Absence of headliners at Sónar's farewell

Sónar concluded its most complicated edition yet early Sunday morning with an evening that couldn't be described as memorable, especially compared to previous editions. The current lack of headliners contrasts with the luxuries to which we were once accustomed. Offhand, some names that have graced the Fira venue in the past come to mind: Björk, Massive Attack, Lana del Rey, Roxy Music, Devo, Nile Rodgers' Chic, and The Chemical Brothers.

This time, we had to settle for Nathy Peluso, who demonstrated his growing popularity by first performing on the main stage and then presenting his remix album, "Club Grasa." He did so to a packed SonarCar. The anticipation was worth it, as he performed alongside Chris Collins and Afri K, both resident DJs at Madrid's Zsongo Club, famous for promoting Afrobeats. Surrounded by an audience, they worked tirelessly to deliver a comforting and crazy freestyle session, dominated by the rhythms of amapiano, favela funk, and Afro

house, which featured an MC, a percussionist, and improvised dancers, including Nathy herself, who had a blast perreando and singing the rhymes of "Menina." It was chaotic, but that, far from detracting from it, served to demonstrate her feeling while improvising. They were so excited that they had to stop because it was Madrid's turn to nusar3000, a mysterious guy—with a resume linking him to Rosalía, Judeline, and Nathy Peluso herself—who performed masked. For the occasion, he appeared in a quartet formation: him, firing off beats, a rapper, keyboardist, and darbuka. All to make it clear that he's someone who has broken the mold of national club music and that his sound can incorporate drum 'n' bass, hip hop, and Maghrebi rhythms.

Presence of female DJs, such as Chilean Paula Tape or German Annegret Fiedler

The "French touch" of the duo Polo & Pan, made up of keyboardists and singers Paul Armand Delilley and Alexandre Grynszpan, left a very good taste in the mouth with their kitsch retro-futurism. Starting with an original light-up mixer, they incorporated keyboards and other buttons that they used to create a sound full of synthetic swells, chic house rhythms, and nods to chanson; especially when they were joined by singer and actress Victoria Lafaurie, very effective on "Nenuphar" with verses in Spanish or on the lounge and airy "Canopée." When they were the ones singing, as in "Nanã," things worked just as well, balancing the silky pop and the danceable accent. They closed with the acclaimed single "Ani Kuni," with a sound somewhere between western, space, and house, and visuals, very much in keeping with the music throughout the concert, of garish and naive colors.

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Female DJs were also present, such as Chilean Paula Tape and German Annegret Fiedler, stage name Perel, who is also a singer in addition to being a DJ. She alternated between the two in an effective set that recalled both her underground past in the Berlin club scene and the vintage new wave of Lene Lovich and other post-punk divas. British DJ Emerald, on the other hand, was no match for Swedish DJ Eric Prydz on the main dance floor, who packed the venue with an audience ecstatic with each of his constant highs, celebrating them with the screams of those experiencing them as a true ecstasy of pleasure. And without a moment of respite, the bass drums thundered between darker sequences, like the heartbeat of an abyssal organism, in what became a true techno coven. Another rhythmic catharsis, not without experimentation, was provided by the renowned American producer Skrillex and his British colleague Blawan. With brutal volume, they demonstrated that it's possible to be commercial without losing their adventurous side. They performed on the SonarPub's open-air dance floor, which was packed to the rafters. We complained at the beginning about the lack of headliners, but given the large audience on Saturday night, it's clear that Sónar doesn't need them; it's a brand that, despite any setbacks, continues to thrive.