Sónar 2018 Barcelona. Festival adds more than 50 new artists to its special 25th anniversary program, packed with exclusive shows and premieres.

Thom Yorke, Modeselektor, Cornelius, GoldLink, Amp Fiddler
& Tony Allen, Yung Lean, Octo Octa, Errorsmith, Lanark
Artefax, A-Trak, Alva Noto, Dj Earl & Nick Hook, Laurel Halo,
Chino Amobi,Charlotte de Witte and Henry Saiz (and band)
are just some of thelatest names to be added.

Diplo presents introduces a showcase of African talents and Laurent Garnier will play music from his own extensive repertoire and remixes with a special exclusive DJ set entitled Laurent plays Garnier.

Global developments in hip-hop, r&b and trap once again take pride of place at Sónar, with the uplifting rhymes and rollercoaster flow of US rapper Goldlink, the conscious rap of fellow DC artist Oddisee performing with his live band Good Compny, and a round up of the latest sounds from both coasts from Soulection’s Joe Kay. Also represented on the line-up are the leading producers in contemporary dancehall and grime respectively, Dre Skull and Preditah.

Resident Advisor return to Sónar by Night on Sat 16 of June with a showcase on the SonarLab stage. The extraordinary line up features artists from across the spectrum of club music in 2018 including Fatima Al Qadiri performing live for the first time in Europe, leftfield pin-up Lanark Artefax and two high flying back to back sets from Ben Klock and Dj Nobu, as well as Motor City Drum Ensemble and Jeremy Underground.

These and many other artists join the already announced shows: Gorillaz, LCD Soundsystem, Richie Hawtin CLOSE, Olafur Árnalds, Kode 9, Bonobo, Bicep, Lorenzo Senni, Helena Hauff, Wiley, Black Coffee, John Talabot and DJ Harvey, among many others.

The program, to be completed in the coming weeks, this year will feature more than 140 performances spread across the 9 stages of Sónar by Day and Sónar by Night.

New names added to Sónar 2018 Barcelona as of today.
Thom Yorke,  Diplo presents: Distruction Boyz,  Mr Eazi,  Kampire & Diplo,  Modeselektor dj set,  Laurent plays Garnier,  GoldLink,  Bonobo dj set,  Agoria live,  Ben Klock & Dj Nobu,  Yung Lean,  A-Trak,  Rosalía,  Cornelius,  Charlotte de Witte,  Laurel Halo,  Alva Noto,  Fatima Al Qadiri live,  Niño de Elche & Israel Galván,  Motor City Drum Ensemble & Jeremy Underground,  Octo Octa,  Errorsmith,  Chino Amobi,  Little Simz,  Henry Saiz & band,  Lanark Artefax,  Rosa Pistola,  Amp Fiddler x Tony Allen,  Sinjin Hawke & Zora Jones,  DJ Earl x Nick Hook Live AV,  Nathy Peluso, Oscar Mulero – Monochrome AV,  Oddisee & Good Compny,  KOKOKO!,  DECISIVE PINK,  Claude Speeed,  Refree,  Rozzma,  Putochinomaricón,  MOW,  Dre Skull,  Joe Kay-Soulection,  Benjamin Damage,  Die Angel: Ilpo Väisänen + Schneider TM,  Second Woman,  Territroy Live,  King Doudou,  Russell Haswell feat. Sue Tompkins,  Emma-Jean Thackray’s WALRUS,  JASSS,  Preditah.

Thom Yorke, Radiohead frontman and one of the most essential musicians of our time, joins the Sónar anniversary with a special concert on Saturday night, June 16. He will revisit songs from his impressive career in a live mix with producer Nigel Godrich and multidisciplinary artist Tarik Barri, who will provide the stunning visual aspect of the show.
Two extraordinary djs performing at Sónar by Night will also present very individual sets at Sónar by Day: Laurent Garnier will provide a retrospective of his career to date, with a special session entitled Laurent plays Garnier, in which he will only play music from his own extensive repertoire of original compositions and remixes (Thursday, June 14); meanwhile, Diplo will deliver a unique format for Sónar by Day entitled Diplo presents, in which he will bring together his favourite emerging African artists -Distruction Boyz (South Africa), Mr EAZI (Nigeria) and Kampire (Uganda) –
in a showcase that he will close with a DJ set (Friday, June 15).

This year cutting edge urban music takes on special importance with the inclusion of GoldLink, Yung Lean, Oddisee & Good Compny, Dre Skull, King Doudou, Preditah, Joe Kay del sello Soulection, and Little Simz, presenting revitalizing styles and sounds including slow rap, dancehall, activist hip hop, new funk, the latest in British grime and African influenced trap.

Sónar 2018 will premiere new live shows from five of today’s most important national artists: Rosalía, with a new live format, album and sound that will surprise her fans and confirm her star status beyond flamenco; Niño de Elche, presenting an exclusive show for Sónar, together with the most unconventional dancer imaginable, Israel Galván; Refree, will perform his own never before heard experiments with electronica in a unique audiovisual show with director Isaki Lacuesta; Henry Saiz, accompanied by a live band presenting “Human”, the album recorded in different locations around the world; and Oscar Mulero with his live project Monochrome AV, providing an outlet for his more introspective and experimental side.

