On March 30th, Barcelona’s historical Poble Espanyol became the epicenter of electronic music, even disrupting the noise from the ongoing Miami Music Week, as Innervisions celebrated its 20th anniversary together with Brunch Electronik.

Photo Credit: Brunch Electronik Barcelona – Official 

After a month of relentless rain, the city was finally graced with its first proper spring day, setting a perfect scene for the festivities and the excitement of the ravers was palpable. The event’s innovative stage design featured a circular platform placed at the center of the dance floor, fostering a more intimate connection between the artists and the audience.

The Berlin-based brand has grown into one of the world’s most respected labels within its genre over the past two decades by carefully selecting and releasing just the right amount of high-quality music each year. Founded in 2005 by German DJs and producers Dixon (Steffen Berkhahn) and Âme (Kristian Beyer & Frank Wiedemann), the imprint has been the provider of iconic tracks such as Âme’s ‘Rej’ (2005), Henrik Schwarz’s ‘Walk Music’ (2006), and Frankey & Sandrino’s masterpiece ‘Acamar’ (2015) to more recent bangers like Jimi Jules’ ‘My City’s On Fire’ (2022), and Trikk’s ‘Rigor’ (2024), to name a few.

The lineup showcased an interesting mix consisting of the old guard and emerging talents, starting with Innervision’s latest protégé, Julya Karma, who was on opening duties and quickly filled the dance floor with her deep groove that allowed for the next act to kick it up several gears.
Âme (Kristian) b2b Trikk was without a doubt one of the highlights of the afternoon, and the German and the Portuguese artists took the crowd on a skillful and delicate journey. The crowd got to enjoy some of the label’s biggest hits throughout the years mixed with several, still to be released, ID’s which the die-hard “Innervisionaires” already knew by heart. By the time Trikk’s ‘Rigor’ and ‘Raiva’ dropped, the party was officially in full swing.

Next up was the turn of South African powerhouse DESIREE, who elegantly stayed within the Innervisions soundscape, adapting her style while maintaining her signature Afro-infused essence. Her track selection brought an infectious energy, which, from start to finish, felt both fresh and true to her roots, proving her talent and versatility as an artist. Another highlight of the early evening was when Âme surprised DESIREE on stage with a cake, in celebration of her birthday the day before the event, to the tunes of fellow South African producer Caiiro’s ‘Batumi’.

And when the sun finally set on Poble Espanyol, it was time for Dixon and Jimi Jules to take the stage in yet another one of their popular b2b’s and the expectations were high. The round Innervisions sign in neon letters in combination with light strips hanging from the ceiling provided a perfectly mystical and slightly industrial feeling inside the see-through tent, which accompanied the music of the Swiss and the German perfectly.

The track list included a variety of unreleased tracks both from Jule’s upcoming album, such as ‘Trippy Yeah’ and the soulful ‘Don’t Break My Heart’, as well as Trixon’s ‘Work’ and the vibe-packed ‘Let’s Go’ which had us all trying to sing along to the funky lyrics. The duo also showcased other producers such as Samer Soltan and Agoria, whose classic ‘Scala’ created a proper goosebump moment. But the most hyped track of the night was without a doubt, Âme & Trikk’s unreleased ‘Birls & Goys’ together with singer-songwriter Jens Kuross, played at the exact peak-time of the closing set and having the crowd chanting “Don’t waste my time” in unison.
The closing track of choice, to perfectly wrap up a fantastic afternoon and evening, was another Jimi Jules’ production – the quirky ‘Whisper To Me’, which is also expected to be released on his upcoming album.

The brave souls who still had some energy left in them quickly moved next door to the Input Barcelona venue where the official afterparty Outro had already started at the hands of the Mexican up-and-coming artist Nuup who skillfully took on the task of maintaining the energy until the official b3b of the night, consisting of Trikk, Jimi Jules and Julya Karma, arrived after a well deserved break. The three continued the party in a playful, relaxed, and fun manner until the early morning hours and were also accompanied by Dixon for a few tracks at some point during the night to the public’s surprise.

Parisian artist Na’sayah took over for a final closing set with the occasional appearance of a still motivated Jimi Jules. It was truly a celebration worthy of the first twenty years of Innervisions, and we can’t wait for the next twenty to come.

The Solomun +1 Sundays in Pacha Ibiza is, without a doubt, one of the island’s most iconic parties, ever since it started back in 2013, and it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. This year his residency spans across 16 Sundays with different headliners for each week, except for three dates, starring only the main character himself in an ‘All Night Long’ format.

