Five Artists You'll Do Nearly Anything to Catch at Sonar 2016

In just a few weeks time, pretty much anyone and everyone with decent taste will descend upon Barcelona for three days of musical madness that'll have the audience doing anything to not go back to Solihull, Sligo, or Saxmundham. That's right folks, it's Sonar time again! Playing host to everyone from Acid Arab to Yung Lean, the line up's as diverse as you'd expect from a festival known worldwide for it's forward thinking approach to programming.

The thing about Sonar, though, is that there are so many great acts playing the festival itself and the Off-Sonar parties too, that it's hard to know who you need to prioritise. We've decided to make your life that little bit easier by putting together this incredibly handy guide to the five acts you'll do nearly anything to catch at Sonar 2016.

A few years back we stumbled across Ghanaian genius Ata Kak and were bowled over by his brilliance. We say "stumbled across" but what we actually mean is that we looked at Awesome Tapes from Africa and downloaded the rip of Obaa Sima, but hey, we were all young and wild back then and blogs still existed and flats only cost a fiver a month and pints were free. Even now, we're still enamoured with Kak's frantic, frenetic and ludicrously fun take on a singular blending of Ghanaian highlife and the boombox-stutter of early hip-hop. Which is why we cannot wait to see the man himself live in a few weeks time.

Take selfie-loving DJ extraordinaire Move D and combine him with Juju & Jordash and you've either got a terrifying David Cronenberg movie about alienation, identity, and genital transplants, or a really great improvisatory trio called Magic Mountain High. Luckily everyone going to Sonar gets to check out the latter rather than the former. The trio's sleek and swirling take on live techno is a thing of rare beauty. Weirdly, the bloke who used to cut our hair called pretty much everything a thing of rare beauty. Mars Bars, bollards, the smell of chip fat wafting down the promenade of a seaside town on the East Anglian coast out of season. Strange bloke, but the haircut's were decent.

Sonar isn't only about 4/4 kickdrums and skittering, rushing hi-hats. For those looking for a bit of relief from the house and techno, why not treat yourself to spending a bit of time with one of the most exciting MCs in the UK? It'll be like adding a spoonful of potato salad to a paper plate that's nearly collapsing with the sheer weight of barbecued meat you've placed atop it: total refreshment.

Soichi Terada looks like he's the happiest man in the world, doesn't he? Even happier than a millionaire who gets to sleep on one of those fancy memoryfoam matressess and drives a really fast car. That's how happy he looks. And wouldn't you, if you made rooftop party friendly house music this good? Bet you would. You'd never stop grinning. Ever.

Last week Toxe released a manically intense Slipknot remix. For that very reason you need to see her at Sonar because no one else playing at Sonar this year released a manically intense Slipknot remix last week.

Sonar takes place between the 16-19th of June. Head here for all the information you need.