barcelonahhhhh

This is the Full Sonar Line up:

Pet Shop Boys (UK) // Yo La Tengo (USA) Tuxedomoon (USA) // Lamb (UK) // Radio Boy (UK) Anti-Pop Consortium (USA) S.I. Futures (UK) // Luomo (Fi) // Soul Designer (Be) Arto Lindsay (USA) // Layo & Bushwacka! (UK) Janek Schaefer (UK) // Yasunao Tone (Jp) Christian Marclay (USA) // Wagon Cookin' (E) Tito + Zbigniew Karkowski (E/Pol) // Pansonic + Peaches (Fin/Ger) Crossover (USA) // Axel Dörner + Agustí Fernández (E) // Balago (E) The Congosound (E) // Domestic (E) // Gcttcatt (At) Babel Agatha (E) // Oren Ambarchi (Aus) // Soul Center (Ger) Solo Los Solo (E) // Coloma (Ger)

DJ Sets

Jeff Mills (USA) // Carl Cox (UK) Richie Hawtin (USA) Arthur Baker (USA) Roger Sanchez (USA) // John Digweed (UK) Funk D'void (UK) // Oscar Mulero (E) // Alison Goldfrapp (UK) Mr. Scruff (UK) // Mr. Len (USA) // DJ Krush (Jp) Tiga (Can) // Nacho Marco (E) // Sideral (E) Brooks (UK) // Soul Of Man (UK) // D' Wachman (E) Paco Osuna (E) // J.L. Magoya (E) // DJ Del Costa (Pr) John Tejada (USA) // Big Mic (E) // Funkvice (E) Monkey (E) // Lady K @ Packa (E) // Gabb (E)

Showcases:

Orthlorng Musork (USA) Presents: Agf (Ger) (Live) // Timeblind (Live) // Full Swing (DJ) // Gold Chains (Live)

Plug Research (USA) Presents: Chessie (Live) // Safety Scissors (Live) // Dntel (Live)

Morr Music (Ger) Presents: Isan (Live) // Manual (Live) // Lali Puna (Live) // Thomas Morr (DJ)

Ninja Tune (UK) Presents: Bonobo (Live) // Dk (Solid Steel) (DJ) // Cinematic Orchestra (Live)

Escuadrón Sudaca (Ve) Presents: Bmh (Live) // Junz & Lopez (DJ) // Wyz (Live)

Karaoke Kalk (Ger) Presents: Thorsten Lütz (DJ) // Donna Regina (Live) // Jörg Follert (DJ)

The Leaf Label (UK) Presents: Murcof (Mex) (Live) // Manitoba (Live) // Tony Morley (DJ)

Wmf (Ger) Presents: Highfish (DJ) // Nikakoi (Live) // Kotai (Live)

Helsinki (Fi) Presents: Aavikko (Live) // O:Pl Bastards (Live) // Didier & Anomalous (DJ)

Staalplaat (Nl) Presents: Massimo (It) (Live) // Goem (Hl) (Live) // 386 Dx (Rus) (Live) // Staalplaat Soundsystem (Hl) (Live)

Epm / Keep Diggin' (UK) Presents: Kirk Digeorgio (DJ) // Ian O'brien (DJ) // Mark Shade (DJ)

Straight Ahead (Ch) Presents: Sequel (DJ) // Domenico Ferrari (Live) // Earthbound (DJ)

Tigerbeat6 (USA) Presents: Kid606 (Live) // Cex (Live) // Wobbly (Live) // DJ/Rupture (DJ)

Bpitch Control (Ger) Presents: Ellen Allien (DJ) // Modeselektor (Live) // Feadz (DJ)

French Bureau Export (Fr) Presents: G:El (Live) // M83 (Live) // Doctor L (Live) // Maud (DJ)

Fragil Discos (Ar) Presents: Audioperú (DJ) // Fantasias Animadas (Live)

Sonarlabs:

