Sónar 2015 announces the first artists in its line-up

Sónar 2015 announces its first names for Sónar Barcelona. The first artist announcement includes classic and revered names of electronic music and benchmarks for a new generation, together with new producers and bands outlining the future direction of electronica.
 
The Chemical Brothers (UK)
Autechre (UK)
Kindness (UK)
Evian Christ (UK)
Fat Freddy’s Drop (NZ)
Daniel Avery (UK)
Ten Walls (LT)
Lee Gamble (UK)
Sophie (UK)
Holly Herndon (US)
PXXR GVNG (ES)
Kiasmos (IS)
Kate Tempest (UK)
Tourist (UK)
Vessel (UK)
Niño (ES)
Mans O (ES)
Helena Hauff (DE)
and many more to be confirmed…
 
Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers, speaks for the first time exclusively for Sónar
 
Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers, speaks for the first time exclusively for Sónar to provide the first details about the new show and new studio album in 2015:
 
“We’re very excited to return to Sónar, one of the best crowds, in one of the greatest cities We are still imagining the gig, both music and visual. We are working on the staging of the live gig at the moment. Adam (Smith) has some amazing ideas. The show will be an intense ride, hold tight. (About the new album) I guess the most important feature of the album is that it connects with us emotionally in some way. We hope for finding a new way to make you feel. We dream of new sounds and different frames. We have worked with some guest singers but mostly the album is pure Chemical Brothers.”
 
Keystones of electronica
 
For the past twenty years, The Chemical Brothers have redefined the idea of live electronic music. In that time, their live show has evolved from humble beginnings in dank London nightclubs into one of the most in demand festival headline sets in the world All the while, it has adhered to the same basic idea: that the gig should create its own transcendent audio/visual space where the audience can lose themselves for the duration of the set. The Chemical Brothers on going relationship with director and visual artist Adam Smith continues to produce hallucinogenic results across the globe (as seen in 2012’s collaborative concert film Don’t Think). The band are due to release their eighth studio album in 2015.
 
Autechre are one of the most admired and respected duos in abstract and experimental electronica. The importance of the music and sound imagined by Rob Brown and Sean Booth cannot be underestimated. They have played an integral role in the development of abstract techno and IDM (intelligent dance music) over the past 25 years. One of their tracks “Flutter”, is considered by critics as a historical zenith of IDM, and albums like “Incunabula”, “Amber”, “TriRepetae” or the more recent “Oversteps” and “EXAI” are all masterpieces of sonic deconstruction. Their live performances are rare and very exclusive, and in 2015 they will perform at Sónar by Day, nearly two decades after their first and only appearance at the festival in 1996.
 
New benchmarks
 
As always, the Sónar line-up is dominated by the huge presence of new producers and bands noted for their powerful artistic profile and sound that in many cases outline the future direction of electronica and cutting edge music.
 
This is certainly the case for Vessel and Evian Christ, two very young British producers with a distinct and identifiable sound based on techno, who are exploring more complex sonic territories in immersive shows with a potent sensorial impact; Lee Gamble, the respected and experienced aural adventurer will present his new live audiovisual concept in collaboration with the London designer Dave Gaskarth.
 
Sónar also recognises new dynamic female talent such as American songwriter Holly Herndon, creator of dystopian sound worlds with futuristic auditory aesthetics; and KateTempest, poet, performer and British playwright -winner of the Ted Hughes Award in 2013- who will present her first album “Everybody Down” on hip-hop label Big Dada; or German dj Helena Hauff, faithful disciple to the continuation of the most resonant techno and electro from her home base in Hamburg.
 
The festival will also host exciting dance music projects from: Kiasmos, whose emotive and dance friendly techno is produced by prodigious Icelandic pianist Ólafur Arnalds, together with Janus Rasmussen; electropop quartet Bloodgroup; and the luminescent and penetrating melodies of Lithuanians Ten Walls, whose career has just taken off. You will also be able to enjoy prestigious young DJs like Daniel Avery, mentored by Erol Alkan and hailed by critics as the British Isles new master of tech-house; and producers like Sophie, creator of colourful melodies and contemporary rhythms, in keeping with the new PC Music trend, who recently collaborated with Madonna, Nicki Minaj and Diplo.
 