Recently it was time for one of the most anticipated dates of this season – the night when Dixon would be his special guest, and the expectations for the two heavyweights were high. As per tradition, the guest of the night was in charge of opening the party and as the club quickly started to fill up with people there wasn’t much holding back from the Innervsions boss side. The first few tracks had a touch more of a percussive vibe compared to his usual sound but as the crowd got heated, so did the music.

With tracks like Cipy’s ‘Let’s Try Different’ the German had the crowd where he wanted it and from there he maintained a steady pace full of groove, leaving space for the host to take things to the next level when the time came.

Solomun’s arrival in the booth came with a slight vibe change from the Innervisionesque groove to more of a four-to-the-floor drive without losing the attention of the crowd for even a second. The Diynamic label boss kept his set a lot more on the tech-side of the melodic spectrum with higher BPMs and hypnotic basslines as was to be expected. With Dope Demeanor’s banger ‘How About Your Crew’ he had the entire club bouncing along to the catchy vocals and we still had the main course of the night ahead of us.

Despite the high expectations of the final back-to-back, it did not disappoint. The two veterans met in a skillful symbiosis, respecting each other’s sound without playing it safe and risking the set getting a bit plain. They kept us dancers on edge, having us trying to figure out their next move which we generally (and happily) failed to do. Between tequila shots and cheeky dances with the people in the booth, the two exchanged occasional comments and little nods of approval at the other’s latest track selection.

It was clear that they both had saved the goodies until the end as they served us a never-ending buffet of unreleased tracks and their bigger label hits by artists such as Yet More, Aera, Ede, Whitesquare, among others. And when Dixon, a few tracks before the very end, had the whole club chanting “No time, no time for complications” with Ame’s, yet to be released, ‘Shadow Of Love’ cut, it was clear that the night was yet another success.

Barcelona did once more turn into the world’s epicenter of electronic music with the arrival of the 31st edition of the Sónar Festival and everything that comes along with the event. The city becomes one pulsating organism where everything revolves around the music which continues to play 24 hours a day in different locations all over town.

Photo Credit: Ariel  Martini / Nerea Coll /  Clara Orozco / Dani  Cantó

It was clear that the organizers had listened to the feedback of the attendees after last year’s heat wave in June, which created the feeling of being inside a greenhouse in the SónarVillage, and opened up the tent in several places for this edition in order to facilitate the circulation of air. This, in combination with much more pleasant temperatures this season and other organizational improvements, created a truly positive experience for the festival-goers.

But we’re not here to talk about shorter bar queues or free water stations. We’re here to dissect what truly matters – the music, the vibes, the performances – so let’s dive right in.

Thursday was the perfect day to get settled in, nice and easy with only the daytime schedule which was plenty, given that it was a school night. It offered both local artists, such as Barcelona’s own Meritxell de Soto with her deconstructed club sound and mesmerizing performances, as well as international guests like the incredibly talented ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U. The Japanese artist mixes just about any genre as naturally as breathing and the turnout for his set was, as expected, massive.

The SonarVillage closing came by the hand of the French rising star Folamour, who presented his new A/V show, bursting with his unique and joyful sound of house and disco mixed with afro rhythms, funk, and that special French touch.

The Friday lineup was “as Sónar as it gets” with both the day and night slots spanning across a wide variety of genres and subgenres which offers the crowd the chance of discovering talents they might have never heard of before. The daytime parties had a strong, urban presence through artists like Coco Em, a Nairobi-based DJ and producer, whose set made us dig along to tunes full of hip-hop, breakbeat, and dancehall influences.

Kenyan artist Kabeaushé, also known as simply “Shé”, brought the weirdness and energy we didn’t know we needed and pulled off a show dressed in a red velvet matador suit. His constant interactions with the crowd, making us sit down, divide into two camps, and jump around like maniacs, made the 40-minute live set fly by and leave us wanting more.

Other top performances on Friday afternoon and evening included Marie Davidson’s live set on the SonarPark stage where the Canadian musician presented her latest album which is said to be inspired by literature and comedy. There was also the half-Egyptian, half-Australian rising star moktar (yes, with a non-capital m) who closed the SonarVillage in style with his very personal club sound full of Arabic influences, which are a product of his many encounters with racism in his younger years.

But the main course of the day shift, and arguably the entire festival, was without a doubt Laurent Garnier’s sundowner set. It doesn’t matter how many times we’ve seen him play, or how deeply aware we are of his finesse and ease with which he moves seamlessly across genres, old classics, and unreleased gems – it’s equally jaw-droppingly impressive every single time. The Frenchman has been one of the staples of the festival since its very first edition in 1994 but there are whispers about this year being his last Sónar before retirement. Only time will tell but it was a noticeably emotional man who stepped out of the booth to receive the roar of appreciation from the crowd after the final tunes of his last track which, in itself, ripped our souls apart and left our vision slightly blurry.

