Show Reviews: Sonar

To start, I was massively underwhelmed by the concert as whole. I consider myself a big fan of Techno but all of the performances I saw did not capture my enthusiasm. I arrived halfway through Paul Kalkbrenner and was greeted by a thunderous bass, most likely used to overcompensate for the lack of energy in the crowd. He was very energetic himself, but didn't really get the crowd moving very much. Granted, techno crowds are usually more mellow than other sub-genres of EDM, nevertheless I felt the energy was sub-par. After an extended and very frustrating set change of over 20 minutes, Die Antwoord took the stage. Their pounding beats infused with African tribal overtones were fantastic, and I really enjoyed their set. Yo-Landi and Ninja each had more "swag" than most rappers I've ever seen. Even though barely a word of each song is intelligible, I still found myself nodding my head to the beat. This group is extremely unconventional between their look, vocals, and backgrounds, and the experience was overwhelming at times. But, adjusting to their style was a pleasurable experience. Azari & III took the stage next after another prolonged set change, and their combination of Techno and vocals was interesting, but not as enthralling as I would have liked. I left soon after they took the stage as it was getting late.

--Ian, Hecht's House