‘You know when you hit saturation point with that one song? You’ve heard it so many fucking times over – you know its every lyric and every intricate inflexion thereof; you can reproduce its slick lick round the back of your brain; know, and so too fear the exact second it’ll end. That is, or rather was where I was at with Get Free – I foolishly believed I could immaculately reproduce Amber Coffman’s elastane vocal; redo her squiggly guitar part, and as such I needed something; anything to rejuvenate the adoration. And one might set about questioning how it may be that a perfect crossover pop track may ever be bettered. Well, arguably even a full-on live rendition would’ve sufficed as opposed to the half-baked sludge Diplo’s Major Lazer served up last Bestival, though that this one comes bolstered by the creative brawn of dear David Longstreth, alongside various members of The Roots, ensures it stands out for all the right reasons. Inevitably with the Philly funk/ soul brothers onboard it makes for a predictably tight recital, and indeed it’s fairly wondrous to see and so too hear every peculiarity, kink and quirk played out in full though that which really makes it is Coffman’s live vocal. For so idiosyncratic and immediate, it could never sound the same twice and is intricately incomparable here – an off-kilt tour de force, and the askew cherry topping off an ineffably nonpareil redux.’



Major Lazer (ludicrously belatedly) release Free the Universe April 15th via Because Music.

Sónar, 16th June 2012.

Above is the official image of Sónar 2012 (June 14th-16th), a still from Sergio Caballero’s La Distancia, the tale of a robbery at a Siberian power station and below is the newly enhanced musical line up for Barcelona’s finest multimedia spectacular. Last time the rundown was expanded, it was stretched exponentially to take in global phenomenon Lana Del Rey however the multi-venued bash again demonstrates its versatility in its latest announcement. Reconfigured synthpop stalwarts New Order are to headline Saturday’s Sónar by Night, whilst South African antagonists Die Antwoord return to L’Hospitalet for a second consecutive year to unleash their Ten$ion project on all ears within range of their unholy raucous. DFA godfather James Murphy takes to the decks for a Friday night blowout; Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard doubles up to take The 2 Bears for a spin; and Alfred Darlington brings Daedelus’ Archimedes Show to the picturesque, historical setting that houses Sónar by Day.

 The full day-by-day line up now looks something like:

Jueves 14 de Junio
Sónar de Día
d. forma & Daedelus Archimedes Show & DJ Spinn & DJ Rashad & Kutmah & Lapalux & Kasaki Batoh – Brain Pulse Music & Monki Valley & Om Unit & Ricardo Donoso & Thundercat & Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs & When Saints Go Machine & Yosi Horikawa.

Viernes 15 de Junio
Sónar de Día
Austra & Clip! & Club Cheval feat. Canblaster, Myd, Panteros 666 & Sam Tyba & Dago & Daniel Miller & Doc Daneeka & Esperit! & Jacques Greene & John Talabot & Lolo & Sosaku & Mouse on Mars & Nehuen & Nguzunguzu & Nightwave & Peaking Lights & Plapla Pinky & Psilosamples & Raisa K & Stand Up Against Heart Crime & Supersilent feat. John Paul Jones & Trevor Jackson.

Sónar de Noche
Fatboy Slim & Richie Hawtin & Squarepusher & Lana Del Rey & James Murphy & Amon Tobin – ISAM & James Blake DJ & Friendly Fires & Jacques Lu Cont & Nicolas Jaar & Annie Mac & UNER & Untold.

Sábado 16 de Junio
Sónar de Día
Cornelius presents salyu x salyu & Darkside & Diamond Version + Atsuhiro Ito & Discodromo & DJ Harvey & Ital & Jesse Boykins III & Keys N Krates & LA Vampires & Lenticular Clouds & Magic Touch & Maria Minerva & Pegasvs & Salva & Santiago Latorre & Sinjin Hawke vs. Zora Jones & The Suicide Of Western Culture & xxxy.

Sónar de Noche
Azari & III & Cooly G & deadmau5 & Die Antwoord & DVA & Hot Chip & Julio Bashmore & Kode9 & Laurent Garnier presents L.B.S. & Luciano & Madeon & Mary Anne Hobbs b2b Blawan & Maya Jane Coles & Metronomy & Modeselektor & New Order & Pretty Lights & The 2 Bears & The Roots. 

A full selection of Día, Noche, day and weekend tickets is available here, whilst check the official Sónar site for further informations on this, that, or the other.

With this year’s Bestival line up this morning outed, it’s now the turn of one of our other summer hallmarks to flatten the fan of cards on the table as Barcelona’s Sónar reveals its initial batch of artists. Split between Sónar by Day in the city’s picturesque historic centre and Sónar by Night out in the desolate, deserted apocalyptica of L’Hospitalet, it’s this year smeared between June 14th and 16th. A festival famed for pushing multimedial boundaries, Sónar this year looks to times past to cobble together a sure-to-be unforgettable present, with the likes of neo soul stalwarts The Roots, Brighton Beach clogger Fatboy Slim and techno pioneer Richie Hawtin – stripped of Plastikman moniker – all set to feature. Others already sweatily muscled in on a quite almighty bill include mighty fine quirk popsters Metronomy, prime funksters Azari & III, baritone gurgler Nicolas Jaar returning for a second successive year, dub-and-pop husband-and-wife-hybridisers Peaking Lights and Hot Chip.
 

The full line up thus far looks a little something like:

The Roots & Fatboy Slim & deadmau5 & Hot Chip & Richie Hawtin & Metronomy & Amon Tobim - Isam & Friendly Fires & James Blake DJ & Nicolas Jaar & Luciano & Azari & III & Laurent Garnier presents L.B.S. & Squarepusher & Peaking Lights & Modeselektor & Mouse on Mars & Darkside & Austra & Mary Anne Hobbs b2b Blawan & Kode9 & Diamond Version + Atsushiro Ito & Mary Jana Coles & John Talabot & Julio Bashmore & Jacques Greene & Thundercat & LA Vampires & Maria Minerva & Scratcha DVA & Supersilent feat. John Paul Jones & Jacques Lu Cont & When Saints Go Machine & Trevor Jackson & Cooly G & Kutmah & Lapalux & The Suicide Of Western Culture & ITAL & Magic Touch & Annie Mac & Psilosamples & Dago & Plapla Pinky & UNER.

An all-inclusive Sónar Pass is priced at €155 and can be acquired here, while further info can be located on the official Sónar site.