Damian Lazarus Plays City Rockers (UK) DJ Anima & DJ Triple R Play Traum (Ger) Preto & Type Play Nylon (Pt) City Centre Offices Presents Static (Ger) And Shlomie Sviri (UK) François K. Plays Wave Music And Clicktracks (USA) Marcus Maeder & Bern Schurer Play Domizil (Ch) Olivier & Luciano Play Mental Groove (Ch) Watch Tv & David Lapof Play Hitop (E) Hannes Praks Plays Kohvirecords (Ee) Johann Johannsson & Kira Kira Play Kitchen Motors (Is) Gav Smith Plays Disorient & Mr. Bongo (UK) DJ Kensei & Aoki Takamasa Play Progressive Form (Jp) Third Ear Pres. Ryo Co, Hiroshi Watanabe, & World's End Girlfriend (Jp)

Tuesday 18/06/02

10pm John Peel Sonar Special Part 1.

Wednesday 19/05/02

10pm John Peel Sonar Special Part 2.

Thursday 20/05/02

10pm John Peel Sonar Special Part 3.

12pm One World Sonar Festival.

every time i go back to tvgohome i hoep that it has got back to what it used to be like but it seems to be past saving...

Cava and Absinthe in the same glass. That's almost as bad as a cider and red.

Don't know of any cava bar, Chris. But I do know where Easy Everything is.

Cybersonica Festival: 19 — 21 June 2003
http://www.cybersonica.org/

You could also try Taller run by one of the men meant to be the best chef in the world as his R&D kitchen. Haven't been but I'd like to. Probably very expensive.

i certainly couldnt recommend las ramblas, cos its shit.
like oxford st and covent garden rolled into one (you know the bit with all the human statues dudes)

Quite near Casa Batlló too, which would be a pretty big hit of Gaudí if you are pressed for time.

el bulli is fucking expensive, btw.

- That thing about the drying out? That wasn't true.

- I spent Wednesday evening drinking beer with my manager's boyfriend who is a fire and explosions Special Effects tech, and I learned a horrid CD:UK secret namely that SPLATOON WAS FIXED! The paint gun needed an armorour's licence to use and Ant'n'Dec didn't have one, so this guy had to fire it all the time. Blimey innocence lost. Evening rounded off with big plate of sausage.

- Thursday was a work conference plus the European Online Journalism awards ceremony. The BBC 'swept the board' but didn't seem very excited, buzz however was de-harshed by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation who went mental whenever they won anything. The mickey mouse aspect of the awards ceremony (taking place in thinly disguised lecture theatre) was belied by the colossal buffet laid on afterwards num num. (OK nothing to get gastronomes too excited but I shudder to think what the Brit equivalent would 'lay on'). Then onto the new harbour development near the Olympic bit for seafood, nicest whitebait I've ever eaten but a pretty flat and disappointing paella, but I wasn't paying so I'm not complaining.

- Today was work again until about 3 and then everyone else went off to the airport or to find their partners, Isabel doesn't fly in until 10 tonight though so I decided to go a-wandering, past the Miro Parc (being dug up for flats), down the Gran Via and through the Raval, soaking up the atmosphere. Saw a giant brass kitten! Went to see the Trash Culture exhibition, which was entertaining but I thought mostly usual-suspects stuff (Daniel Johnston ugh) but with two great little touches; the way you had to lean into a peephole to see the serial killer art thus removing the excuses masking prurience as curiosity, and the showing of 60s sexploitation flick Carne plus jaded 2002 audience reaction. The back of a podgy blue-shirted bloke appeared and I thought they'd filmed me 'appreciating' the film but this particular voyeur was beardless. Then a quick peek at La Ramblas, a sit-down outside the Cathedral and now into a web caff before heading for adventures new (or off to the airport).

Thanks for all the eating recommendations, hopefully I'll check one of them out at least before Monday!

go to the MACBA and the CCCB which are next to each other. both art galleries in Raval. CCCB has a good bookshop with really good cards in.

bar mirablau - go to av tibidabo fgc stop, get the tram or bus up to the funicular, there is this bar there with a great view of barcelona, like a massive panoramic window thing. if it is open go up to the top of tibidabo. mirablau is in placa doctor andreu.

cant think of anythign else that isnt food drink or music.

