eurotrip diary: barcelona!

Our weekend trip to Barcelona was dominated by Sonar, an annual festival almost exclusively dedicated to electronic music. In three enormous, air hangar-like stadiums — one filled with what must have been about 10,000 people — we were treated to the sounds of MIA (the herky-jerky “Galang” was a highlight), Dizzee Rascal (just as “Bonkers” as I’d hoped for), Boys Noize (who made us dance dance dance), A-Trak (whose energetic set was one long build up towards… “Barbra Streisand“) and Die Antwoord, an art-rap trio from South Africa whose performance climaxed with the unfurling of a huge, penis-shaped balloon. It was the second time I’d seen Die Antwoord live and they were even more bizarre — and unnervingly compelling — this time around.

My favourite performer of the night, however, was Japanese-American DJ Steve Aoki, who’s perfected a brand of searing electro-house that can best be described as head-ache-inducing — and I mean that as a compliment. From the preposterous “Turbulence” to the menacing “Warp” to a clutch of brand new and typically energetic tracks, Aoki sent an electric shock through the crowd for a good 45 minutes. Unlike many DJs, Aoki is a consummate live performer, singing, screaming, jumping around, throwing his shoulder-length black hair back and forth and repeatedly dousing the crowd in expensive alcohol. At one point he even got one of his entourage to crowd-surf in an inflatable plastic dinghy (!?). Aoki’s music ain’t deep and it ain’t too complicated, but if you’re looking for escapist dance-floor mayhem, it’s pretty hard to beat.