SONAR LOVE

Goldfrapp's performance had a special vibe. She might not have the voice of Alison Moyet (who performed with Yazoo on Saturday) or the stage presence of Roísín Murphy (Friday) - but standing on stage barefooted with her airy frozen voice she's definitely made us fall in love with her. Though the collective seemed a bunch of future hippies without a mission from time to time, they managed to slowly put a spell on us. The uptempo songs were not as enchanting as the more downtempo stuff. Maybe Goldfrapp's biggest asset is lack of stardom. They focus on music - not on making show.

After Goldfrapp - the 'gipsy' family around Leila performed a chaotic but impressive set. You just keep wondering, "How does she generate those fat but crisp clear roaring sounds?" With various vocalists performing one after another Leila traveled from Earth to orbit and back several times. Did we love her? Yes - as well as her vocalist younger sister. Hailing from Iran they're not just different - they're damn special.

The next day we checked the various installations and the exhibition area. Nice atmosphere! After becoming Club Pacha VIP's for reasons not clear, we had some drinks before letting the rapper girls from Yo Majesty blow our minds. Energy. Energy. And more Energy. Enough Girl power to keep you moving for a lifetime! We definitely found the female factor here and fell in love once more.

Yo Majesty - "Kryptonite Pussy"
Live at Sonar 2008

We could use some seats afterwards, and went for "the future of music" discussion panel down in the attic to find "Mother of Dubstep" Mary Ann Hobs being part of it. She probably is one of the biggest female influencers of today's new music scene. Hosting her own show at BBC Radio she contributed a lot to where Dubstep stands today. The discussion wasn't that interesting, but her enthusiasm alone is reason enough to love her deeply. "Bands - shape your own future", she preached. "The success of Dubstep is proof that good music doesn't need the music industry." Those steppers are truly lucky to have her!

Planning to freshen up for Friday night we took the underground to our hotel. Surfacing from the nearest metro station we heard some pretty cool music. From where? From the sky! 'Diagonal' - a hotel close to ours - turned out to host a roof-top afternoon party by Mobilee. Something we just couldn't ignore. Wow! That made for some cool views. And girlzzzz.

Claude VonStroke plays the Mobilee Roof Party
Live at Sonar 2008

Sónar was very crowded Friday night. Too many people moving around restlessly created a somewhat chaotic atmosphere. We had to almost fight ourselves into place to properly see Justice. In search of the female factor, the big white flashing cross in front of their technology loaded booth reminded us of Madonna instantly.

Justice - "D.A.N.C.E."
Live at Sonar 2008

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