There will of course be room reserved for pop and other styles including celebrated New Zealand band Fat Freddy’s Drop, who return to Sónar with their fantastic live show where they will intelligently mix dub, reggae and soul, with techno and house. Also appearing from the UK will be Tourist and Kindness, two key names in today’s synth pop sound, both of whom have newly released material. Tourist will present a tantalizing live audiovisual show where the piano takes centre stage, while Kindness will present a liberating and highly emotive concert experience.
 
Local scene acts with international potential

Each year, Sónar painstakingly scours today’s national scene, selecting unique and relevant artists that show significant potential for international exposure.
 
Three projects have been confirmed for 2015. If trap is the new pop, Barcelona now has its local heroes: the PXXR GVNG collective, who are currently revolutionizing Youtube with their gritty lyrical discourse, powerful image and their potent mix of trap, hip-hop, r’n’b and reggaeton; the talented instrumentalist and producer Niño, who began as beatmaker and member of Diploid, and is now an increasingly mature musician with his own unique sound; and the youthful Mans O, who takes advantage of free time away from his group Wesphere to create the most beautiful musical pieces for Barcelona label Disboot, floating somewhere between electronic and acoustic.

SÓNAR+D THIRD EDITION ANNOUNCES THE MAIN TOPICS
 
Sónar+D, Sónar’s international congress of digital culture and creative technologies will be held at Sónar by Day on 18. 19. 20 June 2015, at the Palau de Congressos de Barcelona.
 
The 3rd Sónar+D will explore, among other themes: the continual hybridizations between the music and technology sectors, the impact of creative industries in the Big Data revolution and the “Internet of Things”, the new generation of “wearables” and the emergence of “makers” in the field of education.
 
Sónar+D 2015 will bring together some of the biggest global names responsible for shaping the future of design, music, audiovisual and interactivity.
 
Creators, technologists, research centres, entrepreneurs and startups introducing attendees to their laboratories through demos, technology shows, exclusive premieres, debates, workshops and networking spaces.
 
The 2nd Sónar+D in 2014 had 960 outstanding creative industry personalities from around the world, participating in various activities such as conferences and workshops. It also brought together 3,463 professionals from 52 countries, involving more than 1,600 accredited national and international companies.

SÓNAR TRAVELS TO SOUTH AFRICA AND THE NORDIC COUNTRIES
 
In addition to the Barcelona festival, over the next few monthsSónar will hold 5 festivals spread across South Africa and the Nordic countries.
 
This is the schedule for the next 12 months:
A Taste of Sónar Johannesburg: 12 December 2014
Sónar Cape Town: 15.16 December 2014
Sónar Reykjavik 12.13.14 February 2015
Sónar Stockholm: 13.14 February 2015
Sónar Copenhagen: 13.14 March 2015
Sónar Barcelona: 18.19.20 June 2015
SónarSound Santiago: 5 December 2015
Sónar Bogotá: 7 December 2015
 
A TASTE OF SÓNAR JOHANNESBURG
12 December 2014
 
The Johannesburg event will take place in just a few days time on 12th December at the Nasrec Expo Centre. The final line-up is the following: Pet Shop Boys (UK), 2manydjs dj set (BE), The Bloody Beetrots (IT), Black Coffee (SA), Jazzuelle (SA), Thibo Tazz (SA).
 
SÓNAR CAPE TOWN
15.16 December 2014
 
Sónar Cape Town will be held on 15th and 16th December, on two simultaneous stages at The Good Hope Centre. The complete line-up is the following for the two days:Pet Shop Boys (UK), 2manydjs dj set (BE), The Bloody Beetroots (IT), Jon Hopkins (UK), Ten Walls (LT), UZ (US), UNER (ES), Sibot & Toyota (SA), Spoek Mathambo presents Fantasma (SA), Trancemicsoul (SA), PHFAT (SA), Felix Laband (SA), Das Kapital (SA), Christian Tiger School (SA), Markus Wormstorm (SA), Mr. Sakitomi and the Grrrl (SA), DJ Fosta (SA), Fever Trails (SA), Ryan Murgatroyd (SA), Terrence Pearce (SA), Sir Vincent (SA), Siphe Tebeka (SA)
 
More information and tickets at: www.sonarcapetown.com
 
SÓNAR REYKJAVÍK
12.13.14 February 2015
 
Following the success of its first two festivals, the 3rd Sónar Reykjavik will feature over 60 performances, headed by American star Skrillex and German producer Paul Kalkbrenner.

