Review: OFF Sonar Barcelona

Image: FACT

Relatively cheaper than the neighbouring Ibiza, Barcelona is a music mecca during the summer months and each year Sonar and OFF Sonar attracts thousands of like-minded party veterans to the city.

The biggest and best clubs and promoters fight for your attention, debuting an impressive collection of events, parties and one-off showcases. Checking your potential party calendar for OFF Sonar is a bit like being a fat kid in a sweet shop, there’s so much choice that you simply have no option other than to cram everything in and bear the stomach cramps later.

First on our agenda was the Mobilee day and night party as part of the FACT Music Pool Series on Thursday 18th June. Favourites on the bill were Anja Schneider (listen below), Rodriguez Jr and Dennis Ferrer who kept us moving until it turned dark.

Anja Schneider - Live @ Sonar 2015 (Barcelona) - 18-06-2015 by Mixing.Dj Livesets on Mixcloud

At the bar, €12 could get you a ‘long drink’, which was generally a glass full of spirit and a splash of mixer. Maybe an ice cube or two if you were lucky. Most venues ran on a token system, meaning you had to queue for quite a while for the sake of a bevy; but the sun was out and you were generally too distracted by the music to complain about waiting.

The 2000 capacity venue was brimming, with an impressive pool layout inviting guests to fling their limbs aboutin a half­-swimming ­half­-drowning motion. Whether or not people were actually allowed in the pool is another story, but plenty of people didn’t mind chucking themselves in amidst screams from security guards.

It was a haven where you didn't get shouted at for walking around topless, and just about anything goes. The party was great, it was just a shame the sun didn't stay out for longer.

Towards the end of the night, the smaller stage and grass area where closed off, confining the crowd to the main stage which in turn felt a little claustrophobic considering the amount of people there. The event was definitely better suited to the daytime, starting at 2pm where everyone is barely awake but ready to dance. As 5am approached, tan lines and burns were showing and it was a little difficult to two step over squashed plastic cups.

On the Friday we emerged from the apartment and ate the compulsory 'one KFC every two days' diet we thought we had left in Ibiza. Forcing ourselves to wake up wasn’t a problem as Plaza Mayor (below) promised an IR presents FRRC showcase with Ricardo Villalobos, Mathew Jonson and Sonja Moonear.

What could be more fitting than a techno binge at a 1920s Spanish village brimming with artisan architecture? The 5000 capacity venue was stunning and created a sense of nostalgia towards our past sessions at Liverpool’s Bombed Out Church, this time swapping Scousers for Mancs and leary Italian men.

Flittering between bars, beats and bevvies; the execution of the event was incredibly overwhelming. Villalobos was faultless as per and made the trip completely worthwhile.

We left at a modest 12pm to catch a taxi and tunnelled straight to Pacha. Unfortunately as we got there barely an hour after it opened, we were turned away and told they were over capacity. We found ourselves in the nearby Sotavento club on the beach which made up for a wasted journey. 

We've still got a lot of clubs to tick off our to-do list and three nights this year certainly wasn’t enough (the first night was a write­-off), but no doubt we'll be back for an extended blowout next time.

In need of your next music fix abroad? Check out our foreign festivals.