The Friday night shift was packed to the brim with “must-sees” and fairly well-distributed shows which made it possible to continue with the eclectic mix of genres we brought with us from the daytime parties. Air played their debut album ‘Moon Safari,’  originally released in 1998, in front of a packed SonarClub and with an impressive stage design where the band members were placed in what looked like an old-school display window of sorts. It was the perfect starter to ensure a full house already from the beginning of the night and a much-needed breather to recharge the energies after the intense daytime shift.

The French band was directly followed by Jennifer Cardini b2b Haai who certainly didn’t hold back. The female powerhouses pulled off an unapologetic ripper of a techno set, often flirting with trance and acid influences, and oozing of good vibes between the two artists. It came accompanied by strong Pride messages and the new Progress Pride flag on the visual screens.

Meanwhile, on the brand new SonarLab x Printworks stage, a fresh b3b consisting of Eliza Rose, Dan Shake, and Sally C was taking place underneath the impressive 6x10m2 vertical screen which, in combination with the lights, served major vibes of the iconic London club. Back in the Sonar Club, the time had come for Ben Böhmer to take the stage, and while his characteristic, melodic, deep, and dreamy sound would likely have fit better before the techno ripper he still pulled it off admirably well.

The founders of house label Toy Tonics, Kapote and Sam Ruffillo, reigned on the SonarPub stage with a jam of their classic releases before the turn had come to the 2-time Grammy winner Kaytranada, one of the most awaited performances of the night. From here onwards it was pretty much full throttle until the end with headliner after headliner.

Adriatique played a darker and underground set without losing track of their melodic core. The duo was directly followed by another Sónar veteran, namely Richie Hawtin, who presented the European premiere of his new live show called DEX EFX X0X which aims to take the crowd back to the roots of clubbing, rather than focusing on massive screens and heavy visuals.

While SonarClub stayed on the darker beats until the end, closing with Polish artist VTSS and her characteristic hard dance sound mixing techno with acid, breakbeat, hardcore, and electro, the SonarPub stayed on a more groovy path with a double-serving of house vibes. Italian superstar – and a well-known Sónar face by now – DJ Tennis was back at the festival again, followed by the living house legend Danny Tenaglia, who wrapped up a truly remarkable second day.

The Saturday lineup was definitely not for the faint of heart, promising high-bpm counts and darker beats. The daytime offered a very Sónar-esque mix of new and old with techno veterans like Kittin and David Vunk right after the Estonian rapper TOMMY CASH and the galloping sensation horsegiirL. Her Eurodance performance dressed in a horse head mask opened up heated debates among the festival-goers with passionate advocates both pro and against this new phenomenon.

At night, Barcelona-based Raxon opened up the SonarClub with his own characteristic sound, making the home crowd bounce along to his latest banger ‘This Is The Way’, and setting the tone beautifully for what was coming on the main stage. A parade of techno, trance, acid, and everything in between presented by global stars like Charlotte De Witte, presenting her show ‘Overdrive,’, Marlon Hoffstadt aka DJ Daddy Trance, and Reinier Zonneveld (live).

Paul Kalkbrenner served up some goosebump moments with his classics ‘Sky and Sand’ and ‘Feed Your Head’, accompanied by the close-up visuals of his peculiar facial expressions and impressive mixer and the closing of the SonarClub came by the hands of Héctor Oaks and Partiboi69 with their heavyweight battle which was, unfortunately, interrupted on occasions due to the needle jumping from the vibrations in the booth.

For those looking for groovier sounds, there was still plenty to see on other stages, such as the SonarLab x Printworks where Sepehr and Cinthie, both playing live shows, went for more of an electro-house vibe mixed with nu-disco and acid influences. Another fun detour from the heavy electronic sound was California-born rapper Vince Staples who returned to Sónar with his personal and honest lyrics on the SonarPub stage.

The same stage also ended the night with a triple-serving of headliners. First up was the UK veteran artist Floating Points, performing before The Martinez Brothers, who seemed to have adapted their usual, playful sound to a slightly darker and clubbier sound.

But the most spectacular show of the night was, without a doubt, the reel-2-reel live set by house legend Kerri Chandler. The American brought his tape collection and a (specially designed for the occasion) rotary mixer, paying homage to the pioneers Frankie Knuckles and David Morales with this temperamental setup, which he has described as “juggling with knives”. It was nothing short of spectacular and truly a worthy closing of this year’s festival.

