Sónar Hong Kong organisers on experimental line-up, exploding local electronic music scene and their love of Science Park venue
Featuring performers from Squarepusher and Floating Points to Mouse on the Keys and Ms Banks, this year’s Sónar Hong Kong line-up explores the boundaries of electronic dance music more than the 2017 edition
Anyone who thinks that electronic music all sounds the same really should take a trip to Hong Kong Science Park on March 17. There they will find just about the most diverse collection of electronic artists on the planet, at the second Hong Kong edition of the Sónar music festival.
A total of 41 acts will appear across three indoor and two outdoor stages – 11 of them for the first time in Hong Kong – in a line-up more keen to explore the boundaries of electronic music than last year’s.
After making their debut at Sónar 2017, Hong Kong band Blood Wine or Honey are ready for the next stage
Live bands such as Japanese post-rockers Mouse on the Keys and British post-dubstep experimentalists Mount Kimbie will be rubbing shoulders with headline DJs such as dreamy, jazz-influenced electronic composer Floating Points (whose music you can’t easily dance to) and genre-defying mad breakbeat scientist Squarepusher (who if you tried to dance to his mangled musical thought experiments, you’d probably injure yourself).
There is also a more traditional party to be had with the likes of US house DJ The Black Madonna, Laurent Garnier – who has been DJing and producing for the entire lifespan of house and techno – plus rising grime star Ms Banks.
Other international acts include Laurel Halo, Tzusing, DJ Heidi, Keys N Krates, Mala, Sevdaliza and Jacques, while local talent includes Fotan Laiki, Tedman Lee, Basil Tam, Sunsiaré, Enso, K-melo, Re:Flex and the Silk Road Sounds Experience. That’s in addition to the Sónar+D creative technology exhibition that runs alongside it all.
“It’s a very Sónar line-up,” says Mike Hill, CEO of Magnetic Asia, Sónar’s local partner in the event and also the company behind Clockenflap. “It’s really well balanced, with two bands like Mouse on the Keys and Mount Kimbie, and then you’ve got Ms Banks. And that epitomises Sónar. It’s the only opportunity you’re going to get globally to experience all those types of electronic music in one venue.”