The festival will once again take place for three days, across 5 stages, in one of the most extraordinary concert buildings in Europe, the Harpa Concert Hall A festival travel pack with special rates is available.

Artists confirmed so far are: Skrillex (US), Paul Kalkbrenner (DE), SBTRKT (UK), ToddTerje (SE), TV On The Radio (US), Kindness (SE), Nina Kraviz (RU), Elliphant (SE), Sophie (UK), Randomer (UK), Nisennenmondai (JP), Daniel Miller (UK), Yung Lean & Sad Boys (SE), Alizzz (ES), DJ Margeir (IS), Samaris (IS), Prins Polo (IS), Mugison (IS), Ghostigital (IS), Sin Fang (IS), DJ Yamaho (IS), Exos (IS), Fufanu (IS), Young Karin (SE), UniStefson (IS), Sean Danke (IS), Gervisykur (IS) and many more to be confirmed…
 
More information and tickets at: www.sonarreykjavik.com
 
SÓNAR STOCKHOLM
13.14 February 2015

The 2nd edition of Sónar Stockholm increases its capacity and will be held in a new venue for two days, across 3 stages, on 13th & 14th February in the Swedish capital’s spectacular Stockholm Waterfront Congress Centre.

Artists confirmed so far: SBTRKT (UK), Paul Kalkbrenner (DE), Kindness (UK), Nina Kraviz (RU), Lorentz (SE), Elliphant (SE), Jaakko Eino Kalevi (FN), Shxcxchcxsh (SE), Tokimonsta (US), Zhala (SE), Roll theDice (SE), Sophie (UK), Randomer (UK), Nisennenmondai (JP), Kasper Bjørke (DK), Samaris (IS), Alizzz (ES) and many more to be confirmed……

More information and tickets at: www.sonarstockholm.com
 
SÓNAR COPENHAGEN
13.14 March 2015

Sónar debuts in Denmark. The first Sónar experience in Copenhagen.
The festival will take place on 3 stages, hosting more than 40 artists over 2 nights, and will be held in the architectural splendour of the DR Koncerthuset space designed by Jean Nouvel, offering the best sound and visual setting to experience live shows. In total it will feature around 40 live acts and DJ sets.
 
Metronomy (UK), Factory Floor (UK), Daniel Avery (UK), Kölsch (IS), Vessel (UK), Kiasmos (IS), Jaakko Eino Kalevi (FN), Future 3 (DE), Darkness Falls (DE), Brynjolfur (DE), AV AV AV (DE), Alo Wala (DE), Courtesy (DE) and many more to be confirmed…
 
More information and tickets at: www.sonarcopenhagen.com

In addition to the 21 Sónar Barcelona festivals, these are the 43 Sónar festivals held around the world since 2002:
 
London (2002, 2003, 2004,2005, 2009, 2010 & 2011) / Lisbon (2002) / Neuchatel (2002) / Hamburg (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 & 2006) / Tokyo (2002, 2004, 2006, 2011, 2012 & 2013) / Rome (2003) / São Paulo (2004, 2012 & 2013) / Lyon (2004) / Guadalajara (2004) / Buenos Aires (2006) / Seoul (2006) / Frankfurt (2007) / Washington (2009) / New York (2009) / Chicago (2010 and 2012) / Cape Town (2012) / Toronto (2012) / Denver (2012) / Oakland (2012) / Boston (2012) / Montreal (2012) / Los Angeles (2012) / Reykjavik (2013 & 2014) / Stockholm (2014).