Funicular! Hurrah! Even better than a monorail.

You could go to see the fountains. What about the museum of erotica?

A visit to the Cava Bar and some sidre drinking should also feature.

this is what i posted to the ILM thread, which is more music/food related:

"k.....
some personal choices, just as i leave:

fonfone is a nice bar that plays good electro-ey house, disco, kompakty stuff. it is on c/ escudellers in barri gotic, just along from los caracoles restaurant.

raval bass is a night running at...i have forgotten the name, a bar on rambla du raval. ukg, d'n'b and stuff.

go to sidecar, placa real (barri gotic), on wednesday nights. this parisien guy i know who is frineds with black strobe plays similar stuff to the fon fone people, all -the rage house, kompakt, tech house etc etc etc. that is a fun night at 5 euros until 5am.

nitsa, ok so this is good obv. but check sala apolo on tuesday night (the old dance hall that nitsa is in, c/ nou de la ramble nr parallel metro) for a great film night called cineambigu. take up a chair, get a beer, sit round tables cabaret styel. films that were never distributed in spain, certinaly not it britain, from all aroujd the place. real oddities. subtitles, showings are at 8.30 and 10.30.

cube: av. parallel, 37. has d'n'b nights, invites tech house people like geoff white, sutekh (in the time i was here) sometimes. loads of posters around town with their lineup for the month.

suzet, on c/ tallers, in raval, does amazing crepes, but they are quite expensive.

city hall is horrible. dont go there.

yeah, moog is meant to be good. never made it there. address is ( ithink) arc de teatre, just off la ramblas.

look out for a night called hit battle. if it is on, (i dont know how you hear about it), take a cd with three tunes and play em to everbody else. that is wicked. although i have no info on it.

really good chai from la clandestina, on c/ lleidó in barri gotic, served in silver tepots (maybe pewter).

cafe royale, just off placa real, is ok if you are stuck down there.

dot club, c/ nou de la sant francesc (my old street), has galaxy records from gracia playing some minimal house, tech house etc, the last thursday of every month i think. that is rerally good.
galaxy is a greta shop that is on c/ torrent d'olla in gracia

also good is sci fi records in raval, not sure what street, nr c/ tallers.

mirablau - go to av tibidabo fgc stop, get the tram or bus up to the funicular, there is this bar there with a great view of barcelona, like a massive panoramic window thing. if it is open go up to the top of tibidabo. mirablau is in placa doctor andreu.

food: great pinchas bar on carrer verdi in gracia. cant remember the name though, its just up from the cinema verdi, on the other side of the road. loads of lebanese/syrian places on verdi. the best is the one on the corner below the cinema on the same side of the road.

gracia has some good places, check mond club in placa del sol up there.

er thats it for now. my brain hurts and i have to pack. *sniff*..."

i should add, check maoz falafel on la rambla near c/ carme, and in c/ ferran nr placa jaume 1 for great quick takeaway falafel for 2.50euros, where you choose from loads of different sauces and stuff to put in a falafel and pitta thingy. like a sort of salad bar.

Thanks for all the guidance!

Parc Guell is spectacularly fantastic. Don't walk from the metro - it's a long way up. Bus 116 is the way to go.

Sagrada Familia is great too. It's worth queuing for the lift up a tower too, and very much worth seeing the Gaudi museum in the crypt, including models of what the finished thing should look like. Warning: full of workmen, large parts covered with scaffolding.

Casa Mila (known there as La Prendera, the quarry, because it looks as if it's carved out of rock) is free and his best house - it's the one with the undulating roof and loads of twisted tiled chimneys.

Casa Battlo is fairly pricey, and has little that is not in Mila, but it is just down the road, so at least have a look at it from the outside, if only for its dragon-scale roof. Its block has a couple of other lovely buildings on it, by the way.

Palau Guell is also free and in town, but they schedule tours, so you probably will have to pick up a ticket a few hours ahead (lots else to do in the general area).

His fountain in the big central park is very impressive, but you wouldn't guess it was his work - very early. It's en route from the Arc de Triomf to the zoo.

