Sónar 2026 begins with explicit sex, techno and nostalgia

L'Hospitalet de LlobregatFeeling of a cycle change on the first day of Sónar 2026, the first edition since 1994 without the three founders (Sergio and Enric Palau and Ricard Robles). Therefore, the first with François Jozic as director, and also the first without distinction between Sónar de Dia and Sónar de Nit because now all activity is concentrated in a single venue, Fira Gran Via, in l’Hospitalet de Llobregat, although the professional part of Sónar+D is premiering location at La Llotja de Mar and Sónar Kids is being revived, which takes place at Parc del Fòrum. Despite the aroma of a turned page, there are invariable things, such as the pleasant feeling of letting yourself be carried away by hedonism and unexpected discovery.

The concentration adds stages like the Village and the Hall, which from 2013 to 2025 were in Montjuïc, and maintains those that were already operating in l’Hospitalet, the historic venue for the night programming since 2001. Now everything starts at 5 p.m. and ends at the same place in the early morning. Of course, the price of beers remains from 2025: 5.50 euros. Among other things that do not change is the support that Sónar gives to emerging or just consolidating proposals. For example, Metrika from Castellón, a mid-afternoon star on the Park stage on a first day not yet at full capacity and, as is customary on Sónar Thursdays, with fewer stages in play.

“Lots of pussy and lots of faggots,” Metrika said to greet the audience, still not very numerous but well predisposed to receive a convincing breath of tough trap, dembow, and highly filtered reggaeton by a “diva for whom they make way when she enters the rave”. Defiant behind enormous dark glasses and with verses that speak of explicit sex, self-medication, satisfied desires, eschatological promises, and a cunt that smells different, she relies on her own stage charisma and that of the effective dance troupe, and of course, on a primary sexual poetics, without metaphorical preliminaries, and sometimes just plain primary. Songs like Madre fundadora, Lip combo (the one with “give me a little kiss on the toto”) and others that are almost hardcore like the successful Humedad valenciana connected with an audience that mostly followed the performance with a knowing smile. Metrika is a diva capable of shining in an abandoned shopping mall parking lot thanks to gems like Toto de loca, one of the most outrageous sexual proclamations of recent years. She fired it off towards the end of the show (before Diva del infierno) while a good part of the audience sang the chorus “She wants toto like a crazy person / Bitch, open your mouth, mouth, ah” and other finds like “Put two dicks in me and I’ll come out Siamese / Today I’m looking for a new little slut to pray to me / To go hard, hard, hard, to go hard”. 

Less pretentiousness but much more rhythmic intensity was found at SonarCar with the Dutch Speedy J, who each day of Sónar deploys the STOOR project: a kind of jam session techno shared with other producers. On Thursday, for five hours, he created with Colin Benders, Nadia Struiwigh, Reeko and .VRIL, all five in the center of the space, as officiants of a pagan ceremony very well received by the audience.

(1983) and more abrasive material conveyed the feeling that it was indeed worth doing this tour.

The crackdown (1983) and more abrasive material conveyed the feeling that this tour was indeed worth doing.