Sónar Barcelona

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21/11/2024Broadcasting on every frequency: Plastikman, Nathy Peluso, Peggy Gou, Arca, BICEP’s CHROMA AV/DJ, Four Tet, Mochakk, and Honey Dijon among the first 66 names for Sónar 2025

The first lineup announcement for Sónar 2025 broadcasts on every frequency with 66 acts including forward-thinking artists, alternative superstars, modern champions of techno and house, and dancefloor hedonists. Consolidating Sónar’s reputation for bringing groundbreaking, bold artists and shows to the festival stage, in 2025 we’re linking micro-scenes from around the world with the diverse modern sound of Barcelona and Spain, and inviting you, the audience, to imagine new futures and realities.

Meet you on the dancefloor There’s a list of dancefloor-ready sets that should already have you sweating: from electro queen Helena Hauff to an unpredictable mix of dubstep, techno and more by Blawan b2b Skrillex. We’ve invited Dutch trance legend Armin van Buuren to go back-to-back with rising ‘psy-techno’ star Indira Paganotto, and there’s still space in the DJ booth for both local heroes - Andres Campo - and international titans - Vintage Culture. The sound of trance to come also lands at Sónar 2025 with DJ HEARTSTRING, while horsegiirL associate MCR-T’s live set mixes ghetto tech and trap. Palestinian artist Sama’ Abdulhadi is a true techno activist - come hear a defiant set from one of the most talented artists to emerge from the Middle Eastern underground. And if that wasn’t enough: we’re also repeating last year’s collaboration with much-missed club Printworks London, who’ll return to take over SonarLab for a second year running with high-impact stage design, lighting and visuals - more details on who’ll be playing on this incredible stage very soon.

Nathy Peluso’s not the only modern pop act to draw inspiration from dance music: whether it’s Polo & Pan’s retrofuturistic take on the classic French Touch sound, or Portuguese producer Branko, a mainstay in the Lisbon electronic scene for over two decades. And we can’t forget rising UK house star Barry Can’t Swim, who’ll DJ a melodic set full of classics old and new. On the flipside, there’s plenty of classic four-to-the-floor to be found, headlined of course by the return of Richie Hawtin’s seminal minimal techno alter ego Plastikman. BICEP’s CHROMA AV/DJ is joined by a pair of UK-flavoured live sets from the Overmono brothers and afore-mentioned techno producer Blawan, as well as Galician-Catalan artist Cora Novoa’s brand new set, based on her latest album.

There’s also a healthy dose of dancefloor hedonism, with Peggy Gou and Honey Dijon leading the charge. You definitely won’t want to miss electrifying house and disco diva Jayda G, but make sure you also catch a seductive session from rising UK star Elkka, and a scorching, synth-heavy set from Chilean artist Paula Tape. For fans of hypnotic, evocative dance music, Jennifer Loveless and Fafi Abdel Nour go back-to-back, while Shannen SP plays slow, bass-heavy selections, driven by the percussive grooves of South African amapiano. And heads up, if you’re into intense breakbeat-inspired rhythms you’ll need to see the brand-new audiovisual collaboration between Spanish scene veteran T.Modet and artist Carlotto Rose. More than just music We’re bringing the lab to the stage again, with multidisciplinary performances by artists who take live sets to the next level. Enigmatic electronic artist Actress teams up with the ‘diva of the diode’, modular synth pioneer Suzanne Ciani, for ‘Concrète Waves’, a new project co-commissioned by Sónar and London’s The Barbican. Rone x (LA)HORDE’s vast multidisciplinary project with Ballet National de Marseille, ‘Room With A View’, combines soulful electronic music with dance and protest. Elsewhere, you’re invited to experience new audiovisual shows by Sónar regulars Max Cooper - Lattice 3D/AV - and Daito Manabe, and get to grips with Mexico City-based Brazilian researcher and activist KEBRA’s radical theories of ‘desculonización’, which tackle colonialism while getting asses moving.

