The full program of the festival is packed with absolute premieres, exclusive shows, anticipated comebacks and a large representation of national talent. The 2020 edition brings together heroes of contemporary clubbing, avant-garde electronica and emerging talents of trap and urban rhythms from around the planet.

This year’s edition of the festival will feature over 100 shows, including headliners such as The Chemical Brothers, Arca, THE BLAZE, Carl Cox, Mura Masa, Eric Prydz, Richie Hawtin, AJ Tracey, Laurent Garnier, The Black Madonna, Charlotte De Witte, Princess Nokia, Telefon Tel Aviv, the new British phenomenon Dave as well as the circular hi-fi mobile sound system DESPACIO (with James Murphy and 2manydjs), for the first time at Sónar by Night.

In the chapter on tech shows, Max Cooper, Koreless and Ryochi Kurokawa, among others, stand out. Among the premieres, Seth Troxler with his new cosmic project Lost Souls Of Saturn, El Niño de Elche exploring the work of Val del Omar or the electronic debut of Maria Arnal and Marcel Bagès. Other premieres or exclusives will be new shows by Battles, Howling or Giant Swan.

Resident Advisor return to Sónar in 2020 with a jaw dropping line-up of cutting edge sounds and performances at the SonarLab stage across both Friday 19th and Saturday 20th June with the hotly anticipated return of TNGHT, UKG renaissance man Conducta, Skee Mask, Ugandan psychedelic drum troupe Nihiloxica, a rare live set from Project Pablo; noise-punk agitators Giant Swan and Timedance boss Batu, Helena Hauff, Midland and Shanti Celeste among others.

The SonarXS stage grows and relocates in order to foster emerging talent from the national scene with the performances of Morad, Kaydy Cain, Chenta Tsai-Baobae or Califato ¾, among many others. The sonic diversity of the global scene will be represented by the Latin American Lechuga Zafiro, Badsista or Kelman Duran and by the African Nihiloxica, MC Yallah & Debmaster or Lous and The Yakuza.

For the first time, as of today, January 16, the SonarPass will be available in up to 3 instalments. Also on sale today is the 2 Night VIP Ticket. The SonarPass and the SonarPass VIP will change in price on February 6th. Tickets are now available at sonar.es

Sónar 2020 Programme.

Sónar by Night.
2manydjs (dj set), AJ Tracey, ANNA, Arca, Avalon Emerson, Batu, The Black Madonna, THE BLAZE, Carl Cox, Charlotte de Witte, The Chemical Brothers, Conducta, Critical Soundsystem, Dave, DESPACIO (James Murphy + 2manydjs), Djohnston, Eric Prydz, E.T.M., Giant Swan, Headie One, Helena Hauff, Ikram Bouloum, Job Jobse, Joy Orbison, Kelman Duran, La Fleur, Laurent Garnier, Lucient, Max Cooper – Yearning for The Infinite, MBODJ, Midland & Shanti Celeste, Mura Masa, Nihiloxica, Or:la, Project Pablo live, Reinier Zonneveld Live, Richie Hawtin, Royce Rolo, Skee Mask, TNGHT, Venus X.

Sónar by Day.
Afrojuice195, Airaboi, Alina Pash, Âme, B1N0, Badsista, Battles, Califato ¾, Carles Viarnès & Alba G. Corral, Chenta Tsai – BaoBae, Channel Tres, Chico Blanco, Dead Normal, Dj Marcelle / Another Nice Mess, DJ Python, Egosex, Folamour, Gela, Hidrogenesse, Howling, Ivy Barkakati, James Murphy, Jayda G, Juicy Bae, Jyoty, Kaydy Cain, KiNK, Koreless, Lechuga Zafiro, Lindstrøm, Lost Souls Of Saturn, Lous and The Yakuza, Manara, Maria Arnal i Marcel Bagés, Mc Yallah & Debmaster, Miret, Morad, Ms Nina, Nara Is Neus, Niño de Elche, Nu Guinea Live Band, People You May Know, Pixel De Stael, Polo & Pan, Princess Nokia, Reykjavik606, Rojuu, Ryoichi Kurokawa – Subassemblies, Sama’, Sega Bodega, Telefon Tel Aviv, Tomm¥ €a$h, Virginie, Wesphere.