Other highlights:

Fundacio Miro (see my notes on Freaky Trigger): DO NOT plan to walk up from the nearest tube, it's VERY steep and hard work. A great collection of Miro, plus some other stuff including a magnificent Calder Mercury Fountain. The Font Magica, also in Montjuic, is only run and illuminated from something like 8pm-midnight on Thurs-Sun, and I missed the chance.

Museu Picasso - actually rather disappointing, with almost nothing through his peak years. I loved the late ceramics, though, and it was free on the Tuesday when I went - don't know the regular deal.

Aquarium: with colossal tanks with glass tunnels you walk through, among big sharks and rays. I loved this place, and there's lots of it.

Zoo: if you like zoos, this is a really good one. A big tank with dolphins, a couple of prowling black panthers, a snow leopard, the biggest white rhino I've seen, several of the biggest snakes I've ever seen (including a massive anaconda) and loads more. A fair amount of space for the animals, as city zoos go, but some do exhibit sick behaviour.

Cathedral: pretty typical, but the cloisters are very nice, centred on a set of palm trees and a fountain.

Santa Maria del Mar: a lovely little earlyish Gothic church, the highlight of which, among a bunch of traditional stained glass windows, is one abstract Modernist one, which I absolutely loved.

Note that a lot of places close on Mondays. La Ramblas is a useful route, but I thought it was pretty nasty.

Out of curiosity, has anyone been to Sitges?

hmmm, last time I was there (which was admittedly three years ago) there were all these escalators up the hill.

There's a nice city park kind of near the Olympic village. It's got rowboats. There's a club near that park which is like the most expensive club in the world, right on the beach. Please don't go there, but if you do, ask them about the guy who bled all over himself and the dancefloor last year and didn't even realize it. that was me

Also, thank you very much Martin! I should really be boning up on my Spanish (not Catalan, am no crazy fule) tonight instead of going to the pub.

and i really wish i could remember the name of the great vegetarian restaurant (in spain!?) that we stumbled into one evening. it was amazing, and i'd recommend it for meat eaters as well...

I almost cried on that cable car, I was so scared.

Glad you had a good time Martin, hope it has made you feel better!

Extremaduan wild mushrooms. A brief respite.

I was there in November '01 and it was very nice.

There's a cracking little restaurant just off the Placa Reial (sp?) which does ace veggie options (or did three years ago, anyway, it's probably not there any more, but I had a gorgeous warm goats cheese salad type thing). I can't remember what it's called, but if you go into the Placa from the Ramblas it's down the little side street on your left that runs between the two big people-watching tourist haunts.

good luck with finding a place. i love barcelona and would love to hear an update on your trip!

See how you go with that info and tell JJ that Tess@ sent you - she's my friend that did our booking. It's a short walk from the cheaper and less crowded Santa Catharina market just below the Arc de Triomf, and about 50 yards from the Metro. We went to Galician tapas just in the Born (drinks after in bar on Passeig del Born) and stuffed ourselves - best with a big group - for $10 each.

but yeah, born is good. didnt go there enough really. if you are into graf there is a really good paint shop.

go to see you two had a great time ed and suzy...now i feel all weepy....*sigh*

Dancing Egg!
http://img75.photobucket.com/albums/v229/rob_brennan/Barcelona/Dancing_EggCU.jpg

Oh, and the soldiers carved on Sagrada Familia look like Boba Fett.

(although that might not be exclusive to Barcelona)

he didn't swim

hire a scooter

go to the cava bar

get pinchas on carrer verdi in gracia

see if you can find the "mad cow" illegal drinking den

I have been on other holidays

xx thanks

Famous last words...

