Barcelona welcomes 80,000 electro music fans

Barcelona - One of the world's biggest electronic music festivals kicks off in Barcelona on Thursday and is set to draw about 80,000 people for three days of partying in the sun.

The Sonar festival is dedicated to showcasing the best in electronic music and has become by far the biggest event for fans in Europe since its creation in 1994.

This year it is being headlined by US hip hop pioneers the Beastie Boys, creators of hit punk-influenced rap music for the last 20 years, who are giving two performances on the Thursday and Friday nights.

Other highlights are set to include British electro wizz James Holden, London-based hip hop star Dizzee Rascal and the latest breakthrough house producers from Germany, Digitalism.

US techno veteran Jeff Mills is one of the star DJs this year while Asia as usual is providing a healthy share of the artists.

Japanese singer Piana heads a series of artists invited from Tokyo's Noble record label, while a "Beijing Waves" section of the festival will mark the first apperances by Chinese artists.

Sonar is split into Sonar by Day, which features DJs and bands in the grounds of the city's contemporary art museum, and Sonar by Night, which is a giant nightclubbing experience at a different location.

Film and performance art also form an integral part of Sonar and organisers claim the festival has helped establish Barcelona as a multimedia hotspot in Europe.

Agence France Presse