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Contemporary Icons, dance music pioneers and innovators from multiple eras and disciplines, among the more than 200 shows, DJ sets, activities and collaborations in the program for Sónar 2024.
The 31st edition of Barcelona’s Festival of Music, Innovation and Creativity adds more than 60 new artists to the line up, featuring major artists Paul Kalkbrenner, Sevdaliza, Laurent Garnier, Adriatique, VTSS, DJ Tennis, Anetha, Kittin b2b David Vunk, Richie Hawtin, Jennifer Cardini b2b HAAi, Danny Tenaglia, DJ Flight & MC Chickaboo, Octave One live, Soto Asa, Aïsha Devi & Emmanuel Biard presenting ‘Les Immortelles’, Tayhana with Club Latinx, Yerai Cortés and Laurel Halo among many others.
The Sónar 2024 program foregrounds innovation across all eras and disciplines, with dance music pioneers, contemporary icons and groundbreaking techno acts, and a renewed focus on radical aesthetics, boundary pushing formats and platforming of hyperlocal promoters and collectives from around the world. The artists added today join the previously announced Air, Charlotte de Witte presents ‚Overdrive‘, Kaytranada, Jessie Ware, Ben Böhmer live, Vince Staples, Folamour, The Martinez Brothers, Kerri Chandler, Floating Points and Olof Dreijer & Diva Cruz, among others. With the combined programmes of Sónar by Day,Sónar by Night, Sónar+D and OFFSónar, all eyes will turn to Barcelona like never before in 2024. Sónar’s reputation as a global destination for electronic music and cultural innovation will be further bolstered with the addition of the SonarLab x Printworks stage to Sónar by Night on 14th and 15th June. The co-curated stage will bring the essence of the much-missed UK venue to Europe for the first time, with a brand new format showcasing their emblematic AV production and on-point artistic curation.
Sónar+D, where innovation and digital culture meet, explores how the mass adoption of Artificial Intelligence in the creative industries is shaping their present and future, as a central focus of its program. Bolstered by international alliances, the full list of activities, to be announced shortly includes the AI & Music program powered by S+T+ARTS and TIMES, the audiovisual AI focused +RAIN Film Festival produced together with the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, a new immersive space dedicated to Catalan Talent, powered by Direcció General d’Innovació i Cultura Digital, the exhibition space Project Area, with the support of the Fundació Banco Sabadell and artistic co-productions with some of Europe’s leading festivals, such as Krakow’s Unsound.
Sónar 2024 – Music, Innovation and Creativity
On June 13, 14 and 15, Sónar will return to Fira Montjuïc and Fira Gran Via with a program in which the pioneers of electronic culture will coexist with artists who are shaping the present of music and the sounds of the future. In total, more than 200 shows, DJ sets, projects and activities will be presented, with artists, technologists, scientists and specialists in multiple disciplines of the creative industries from more than 30 countries.
Today’s names join key figures in the history of electronic music, such as French duo Air – who will perform their acclaimed debut album Moon Safari live in full for the first time – and other stars such as influential British disco, house, pop and r&b singer and songwriter Jessie Ware, Californian rapper Vince Staples and Haitian-Canadian DJ Kaytranada, one of the great producers of our time, who will play Sónar in support of his forthcoming album.
This year’s festival platforms the enormous diversity of genres and subgenres in contemporary electronic music: from the most contemplative ambient to the most euphoric drum’n’bass, from happy hardcore to post-punk and black metal to gabber to hyperpop, post-club and memecore.
The coveted ‘sunset set’ at Sónar by Day will be headed up by three icons of the French electronic scene, on the SonarVillage by Estrella Damm stage. The already announced audiovisual show by Folamour (Thursday, June 13), is joined today by the eagerly awaited return of Laurent Garnier (Friday, June 14) and the electroclash pioneer Kittin (formerly Miss Kittin), in an exclusive b2b set with Dutch DJ David Vunk (Saturday, June 15). This stage will also host Kabeaushé’s fusion of East African pop, hip-hop and electronica and Olof Dreijer’s (half of the duo The Knife) live percussion hybrid show with Diva Cruz.
