Sónar belongs to Maria Arnal

BarcelonaAll the roads of the second day of Sónar led to Maria Arnal. The project with Marcel Bagés (memorable radish cosmic at the festival in 2022), Arnal has spent a few years researching, among other things, the expressive possibilities of artificial intelligence. In fact, she was recognized at the S+T+ARTS awards for the installation María CHOIR which was part ofexposure AI: artificial intelligence of the CCCB and in which he collaborated with scientists from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center. He has also changed representation agencies and now works with Live in Dallas, the same agency that manages artists and groups such as Rigoberta Bandini, La Élite, and gavina.mp3. Stretching the thread of vocal experimentation, he composed the soundtrack for the film They will be dust, and now finally presents a new show titled LoveSónar, open to premieres of this type, has lent the SonarHall to the film at a key time (8:45 p.m.) for its premiere, and the audience has filled it with enthusiasm and reverence.

Before the performance, the screen played a statement signed by Maria Arnal & Team condemning "the genocide that the Israeli government is inflicting on the Palestinian people" and reminding them that (despite belonging to the pro-Israeli fund KKR), Sónar, "meeting the requirements" of the pro-Palestinian Boycott platform, is sponsored by companies such as Coca-Cola and McFlurry. "Our strategy differs from the cancellation [that other artists have done], but it pursues the same goal: a free Palestine. Join us and let's make the stage a loudspeaker that no occupation can silence," the statement concluded. A concert dedicated exclusively to Love, and in which there have been times when artificial intelligence has been a tool with which five dancers from La Veronal (the company with which she coincided in They will be dust) have modulated Arnal's voice using a device they wore on their arms. Beyond the technology and the choreography are the songs and a proposal that maintains dance and pop as its souls. In a way, Rosalía is linked to Tarta Relena and to Arnal Sibila herself from the nightclub scene. Love opens a new stage as exploratory as it is accessible, and with at least a couple of songs with the status of hit: What are they taking away from me?, Little corners and one Tick-tock which is meat of radish.

The format does not eat up the proposal, but rather propels it and makes the voice expand with familiar sounds, because it is human, but also with new sounds, which leave theautotune in Paleolithic tools. The organ is not missing, another of Arnal's fields of research, and present in pieces such as For your sorrowsThe repertoire is mostly in Spanish, although there are some pieces in Catalan, such as the version of the Valencian lullaby My girl is the mistress, which he has performed with the singer Tania García and flamenco guitarist Yerai Cortés. "You're the first audience to see this show!" Arnal exclaimed gratefully before closing the concert with a banner bearing the message "Free Palestine."

Niño de Elche, Refree and Relena Cake

A day of loyalty at Sónar by Day. Artists who have always found the festival's connection performed at the Montjuïc fairgrounds. In addition to Maria Arnal, Niño de Elche was also there, this time with Raül Fernández. Refree, partners in different adventures. The one they are currently working on is Raw, with the collaboration of stage director Marta Pazos. At SonarComplex, with practically a full house, they have fulfilled the expectations, although the proposal still has a long way to go. They began in darkness, with three blue spotlights generating backlighting while they unfolded a mournful liturgy about death, pain, faith, and oblivion: layers of electronics cushioning the voice of the post-cantaor Without any stridency or stretching in the first part, and with greater rhythmic aggression later. Later, they emerged from the darkness to sit closer to the audience, one holding a microphone, the other an acoustic guitar. What a burst of emotion they achieved with this format, before closing the show by returning to electronic music and evoking organ sounds while Niño de Elche sang, perched on a box like an anchorite. Also faithful to Sónar is the Barcelona duo Relena Cake, who in the same Complex has exhibited the wonderful live performance of the album It is a question which was presented last year in the Mediterranean Fair of Manresa.

A crowd in the middle of the afternoon

As the afternoon progressed, the venue filled with people. By 5 p.m. in Sonar Hall, the British band Plaid had already had a decent audience. They represent the electronic music that has been part of Sónar's DNA practically since the first edition, now evolved and with an elegant futuristic charm, with rhythms of solid textures (sometimes very powerful) and mini-melodies full of light. What they offered is like the soundtrack to a future that won't be a succession of catastrophes but a place where you can dance without breaking a sweat. Pleasant maneuvers in the darkness of space. On the same stage, and then with a packed crowd, the relentless vibe of Alva Noto and Fennesz paid tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto while SonarVillage, which had previously danced to Adrian Sherwood's refreshing dub session, was buzzing with the Portuguese Branko (ex Buraka Som Sistema) and the boca to witness the indescribable show of the Brazilians Teto Preto, with the Palestinian flag on the stage and as costumes.