While we take off to celebrate America's birthday, we bring you some highlights from our action-packed week of shows during Sónar Festival's 25th birthday celebration in Barcelona. There's afrobeats star Mr. Eazi on wrapping influences from Nigeria, Ghana, London and beyond into his sound; Mumdance celebrates rave unity and intense noise while we listen to trance and happy hardcore; Suiko Takahara of Malaysian group the Venopian Solitude explains her unique musical palette and the frustration (and YouTube videos) that led to her quirky pop career; and fellow RBMA alumni Axel Boman and Kornel Kovaçs muse on Swedish pop, wine, summer songs and what makes the output of their Studio Barnhus label so addictive.
