Estrella Damm Primavera Sounds - Barcelona, Spain
Event: 5/23/08 - 6/1/08
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Proving they are ballsier than most outdoor festivals of the same draw, this year’s Primavera Sounds ’08 boasted a broad spectrum of talent ranging from well-known bands to the barely discovered, and has yet again set the high standard for European music lovers . This annual event takes place in Barcelona, Spain and was set primarily in the open expanse of the Parc Del Fòrum.

Now in its 8th consecutive year, Estrella Damm Primavera Sound brought together a wide variety of artists and boasted an eclectic line-up of more than a 150 artists. Although most of the festival still took place at the Fòrum, the boundaries had stretched deep into the heart of the city.

The event features altogether thirteen stages of music. While six of them are located inside the Fòrum, the other seven are actually located at different points of the urban center offering concert-goers a broad slice of Barcelona metropolitan lifestyle.

Primavera´s end of May bash, hosted a variety of music and showcased the amazing sound system of the beautiful auditorium. Programmed by local and European promotion agencies and record labels to display more than anything, a big slice of cultural relevance with respect to the past and present.

www.myspace.com/primaverasound

www.primaverasound.com

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Fuck Buttons

Fuck Buttons deftly uses their machines to push over a vast, invisible wall of nearly perfect soundscape and electronic melodies onto an overly enthusiastic crowd at this year’s Primavera Sounds. Hailing from Brighton, England, this electronic duo, Fuck Buttons, lets everything loose. Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power take to the stage on a perfect Spanish Friday evening, as they pulsated through a set from their latest offering on ATP records, Street Horrrsing .

Heavily armed with midi keyboards, a variety of effects pedals and percussive instruments, this was easily one of the most unique and colorful acts I’ve seen in a long time, and they certainly lived up to the media hype that currently surrounds them. They articulated through tense build ups, distorted screaming vocals and brilliant melodic releases, teetering somewhere between a rollercoaster of symphony and a Balearic beach walk.

http://www.fuckbuttons.co.uk/

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Name: Nelson Luis Martinez

Age: 27

Where do you come from: Venezuela

What do you do: Graphic Designer & Drinker

What is your current favorite artists/album:
Willie Colon & Héctor Lavoe - Guisando/Doing a job

What is your current favorite website: www.ffffound.com

Who was your favorite band at Primavera 08: Fuck Buttons

What is the meaning of a music festival to you: The death of the intimate and special one-night gigs but the best line up in a festival this year

Your website: www.no-domain.com

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Public Enemy

I’ve been waiting a long time to see PE. Not only was it a treat to see one of early architects of hip hop, but seeing them tour in support of their groundbreaking sophomore release, Its Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back and quite handily stole the show at the Festival’s opening night.

A cheering full-capacity crowd was given the full treatment with classic jams “Don’t Believe the Hype” and “Bring the Noise.” The hip hop legends were supported by a full band and they even brought on stage the legendary SF1 (Security of the First World), boasted as one of the original security companies that served for the freshest groups in hip hop’s golden era.)

Of course, Chuck D and Flavor Flav were a fresh as ever. They finished up their set with a new track and instant anthem: “Harder Than You Think” from their album, How You Sell Soul To A Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul???

For more than twenty years from their first release, PE stayed true to their original message with the same fierce energy and style.

http://www.publicenemy.com/

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Name: Tatjana Buisson

Age: 27

Where do you come from: South Africa

What do you do: Art Director/ Graphic Designer/ Photographer

Favorite record at the moment: Radiohead In Rainbows

Favorite Website: www.hypem.com

Favorite band at Primavera: Portishead

What the festival means to you: It’s a great opportunity to see a couple of great acts that have been around for decades and to discover a collection of fresh new music ranging from electronic sounds breaking new grounds to fresh voices off the myspace stage.

It’s always fun to be surrounded by people who are equally inspired by new music.

Your website: www.post-photos.com

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Animal Collective

Getting a primetime Saturday slot on one of the main stages, Animal Collective was another group I’d heard a lot about but haven’t had the pleasure of seeing out here in Barcelona where I reside. Their set was pure bliss as they turned up a synth-happy colage of pop vocals, stabbing loops, beautiful echoes and clicking beats! The New York 4-piece certainly put a smile on my then 3-day-old festival face.

Testing the audiences ability to withstand sonic booms of lush proportions and pushing their own boundaries past even themselves, the group turned out work from the latest Ep, Water curses , as well as from their latest full-length, Strawberry Jam .

With elements of folk and a whimsical electronic vibe to boot, Animal Collective proved to be yet another band from the mighty UK-based label, Domino Records, that really made the festival special. Their set sent hundreds of people home happy on the last night of what had really been an epic weekend for all things music-related.

www.myspace.com/animalcollectivetheband

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Name: Simon Williams (Jahbitat)

Age: 29

Where do you come from: The last place I lived in before Barcelona was Venezuela

What do you do: Try and turn sounds into songs

Favorite record at the moment: A limited release by the amazing White Magic on Southern Record’s Latitude Series called New Egypt …a true beauty.

Favorite Website: www.gamebombing.com

Favorite band at Primavera: A few of the ones I was lucky enough to hear play: Dirty Projectors (next level shit), Shellac, Boris, Animal Collective, Six Organs of Admittance, Clipse, El Guincho

What the festival means to you: A way for a beer company to get even richer and a failed attempt by a greedy capitalist production company to wipe out the local scene…

Your website: www. myspace. com/jahbitat