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Sonar 2009 in review
Four RA correspondents travel the streets of Barcelona looking for the perfect party: The highs and lows of Sonar 2009.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was Barcelona during Sonar 2009. That's what it seemed like, at least, as the (very) long weekend of partying wore on. For every party with sound problems or that was canceled altogether, there was a great one a few miles—and a harrowing Spanish cab ride—away. But that's the way that events like these go: When you try to attend mostly unofficial parties in a city that has gone to great lengths in the past few years to stamp them out, you're going to come up with a few disappointments. And a few gems. And a lot in between.
Not that Sonar proper didn't have its fair share of problems as well. Crystal Castles threw tantrums, Ben Frost seemed about ready to throw one and Grace Jones couldn't be bothered to show up on time. And that's just the stuff we saw. And is it just us, or were there far fewer acts overall this year? But, hey, when you're throwing an "advanced music festival" during an economic crisis, it's gotta be tough. (Although we do wonder about the "advanced" nature of acts like Orbital, SebastiAn, Crookers and plenty of others.)
But despite the criticisms, we're still talking about a music festival that brings together a huge variety of sounds into one city for one weekend. And that much is enough to make it one of the essential stops on the event calendar of any techno traveler. Because whether you had a great time, a terrible one or something in between, there's always next year. This, though, is this year. -- Todd L. Burns
Thursday, 18 June 2009
Luomo and Jake Shears warm up Sonar by Day.
Jeff Mills was the first big name to grace the stage at this year's Sonar festivities, arriving at the decks beneath a blazing Catalan sun that was already taking its toll on revelers. Rather than his usual four-to-the-floor, though, Mills went retro by whipping together an immaculate set of funk, soul and early electro classics under his historical Wizard moniker. Although somewhat quaint, the set strayed far from Jive Bunny territory thanks to Mills' educated selection and nimble technique. Afterwards, Luomo was joined on stage by the oft-over-enthusiastic Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters). The two sparred for attention at first, but they eventually locked in for a well-received set that was surprisingly deep. -- Chris Mann
The Sight Below dreams deeply at Sonar by Day.
What should have been a celebration of Ghostly International's 10th anniversary was unfortunately ruined by a number of factors. First, the crowd thinned noticeably after Luomo's set. Those who did stay were treated to a magical set by The Sight Below playing tracks from his Glider album, dreamily etched from two guitars, pedals and laptops. His shoegazer techno may be more suited for the dark of night, but nonetheless the music prevailed. Technical difficulties, though, meant SV4's DJ set was played at half volume leading even more of the crowd to leave while Lusine's problematic preparation caused agro. When he did take to the stage, his intricate laptop collages, featuring substantial new material, were compelling, but by their end, the day and the moment had passed. -- Chris Mann
Watergate & Whatpeopleplay at Hotel Me
Daytime in Barcelona has begun to mean two things in recent years around the Sonar Festival: Sonar by Day or a hotel rooftop party. After spending some time at the festival proper, we opted for the latter, first hitting Watergate and Whatpeopleplay's event at Hotel Me. Things were going pretty slow when we got there in the early afternoon with Heidi, Solomun and Sascha Funke all sharing the decks in the span of a few hours. The wind taking its toll on the banners behind them seemed like some sort of metaphor for this affair—even after a few hours in, things seemed to be primed for a party that was to take flight later on in the evening. By that point, though, we were off for bigger pools and surer things. -- Todd L. Burns
Mobilee at Hotel Diagonal
If three years of parties atop the Hotel Diagonal rooftop have granted Berlin imprint Mobilee anything, it's a partisan crowd. The novelty of continuity, blended with an arresting location and the fleeting sense of everyone being in the same place at once, have made the event one of the few truly bankable assets of the Sonar weekend. Musically, it was difficult to pick Pan-Pot, Anja Schneider and Lee Van Dowski apart; they each dealt extensively in Spanish vocals, lolloping bass lines and this month's percussion loops. And, while never quite veering from the middle of the road, the trio did more than enough to keep the party roaming in precisely the right direction. -- Ryan Keeling
The exterior of one of Barcelona's biggest superclubs.
