Sónar presents a preview of the line-up for its Barcelona festival, which will take place this year on 14, 15 and 16 June.

Among the artists confirmed to date are:

• The USA’s The Roots, probably the best hip-hop band in the world today.

• Top-drawer technological shows with a massive impact on the senses, like ISAM by Amon Tobin, and the shows by Deadmau5 and Diamond Version (the new project by Alva Noto and Byetone).

• Major names in electronic dance music, including Fatboy Slim (for the first time at Sónar), Richie Hawtin, Azari & III, Jacques Lu Cont, Modeselektor, Ital, John Talabot, Luciano and Laurent Garnier (presenting his latest show, LBS).

• Some of the leading standard bearers of today’s freshest and most danceable pop, like Hot Chip (who have a new album under their belt) Metronomy, Friendly Fires and Austra.

• Undeniably talented young artists like James Blake (wearing his dj hat), Nicolas Jaar (returning after his success at Sónar 2011), Maya Jane Coles, Jacques Greene, Julio Bashmore, Thundercat, Cooly G, The Suicide Of Western Culture, Uner and Blawan, among others.

• Top drawer adventurous and experimental artists such as Mouse On Mars, Squarepusher, Peaking Lights, Maria Minerva, LA Vampires, Plapla Pinky and Supersilent, who will be performing with the legendary British musician John Paul Jones.

• The major showcases by Hyperdub, Brainfeeder and 100% Silk (three of today’s most important labels, champions of cutting edge dubstep, the fertile Los Angeles beats scene and the new batch of underground house producers in the United States, as well as the BBC Radio 1 show with Annie Mac and her guests.

• Sónar Pass in 2 easy instalments. Sónar is introducing in 2012 the new payment system in two instalments for purchasing the 3-day pass for the festival in Barcelona, with an initial payment of 80€ when the booking is made (before 31 March) and a second payment of 75€ before 5 May.

Artists confirmed to date (08/02/2012) … Continue Reading

The festival travels to Africa for the first time with A Taste of Sónar in Cape Town, South Africa, organized within the major large format multidisciplinary event Design Indaba, which between the 29 February and 4 March will be transforming the South African city into the international capital of design, with top level speakers and projects in attendance.

On 2 March, Sónar presents an appetizer for the Barcelona festival, combining established international artists (including Modeselektor, Byetone and Brodinski) with the most exciting artists from the nascent South African scene, such as BLK JKS, Killer Robot, Das Kapital and Fletcher In Dub.

Artists confirmed to date (08/02/2012) … Continue Reading

Following the success of the 2011 event, Sónar returns to Japan on 21 and 22 April for SonarSound Tokyo, for what will be the festival’s fifth visit to the Japanese capital.

The festival presents a high-level line-up with some of the most important international artists, such as the respected veteran British bassist and producer Squarepusher; the cult actor and musician Vincent Gallo; the British electronic jazz outfit The Cinematic Orchestra; the young maestro of contemporary rhythms Rustie; the representative of abstraction from the Warp factory Clark; the post-dubstep duo Mount Kimbie, the prestigious Austrian beatmaker Dorian Concept, and the Japanese artists Ryoichi Kurokawa, Mergrim, Anchorsong, Oorutaichi and Typingmonkeys.

Artists confirmed to date (08/02/2012) … Continue Reading

Sónar São Paulo takes place on 11 and 12 May, and is the largest event ever organized by Sónar outside Barcelona.

The additions to the festival line-are the Scottish band Mogwai, techno maestro Jeff Mills, the American dj Seth Troxler, Squarepusher and his deluxe polyrhythms, the elegant electro pop outfit Austra, the fabulous Catalan duo Za!, Barcelona’s John Talabot (with his acclaimed recent release “fIN”), the futuristic Glasgow producer Hudson Mohawke, the new electronica project Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and the Brazilian artists Gui Boratto, Dj Marky Vs Dj Patife, M Takara + Akin, Gang Do Eletro, Silva and Ricardo Donoso.

All these inclusions to the list are in addition to the already announced names of Björk, James Blake, Justice, Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto and Four Tet, among many others.

Sónar São Paulo also presents SonarPro, a platform created for the presentation in Brazil of new businesses, projects and products within the technology and art binomial.

Sónar São Paulo is a strategic operation that will also act as a springboard for Catalonia’s creative and cultural industries. The Government of Catalonia’s Ministry of Culture, through the Catalan Cultural Enterprises Institute (ICIC), has signed a four-year agreement with Sónar, making the Brazilian version of the Sónar festival to be a platform for the promotion and expansion of cutting edge Catalan culture in the fields of music, audiovisuals and new media art.

Artists confirmed to date (08/02/2012) … Continue Reading