And with that, all we can do now is to wait for the 32nd edition of Sónar which will fall on the 12th to 15th of June 2025. For more info click here.

The Pacha pre-season parties are in full swing and with lineups worthy of the cherry seal of approval. The second weekend of May was no exception with Dixon and Jimi Jules all night long on the Saturday and an extended set by Adriatique on the Sunday.

Saturday was divided into three acts with Jimi Jules opening the night in his characteristically groovy style, leading the crowd down a melodic path that slowly but surely became darker and with a higher bpm count. Dixon was up next and, as tends to happen with him, his set was expectedly unexpected.

The Innervisions boss, with the raw and experimental Transmoderna, going b2b with Trikk in New York still fresh on everyone’s mind, taking the dancers on a completely different journey full of unreleased music, very often flirting with afro sounds which are always well-received on the island. Yet he skillfully managed to never stumble across the line and over to the commercial side of afro house, it was rather subtle influences woven into his own, darker electronic sound keeping it fresh and exciting.

When the time arrived for the main dish of the night, the awaited back-to-back, Dixon took things down a notch, allowing Jimi Jules to settle in behind the decks before they both went full steam ahead. From there it was an intricate and playful journey of ups and downs accompanied by endless tequila shots, jokes, and big smiles all around while tracks like the Adam Port’s remix of Cubicolor’s ‘No Dancers’ set the crowd on fire. The last half hours consisted of many unreleased tracks with a very clear Jules stamp on them, likely from his soon-to-be-released album, before Dixon ended the night with the latest hit by Trikk, the mighty ‘Rigor’.

The afro house influences were very much present on Sunday as well when Adriatique started their extended set after Pacha resident Angel Linde’s warmup. The Swiss duo started in a somewhat relaxed manner mixing their own melodic sound with a Keinemusik-esque undertone but went darker quickly.

Mita Gami’s edit of Moby’s ‘In This World’ had the whole club digging their heads to the powerful bassline and by the time they dropped their own hypnotic remix of ‘On My Knees’ by Rüfüs Du Sol, they had the entire club eating out of the palm of their hands.

While disco and funky house are expected to make a strong comeback this year, it’s also clear to see that the afro frenzy that has exploded on the island over the past few years thanks to artists like Black Coffee, Keinemusik, Pablo Fierro, and many others isn’t planning on going anywhere just yet.

The saga of Pacha  Ibiza continues so stay updated on its calendar for more musical adventures.

The Pacha group celebrated its 50th anniversary, commemorating the first time that its founder, Ricardo Urgell, opened the doors of the emblematic two cherries club in Ibiza. And, as to be expected, the celebration was big, including a group of very special guests led by Solomun and Marco Carola, who performed back-to-back for the first time ever.

Photo Credit:  Raul Sanchez / Adolf Comes

Divided into two acts, the party began in the early hours of the afternoon at Destino Pacha where Angel Linde and Willie Graff, two familiar faces of the house, were in charge of warming up the spirits with fresh electronic summer beats, suitable for the occasion.

When the sun had already begun to set,  it was the turn of Solomun and Marco Carola, who began a musical journey in two parts that would last until the early hours of the morning at Pacha Ibiza.

The Croatian and the Italian began their shared session calmly, but already with somewhat altered BPM’s paired with lots of groove, something that characterizes both of them. The atmosphere between the two was relaxed and friendly but without much communication at first. However, throughout the afternoon and when each one began to enter their comfort zone, the jokes and laughter between the two artists created an atmosphere worthy of the special celebration. Other familiar faces who came to share the milestone were Paco Osuna and Fisher, who fraternized with them until midnight.

Once the first round was over, which ended with much applause and euphoria from the public present, we headed to  Pacha Ibiza where we found Bedouin,  who carry their Saga residency every Wednesday at the venue. The duo took us on a journey with their characteristic sounds, fusions of the Middle East, vocals, and dark rhythms, which would be an appetizer for the continuation of the date.

Once the set of the  US-based duo was finished, Solomun and Marco Carola retook control of the venue, which was at its maximum capacity and with a diversity of lasers and light effects. For 4 hours they displayed their entire repertoire of powerful tracks, both, their own and remixes, and many that we couldn’t recognize, making the attendees dance intensely during the long-awaited session.

Pacha’s 50th anniversary was a date that will go down in the island’s history, not only for the organizers but also for the clubbers who gathered on this doubleheader. Our congratulations to the team that has led this club to be one of the most recognized dance entities worldwide, may the successes continue!