FINLAND NORWAY
LUOMO Thursday LARS HORNTVETH Friday
Sonar not only gives Luomo the oppor- Lars Horntveth stops DJmag before we even
tunity to play for an international audi- mention it. “I don’t think my music sounds
ence, but also wear clothes he probably like fjords and mountains,” states the Norwe-
wouldn’t. gian jazz composer. “But there is a lot of great
“It’s great to go back to Sonar,” says the music coming from Norway and it’s good that
Finn. “I remember playing there in a skirt a lot of our artists get appreciated outside the
once and going absolutely wild.” country.”
But then, Luomo’s music has always Many of whom have visited Lars’ home in
been dressed a little differently to most Oslo, as he has written and performed with
contemporary electronica, coming with a the likes of Motorpsycho, Kim Hiorthoy and
sensibility he describes as “a mix of club, his own band Jaga Jazzist, with whom he last
house and pop music with more song- appeared at Sonar in 2003.
orientated structures”. This year however he shares the stage with the Barcelona 216 classical ensemble
Now based in Berlin, Luomo’s third for a rendition of Lars’ recent ‘Kaleidoscopic’ album .
album ‘Convivial’ contains collaborations “I’ve played with Barcelona 216 before and they are fantastic,” he recalls. “The
with Robert Owens and Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears amongst others, and he hints music I make doesn’t really fi t into a classical music festival so Sonar is the perfect
that “there might be a surprise guest with me at Sonar”. arena for me because people there are into all types of music."
CONGO SYRIA
KONONO NO. 1 OMAR SOULEYMAN Friday
Friday In Syria, Omar Souleyman’s
Using just electrifi ed voice is as common a sound as
thumb pianos known Amy Winehouse’s over here. But
as likembes, Congolese whilst his music might not sound
band Konono No.1 cre- like ‘pop’ to Western ears, that’s
ate sounds equally as exactly what it is in the Middle
rhythmic, innovative and East; a combination of various
abstract as any producer Arabic folk instruments and ru-
armed with the latest dimentary electronics over which
software plug-ins. Souleyman sings his poetic lyrics.
“The thumb pianos sound A performer since 1994, Souley-
like distortion-ravaged rave sirens!” explains John Stevens of Crammed Discs, the man has built up his enormous
Belgian label that has released Konono No. 1’s music on their ‘Congotronics’ com- fanbase in the Middle East
pilation series. “People have likened them to Autechre, Lee Perry and a junkyard through ceaseless touring, and is now pricking up ears further afi eld after the
punk version of Underground Resistance — references which mean nothing to the Sublime Frequencies label released his ‘Highway To Hassake (Folk and Pop Sounds
band.” of Syria)’ LP, compiled from over 500 cassette albums Souleyman has recorded and
Formed 25 years ago, Konono No. 1 construct not just their likembes but also their previously available only at market stalls in Syria.
percussion, microphones and amplifi ers from scrap metal, recycling the traditional He’s also an icon to Western world music evangelists such as Damon Albarn and
African dance music bamboza into a contemporary worldwide groove. Radioclit, the latter of whom say: “Omar is a true hero of ours and a real inspira-
tion for the Radioclit sound. He rocks!”
ETHIOPIA SINGAPORE
MULATU ASTATKE Thursday SONICBRAT Saturday
Mulatu Astatke’s music might have sound- Having worked in the wings as a sound
tracked Bill Murray’s mid-life crisis in Jim designer for theatre performances in his
Jarmusch’s Broken Flowers, but as he native Singapore and beyond, Darren Ng
reaches his mid-’60s the Ethiopian jazz musi- will be taking centre stage when he ap-
cian couldn’t sound more content himself. pears in his Sonicbrat guise at Sonar.
He has started hanging around with people “Sonicbrat is my underground bedroom
half his age though, recently collaborating project where I explore the music I want
with London psychedelic beats band The to make and venture into experiments in
Heliocentrics on the ‘Inspiration Informa- sound,” he explains.
tion’ album, bringing them with him to “It’s an electro-acoustic ambient set
perform at Sonar. with live sampling and processing over
The godfather of ‘Ethio-jazz’, which Astatke live guitar looping.”
describes as “a fusion of traditional Ethio- His tenderly meditative soundscapes are
pian music with the ‘cool’ jazz of the 1950s” as quietly cerebral as the man himself,
and which can be heard on compilations such who says of his appearance at Sonar, “I
as ‘From New York City To Addis Abbaba’, want to do my country proud, but I’m
Astatke is relishing the opportunity to appear at Sonar, saying: “People think of not one to harp on about ‘representing’
Ethiopia as a country of hunger but we have a musical heritage stretching back it. Music has no boundaries and I’m just
many centuries.” excited to come and play for the crowd.”
www.djmag.com
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DJ474.sonar_day.indd 55 15/5/09 11:22:01
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