Sonar Fest Recap: Does It Have Lasting Power?
By Jake Guidry in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 13, 2010 7:30PM
Chicago's hefty music festival season came to a close this weekend, and much differently than how it started. Sonar, the international festival dedicated to experimental and electronic music, took place September 9-11 and had a much different feel than its summer counterparts. There were no neon-clad kids tripping balls, no excessively priced beers--no excessively priced tickets, for that matter. Instead, Sonar was a three-day event with an air of sophistication--an artsy feel. When Sonar was first announced there was excitement about the potential for an annual festival celebrating music that essentially has no place at any other festival in the city. While electronic dance music has been embraced by Lollapalooza and the newly-formed North Coast, there are no traces of IDM or ambient to be seen. An understandable phenomenon, to be sure, but the prospect of Sonar coming and staying considerably increases the chances for different types of electronic music to grow locally. So, after its first year in Chicago, can we expect a long-standing, successful annual event?
The verdict is still very much out. Sonar Chicago, understandably, lacked a big-name bill compared to its sister festival in Barcelona. That bill featured LCD Soundsystem, The Chemical Brothers, Air and a slew of underground acts that are highly revered in their respective scenes. Chicago's version had arguably no big-name talent and only some of that underground feel. Thursday's Pritzker Pavillion shows featured Martyn, Jimmy Edgar and The Slew ft. Kid Koala, good electronic acts that work well in a festival context. Smart Bar's "Sonar Club Nights" were a hit as well and featured premier international talent including Appleblim. However, the main location for Sonar's events was Chicago Cultural Center, and its lineup was, to a high degree, alienating. Chock-full of ambient and "noisetronica", most acts that played CCC were--at the risk of seeming unsophisticated or too dim for the music--pretentious. With the notable exception of Nosaj Thing, most acts were hour-long listening sessions, and we were constantly left waiting for a hint of rhythm or the slightest drum pattern. While acts such as Oval and Ben Frost more than deserve spots on the Sonar lineup, we wondered why there was so much of this type of sound. Instead of being complimentary acts that could serve as invitations into discovering avant garde sounds, these acts were the headliners, the supposed draw.
Again, we should reiterate that Sonar did a fine job in regards to its Pritzker and Smart Bar shows. And, again, the acts featured at CCC were worthy of playing the festival and should most definitely be seen and heard as forward-thinkers in experimental music. However, if this festival is going to survive here, we need some punch--not listening sessions, but concerts.