Kraftwerk headline 20th Sonar Festival

The long running Sonar festival has announced the first names to appear on the 2013 billing, with Kraftwerk called upon to celebrate the annual event’s landmark 20th edition.

There are few acts in electronic music more illustrious than Kraftwerk, and the German outfit will be showcasing a new 3D audio-visual show at Sonar Club that promises to present their greatest hits in a unique and updated fashion. Alongside them, British synthpop titans Pet Shop Boys mark a welcome return to Barcelona, having made their Sonar festival debut back in 2002, and the press release states that Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe will also be unveiling a new show featuring “featuring visuals and technological content” – expect it to include a mixture of classics and their recent LP Elysium.

Dominic Fernow’s militaristic industrial techno project Vatican Shadow makes for interesting billing alongside the perma tanned happy house Hot Natured collective, while the festival organisers have persuaded Todd Terje and Lindstrom to team up for a special collaboration of luminous Scandolearic disco. The inclusion of Northern Irish Kitsune staples Two Door Cinema Club demonstrates Sonar’s penchant for curveball inclusions, while Fantastic Mr Fox is the first of probably numerous artists that fall under the loose Bass Music banner to be announced. Barcelona-based instrumental group Bradien and poet Eduard Escoffet are the first Spanish artists announced and will apparently present a live performance of their new album Pols.

Sonar runs from June 13 -15 in Barcelona – further information and tickets can be found here. A typically bizarre preview of Sonar 2013’s artwork can be viewed below.