BIG SHOWS & THE HEROES OF CLUBBING.
Sónar 2020 will feature the most eagerly awaited electronic shows of the year by The Chemical Brothers. They will once again reign at Sónar introducing their new and spectacular immersive audiovisual show created together with their regular collaborator, Adam Smith, in which Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons will intersperse their legendary hits with those of their ninth album, “No Geography”, unanimously acknowledged by the critics as one of the most solid of their entire career.

A worldwide exclusive in 2020 only at Sónar, French electronic epic duo THE BLAZE will play their live show at SonarClub; another major highlight is the spectacular show by Swedish progressive house dj and producer Eric Prydz, as well as the circular hi-fi mobile sound system DESPACIO, led by luxury selectors James Murphy and 2manydjs, will return to the festival, this time at Sónar by Night in a non-stop 6-hour sets on Friday and Saturday in the SonarCar stage.

The festival brings together again DJ’s from the first international division such as Carl Cox, Richie Hawtin, Laurent Garnier, Helena Hauff, Âme, Joy Orbison, Charlotte de Witte, Avalon Emerson, 2manydjs or The Black Madonna closing Sónar by Night. Not to mention the cosmic and multidisciplinary project Lost Souls Of Saturn, which unites the internationally beloved tech house DJ, Seth Troxler, with the respected New York sound engineer Phil Moffa.

Also present will be Vancouver sound Jayda G, with house, funk and disco vibes; the fantastic Jyoty, a London underground star, firing off hip hop, grime, dancehall and r&b hits; veteran DJ Marcelle, a cult DJ among dance gourmets in Europe; Or:la, growing with every new release and moving between the best of techno and bass music; Manara, with her mix of grime with Bollywood and punjabi sounds; or Shanti Celeste, one of the most active presences of the current British electronic scene, forming a tandem with another of the greats of the UK scene, Midland.

PREMIERES, TECH SHOWS, HOUSE AND AVANT-GARDE TECHNO.
2023 will be the year of Arca’s leap to Sónar by Night. The most radically innovative electronic artist today presents an exclusive live show with an overwhelming sound, traversing noise to melody and from euphoria to tears, premiering her longed-for new album and recreating unreleased versions of her repertoire.

Other exciting premieres or exclusives will be the long-awaited return of Telefon Tel Aviv, the new shows of Mura Masa, one of the most transformative artists on the current British scene, or American art-rock supergroup Battles, both with their new albums. Electronic emo-folk duo Howling, the return of TNGHT (tandem formed by Hudson Mohawake and Lunice), the provocative Sega Bodega, with a new synthetic pop album or the duo Giant Swan, with their abrasive physical techno-punk live.

The grand sound, visual and technological show by Max Cooper, who will perform his latest work “Yearning For The Infinite” will be performed within the colossal dimensions of SonarClub, the biggest stage at Sónar by Night. Koreless comes back with a fascinating visual show created together with his usual collaborator, the renowned Emmanuel Biard; and Ryochi Kurokawa will introduce “Subassemblies”, an audiovisual show in which the Japanese genius uses 3D laser-scanned data and nature images to talk about the destruction of the environment by humans.

Sónar 2020 will be an exceptional occasion to explore the new wave of avant-garde house and techno DJs: alongside the aforementioned Helena Hauff and Charlotte de Witte, there will be Joy Orbison, Bulgarian king of the live edits KiNK, half of the German duo Âme, the missing link between techno and reggaeton DJ Python, the new face of big room techno DJ ANNA (recently signed to Richie Hawtin’s label), the relentlessly innovative DJ and producer Avalon Emerson and the up and coming Swedish talent La Fleur.

RAP, TRAP & GLOBAL BEATS.
Sónar explores and stages for another year the best in the British grime and hip hop, a sound in permanent evolution. Four of its most outstanding representatives will be performing at Sónar by Night.

