more notes from SONAR


Alexander Hobson (alexees@hobson.gr)
Fri, 25 Jun 1999 17:05:38 +0300



I was more than satisfied with the content at Sonar 99.
I also had the chance to meet many interesting people and
pass out some demos to artists and companies I respect,
all of whom lacked ego and were ultra cool and friendly.
Barcelona is a beautiful city full of (night)life and Sonar
presents a good opportunity to visit.

Here are some impressions:

FAT CAT: Alex Knight & Dave Howell played a more downtempo
atmospheric style than what I had expected. Their set was just
right for their 2pm slot. Immensely enjoyed.

KREIDLER: Their "Au Pair" is still glued like bubblegum to my
head. Despite apparent problems with levels, their live set made
heads nod and people frollicked in the grass like 12-year-olds.

COMPOST: Michael Reinboth played some excellent music
from the well-known Compost imprint. Ranging from downtempo
to Jazzanova-tinged 120+ bpm, chaize-lounges where rocking
all over the place.

ORBITAL: Amazing... again! :) The Brothers Hartnoll know how
to kick it live, period. Check them out again and again, whenever
you can.

K&D : Appearing in the order of Dorfmeister & Kruder, they played
a mostly uptempo summer set for the seaside stage. It seems
everyone up north has been bitten by the Jazzanova bug: they
dropped the Jazzanova mix of that Balanco track and everyone
went nuts.

RAINER TRUBY: Rainer Truby followed K&D in a similar style,
however his set grew more and more freestyle as the dawn drew
closer. Nice flow and good range of styles.

TERRY FRANCIS: The fat house phenom started spinning with
shaky turntables, bouncing needles and an empty dancefloor. Soon
enough though, the floor was flooded by sweating bodies and Pagan
tech house stylings filled the arena. An achievement indeed.

GAK SATO: He played an afternoon set of loungecore and easy
listening beats that Our Man Flint would have appreciated. Fun
party music with a strong sense of space age exotica.

GRAND CENTRAL: You know the score here. Aim presented all
GC labelmates in a bouncing set that defined northern hip hop soul.

JOE CLAUSELL: Jonathan already covered this one. The place
was rocking with Ibadan and Spiritual Life sounds. Is the Body and
Soul thing still going on every Sunday in New York? One of the most
memorable parties I've been to... check it out whenever you can!

LEAF: Tony Morley showcased many of his label's excellent
offerings while the wind kept blowing the needles off the grooves
and the slipmats off the wheels... :) Stuck with it though and
pulled out a flowing set.

MUTE: Daniel Miller showed up in front of a huge crowd that
showed him the utmost respect (some even gave him red roses,
apparent Depeche Mode fans, my guess). He showed up with
ten dubplates filled with locked grooves of loops from well known
tracks of the Mute/Novamute stable. So, you'd hear something
like the beat and bassline from "Just Can't Get Enough" mixed
with Plastikman acid sounds. :) Unexpected and fun to listen to.

BUNGALOW: The Bungalow camp were represented by the duo of
Le Hammond Inferno. Easy-listening, party-rocking, bossa-breaking,
style-conscious melodies and heavy beats. Where's my martini?

DJ SPOOKY: Bringing illbience to Iberia, he attracted quite an
audience. The highlight was his cut-up of Hendrix's "Star Spangled
Banner" over some deadly beats.

DAVID TOOP: I enjoy his writing a great deal, but his gig at Sonar
was boring. It was a poetry reading over ambient soundscapes and
video footage of reptiles. Couldn't understand what he was saying
cause his voice was too bassed up and cluttered. Maybe I was too
tired, who knows?

KEVIN YOST: Jazzy afro house that had everyone shaking and
baking. Summer everywhere. What's the deal with the pipe?

GROOVERIDER: Riding in bumper cars with Grooverider playing
live through a couple of huge speakers is an experience not to be
missed! :) Excellent two-step drum and bass.

WE: They brought over their samplers and mackies, triggering loops
through small midi controllers. Their music is a crosstown mix of
drum and bass, dub and hip hop. There was a guy sitting in front of
a computer on stage throughout the set doing nothing, just staring at
the screensaver. Go figure...

I sampled some other acts as well, such as Jeff Mills, Richie Hawtin,
Speedy J, Skam Posse, Ryoji Ikeda, Atari Teenage Riot, Fennesz,
Jim O'Rourke and Suicide, but they're either too experimental or too
techno for this list.

Jonathan, sorry to have missed you, next summer perhaps?

Jazz On,
Alexees.




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