to know them. The DJ feels it, you feel it, everyone does. And that is what makes it special.
Words by Mira Karadjova
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