There is no La Mercè festival without pyrotechnics and there is no advanced music in Barcelona without Sónar. And when the two things come together, the explosion can only be spectacular. Rosalía, Bad Bunny, Bad Gyal, Maria Arnal, Daft Punk, Björk, The Chemical Brothers, Chic and New Order are just some of the protagonists who will provide the soundtrack to the fireworks that mark the end of Barcelona's four day festa major or annual street festival, on September 25th. The occasion is that the legendary music fest is winding up its 30th anniversary celebrations by creating a soundtrack for the Pyromusical of La Mercè 2023, which will review in 30 minutes the sounds that have provided its essence during these three decades. In addition, the Pyromusical will also pay a small but significant homage to the recently deceased Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, adding a special touch to the celebration.
Thus, the audience will experience an exciting musical journey through more than 50 songs, some of the greatest hits in the history of Sónar from many of the outstanding and diverse artists who have performed at the festival since 1994. The long list of tunes that will be heard as the fireworks light up the sky also includes hits from artists such as Desert, Kraftwerk, Nathy Peluso and Grace Jones. The menu will be completed with references from disco, house and techno such as Todd Terje, Laurent Garnier, Miss Kittin and Jeff Mills. The mix is signed by Sónar in collaboration with Phran, producer and regular DJ of the festival.
As alway, the Pyromusical, set in Avinguda Maria Cristina and in the skies above Montjuïc, provides the final blast to the long weekend of La Mercè (22nd-25th September). This year's pyrotechnical and musical spectacular, organized by Barcelona city council through the Institut de Cultura, will comprise a world tour of experimental sounds and voices and rhythms from the five continents. It will be an intercultural journey starring a range of urban musical formats and a great party that will include the sound of great classics and the most legendary names in electronics. This extraordinary event will mark the end of a 2023 full of successes for Sónar, a year in which the festival that is a benchmark for the city has reached its 30th birthday. In fact, the festival has this year received the Sant Jordi Cross, Catalonia's highest honour, for its contribution and determined commitment to the electronic music scene and contemporary multimedia art in Barcelona.
All set for a 31st edition of Sónar
Sónar 2024 will be held on June 13th, 14th and 15th, again at Fira Montjuïc (Sónar by Day) and Fira Gran Via (Sónar by Night). General tickets sale will open from Tuesday 26th September - just the day after the Pyromusical. However, none of the artists included in the programme have yet been announced. In the last edition, marked by names such as Aphex Twin, Richie Hawtin, The Blessed Madonna, Amelie Lens and Bad Gyal, the electronic festival gathered more than 120,000 attendees from all over the world in three days and two nights.