On June 14th and 15th, Sónar by Night will host another trio of hallowed names in dance music, in this case hailing from the New York house scene. Pioneering DJ, producer and remixer Danny Tenaglia, joins previously announced house music evangelists The Martinez Brothers and Kerri Chandler.
Sónar 2024 invites the biggest names in techno, from Paul Kalkbrenner’s euphoric electronica to the melodic techno of Adriatique, and from a brand new show by Richie Hawtin to the Sónar debut of two of the techno scenes favourite DJs: VTSS and Anetha. To this rich mix Sónar adds the union of two standout figures in modern clubbing: Jennifer Cardini b2b HAAi. All these names join the new show ‚Overdrive‘ by Belgian producer Charlotte de Witte and live performances by Reinier Zonneveld and Ben Böhmer.
Sónar also unveils a new collaboration with Printworks London with the SonarLab X Printworks stage, bringing the much missed UK venue to Europe for the first time. With a brand new stage build, the collaboration will bring the essence of the venue, famed for their on-point curation and advanced AV production, to Sónar by Night on 14th and 15th June. The co-curated line up features live performances by Octave One and American producer Sepehr, joining those by modern trance icon KI/KI, master of German deep house Cinthie and the enigmatic British rap and grime artist CASISDEAD. The stage will also host drum’n’bass legends DJ Flight & MC Chickaboo, much heralded house producer salute, Marie Montexier b2b Mor Elian bringing a heavy dose of electro and acid, C.FRIM b2b BAMBII drawing on a wide amalgam of modern club sounds, a sophisticated, layered set from JASSS, Printworks resident Swoose and Jokkoo Collective’s DJ TNTC.
Another highlight of the program is the addition of Sevdaliza, one of the most powerful figures in contemporary avant-garde electronica. The Dutch-Iranian artist, director and performer uses artificial intelligence to explore modern conceptions of femininity through her striking visual imagery. Her show features prominently in the lineup alongside contemporaries such as DJ and producer Floating Points and Estonian rapper TOMMY CASH, among others.
This year, Sónar presents a number of co-productions with a pronounced radical and innovative character at the cutting-edge of the European scene. These include a co-production by Sónar that brings the choreographer Kianí del Valle together with the creative studio Hamill Industries and Rosalía collaborator Tayhana. Similarly groundbreaking will be a special show by Lee Gamble co-produced by Sónar and the Polish festival Unsound. The show pairs the artist’s recent album ‘Models’, created with AI, with choreography designed by Candela Capitán. This joins two other shows with a marked physical aspect at the festival: multidisciplinary artist Blackhaine and Italian producer Gabber Eleganza with his high energy, dance focused ‚The Hakke Show‘.
Leading experimental artist Aïsha Devi will exclusively premiere in Spain the powerful new live show ‚Les Immortelles‘, created together with visionary set designer Emmanuel Biard. Laurel Halo will present her highly acclaimed latest album Atlas. Yerai Cortés, flamenco artist and regular guitarist for C. Tangana among others, will present ‚Guitarra Coral‘, his new show – featuring six palmeras – in which he continues to explore new perspectives on the genre. Valentina Magaletti will showcase her innovative approach to the art of percussion. Visual artist Dømochevsky will present his new project ‚Cortical‘ with Daniel Benza. Manchester rapper and performer Iceboy Violet will join local producer Nueen to present their collaborative album You Said You’d Hold My Hand Through The Fire. All these names add to the previously announced Kelly Moran, Adelaida, Natural Wonder Beauty Concept, Team Rolfes presenting ‚321Rule‘ -their Virtual Reality opera with Lil Mariko-, and ASIANDOPEBOYS presenting ‚PHYSIS‚, a 6-hour multidisciplinary performance.
