In Spanish, “sónar” is an infinitive meaning to sound, to ring, or to play. Then it might seem strange that this festival, whose name implies the most basic component of music, will feature some of the most innovative sonic designers and futuristic electronic artists of today. Sónar Festival, originating from Spain in the mid-nineties, has now spread to Hamburg, London, Tokyo, and more.
2010 will see Chicago hosting the 2nd annual US Sónar Festival between September 9th and 11th, and there’s a some things you need to know about it right now:
— It’s pretty much free
— Kid Koala is going to be there
— Everyone else so far sounds pretty dope, too
It’s free because the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs is apparently awesome. Also, they’re holding it in “unusual venues” like the Frank Ghery designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park on the 9th, and the Chicago Cultural Center on the 10th and 11th.
Now for the initial lineup: Kid Koala‘s outfit The Slew is going to sónar the hell out of us. Oval are gonna be there, too (they’ve got a new album coming out as well). Other acts announced include Ben Frost, Nosaj Thing, Dutchman Martyn, with more avant acts to include Nicolas Bernier + Martin Messier: La Chambre des Machines, a Canadian duo that base their show on rudimentary noise machines from the early twentieth century, and Lesley Flanigan, a New York artist who constructs her music with hand-made instruments and the sounds created by her own voice.
More acts are TBA, (I mean, LCD Soundsystem, Roxy Music, and Hot Chip played the festival in Spain this June), so for the most current full line-up information and rumored acts, please head over to our Festival Outlook page here.
And if you still want more of this next level business, Sónar is teaming with Adventures In Modern Music (AIMM), to bring you more shows throughout the weekend. AIMM will present shows at a great venue — the one and only Empty Bottle — featuring The Rhys Chatham Trio, Sleep and Efterklang, and others TBA. There will be an admission cost to these shows, and they can be purchased right over here.
