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#sonar2014 | Spain’s Most Prestigious Festival of Advanced Music & New Media Art Comes to Cape Town

one small seed — Wed, 28 May 2014 07:44:11 +0000

Sónar — Spain’s most prestigious International Festival of Advanced Music and New Media Art — is about to kick off in Barcelona. Taking place from 12-13 June, 2014’s line-up promises to live up to its ‘first class reputation as a leading reference for international festivals.’ Massive Attack, Caribou, Woodkid, Lykke Li, MØ as well as SA names such as Spoek Mathambo and Sibot will be entertaining some 121.000-odd festival goers. But better still, Seed Experiences is bringing Sónar to South Africa at the end of the year. More info below!

Sonar 2014 – Image: mixtopia.ro

Sónar Barcelona

Constantly on the pulse of the current electronic music landscape, the festival offers a wide variety of balanced cultural entertainment and is thus divided into two main locations: the recently premiered Sónar by Day, located in Fira Montjuïc with concerts, DJs and showcases. The recently added Sónar+D area — which is about discovering and tracking new talent and enhancing professional activities — will also be part of Sónar by Day. And, of course, there’s Sónar by Night in Fira Gran Via de L’Hospitalet where the main action will go down with some of the biggest names known to the international music scene. Click here to view the full line-up.

New: Sónar+D

Launched in 2013, Sónar+D aims to unite creativity, technology, mobility, innovation and business in a transparent and accessible manner. Through bringing together experts from all over the world, the event’s goal is to shape future creative experiences (technologists, entrepreneurs, artists, companies and researchers) in the area of music, image, interactive content, and transmedia platforms. There will be conferences, workshops, an exhibition featuring 80 projects in the MarketLab and AppCafé areas including demos and product presentations, a networking area as well as Sónar Cinema designed for performances.

Among the 100 companies present will be Kickstarter (USA), Fabrica (IT), the Design Fictions group from the prestigious MIT Media Lab (USA), Universal Everything (UK), Sedition (UK), CANADA (BCN) and littleBits (USA). But most importantly, Sónar+D exclusively presents the European premiere of ‘CLOUDS’ an interactive documentary that predicts the future of cinema for Oculus Rift, as well as the world premiere of cult instrument and music controller Oval, a digital alternative to Hang. Click here for more info on Sónar+D.

New: Sónar Cape Town

As Cape Town has recently acquired World Design Capital 2014 status, it seems suitable for the city to host their own version of Spain’s most prestigious arts and culture festival. Award-winning agency Seed Experiences will bring the festival to South Africa annually, with the inaugural event planned for 16 December 2014 at the iconic Good Hope Centre in Cape Town. With top electronic local acts and two international big names as headliners, the SA installment promises to be on par with its international counterparts in Barcelona, Tokyo, Reykjavik and Mexico. Follow Sónar Cape Town on Facebook for further updates.

Lykke-Li – Image: billboard.com

Massive Attack – Image: oncetv-ipn.net

Woodkid – Image: purplesneakers.com.au

Spoek Mathambo – Image: thestarvedblog.co.za

First Puma Select Store Opens in SA

one small seed — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 10:53:14 +0000

On 6 March 2014 PUMA opened its first PUMA SELECT pop-up store at 137 Bree Street, Cape Town. Igniting a creative spark for World Design Capital 2014, the spot was designed by 3D industrial designer Ben Wilson (Wilson Brothers) in collaboration with Adam Brinkworth of interior and architectural design agency Brinkworth. It will be open for a year and showcase PUMA‘s premium products, but what’s more, the shop will feature collaborations with top designers, creatives and influencers. For updates find PUMA on Facebook or follow @PUMASouthAfrica and #PUMASelectCT to join the conversation.

It isn’t about being ostentatious or showing off using lavish materials. We think it’s much more about honesty to materials and the craft, and lets the product speak for itself. – Adam Brinkworth

Image: PUMA

| Elektronik Dialogues | Bruce Willis??

one small seed — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:40:44 +0000

Tyron Kuypers, aka DJ Bruce Willis??, discusses the evolution of the electronic music scene in Cape Town. Since founding the popular Arcade event with Danna Gordon in 2006 to showcase a new electro music genre they were introduced to via the internet and from other musicians returning from overseas travels, Tyron’s style has come full circle back to his drum ‘n bass roots.

Since the bittersweet conclusion of the Arcade brand in 2010, which during its three year reign celebrated the marriage of electro with drum ‘n bass and focused on the party as an all-encompassing perceptual experience with ornate decorative themes, Tyron has moved on to some exciting new initiatives. Brick City is a platform he launched in 2009 with Graham Kennedy for up and coming artists to play live sets, and has propelled the careers of many successful Cape Town DJs.

Tyron dubs Cape Town as a creative universal hub, acknowledging tourism growth, the 2014 World Design Capital award, and the rise in social media and marketing as factors that have pushed the scene forward. When it comes to the rich development of local electronic music, we think Bruce Willis?? has earned himself a fair credit as well.