Sónar also proudly hosts a number of ‘hyper-local’ parties or collectives, many of them decidedly queer or feminist, that push the boundaries of fun and represent micro-scenes from all over the planet. Argentine producer Tayhana will present a special installment of the itinerant Latin American party Club Latinx, dubbed ‚Eterna Migración‘ (Eternal Migration) and featuring Simona, Slim Soledad and Mare Advertencia on stage. Venezuela’s Verushka will bring the sounds of the Me Siento Extraña party, one of the most popular F.L.I.N.T.A. events (events for women, lesbians, bisexuals, non-binary people, trans people, dissident identities, cyborgs and more) in Barcelona. And Barcelona collective BLEX will turn the stage into a dreamlike oasis with Filip Custic, Virgin Mary, Naive Supreme & Hundred Tauro. All these parties join the New York hyperpop and real-time club theater collective Club Cringe and the Barcelona collective TORO, formed by softchaos, engalanan and wicboyx.
Hailing from the other side of the Atlantic, La Goony Chonga
shows off her fusion of reggaeton and tread (accelerated version of trap ‚made
in‘ Philadelphia), while the Ceuta-born Soto Asa will display his slow
reggaeton rhymes, listened to by millions of people on the main streaming
platforms. These names join the list of artists that make a whole new
generation dance, such as the rap and r&b producer from the
Canary Islands of Indian origin ABHIR or the rising singer Judeline
from Cadiz.
The SonarPark by DICE stage brings a vibrant party, paying
tribute to the increasingly wide range of styles and ideas that make up global
club culture. ABHIR, Judeline and the TORO
collective will be joined by the fusion of amapiano, afro-house, kuduro, funk
dance and beyond by the Belgian of Nigerian descent Blck Mamba
and the deconstructed club music of Barcelona’s Meritxell de Soto.
This bet on the future will also feature Skin On Skin’s solid mix of techno
and house with drill and rap, the hyperactive and unpredictable sonic assault
of Japanese selector ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U, the Galician
sound-artist Akazie, the avant-garde electronica with spoken-word
elements of Marie Davidson, the collision of influences of Dyce,
the nostalgia of AMORE, the dynamism of Jehia
and sa varied selection of artists giving new shape and style to club music,
with Slim Soledad, DJ Gigola, DJ Fucci,
Taahliah
and SHYBOI.
Sónar+D 2024:
The 12th edition of the meeting point of innovation and digital creativity will
explore how the massive implementation of AI in the creative industries is
shaping their future.
Sónar opens the door to the discovery,
adoption and use of AI technologies. The Sónar+D program
in particular invites attendees to explore and discover all kinds of innovations
linked to creativity, through a large exhibition of
creative-technological projects and a series of masterclasses,
forums
for open discussion, professional meetings and multi-screen
audiovisual conferences, showing how these technologies are transforming
the creative industries and impacting our society.
For the first time, Sónar will bring together world leaders
in the field of immersivity such as Superblue
from Miami, Monom from Berlin, Oboria Digital
from Zaragoza (The Sphere, Las Vegas) and Moment Factory
from Montreal, to examine and explore the new horizons of this rapidly evolving
field.
Sónar+D will also feature the participation of researcher, writer and
activist Sasha Costanza-Chock, who will speak, in an audiovisual
conference presented by SEIDOR, about embracing technology from a more
inclusive perspective, with the aim of avoiding the biases resulting from
technological developments carried out from white, male and privileged
perspectives. Adjacently, writer, researcher and ‚abogamer‘ Micaela
Mantegna will unravel the intricacies of regulation and
intellectual property in the field of video games.
Following a wildly succesful edition in 2021, Sónar will curate and organize
the AI & Music program, powered by S+T+ARTS, an
initiative of the European Comission. Over the next three years, Sónar
will take the pulse of innovations and developments in the relationship
between Artificial Intelligence and music. This year’s program
features performances from Sevdaliza, Lee Gamble, Moisés
Horta aka 𝔥𝔢𝔵𝔬𝔯𝔠𝔦𝔰𝔪𝔬𝔰 and
Myriam
Bleau & Nien Tzu Weng presenting their new work ‘Second Self’,
previewed by an audiovisual lecture.
