The American band Chromatics is undoubtedly one of today's most critically acclaimed and publicly adored groups. They head the new additions to Sónar by Day, with their high-end, 80’s italo-disco influenced electronic pop sound.
Meanwhile, the charismatic Sebastien Tellier will appear with his most recent album under his arm for a luminescent, top-notch pop concert. No less important, Atom TM (aka Atom Heart or Señor Coconut) will follow suit with their excellent new album "HD", recently published on prestigious German label Raster_Noton.
Sónar by Day adds three more European projects, all of whom have a powerful stage presence: the Dutch band Skip & Die, with the striking Cata Pirata fronting a sound between MIA and Die Antwoord, the French act Jackson and his Computer Band, Warp’s previous star signing return with their masterful technological galactic funk show and the Icelandic Sísý Ey, arriving from a triumphant Sónar Reykjavik performance with their organic style house and breathtaking voices.
The most exciting artists from the national scene
Since its very first edition, Sónar’s commitment to its local and national scene remains unchanged. The 20th Anniversary provides fresh impetus to this commitment with the inclusion of more than a dozen new names to Sónar by Day: the stratospheric Za!(considered one of the best live bands in the country), the Sevillian beatmaker Lost Twin, the wild and provocative Menja Tiger Zebra, the illustrated noise of Evol, the electronic and audiovisual perfectionist Wooky, the dialogue between the cello and laptop of Sara Galan & Edu Comelles, the audio poetry of Jansky, the unrestrained experimentation of Coagul, the IDM and aural sound-scapes of XTRNGR and Drömnu, the groove from the decks of Dj Tutu and the evocative digital processes of Tges.
Red Bull Music Academy at SonarDôme
The global roaming talent-developing academy adds new names to the SonarDôme stage. Notable live act highlights include American duo Metro Area, considered the masters of the revamped disco revival at the beginning 21st century, the iconoclastic pairings of Felix Kubin & James Pants and JESSE & Jimi Tenor, the machine-less techno of Austrians Elektro Guzzi, the freestyle rap of Oddise, the ghetto beats set of Branko (member of Buraka Som Sistema), and the high quality reflective hip-hop of Madrid’s C. Tangana.
Completing the line up Kidsuke (the duo formed by Kidkanevil and Daisuke Tanabe), Cassegrain (deep techno from Greece and Germany), Palmbolen (
Sonar+D puts forward its first offering Sonar+D, the evolution of the professional and new media areas at the festival (presented in collaboration with the Mobile World Capital), unveils its first offering. Sonar+D brings creativity, technology, mobility, innovation and business to public and professionals alike and serves as an open lab bringing together activities and projects that take a playful and experimental character, anticipating today's transforming languages and tools of an international level.
Sonar+D will occupy four floors of the Palau de Congresses in Barcelona, with the majority of activities open to the public and a series of closed networking sessions and discussions aimed at accredited professionals only. Sonar+D coexists at Sónar by Day, with SonarCinema and the SonarComplex stage in the grand auditorium.
Sonar+D Partnerships: Berklee College of Music, BBC Radiophonic Workshop, UPF / MTG …
Sonar+D has created partnerships with companies and iconic brands. One of these is Berklee College of Music, which will present a Master in musical innovation and also the Rethink workshop, aimed at analyzing new business models in the music industry. Also featured are the BBC Radiophonic Workshop(under the artistic direction of Matthew Herbert), a research laboratory for creating BBC sound effects and the Bridges For Music Project, developed in South Africa for the social integration through music of disadvantaged communities.
Sonar+D will pay special attention to the educational and research area, with the participation of organizations like the UPF, through to the Music Technology Group, which is organizing the fourth edition of the Music Hack Day, which this year focuses on neuroscience and will have 100 participant hackers working 24 hours straight.
Beardyman, Hermutt Lobby and the Barcelona Laptop Orchestra at Sonar+D shows.
Sonar+D of course, draws on the talent of the Sónar music line up and includes three concerts from Beardyman, Hermutt Lobby and the Barcelona Laptop Orchestra. Sonar+D highlights these concerts for their technological relevance and the use of mobile devices in their development and implementation.
The visual artists, presented in the Interactive Forum
The "creative coding" and postdigital experimentation stage will have an Interactive forum and allow a space to discover the creators and programmers behind this visual culture. Passing through (among others) will be Berlin visual studio Pfadfinderai(regular accomplices of Modeselektor and Paul Kalkbrener) and Barcelona’s Mr Doob (collaborator of Google Data Arts Team).
Companies and entrepreneurs, Sonar+D’s protagonists
Companies and entrepreneurs from creative industries will be able to showcase products, services and projects in the new Market Place space. There will be practical demos at Hands On Area, an area which will have its own stage, Meet The Expert to schedule meetings with experts and the App Bar to discover apps and get to know his developers.
SonarCinema screenings Each year at Sónar by Day, SonarCinema screens, movies, documentaries and audiovisual work in harmony with the festival, either for it’s interesting content or its high artistic value.
SónarCinema announce five first screenings which give shape to its programming: "Reincarnations" tells the story of the change in character of the great Snoop Dogg to Snoop Lion after his visit to Jamaica and his new love for reggae music; "We Are Modeselektor" delves into the world of one of the most important duos in today's electronica (also appearing in this years line up at Sónar by Day); the short film "Umshini Wam" stars Die Antwoord and is directed by Harmony Korine ("Gummo" and "Spring Breakers" among others); also, a compilation of the American director Max Albert’s work for Mad Decent (Diplo’s label) and six episodes of "HΔSHTAG$", a series about emerging music genres on the internet, produced by the Red Bull Music Academy.