I will try and think of something good to see that you might like.

definitely go to the cava bar - I'll give you directions next time I see you.

the fundacion la caixa has a good collection of 60s minimalism stuff. can't remember where it is. google suggests its nr verdeguer metro but i thought it was somewhere near placa espanya.

pinchas is food, little bits of bread with delicacies on top with a cocktail stick thru the top. the bar is laden with plates of em (buht u have to pay). the pinchas place is on verdi, in gracia.

cava bar (whilst drink, also does v nice tapas) is near the port, barceloneta metro, on c/ reina cristina. just round the back of passeig de isabell II. its unbelievably busy though, night and day. but the tapas is v good and the cava v cheap.

go up the funicular to montjuic, its fun, theres a great view and theres a sort of castle at the top which is pretty cool.

expedia were also offering Tribune seat for Barcelona match at £55 which for the game against Atletico is from what I can tell the going rate for a seat along the pitch in the third tier. I also got a guided tour of stadium voucher for £7/8 which seemed worth a go. And a 5 day Barcelona pass thing for museum discounts etc. - worth it? I'm doing it all in ultra-nuevo tourist style.

better look for somewhere to stay

we are 15th-19th

must tell us how it goes

I have been before and see that I put it as one of my 5 favourite cities on a thread but I have forgotten it, a little. I'm sure it'll come back to me, a bit!

crosspost

where's that?

perhaps mark still has it? it was in calabria

crosspost

mark p?

mark p, do you have the e-mail address or phone number?

was it really nice & really cheap?

crosspost

Let's Go? I will google that

kitchen, living room, balcony, bedroom, bathroom

cost 300 euros for a full week, but that wz in the middle of june

if you want her email address, let me know

this e-mail address is a real one, ta

but it is clean and secure and central and warm and quiet and comfortable, much better than a hostel, but perhaps not a hotel

: )

I don't know if that's just my experience, maybe it wouldn't annoy others at all, I don't mind craziness but I didn't like staying in the middle of it all, it didn't feel like a holiday.

I have booked a hostel just off of it, now

: )

I am very excited. Can anyone teach me any essential Catalan?

Has anyone ever got an internal flight in Spain before? I don't know what kind of price/level of dodginess to expect.

Have you thought about the train/bus? My parents have done this between Malaga and Alicante a couple of times (roughly equivalent distance for you to get to Barcelona, no?), and found it a much more pleasant experience than it would be in the UK. Also, nice scenery which you wouldn't get from a plane. Also (possibly most importantly), it would almost certainly be cheaper.

Unfortunately the train/bus to Barcelona is around 11 hours from here (I'm right in the north west), so I've pretty much ruled that out as an option. I think 6 hours is my absolute limit for enjoying scenery.

catalan:
bon dia = hello, sort of
si us plau = please
merci = thankyou
pa = bread
pa amb tomate = the standard base for a sandwich. in place of butter, or something else, the bread is rubbed with tomato, and maybe some salt pepper, oil, (even garlic sometimes?!) this is also the best thing in the world. if i had a consistent supply of very good juicy tasty, cheap tomatos in this country, i would never eat butter again. but i wont, ever. oh well.

wow, 3 months wasnt wasted at all. i leant 5 things!

i met a journalist who wanted a russian to english translation done, but he never got back to me.

of course, the real answer is:

going clubbing
eating falafel
going to lovely little bars
drinking coffee
walking around
going to films every sunday
having a lovely time
being ill (no central heating)

my advice is: move there if you are offered a job there. not before.

also theres an uber hip looking tiny bar that is essentially a furniture shop with a bar at the back, called "pile" (with an accent on the e) that i always wanted to go to, but didnt know anyone hip enough, and wasnt hip enough myself. also its opening times were deeply deeply weird. its on c/ n'agla, just off escudellers.

oh god i have to shut up. i love talking about this because i cant believe i am in an office in south yorkshire

heres a little pic!

http://static.flickr.com/15/22804239_8cfe2fef93_m.jpg

The metro is nice (but I didn't go on it).

The Nou Camp IS kinda awesome. i sat very high up and close to the
TV 'deck', the view was great but it was very cold up there. drab
performance by Barca enlivened somewhat by a man in the row behind me
two seats to my right THROWING UP in the 57th minute. too bad neither Ronaldinho nor Eto'o were playing - what rotten luck :(

We watched The Simpsons and South Park in Spanish.

Our hotel was OK and well situated, tho it took 3 attempts from the
reception staff to give us the right room (one with a proper double
bed) - also boasts World's Tiniest Lift.