The AI & Music powered by S+T+ARTS program
also features the open forum – ‘We are the Music Makers’ with Thor
Magnusson – from Intelligent Instruments,
Sergi Jorda – designer of the Reactable and Professor at the UPF,
technologist and researcher Anna Xambó and Magda Polo
– researcher at the University of Barcelona. A multi-day hacklab, the AI
Performance Playground, will be supervised by journalist,
artist and creative technologist Peter Kirn, where play and
investigation with AI interfaces and software will be actively encouraged,
culminating in a collective performance. Two masterclasses from Nicole
L’Huillier, and Marta Verde, will show how artists
use AI in their practise. Furthermore, a selection of innovative projects
blending AI and Music will be exhibited in the Project Area,
of which more information is to follow.
Sónar today announces its participation in TIMES, the
successor project to the We Are Europe cooperation (2015-2022). TIMES is a
cooperation between 10 European festivals – Arty Farty/Nuits Sonores
from Lyon, Berlin Atonal, Elevate from Graz, Insomnia from
Tromsø, Le Guess Who? from Utrecht, Reworks
from Thessaloniki, Semibreve from Braga, Sónar,
Terraforma from Milan, Unsound from
Krakow and audiovisual partner Creative Broadcast from Bucharest –
co-funded by the European Union. At Sónar 2024 TIMES will present a series of
co-produced performances with Berlin Atonal, Nuits
Sonores, and Reworks.
Sónar+D’s activities are not confined to the Sónar by Day venue:
Sónar this year will begin on Tuesday 11th and Wednesday 12th June
with the 2nd edition of +RAIN Film Festival, the international
festival of film made exclusively with AI and co-organized with the Universitat
Pompeu Fabra, which explores how this technology coexists with
the filmic narratives of our time. After the first two days of the event at
the UPF Poblenou Campus, the festival will continue from June
13th to 15th at Sónar by Day, with the screening of the winning films and
the AI & Blockchain Creative Summit, a space for debate,
demos and round tables on expanded media & creativity and cinema. The call for
submissions for films created with AI closes today, March 13.
Sónar Week –
June 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th
During Sónar Week, Barcelona will become the global
epicenter for electronic music and cultural innovation. In
addition to all the programming of Sónar by Day, Sónar by
Night and Sónar+D, OFFSónar
will be held across three stages at Poble Espanyol de Montjuïc, just 5
minutes walk from Fira Montjuïc. OFFSónar maintains its commitment to events
focused on record labels, with top DJs, local talent and the most attractive
clubbing experiences on the international scene. From Thursday to Sunday, the
parties Brunch Electronik, X, Solid Grooves, Keinemusik
and FUSE London will be held, with a party still to be
announced for Sunday.
Sónar Around
the World in 2024
Sónar’s international tour kicks off in just one month
with the 3rd edition of Sónar Lisbon, to be held at Parque
Eduardo VII on March 22, 23 and 24. The festival will feature Paul
Kalkbrenner, 2manydjs invite Éclair Fifi & Erol Alkan, Bonobo DJ
set, Eliza Rose, Branko
and many more. More information at sonarlisboa.pt.
Shortly after, from April 26-28, the 8th edition
of Sónar Istanbul will take place at the Zorlu
Performing Arts Center, with artists such as Sevdaliza,
Eliza
Rose, 2manydjs b2b Tiga, Overmono DJ
set, Ryoji Ikeda and Marcel
Dettmann live. More information at sonaristanbul.com.
Tickets and
special discounts for young audiences
All ticket types for Sónar 2024 in Barcelona are now on sale at sonar.es. As
always, there are active a series of discounts and exclusive advantages for the
younger audience of the festival. All the information here.
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