Monday mornings are bad enough, but with Barcelona’s sunny Sónar festival fresh in our memory and the rainy British summer in full swing, this one is particularly painful. Still, what a week it was – pointblank had the pleasure of hosting not one but two masterclasses at the famed Sónar+D, the educational, technological and creative arm of the famous Spanish festival. Read our Sónar 2016 wrap up below and make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel to catch the masterclasses in full.
The Stage+D was set for our masterclass with Richie Hawtin and deconstruction with Ski Oakenfull later that day
We started our Sónar adventure on Friday as we made our way to the Sónar+D area. The main Stage+D was surrounded by smaller booths with everything from quirky synths and DIY music projects to Richie Hawtin’s Model 1 mixer all on display for the intrigued festival goers to play with.
Sónar+D was full of workshops, booths and talks around music technology, education and creativity
PLAYdifferently Model 1 product specialist Alex Zinn proudly presents the intuitive mixer
After some fascinating talks from the likes of CDM’s Peter Kirn and a killer live performance from KiNK using the new Pioneer nxs2 range and TORAIZ SP-16 sampler, it was time for us to take the stage with Richie Hawtin to discuss his Model 1 mixer and PLAYdifferently movement.
It was a great talk, full of info on Richie’s approach to performance, how the mixer itself works as well as an exclusive live performance. Make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel to see the full masterclass, coming soon.
Next up was PB lead course developer and instructor Ski Oakenfull who tackled New Order’s classic ‘Blue Monday’ with one of his world-famous deconstructions. It was a pleasure to close the whole Stage+D area and Ski did not disappoint, offering plenty of insight into what you can learn on our courses, as well as the inspirations, notes and chords behind the famous track.
PB’s Ski Oakenfull shows what influences went into New Order’s classic Blue Monday, including this Kraftwerk sample
Next it was time for a well-deserved game of futbol in Sónar VIP area before catching Running Back boss and feel-good party-starter Gerd Janson at the RBMA stage. Once the By Day activities had ended, it was time to take the trip to By Night for a solid lineup of electronic music heavyweights including Kode9, Flume, Kerri Chandler, Four Tet and Mano Le Tough.
(Probably) the world’s largest foosball table
Kerri Chandler takes to the RA stage at SONAR By Night
There was just enough time to catch some of the Spanish sun before heading back to London. Once again Sónar has proven itself to be one of the most forward-thinking electronic music festivals on the planet. Not just because of its lineup of acts – Sónar+D is equally as progressive, providing inspirational and insightful talks and workshops with industry leading representatives like pointblank. See you next year, Sónar!
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