This year the festival will feature the British rappers of the moment: Dave (revelation of 2019 and winner of the prestigious Mercury Prize) and AJ Tracey, the brilliant rhymer and author of the catchy hit ‘Ladbroke Grove’. From the dark side of rap and grime, Skepta and Stormzy collaborator and rising star of UK drill, Headie One, who will be preceded by the dj set of Conducta, one of the kings of the new UK garage revival..

Once again, Sónar serves as a huge platform for the most advanced and avant-garde sounds being created around the world today, introducing more than 20 nationalities, many of which focus on hip hop beats, dancehall and reggaeton updates, trap derivatives, new African rhythms, and hybrids of contemporary pop and r&b.

Charismatic New York MC Princess Nokia comes back to the festival, presenting her brand new album at the SonarVillage by Estrella Damm stage. The headlines of global sounds will be written by by Uruguayan Lechuga Zafiro, with a sound between grime and dembow; Brazilian Badsista, firing off funk and digital dancehall hits; and the brilliant Kelman Duran, a Dominican living in Los Angeles, taking reggaeton to experimental grounds. In a similar vein will be Venus X, the head of the legendary New York parties GHE20G0TH1K.

From Africa, the festival will host Ugandans Nihiloxica, with their frenetic polyrhythm and the duo MC Yallah & Debmaster, with their abrasive and close to grime sound. Congolese Lous and The Yakuza, mixing Afrotrap and pop; and the Palestinian dj Sama’, with her beats and hypnotic rhythms for the track will also see their debut in Spain.

SÓNAR BY DAY: FUNK, DISCO, HOUSE AND ELECTRONIC POP.
The SonarVillage by Estrella Damm stage at Sónar by Day is the perfect place to enjoy Lindstrøm’s music; the wizard of Scandinavian cosmic disco. The same stage will host the live performance of the Italian duo Nu Guinea, top representatives of Napoli Sound.

The most radiant and melodic house will be excellently represented by the Canadian Project Pablo and the French Folamour, both growing very fast with every step they take, and offering contemporary dance sets at SonarLab and SonarVillage respectively. In a similar vein, the renowned Dutch dj Job Jobse, a specialist in mixing house from any era with other styles, from italodisc to trance and 21st century funk, will also be present.

The legendary Sónar by Day stage will also be the stage for the American Channel Tres live show, with their irresistible funk-house-pop; and for the French duo Polo & Pan, with their euphoric sound that equally accommodates Eurodisco and tropical pop.

THE NEW WAVE OF NATIONAL TALENT TAKES OVER SONARXS AND SÓNAR BY DAY.
At Sónar by Day the SonarXS stage grows and relocates, focusing on promoting and disseminating the most exciting and emerging national scene, with a new batch of artists such as Morad, the new urban sensation from L’Hospitalet; Kaydy Cain (ex PXXR GVNG playing their street trap hits adapted to a Latin salsa orchestra); Chenta Tsai-Baobae (new project by Putochinomaricón); and others like Afrojuice 195, Chico Blanco, Ms Nina or Califato ¾ and their flamenco rave.

Other National exclusive shows include two other absolute premieres at the festival. One of them will be presented by Niño de Elche with his new project which revise the sound legacy of José Val del Omar, experimental filmmaker and mystical genius, together with three of the most relevant young artists of the state electronic scene: Mans O, Shelly and Nara Is Neus. For their part, the duo Maria Arnal and Marcel Bagés, after the great success of their first album, will be releasing their long-awaited second work, which includes electronic beats, synthesizers and collaborations with important figures on the electronic scene. Also a very special mention goes to the performance of Carles Viarnès together with the visual creator Alba G. Corral.

Other National artists performing will be Barcelona band Egosex with their Afro-pop psychedelia and Hidrogenesse introducing their new album with their usual intelligence and cheekiness at SonarHall.

SÓNAR+D 2020.
The programme for Sónar+D 2020, the 8th international congress on creativity, technology and business, will be announced soon. It will take place in parallel and simultaneously with Sónar by Day at Fira Montjuïc in Barcelona on the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th of June. More information at sonarplusd.com

H/T Sónar festival.