So I don’t know how it happened but somehow in-between leaving Sonar By Night, having a couple (hmm?) of drinks with friends, getting back to the hotel and doing a youtube DJ set to myself for a while - it was around 9am by the time I got to sleep. With bodyclock’s being all up the way-hey I woke up an hour later and my body really felt like that was cool. Not so bad, as the final day of Sonar was just a minutes walk away.
Before heading there, I caught up with my Kiwi friends – celebrated a birthday (not my own) and then a fistful of mojito’s later and we were right back in the thick of it.
It was time for a good wander around the site – took in some sets from New York avant-rap outfit No Surrender then Giles Peterson on more of a darker bass tip than you’d usually expect. But across at the Dome some special was happening. David Rodigan. I don’t even know where to begin - The man is easily one of the most legendary figures in UK Music. At the age of 15 he started DJing at school dances and went onto becoming one of the most important champions of Jamaican Music in the UK. From 1979 David Rodigan has been on British airwaves taking Reggae, Dub, Dancehall and it’s league of mutations to the masses. But it’s the soundclash where he really shines – he has a box of Dubplate Specials like no other and has literally buried most soundsytems in the world to be come the King Of The Clash. Witnessing a David Rogdigan set is the most incredible educations you’ll ever witness, but it’s his mix of the spread of music played, the knowledge that comes with it, and his ferocious onstage presence that really make it one of the best musical experiences you will ever have – It really was the most memorable set from the whole festival for me. VIP after VIP, Pull Up after Pull Up – was like nothing else.
Was gonna be a hard act to follow but luckily it’s was New Zealand’s own Electric Wire Hustle up next. With band members David Taay, Myele Manzanza and enigmatic front-man Mara TK all being past participants of the Red Bull Academy – it’s like the kiwi Academy Allstars band. There’s so much love for them here it’s ridiculous, and I had the funny thing for the two days leading up to it where everytime I met someone new and mentioned I was from New Zealand – I’d get a whole series of “oh mann, I looveee Electric Wire Hustle!” in as many funky accents as I could imagine. The boys are midway through their European tour and had in fact only a day earlier been supporting De La Soul at a gig in France. Big things happening for them at the moment and to say they completely mesmerized the crowd was an understatement – they literally transplanted everyone to a different cosmos - and when ‘Experience’ dropped it was one of those other rave cliché spine tingling moments I was telling you about earlier. Shit made me feel proud man.
At this point – I had to shoot off from Sonar and head to a hotel a little while away to interview Magnetic Man. Which was cool and all but it meant that I missed out on Shagaaan Electro from South Africa who I’m still kicking myself to this second that I missed. Anyways. Skream, Benga and Artwork were good value, It was a sacrifice that was worth it
As I returned to Sonar by Day the mysterious / not so mysterious duo Tiger & Woods were in full swing – singed to Acdemy Team member Gerd Jansens Running Back label they’ve been attracting a lot of buzz in recent months all over the world – and even in New Zealand with ‘Gin Nation’ being a stunner. To my surpise one of the members was an all friend and their set fired like nothing else – everyone in that Dome area was on the vibe – was the perfect way to close the Dome and a perfect way to end Sonar By Day for me.
By this stage I was sweaty, smelly and starting to not make much sense. I needed a rest before the mammoth night that awaited me.
Except that didn’t happen – Joined a bunch of raving Brits at an apartment pre-party, headed to Sonar By Night by Bus (which is an experience I tell you). Got to the event, realised I left my phone at the random apartment, taxi-ed back and then bused back in. Nice loss of a few hours there Nick – what a munter.
Okay, so finally inside – did I tell you how big this place was? Oh yes I did. Shit this place is big
One group that I’ve been all about for the last few years now is Buraka Som Sistema. From Portugal and with main production duties handled by another former Red Bull alumnus – J-Wow. Buraka take the Angolan style of Kuduro and give it a heavy electro styled kick in the pants (not that it needs much in the first place being one of the most energetic club styles you’ll ever hear!). Their live show is incredible and you can tell that Sonar is almost like their home turf. Their biggest hit ‘Kalemba’ was a number one hit both here and in Portugal so that says something and when they played it, it was like the Sonar Pub erupted. Proper volcano business – If I was to do a ‘top moment in a single tune’ it was that right there.
Wander time - Gaslamp Killer is smashing it. And that’s just with his mop of hair. His performance (cause it is with him – not just a dude playing tunes yknow) sets the stage nicely for one of the headline acts this evening - Magnetic Man. It’s amazing to see just how far Skream and Benga have pushed dubstep into the mainstream without compromising on their ideals at all. To think that the same guy who only 7 years back was riding an underground wave of success over the crossover ‘Midnight Request Line’ is now alongside (a similiarly scenario’ed) Benga and Artwork and are now one of the biggest acts in global dance music right now – repping the right side of a genre that has come a long, long way from Croydon and the Big Apple Record store. Their lighting rig is pretty impressive I gotta say and aside from some sound issues. It was good times. Good to know that New Zealand is going to be getting a taste of this show in a few months time.
From there it was back to the Sonar Lab to set up shop for the closing throwdown – Jackmaster and his Numbers label have been unstoppable the last year or so and it really felt like it was culminating with this showcase. Deadboy was rocking it. Much to security’s disgust the raving crew onstage was giving it just as much go as the 12,000 in attendance. All capped up by an epic set from another RBMA participant – Jackmaster himself. Really gotta be one of my favourite DJ’s in the world right now. I’d love to tell you in more detail what he played but seriously after the three days my trainspotting skills were a bit below par. I know that when he dropped this I hopped and hollered like a man possessed and when he dropped recent Numbers release and contender for tune of the year – Jamie XX’s ‘Far Nearer’ it was rave cliché spine tingling moment number three. To top it all off Jessie Ware got up and sung some songs and one things for sure she’s a girl that we’re gonna be hearing a lot more about in the future. Incredible lungs and incredible charisma she was so so like a London version of Tyra Hammond. In keeping with the awards theme – was definitely the best ‘DJ set’ of Sonar for sure.
I needed sleep. Bad. And after a quick nip in to Sonar Car to find Night Slugs dj’ing to mad ravers on Dodgems. I gave it one last big fish, little fish, cardboard box and that was me.
All in all, the experience was like being 16 again and going to a proper f*ck off Warehouse Rave. Stumbling across sounds and genres for the first time, making friends, losing friends, even losing ones self. It’s a festival like no other. As everyone stays in hotels in the city and with all the pandemonium and side parties that the city offers, you can get grimy and give it a good nudge, but at least the shower is just within rolling distance. For me, it was the best musical experience I’d had in a long time – and I’I’m already eyeing up accommodation for next year. And I suggest you do too.
If only “Pull Uppppp!!!”’s worked on life too. sigh
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