Ate duck magret, cuttlefish cassoulet, great patatas bravas, realised that i LOVE anchovies after all, big bowl of creme catalan, nice xorico and more...restaurants predictably excellent tho i think Alix did better than me with choices, and all pretty cheap (probably spent 10 Euros per meal on average, not inc. drink).

Montjuic is lovely and the Miro Foundation is a modernist paradiso.

Tibidabo and the funicular to it were closed and this made me cry
(inside) - they don't re-open until the 18th - but Parc Guell and the Aquarium tip-top.

Didn't go inside Le Pedreras or Barri Gotic. The MACBA only had it's ground floor open when we went - more bad luck.

If you give cab drivers 1 cent coins as part of your exact fare they
might toss them out of the cab angrily.

how was the weather?

pic of me at the Fundacion de Juan Miro having the time of my life

loads more on my flickr page, and not uploaded all of them yet

Parc Guell is wonderful. This thread makes me want to go back to Barcelona :(

revive!!

i'll be there from june 17 - 24th. never been before

i'll be there on wednesday night!

dude!

ENVY ENVY ENVY.

Anthony otm about Zurbaran.

Things to do,

Get the funicular up to the Olympic park for good views over the city, and go for a swim in the Olympic pool, this was my favourite day.

Things not to do, be the victim of an attempted pickpocketing on the Metro, luckily unsuccessful.

go everywhere

there is a bar in the barrio gotico where the owner is a huge springsteen fan. he bought me drinks when i told him i was from NJ. i wish i remember where it was! i could only find it when i was drunk.

Other things to do, go for retaliatory pints on monday evening.

retaliatory

he bought me drinks when i told him i was from NJ.

-- max, Sunday, May 25, 2008 3:36 PM (21 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

lol

yes, retaliatory

you know they'll come home leathered

indeed

anyone have any recs for places to stay in barcelona?

If you wanna visit a nice bohemian type of bar with some live music, I really liked this place called "Bar Electric" when I was in Barcelona last year. It's in the Eixample district, which I think is also known for it's gay clubs and pubs, though I didn't check them out when I was there, sadly. In general the nicest pubs are in the El Raval area; it's right next to the centre, but it's less posh with lots of Noth African immigrants and a colourful nightlife. Lots of students and the hipper type of tourists too, though.

There should be a load on the BCA threads but what is really good is to rent an apartment for the week, or try something called ApartHotels, we stayed in a really good one in '04 for a couple of days after we had a pretty reasonable rental for a couple of days. Ours was near Sagrada Familia in the sense that it was way south, on the same road, good for that club Razzmatazz where Miss Kittin always plays. Others we know are really into staying in Barceloneta.

Before we stayed in places in Raval that were very, very basic. You may wanna go that way if it's first time but upgrade slightly, you want decent washing facilities and some aircon. Email Ed and Ambrose for better details than I have or FB me and I'll hook you up with friend there who will have the apt. contact.

Cal Pep Cal Pep Cal Pep Cal Pep

Ed is jumping up and down with that suggestion. Dude is !v4n there right now? Hook them up.

Markets that aren't the Boqueria. Cal Pep features a jamon on one of those things but a veggie could be happy there with tortilla on its own. That good.

omg yes CAL PEP! best meal of my life

though, hm, not so great if youre vegetarian.

does this mean Cal Pep will be absolutely heaving at all times? the apartment i'm staying in is pretty close to it tho

Barrafina is shall we say a loving tribute to Cal Pep, so go with that sort of queue in mind and you won't be disappointed. It does heave, but in a totally buzzy way. You will be offered booze in the queue.

Also, although I can never remeber the name of the place that is behind the born market (coming from the rambla del born) is the most amazing fish place where you pick from the marble slab, pay by weight and they cook it to your liking.

Found it! YES this is very, very good. Go.

http://www.laparadeta.com/

i am in barcelona! who else is?

sadly the airline lost all my checked in luggage. anyone have any good suggestions for places to shop that won't break the bank? i need to replace a lot of clothes as i'm here for a full week.

h+m. lol globalisation.

QUIMET Y QUIMET o man <3 you so much