As winter in New York City slowly melts away around us, festival season looms larger and larger on the horizon, with events increasing in frequency all around the world along with the rising temperatures. One such event that is particularly noteworthy is Sonar Festival of Advanced Music and Technology, which takes place in the heart of Barcelona, Spain. Sonar was without a doubt one of the highlights of last summer’s musical adventures, and we cannot wait to see what the extraordinary festival has to offer this June 16, 17, and 18, 2011.

There could not be a more perfect setting than Barcelona for such a festival celebrating new, primarily electronic based, music and accompanying technology. The city itself is warm, friendly, and free, containing the perfect combination of historical nostalgia and modern evolution. Sonar by Day takes place in the heart of downtown, with performances primarily centered around the MACBA and the CCCB. Surrounding the festival location are narrow winding streets, welcoming tapas bars and cafes, and lively watering holes brimming with Catalan spirit. As the sun sets and the energy builds, partygoers flock to Sonar by Night, which is located in an enormous warehouse space located on the outskirts of the city near L’Hospitalet. The nighttime festivities carry on far into the morning, with big name DJs, producers, and live bands keeping everyone dancing across three massive stages.

Festival passes for all 3 days can be purchased HERE, along with passes to individual days and nights. Visit Sonar’s WEBSITE for more information and for continued updates as the June draws closer.

See our coverage of DAY 1, DAY 2, and DAY 3 of last year’s Sonar and get a feel for what the event has to offer, and click HERE to go straight to the photo galleries of all Sonar by Day, Sonar by Night, and Off-Sonar events from 2010.

Check out the incredible full line-up of artists below!

Nicolas Jaar, Toro Y Moi, Tyondai Braxton, Little Dragon, Floating Points, Raime, Denseland, Open Reel Ensemble, Daito Manabe, Shuttle, Dels, Offshore, Eskmo, Astrud + Col·lectiu Brossa, Agoria, Hauschka, Atmosphere, Dominique Young Unique, Oy, Xesús Valle, Facto y los Amigos del Norte, How To Dress Well, Holy Other, Actress, Apparat, Global Communication, Hype Williams, Gilles Peterson, Shangaan Electro, No Surrender, Filewile, EVOL, Edredón, Judah, DJ Sith & David M, Downliners Sekt, C156, Steve Reich + bcn216 + Synergy Vocals, M.I.A., Aphex Twin, The Human League, Cut Copy, Boys Noize, Die Antwoord, Trentemøller, A-Trak, Scuba , Steve Aoki, Munchi, Djedjotronic, Schlachthofbronx, Annie Mac + Katy B, Benji B + Pearson Sound, Toddla T + Redlight feat. Ms Dynamite & Dread MC, Mujuice, DZA, Diskjokke, Annie, Bjorn Torske, Underworld, Magnetic Man, Janelle Monáe, Chris Cunningham, Shackleton, James Holden, The Gaslamp Killer, Surgeon, Buraka Som Sistema, Africa Hitech, Paul Kalkbrenner, Mary Anne Hobbs, Yelle, Silent Servant, Noaipre, L-Vis 1990 b2b Bok Bok, Egyptrixx, Deadboy, Jackmaster, Lory D, Redinho, Spencer, Jessie Ware, Rone, Arandel, Clara Moto, Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto, Katy B, Zinc, Tiger & Woods, B. Bravo, Brandt Brauer Frick, Daisuke Tanabe, Discodeine, Illum Sphere, kidkanevil, Juan Son, Jullian Gomes, Poirier feat. Boogat, Teebs, Venice

I know a party is a really big deal if I simply CANNOT wear anything already hanging in my already rather expansive closet and just MUST go buy something shiny and new specifically for the occasion. This past Dark Disco, which took place at Element at the end of last May, was just such a party. Before I knew what was happening, I found myself adorned in neon and lace, entirely unnecessary drink ticket in hand, loudly professing my (totally platonic I swear) love to a certain female UK artist as my feet started to blister in my boots from hitting the dance floor too hard. Needless to say, it was a night to remember, and this upcoming Dark Disco on December 3 at Music Hall of Williamsburg is shaping up to be no different, with Nosaj Thing, Mary Anne Hobbs, Toro Y Moi (DJ set) and Dirty South Joe all confirmed. CLICK HERE for your chance to win a pair of tickets to the show.

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As the sun rose on day two of Sonar Festival in Barcelona, the masses once again flocked to the downtown location of Sonar by Day, pouring through the gates in even larger masses than the previous day’s festivities. Spirits were once again at peak levels during the afternoon hours, with Europe’s electronic music revelers taking full advantage of the beautiful weather and vibe of the city, the company of fellow partygoers, and of course the stunning array of musical talent from all over the world.

