Marc Corominas |
Barcelona, (EFE).- The electronic music legend Aphex Twin has reigned this Friday on the first night of Sónar, where he has conquered the public with an indomitable and indefatigable exhibition in which he has reviewed his more than three decades of career.
The main stage of Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Vía venue has become a colossal ‘rave’ with the devilish sonic and visual bacchanalia of Aphex Twin, pseudonym of British producer Richard David James.
The DJ was last at Sónar 12 years ago, when the festival came of age, and now he has returned, after a four-year hiatus, with a new and overwhelming show to celebrate the event’s thirtieth birthday, and demonstrate that both retain the same vigor and energy as before.
Attendees have had to hurry so as not to miss the session of one of the main attractions of the festival, which was scheduling shortly after 10:00 p.m., and the nerves for not being late have been noticed in the access queues or the cloakrooms .
The expectation to see one of the fathers of modern electronic music, whose debut album “Selected Ambient Works 85-92” marked a before and after in the genre, was huge, as can be seen on the T-shirts of the attendees, mostly middle-aged.
minimalist boot
During about an hour and a half of the session, the public has been able to access the imagery, often indecipherable, of this legend, surrounded by myths and mysteries.
An enigma that has reflected with the staging. His figure could barely be seen, beyond his skull, entrenched with his equipment behind a kind of cage of led panels, with a huge light cube hanging over his head and escorted by two giant screens.
Beginning with more minimalist and ‘ambient’ sounds, the appearance on the screens of his iconic and disturbing demonic face, which was the cover of his album “… I Care Because You Do” and which some fans wore as a mask, has been the first spark that has ignited the spirits of the public.
visual display
Beyond the musical waste, the ‘show’ has had an impressive visual display, with dozens of spotlights and laser lights constantly cutting the environment, and a continuous battery of psychedelic images, all bounced off the two large disco balls that they hang above the track. Absolutely prohibited for anyone with a beginning of epilepsy.
The session has gone ‘in crescendo’, also offering samples of his more industrial sounds of drum’n’bass or more experimental and unclassifiable, showing that he is a master when it comes to exploring and going beyond the limits of electronics, which It has become a cult reference of the genre.
The final part has been pure inclement, with a rhythmic extravagance that has not let up and has set the bar completely high, just like the public’s spirits to face the rest of the long night that has left ahead.
The rhythmic frenzy of Aphex Twin has been counterpointed by the warmer and more lyrical sounds of Fever Ray, the solo project of the singer of alternative electro duo The Knife, Karin Dreijer Andersson.
After her, the night culminated with sessions by the Northern Irish duo Bicep, with their mosaic of house, techno or disco, or by the South Korean Peggy Gou, one of the DJs and stars of the moment.