Tuesday 7:00 pm. Suitcase check: shorts, swimming shorts and short sleeve shirts; a pair of jeans just in case (they never made it out of the suitcase), weekend pass for the festival, two tickets to Levi’s warm-up party, sunglasses, sunscreen: ready.

For those of us lucky enough to be on the right mailing list (god knows how I got there) Sonar starts today. Levi’s have hired the CCCB (where Sonar by day will take place from Thursday through to Saturday) and the small crowd of no more than five hundred people are in for a storming start to this eighth edition of our beloved festival.

It’s a bumpy ride as soon as we take off from Madrid, and before you know it we turn around and go back to the airport due to technical difficulties. “Hold on – I think – if this plane can’t get us to Barcelona how’s it going to get us back to Madrid?” Get back to Madrid (in one piece), change plane and we’re off to Barcelona again, almost two hours late. Damn! Run through check out, run for a taxi and it’s already 11 before I’m even on my way into town! Meet my hosts, drop my suitcase off and shower the two flights off in a flash: Roni Size is due on at 11:30 (which is now) and we’re still at home! Jump in the car and race to the CCCB.

The Barcelona Contemporary Culture Centre is quiet and very relaxed. A handful of people are standing around the bar enjoying cool beers and it looks as though Reprazent haven’t started yet.

The downstairs hall is only half-full, enough elbow room to do Roni justice, yet sufficiently packed to ensure that on their first visit to Barcelona, our heroes won’t be disappointed.

“Those of you at the back, make your way to the front, those of you at the front, make your way to the front.” I recognize that Bristol accent, and as Dynamite, mic in hand moves to the front of the stage, a short burst of dry, metallic beats showers the hall uncertain where to land. A second burst hits the crowd like a shot of tequila for breakfast: they shudder. It’s not easy to warm a crowd up for Reprazent, if not impossible, because when they come on, they come on strong. You’re either ready or you get ready. But fortunately, Si John’s double bass is there to show us through the maze of syncopated beats and before you know it, we’re off. Reprazent are in top form, and the relatively small hall fits them like a glove. Onalee’s Spanish is better than I thought, and it goes down a treat with the Catalans. “Que pasa Barcelona?” she asks with a convincing accent and goes on to delight us with “heroes”, “watching windows”, and “brown paper bag” in rapid succession. I’d been waiting for this, but what the I’ve just pulled a muscle in my leg! (“do you think that you can hold on, when the beat gets too strong”) No, obviously not.

I try to get a drink to catch my breath, but it’s a miracle I haven’t spilt the whole thing before the next tune’s up. You try to hold still at a Reprazent gig and sip your beer slowly – try it, I dare you!

So I down it in one and get back to business. “Who told you” takes the crowd a little by surprise. “How the fuck do I dance to this” is printed on the forehead of the guy next to me. He gives it a shot, but it’s no use. As soon as he catches up, Roni’s onto another beat, three steps ahead of any of us.

“It’s one o’clock: time to get dirty.” The crowd looks back, a little bewildered – “you ready to get dirty?” challenges Dynamite. Blank reply, but as soon as they get into it, we know what he meant. Dirty it is, and beautifully so. There’s nothing like the live drums, live bass and vocals like those of Dynamite and Onalee’s to bring drum’n’bass to life!

Upstairs the air is cool and pleasant. Night time is best here in Spain. The heat eases off and it’s ideal for a chat and a drink. Dynamite’s at the bar trying in vain to convince the barman he’s one of the musicians. He waves his artist pass at him to no avail. “Look Roni, he says, you gotta pay”. A little unfair I thought, considering that Levi’s had given everyone else three free drinks with each ticket, so this round’s on me. (note to Levi’s: sort it out, mate).

It looks as though Reprazent are off tomorrow. “What do you mean? You’re not staying for the Sonar?” – “Hey, we’ve got work to do.” I think they might have missed the point: Tuesday’s no time to leave -alright it may be a little early to arrive- but it’s definitely no time to leave. I leave my friend arguing to enticing charms of Barcelona with Dynamite and go to hear Roni’s advice to the excited little Spaniard he’s talking to. ” But people here in espain doesn’t understand” he complains “Forget it man, you don’t have to educate people to drum’n’bass: if they turn up good, if they don’t, then play for those who did turn up, even if there’s just three of them, and just play what you want to play.”

Wednesday was spent in the shade, mostly with a clara in hand (beer with a dash of lemonade, a must to beat the thirst without leaving you floored by three in the afternoon) wandering around Barcelona. If you decide to take the trek to Barcelona for Sonar, make sure you take the extra time to enjoy the city a little. Quite frankly every time I come, I resolve to move here forever: sea, nice weather, great food, plenty of things to do all the time and beautiful, beautiful girls (sorry, I meant architecture).