If you’re looking for all–consuming performances, Grand River and Abul Mogard will perform their collaborative album ‘In uno spazio immenso’, and there’s a world premiere of Shapednoise & Sevi Iko Dømochevsky’s chaotic CGI-noise-hip-hop show ‘Absurd Matter: Continuum’. Inspired by stolen Mesopotamian artefacts in the British Museum collection, Australian-Iraqi musician Danía has created ‘replica — relic’, together with visual artist Mau Morgó. Experimental vocalist and sound artist Sara Persico has teamed up with visual artist Mika Oki to create ‘Sphaîra’, an immersive audiovisual work based on recordings made at an abandoned Oscar Niemeyer theatre in Tripoli. Catalan vocalist Maria Arnal also presents her new show ‘Ama’, alongside a pair of unique audiovisual shows jointly commissioned by Sónar, Berlin Atonal, Semibreve, and Unsound as part of the TIMES cooperation: ‘A Forbidden Distance’ by Saint Abdullah, Eomac & Rebecca Salvadori and ‘Białowieża’ by Chris Watson & Izabela Dłużya. And finally, feel the power of the collective with ANCIENT PLEASURE, an ensemble of artists from the Barcelona experimental scene who improvise together live on stage.

We’re also proud to support a series of local artists who explore the dynamics between tradition and modernity. Vocal duo Tarta Relena’s new show ‘És pregunta’ has been jointly produced by Sónar and the Fira Mediterrània de Manresa, with support from the Catalan Department of Culture. Make sure you see Yerai Cortés, whose ‘Guitarra Coral’ show reconfigures traditional flamenco scenography. Raül Refree and Niño de Elche’s new work ‘cru+es’ (crosses) explores the dualities of the cross - life and death, pain and joy, noise and silence. Finally, Catalan violinist ASIA transcends her classical training with an emotional and personal performance, ‘ASIA X’. Fast, loose, and without rules: the diverse sound of the frequency of now in 2025 If we can predict one thing about the future, it’s that fast-paced club music is here to stay: from the aforementioned DJ HEARTSTRING and MCR-T to speed garage hero Interplanetary Criminal. Speed freaks can also catch the man leading the new wave of jungle, Tim Reaper, and a delightfully unpredictable bass-heavy back-to-back from Flore and Peder Mannerfelt.

The frequency of now is nothing if not diverse - and it’s sometimes even a bit punky. Alternative superstar Arca defines both, as does Spanish queer phenomenon Samantha Hudson, who performs her new album ‘Música para Muñecas’, inspired by hardcore and bakala. The future also brings fusion: rising Argentine artist Six Sex ushers in a new era of perreo, combining electronic allure with rave anthems, while French-Tahitian group 15 15 mix island dancehall and city r&b. Looking for a bit of old school bass wobble? Hamdi’s throwback dubstep will shake the very foundations of the festival. Juliana Huxtable and dj g2g are modern rave selectors, known for their rule-free, transgressive, and political takes on dance music, while Emerald has spent over a decade building a reputation as a true multi-genre DJ. There aren’t many corners of underground music that UK DJ Sarra Wild hasn’t explored - expect a radical set from the Glasgow-based artist. And of course, club music in 2025 is both polyrhythmic and polyglottal, as both Le Motel and ABADIR - as well as local artists DjSport, DJ Paca and Baldman - would agree.

Sónar 2025 will be full of artists who look beyond the established boundaries of club music, incorporating elements from genres and places outside the dancefloor. Mythical Brazilian band TETO PRETO’s shows are explosive, provocative and political: part multicultural party and part punk show. Kenya’s Lord Spikeheart is a one-man metal band, expanding the genre’s blueprint with influences from rap, industrial, and even trance: don’t miss his physical live show. Elsewhere, NEW YORK take electronic music’s subversiveness and mix it with post-punk sarcasm, while B4mba & Mooki6 - members of Barcelona’s critical afrodiasporic collective, Jokkoo - perform their new live project Nexus, inspired by primal rhythms and mystical energies. Welcome to the frequency of now. Want to experience all of this (and more)? Get your ticket now There’s still more to be announced - including a full Sónar+D programme exploring the interactions between the creative industries, innovation and technology - and it’s all coming to Barcelona on the 12th, 13th, and 14th June next year. We want you to be a part of it. Get here your SonarPass (for all three days of Sónar by Day and both nights of Sónar by Night) or SonarPass+D (also includes access to exclusive Sónar+D activities).