The presence of James Holden was enough to elicit massive cheers from the crowd at Border Community's showcase at Razzmatazz this year. And why not? Once the diminutive figure took up his place behind the decks, his typically eclectic set was everything you could ask for—everyone dancing to a versatile set of a man with his finger on the pulse of the cutting edge. The real treat of the night, however, was Nathan Fake. Per usual, he acknowledged the crowd for only a moment before disappearing into the world within his computer and completed an all-out sonic assault, full of his distinctive fuzzy and distorted techno in what ended up being one of the best sets in Barcelona this year. -- Alex Baker
Iron Haus at Espais Actuals
Just about anyone could have been playing at Espais Actuals on Thursday evening: With the promise of a techno event in a metalworking artist studio, I probably would've been there. Luckily, the fascinating venue—where one wrong dance move could result in a bruise or worse—was matched in line-up. Move D, Solomun and dOP were among the many artists on hand crafting music to dance (very) carefully to. I have to admit that I was too busy sitting in cars and mesmerized by lighting fixtures to remember all that much. When the senses are pulled too far towards the visuals, sometimes the music gets lost somewhere. That and the venue was almost suffocatingly hot—no surprise, considering actual metalworking was going on throughout the night. -- Todd L. Burns
Robert Hood sharing a moment with James Ruskin.
Arriving early (by Spanish standards), it was a surprise to find an already kicking crowd swooning to the end of Detroit Grand Pubahs. But when James Ruskin took the reins, things were quickly taken up a notch. Despite carving out some rich kaleidoscopic tunnels of sound, Ruskin always teetered on the edge of control, ramming one track into the other and often losing the music's gravity. In contrast, Robert Hood exceeded his own myth by stitching together an elegant and forceful semi-live set culled from Minimal Nation and various Detroit and M-Plant classics. After Hood's emotional thanks, Ben Klock recaptured the heady drift with a mature and relentless patience, gradually lifting the pressure to produce another landmark hour of liquid techno to see in the dawn. -- Chris Mann
Friday, 19 June 2009
RA by Day at Hotel Me
Things apparently did pop off at the Watergate & Whatpeopleplay party on Thursday at Hotel Me, as sound complaints forced your favorite website to move our party indoors the next day. That said, daytime roof parties are rarely about getting buckwild (Hotel Diagonal excepted), and the deep house grooves of Manuel Tur and special guest Culoe de Song provided a solid base for partygoers to enjoy the beautiful weather. Tony Lionni's harder set eventually got a small dance floor going, but it was Ewan Pearson's too-short closing hour and change that stole the show (with Tur chiming in for a well-placed Cobblestone Jazz fix) at this warm-up for the night's festivities. -- Todd L. Burns
Mary Anne Hobbes takes control of the dubstep stage at Sonar.
What do you get if you cross Rodney Jerkins, an east London grime crew and a Spanish aircraft hanger? Why, Joker at Sonar of course. The Bristol upstart's early set time equated to a barely half full space, although ripping into 2000F & J Kamata's "You Don't Know What Love Is" after a mere five minutes in did prompt a mass pogo among the hardcore contingent. Forty five minutes of sea-sick synths and ricocheting snares gave way to (I feel I must say mutha fuckin') The Gaslamp Killer, who—reaping the benefits of a crowd now doubled in size—fluffed his hair and threw down a rock/hip-hop infused, West coast take on the genre (in)formally known as dubstep. -- Ryan Keeling
Grace Jones being Grace Jones.
The late arrival of Grace Jones was worth it, despite conflicting with the dubstep showcase. Between the kicking band, outrageous costumes and vamped-up renditions of various cuts from her new album interspersed with the requisite hits, there was more than enough to open what proved to be Sonar's best night. Jones jokingly bemoaned her lack of drugs, but clearly didn't need them to deliver a potent and organic set that would put the likes of Madonna to shame. Highlights were a muscular rendition of "Love Is the Drug," the tough reggae of "My Jamaican Guy" and the crunching sprawl of "Hurricane" for the finale. Sadly, the crowd let down a true divinity by failing to call for an encore in their impatience for more techno. -- Chris Mann
Richie Hawtin's set was a huge improvement from 2008.
