Music Preview: Sónar 2016

With your meeting spot planned, all that’s left to do is to print out your timetable and make your ‘must’, ‘maybe’ and ‘if there’s nothing else on’ lists. As always, the decision is tough. Sónar boasts a diverse, multi-genre lineup of artists old and new: Fatboy Slim, New Order, James Blake and Mano Le Tough to name but a few. And sadly, clashes are inevitable with such an extensive list of unmissable acts. However, to make your planning easier, or maybe complicate things a little more, here are a few recommendations on this weekend’s programme.

Thursday 16th

Jamie Woon. SonarDôme. 6.40-7.40pm.

For those lucky enough to be getting started on Thursday, don’t miss out on the soulful sounds of Jamie Woon. Best-known for ‘Night Air’, produced by the illustrious Burial, Woon is back with album number two, Making Time (2015), which has received rave reviews. Recorded with a live band, Woon has extracted influences from soul and funk, giving his sound a bit more of an edge. His hypnotising voice, strong harmonies and urban sounds are sonorously engaging, lending themselves perfectly to a live setting.

Friday 17th (Evening)

John Grant. SónarHall. 8.30-9.30pm.

Having released his third studio album, Grey Tickles, Black Pressure (2015), references to Grant’s time with The Czars are no longer needed, as his solo career has well and truly taken off. His music is a powerful force, addressing issues such as homophobia, abusive relationships and love. Playing out SónarHall, Grant’s latest material includes everything from melodic, synthscapes such as ‘Snug Slacks’ to disco tunes that will ensure a dance-filled end (or start) to your evening. Check out ‘Voodoo Doll’ and ‘Disappointing’ for a taster. Despite living a quieter life these days, Grant's musical abilities are becoming more and more eccentric. Capturing a crowd seems to come naturally to him, and his deep, poetic irony sets him apart from any other act this weekend.

Friday 17th (Night)

ANOHNI: Hopelessness. SónarPub. 10.50pm-12.15am.

If Grant’s musings on the state of the world are not enough, ANOHNI is sure to make you even more pensive with her latest album, which sees the artist step away from her passive tolerance of world issues and use her electronic sounds as a platform to speak out against drone warfare, capital punishment, torture and climate change. Formerly known as Antony Hegarty, frontman of Anthony and the Johnsons, ANOHNI is now taking a political stance, using her music as a vehicle for social change. Although both ANOHNI and her music have reinvented themselves, the poetic beauty found in past works, such as I Am a Bird Now (2005), can still be traced, but this time with more anger and protest..

Saturday 18th (Evening)

ED Banger House Party. SónarVillage. 9-11pm.

Closing the show for the daytime revellers on Saturday are some of the main men from major French house label Ed Banger Records. The name may bring most people back about 6 years ago when Ed Banger names like Justice, Uffie Sebastian and Feadz were making waves worldwide. Although off the scene for a while, the troupe are back with what is predicted by Sónar to be ‘a non-stop dancing experience’. The Ed Banger crew will be blasting out hip-hop, funk, disco and house, preparing  those with a day and night ticket for what lays ahead.

Saturday 18th (Night)

Kaytranada. SónarPub. 12.20-1.20am.

Just after midnight, Haitian-Canadian, sample-chopping whizkid Kaytranada will take to the stage of SónarPub. Kaytranada is making a name for himself in the music world for his creative percussion arrangements, along with his ability to mix lyric-based tracks and instrumentals seamlessly. His music combines influences from his native Haiti with dance, funk, soul, R'n'B… the list is endless. One particular tune to listen out for from his debut album, 99.9% (2016), is ‘Lite Spots’—a remix of Brazilian singer Gal Costa’s 1973 classic ‘Pontos de Luz’. It's a perfect example of how Kaytranada uses vocals as an additional musical element, complementing his complex percussion and electro beats. At the young age of only 23, here’s hoping Kaytranada’s halcyon days of mixing are not numbered.