05/12/2024Festival season 2025 starts in Lisbon with Underworld, Nina Kraviz, Richie Hawtin DEX EFX X0X, Anetha, Marcel Dettmann, KI/KI, Príncipe x TraTraTrax, Enchufada and Dengo Club

After announcing the first 66 names for Sónar 2025, we’re now revealing the full lineup for Sónar Lisboa 2025

Headlining are a pair of acts who’ve shaped the history of dance music, but have never stopped looking forward: legendary UK rave dup Underworld and Richie Hawtin with his back-to-basics live show DEX EFX X0X (which premiered in Barcelona at Sónar 2024).

Sónar Lisboa 2025 offers a rare opportunity to catch some of the world’s biggest electronic acts in intimate settings, with an idyllic location at Pavilhão Carlos Lopes in Parque Eduardo VII right in the heart of the city. What better place to see Siberian techno trailblazer Nina Kraviz, Anetha’s first-ever AV show ‘EXHIBIT’, new trance icon KI/KI, and Marcel Dettmann’s brand-new live show, ‘My Own Shadow’? And don’t sleep on a pair of open-minded DJ sets by Modeselektor and Jennifer Cardini, who’ve kept club culture fresh, fun and free-spirited over the past two decades.

…and showing the best of Lisbon to the world… Lisbon’s Príncipe and Colombia’s TraTraTrax are arguably the two most important underground electronic labels of the past decade: at Sónar Lisboa 2025, they’re joining forces for an exclusive takeover. From Príncipe come batida innovators DJ Narciso and DJ Lycox, while TraTraTrax are represented by Bitter Babe and co-founder DJ Lomalinda. And both labels meet in the booth with a never-seen-before back-to-back between DJ Firmeza and Nick León.

With a musical vision that extends from Lisbon to Africa and Brazil, Branko’s label Enchufada have curated a truly global stage takeover. Brazilian baile funk and house alchemist Mu540, Ghanian-British afro house artist Hagan, and fado innovator Rita Vian are joined by rising local talents Pedro da Linha, and Quant. One of Lisbon’s leading LGBTQIA+ collectives, Dengo Club, have put together a celebration of queer, black and Latin club culture for their stage takeover. Resident DJs Banu and Saint Caboclo have invited Montreal’s San Farafina to join them, alongside a spicy live set from rising Galician-Brazilian artist (and Nathy Peluso collaborator) Lua de Santana.

with a lineup that connects global scenes with the local underground Looking for forward-thinking club music? Brazilian phenomenon Clementaum headlines a list of creative club DJs that also includes Porto ‘160’ champion NOIA, a wild back-to-back from Valesuchi and RHR, tribal techno and ‘speed dembow’ alchemists Amor Satyr & Siu Mata, and a special AV show from King Kami and visual artist João Parente.

Also on the bill are Gabber Eleganza’s high-energy tribute to Dutch gabber culture, ‘The Hakke Show’ and Max Cooper’s brand new live show ‘Lattice 3D/AV’ (catch it in Lisbon before it comes to Barcelona next June), plus a dreamy, hallucinatory synth set by Venezuala’s Molero. Lovers of intense, relentless dance music will welcome a vinyl-only set from Héctor Oaks, as well as a pair of sets by rave innovators JASSS and Juliana Huxtable. Like your techno served with bass and breaks? Don’t miss one of the UK’s finest selectors, Or:la, nor rising local DJ Maki. And regular Lisbon clubbers already know not to miss a pair of bonafide local legends: DJ Caring b2b Dexter.

House lovers will want to see London icon Josh Caffé perform live, and remind themselves of the genre’s black, queer roots with a defiant set from Brooklyn’s Dee Diggs. One of the underground’s most in-demand selectors, MARICXS’ ISAbella, joins a first-ever back-to-back from BASHKKA and Ogazón, and an understated, elegant set by rising Berlin DJ Zeynep. From Lisbon, Telma is a versatile operator who’s ready for the big stage, while Sheri Vari b2b Kemetic should provide plenty of sexy, seductive hi-NRG thrills. And Sónar+D returns to Lisboa in 2025, more news coming soon With the musical lineup now complete, the only thing left to say is that Sónar+D also returns to Lisbon next April. Looking beyond music and exploring the shared spaces between the creative industries, innovation and technology, more information on the full programme, supported by ME by Meliá, will be announced very soon. Full Festival Passes now available Full Festival Passes for Sónar Lisboa 2025 are available now, with individual tickets for each session on sale from Tuesday 10th December. Head to sonarlisboa.pt to get yours!Welcome to Sónar Lisboa 2025. Welcome to the frequency of now.