Richie Hawtin had something of a local return to form in Friday's peak time main stage slot. Last year he played an insincere set to a big crowd at a local festival, but this year the hunger seemed ingrained in the music and in his face plastered over the big screens. With less reliance on gimmicky bass drops and more on pattern and repetition, Hawtin left a satisfied crowd for SebastiAn to toy with. While I'm hardly an Ed Banger fan, Frenchman SebastiAn left a profound mark on the night. Chain smoking, sickly looking and disturbingly benevolent—like a techno dictator in his high chair—he worked the bass drop, potently and with great effect, though the intervening rock-styled beats could perhaps have been more driving. -- Chris Mann
Wip at 2:00 AM on Friday night.
Despite the best intentions of promoters and venue owners, sometimes things just don't come together: Massive technical problems plagued Vakant's showcase at Wip this year, a new venue that opened just in time for the festival. Essentially a long concrete rectangle, the venue wasn't much to look at—although the garden before you entered the main space had promise—and the sound wasn't that much better either. (If there were ever an imprint that demands crystal clear fidelity, it's Vakant.) As Dewalta finally seemed to realize that the Funktion One speakers weren't doing much for his complex sound and started to enter into tougher territory, the power went off. After giving the venue a good 20 minutes to fix things, we ended up leaving with the lights still out. -- Todd L. Burns
Kompakt at Nitsa
The centrally located Nitsa would be difficult to fall truly in love with, although as a vehicle for the sonic attributes of Kompakt and its many devotees, the somewhat dilapidated theatre space once again proved entirely fit for purpose. Superpitcher's brand of tasteful prog did little more than gently tug my sleeve for attention, but served as a suitable springboard for Gui Boratto, who—under the weight of new material and a resurgent crowd—received the warmest adulation of the evening. I have to admit, my time was being bided slightly in anticipation of DJ Koze whose final hour blend of ballsy house and bellicose techno was unfailingly on target. And peaking with Thomas Bangalter and DJ Falcon's "Together"? Genius. -- Ryan Keeling
Saturday, 20 June 2009
Carsten Nicolai in the Hall.
The darkened enclave of the Sonar Hall seemed to be the inanimate equal of Carsten Nicolai's audio and visual ambitious under his Alva Noto guise. The composer's lust for cinematics shone via a soupy tank of digital liquid, massed upon a 40ft projection screen, as the Raster Noton boss spat a bullish blend of jackhammer drums and sub 8-bit static. But before all that over in the Sonar Dome, Ben Frost pulverized listeners with his stunning, noisy builds. Like the Hall for Nicolai, the church-like atmosphere of the dome was the perfect venue for Frost's awe-inspiring—and ear-drum rattling—compositions. Despite some minor sound problems, and a crowd that didn't seem to know what to expect early on, it was the most visceral show of the festival. -- Ryan Keeling and Todd L. Burns
RA by Night at Boulevard Culture Club
Color me (very) biased—and the victim of some bad luck early on in the festival—but RA by Night, musically speaking, was the highlight of Barcelona. Jus-Ed was given a lengthy opening set once we found out that Thomas Brinkmann would be playing live instead of DJing, allowing the Connecticut DJ to set a playful and unhurried vibe for the evening, while Sound Stream turned up the heat with his ruff-n-ready live set. Akufen took things down a notch, but ended up wowing a large number of the attendees with his cut-up, slow and funky disco house, and Brinkmann ended the night with a set that led him to tell me afterward something to the effect of "I rarely get there." -- Todd L. Burns
Too often, this is the case with Off-Sonar parties.
