We checked in with Primavera Sound's own Abel Suárez for some insights into their selection process, the history of PrimaveraPro and Abel's favorite performers.
Can you tell us a bit more about the history of Primavera Sound? When did the Pro conference get added?
This year will be the 11th edition of the festival, and the third year in a row that the pro area is happening. The festival started in 2001 at another site and was smaller, but step by step we started growing in days and artists. We changed location in 2005 and moved to the current site, Parc Del Forum, and the festival kept growing until now. Nowadays we hold eight stages and some artists that have played over the years include Neil Young, Lou Reed, Pulp, Sonic Youth, Aphex Twin, Wilco, Franz Ferdinand, Animal Collective, Yo La Tengo, The White Stripes, Mogwai and hundreds more. Some of this years´ artists are The Cure, The xx, Refused and Rufus Wainwright.
You've booked an impressive lineup this year including Wilco, Justice and one of my favorites, Yo La Tengo. What are you looking for in a Sonicbids artist to compliment this lineup over at PrimaveraPro?
Well, we try to showcase quality music, so we are not looking for specific styles, as you can see with the line up we book a lot of different genres: pop, folk, punk, metal, experimental, electronic.
Tell me about the sort of access Sonicbids artists will have if they're selected to attend PrimaveraPro.
Artists selected through Sonicbids will play at the Adidas Pro stage, a really cool stage beside the sea and connected to the pro area at the main site. It's one of the best places to be at the festival, located between most of the stages.
What qualities will you be looking for while making you selections?
We have no strict rules to book a band. We are looking for bands of any style that have something special, but if you check the line ups from years past you should see what we like from every style.
Who's your favorite Primavera Sound performer of all time?
Having Neil Young at the festival and enjoying the amazing performance he gave was a dream come true. We have a long list of amazing performances in our history: Sonic Youth, The White Stripes, Pixies, Animal Collective, Swans, Pulp, Wilco and a lot more.
