Sónar 2025 - SonarMix 026: AINES - Cycling through genres and moods

02/08/2023SonarMix 026: AINES - Cycling through genres and moods

From the first kick of SonarMix 026, it’s clear that AINES didn’t come to Sónar 2023 to play just any set. The Catalan selector was the first DJ to take to the stage at SonarVillage by Estrella Damm on the afternoon of Saturday 17th June, two days and one night into the festival.

For her debut at the festival, she drew from “ the various emotions I’ve felt over the past year, cycling through as many genres as moods,” as she tells us a month and half on. Said cocktail of emotions made for an “intense hour of music” which took the audience at Sónar’s 30th anniversary “from dark and rebellious breakbeat to empowered hip-hop, moving through groove-filled melodies and rhythms before ending with uplifting jungle.”

And so SonarMix 026 starts with Porter Brook’s “Fwd” and ends a jungle remix of Roy Ayers’ classic “Everybody Loves The Sunshine”, courtesy of Kotu. Along the way, AINES takes diversions through Pelada’s feminist discourse, a pop-tinged track from Pangaea, a typically percussive joint from Ahadadream (who’d follow her later that day on the same stage), metallic-voiced latinx club from Nicola Cruz, and a warm groover from Roza Terenzi (who’d closed the previous night back-to-back with ISAbella). And of course, she includes a few as-yet unreleased homemade weapons: a remix of Adelaida’s “El Crit” de Adelaida (an unexpected, yet welcome, dose of Catalan lyricism) and “cute nenas love groovin’”, co-produced with Spanish DJ and producer ALVVA.