In the name of sound journalistic integrity, my Saturday night diverted away from the RA party and down Las Ramblas for what—if reports from the previous night's party were to be heeded – would be an epic house gun-sling between Raum...musik and Oslo at Sala Maremagnum. However, as the intro would predictably suggest, the club was shut, with not even so much as a scribbled note for explanation. The rumour mill has since suggested that despite staying well within the 115db sound limit for Friday night's party, the owner had decided to indiscriminately pull the plug on Saturday's event with little indication as to why it happened. -- Ryan Keeling
Orbital brought out all the hits for the Sonar crowd.
Saturday night saw more delays, meaning we got to see Beardyman's obnoxious a capella techno. It was a chore—no matter how short it was—with mindless tricks triumphing over substance or style. Orbital struggled as well, despite some shining moments. Sly, twee synths derailed the opening track, "Lush 3," anchoring it too heavily in the '90s, though a subsequent long run of tracks soon restored the balance, with hits like "Satan" in particular getting a rapturous reception. But by the end it all seemed just a little too long, too buried in excess detail and, particularly the last ten minutes, too bogged down in sentiment, with slower tracks like "Halcyon" and its Belinda Carlisle samples not as engrossing as they once were. -- Chris Mann
Marcel Dettmann eventually found his groove.
With the night disappointing thus far and the tantrums of Crystal Castles underway at the Sonar Pub, it was a fairytale moment for the Ostgut Ton crew to come and save the day. Shed's set was an absolute joy. Although the audience wavered between restlessness in their hunger for more and bigger beats, they were clearly enthralled by the luscious psychedelic ebbs and flows underpinning the music. Marcel Dettmann, though, bore the brunt of the crowd's edginess. Impressed by the immense slabs of bass and the incredible nuances conjured from the intervening spaces, they ruthlessly wanted more and seemed impatient during his breakdowns. Dettmann quickly learned to speed up the changes and hooked everyone in, albeit finishing somewhat downbeat with Martyn's remix of Shed. -- Chris Mann
Sunday, 21 June 2009
Secretsundaze at La Terrrazza
It would be impossible to summarize this party without first giving props to the aesthetic qualities of La Terrrazza. Steeped in Mallorcan-style architecture, foliage and open-air grace, the venue was all but a match made in secretsundaze heaven but for one vital component: the sound. Obvious restrictions coupled with level fluctuations and speaker black spots made building upon the initial surge of excitement felt over the location an uphill struggle. James Priestly's early efforts drew smatterings of appreciative noise; Third Ear's Wbeeza embarked upon a live hour that huffed, but never quite puffed; and sensing the crowd's desire for a tangible solution, Ratio?'s Melon sensibly stacked cuts from Sebo K, Osunlade and Romanthony. This was not a soundsystem for subtleties. -- Ryan Keeling
Cocoon at Kanna Beach Club
You'd be hard pushed to qualify the "Club" in Kanna Beach: try colossal stage in a coastal meadow, and you'd be much nearer the mark. Logic dictated then that the scale of the DJs should be relative to that of the venue: step forward Villalobos. As we arrived Cassy was frequenting the more overtly "party" end of her range, as typified by Spencer Parker's chant-along "Yogoto." Her sentiment was not lost on Ricardo; ever the consummate performer, he pushed the button marked "festival" and vended a set specked with "Flylife," "Sinner in Me" and "Rose Rouge." It may sound contrived, but as the closing rendition of Reboot's "Caminando" bled into the sunrise, you couldn't help but feel things had come to a fitting end. -- Ryan Keeling
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Published / Tue, 07 Jul 2009
 28 Comments
Photo credits /
Thursday
The Sight Below - Pin & Pon DJs
Watergate & Whatpeopleplay, Iron Haus - Nik Torrens
Mobilee - Chris Edwards
Border Community - Transmission London
Minimal Nation - Oliver Way
Friday
RA by Day - Chris Edwards
Sonar by Night (Hobbs), Kompakt - Nik Torrens
Saturday
Sonar by Day, RA by Night - Nik Torrens
Sonar by Night (Dettmann) - scannerfm
Sunday
Secretsundaze, Cocoon - Nik Torrens
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