Sónar continues its strong commitment to the most underground,
extreme and unclassifiable sounds on the SonarXS stage, with new
additions including disparate and stimulating artists such as the
American artist Chino Amobi (global noise and hardcore); Latin
America’s Rosa Pistola (reggaeton and new Latin rhythms); Nathy
Peluso (trap and contemporary soul); Russell Haswell (experimentation
and noise in a duo with Sue Tompkins); Egypt’s Rozzma (Arabic beats);
Madrilenian of Taiwanese heritage Putochinomaricón (new lo-fi trap);
and the Spanish revelation MOW –the alias of Gabriela Casero- (dream-pop) who, accompanied by her band, will present songs from her debut album, ‘Wom’.

Sónar together with the world’s leading eletronic music site Resident Advisor presents the SonarLab stage on Saturday night 16 of June. The stage contains some of the most exhilarating live acts in electronic music. Lanark Artefax will bring his dazzling live show, as will Errorsmith, the producer behind the album Superlative Fatigue. Octo Octa, who performed one of last year’s standout RA Sessions, will bring groovy, improvised house before Fatima Al Qadiri premieres her brand new live show for the first time in Europe. Jasss will open SonarLab with a DJ set. Closing the stage are two formidable back-to-back pairings: techno titans Ben Klock and DJ Nobu, sharing the decks for the very first time, and Motor City Drum Ensemble and Jeremy Underground, whose chemistry behind the decks was enshrined in a legendary RA podcast.

Red Bull Music Academy continues in its role as a global talent scout for emerging new artists and will once again return to Sónar by Day. The all-star line-up of Academy friends and alumni adds to the previously announced artists the world premiere of legendary drummer Tony Allen performing with musical polyglot Amp Fiddler. Additional world premieres announced today include a DECISIVE PINK, a project between Angel Deradoorian of Dirty Projectors with Kate NV; Teklife titan DJ Earl and producer Nick Hook; and a brand-new project by Larry Gus and Mr. Statik: Territroylive. Claude Speeed and the four-piece ensemble, Emma Jean Thackray’s WALRUS also join the new additions. As in previous years, Red Bull Radio will be broadcasting live on site throughout the festival.

Sónar by Night also fills out its program with live performances and heavyweight sets from the likes of Modeselektor dj set, A-Trak, Benjamin Damage, rising star Charlotte de Witte, and Bonobo with a special dj set designed for dancing into the early hours; and concerts from avant-garde artists at Sónar by Day, including Cornelius and Alva Noto (both presenting new albums); Laurel Halo; Agoria (presenting his first live show) and three high-octane duos: Sinjin Hawke & Zora Jones, Ilpo Väisänen & Schneider TM (under the alias Die Angel), and the Americans Second Woman.

Tickets for Sónar by Day and Sónar by Night go on sale today, joining all Sónar 2018 tickets already available at sonar.es. Full Pass and VIP Pass, 2 Night Ticket and VIP 2 Night Ticket, Sónar by Day and Sónar by Night Tickets and the Sónar+D Delegate Pass.

After recently holding festivals in Buenos Aires and Bogotá (in November and December 2017 respectively), Sónar continues its international tour in 2018 in the following cities: Sónar Reykjavík (March 16 and 17), Sónar Hong Kong (March 17) and Sónar Istambul (April 6 and 7).

About Sónar.

Sónar is a three-day electronic and advanced music festival. It was founded in Barcelona in 1994 by Ricard Robles, Enric Palau and Sergi Caballero, and is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2013, with four festivals taking place in four different cities: Barcelona (for the 20th time) Tokyo (for the 6th time), Osaka (for the 1st time) and Reykjavik (for the 1st time). Watch to the photos of the Sónar festival here

The festival has been divided into two parts since its inception. Sónar by Day was organized at the CCCB, the MACBA and the surrounding area (Plaça dels Àngels, Capella dels Àngels, etc.), in the very centre of Barcelona, between the first year and the 2012 festival. Starting in 2013, the Festival is moving to the Fira Montjuïc facilities at Plaza d’Espanya, maintaining its central role and its status as an urban festival and expanding its capacities. Meanwhile, Sónar by Night has changed location several times, with the pavilion at Mar Bella (1997-2000) and the exhibition area at Fira Gran Via in L’Hospitalet (from 2001 to date) being its most well-known spaces.

Sónar’s founding values have defined the festival since its inception: the link between creativity and technology, its commitment to being a global event and a meeting point for creative people from both public and industry sectors, from different disciplines and communities.

Sónar Barcelona’s activities are divided into two main locations: the recently premiered Sónar by Day, located from 2013 in Fira Montjuïc, with concerts and dj’s, showcases as well as the new Sónar+D area, the essence of which is discovering and tracking new talent and enhance professional activities; and the larger shows at Sónar by Night, in Fira Gran Via de L’Hospitalet, where the leading names in the current international music scene are staged.

Sónar+D presents a program with a common goal: to make the relationship
between creativity, technology, mobility, innovation and businessmore
transparent and accessible. The birth of Sónar+D in 2013 expresses a
concrete commitment to Sónar’s professional activity, linking creative and
technology companies of all kinds.

Since 2002 Sónar has organized more than 50 events in many different parts of the world, adapting the Sónar philosophy to unique venues and environments, and highlighting the most interesting homegrown talent and the scene in the city where it takes place. As well as the event in Barcelona, Sónar organizes festivals every year in other cities. In previous years, it has travelled to Reykjavik, Buenos Aires, New York, London, Frankfurt, Seoul, Lisboa, Lyon, Hamburg, Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, Boston, Denver, Oakland, Los Ángeles, Tokyo and Osaka, among many other destinations around the world.

Sónar official: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

H/T The Sound Syndicate

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