News from Sonar 2009

This summer at the Sonar festival, which will take place in Barcelona from June 18 to 20, artists from Congo, Syria, South Africa, Mexico, Colombia, Angola, Ethiopia, Venezuela, and Singapore will perform. The idea of inviting musicians working and living outside of Europe to Sonar is one of the main features of this Spanish festival. Last year, artists from Asia (mainly from China and Japan) were invited, while this year, Sonar organizers focused on African countries (including electric trance representative from Congo Konono No. 1; jazz musician from Ethiopia Mulatu Astatke with the British nu jazz group The Heliocentrics; Afro-house followers Culoe de Song and Mujava from South Africa; kuduro performer Buraka Som Sistema from Angola). Additionally, artists from Syria (popular at home musician Omar Souleyman), Singapore (Sonicbrat - experimental minimalism), Colombia (El Santo – conceptual noise), Venezuela (Cardopusher - dubstep), and Mexico (Natalia LaFourcade) will also be performing at the festival venues. On the stage curated by Red Bull Music Academy, Russian musician Dmitry Ustinov will perform with one of his cosmic funk projects Taras 3000. Additionally, the names of additional artists performing on the dance arenas of Sonar have been announced: British sound producer Rustie, as well as Spaniards Angel Molina, HD Substance, Nacho Marco, and Henry Saiz. Richie Hawtin is announced as the headliner of the main stage on June 19 at the festival. www.sonar.es→