Once again, stand out acts were difficult to determine, as each artist contributed something creative and unique to the boundary-breaking display of electronic music across the three stages. Of particular distinction was the UK’s Hyperdub group King Midas Sound, who presented a brilliantly dreamlike set pairing their bass heavy and reggae influenced rhythmic sound with a backdrop of dramatic and hypnotic lighting in the darkened SonarHall. Also taking advantage of the confined space of SonarHall was Nosaj Thing, who performed his visual show to a thoroughly enthusiastic crowd. Matching a visual display projected against the wall behind him, Nosaj Thing took the audience on an aural and visual journey through his hip-hop inspired beats, dropping favorite tracks like “Coat of Arms” and “Fog” at key moments.

After a long day of music in the sun, we headed to the first installment of Sonar by Night, which takes place Friday and Saturday night in a massive old airplane hanger just outside of Barcelona’s city limits. Three enormous stages hosted a slew of even more enormous talent, with thousands upon thousands of people going absolutely mental for the breathtaking lineup and environment. Noteworthy acts included favorites like veteran French super-duo Air, DFA Record’s LCD Soundsystem whose performance of their beloved old track “Daft Punk is Playing at My House” got the whole room singing, and German house group Booka Shade, who all lived up to their stellar reputations as forerunners in the realm of genre bending electronic music. Indie electronic staple Hot Chip also played a thrilling live set under the open air night sky to the tune of thousands of cheering fans at Sonar by Night’s second biggest stage, SonarPub.

Mary Anne Hobb’s showcase at the SonarLab stage was also a big hit, showcasing some of the finest talent currently on rotation in the overarching realm of dubstep and UK funky. First the BBC Radio DJ herself took the stage, dropping some seriously grimy dubstep tunes and making the massive bassline reverberate through the ground and up into the enthralled audience. Second was a rare appearance by the illustrious Joy Orbison, who’s set was an extraordinary treat for UK funky fans. Flying Lotus took the stage next, spinning a set that focused on samples of some heavy hip-hop beats, and of course his own production, which contrasted effectively with his more house tinged set of the night before, and lead perfectly into the showcases’ closing set from the king of UK funky, Roska.

On the techno and electro side, 2manydjs spun a rambunctiously fun mix of electro tracks both new and old, with a multitude of stellar remixes and visual graphics animating each tracks record sleeves. Techno master Plastikman (otherwise known as Richie Hawtin) and the legendary Claude Von Stroke also each tore the roof off the epic venue. The latter’s closing set at the main stage, SonarClub, provided the ultimate ending to an incredible night, dropping monumental tracks like “Who’s Afraid of Detroit?”, shifting into some wicked drum and bass just when the crowd least expected it, and slowly bringing up the lights on the dancefloor throughout his set to emulate the sunrise outside, effectively preparing the crowd to face the bright day that awaited after the last note ended.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS

Day one of Sonar, the self-described festival of “Advanced Music and Multimedia Art”, taking place June 17-19 in Spain’s vibrant coastal city of Barcelona, kicked off yesterday with this weekend’s first edition of Sonar by Day. Located in the heart of downtown Barcelona, Sonar by Day features a variety of artists across three different stages, representing the broadest spectrum of what is considered to be electronic music. Thousands of partygoers, including locals, Europeans and music fanatics from all over the world, attended this roaring celebration of music and art that represents the beginning of what promises to be an incredible and inspiring weekend.

While the array of incredible musical talent on display makes choosing favorites nearly impossible, there are a few some stand out acts that were a cut above the rest. We first checked out the UK’s infamous Pete Tong’s set in the open air SonarVillage, which was overrun with revelers enjoying the beautiful bounty of sunshine and outstanding beats. Unaffected by the fact that it was still only early afternoon, the space was already vibrating from a multitude of dancing feet. Hyped from the vibe of the joyous atmosphere, we headed to Caribou’s excellent performance, who played to a packed audience in the SonarDome. Their onstage unity and aptly cheerful set list of tracks chosen primarily from their newer album “Swim” made for the perfect late afternoon warm-up for the coming night’s events. Another noteworthy act was Broadcast, who’s visual backdrop of surrealistic video footage contrasted against a dark stage and hall created a beautiful aesthetic of wonder and almost melancholy.

After an actio-packed day, we started our night at FACT and Plat du Jour’s Hyperdub Off Sonar event at Club Mondo, featuring Cooly G, Ikonika, Darkstar, Kode 9, and more, with a special surprise appearance by the supremely talented Flying Lotus, who will be performing again at Friday’s Sonar by Night under the auspices of Mary Anne Hobbs’ stage. Hundreds of dubstep fans packed themselves into the dark, sweaty, and seriously energized Hyperdub party, where the artists proceeded to blow the roof off the place with a heavy onslaught of bass music. To nobody’s surprise, Flying Lotus’ set in particular was an outstanding combination of his own production set to a background of more traditional house rhythms, and naturally caused the crowd to go completely mental with aural joy.

Next up was Desolat’s Off Sonar party, featuring Loco Dice and Marco Carola, among others. This massive event also served as the opening night of Ghoa Beach Club, a brand new open air space right on Barcelona’s waterfront. Energy levels remained high and the bass kept thumping as the artists carried the crowd straight into the dawn, keeping the dancefloor packed and he partygoers begging for more as the music finally came to an end well in the morning.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS