Tonight’s playlist is full of goodies: Sonic Youth perform “Goodbye 20th Century” followed by Warp’s showcase in the SonarPark, featuring Plaid, Aphex Twin and Squarepusher; the SonarPub offers us Another Late Night with Bullitnuts (Fila Brazillia fell through at the last minute due to a broken leg) followed by Amon Tobin and Storm; whilst the SonarClub offers an ominous and frightening concoction of Jim Masters, Darren Emerson, and Carl Cox: scary.

Time to check the dodgems (bumper cars) out and burn some rubber. As I said, Sonar’s one big grown-up playground and the dodgems are a must every year. There’s nothing better, after a few hours of intensive brain-frying techno, than a spot of car crashing fun to ease your mind. A couple of years ago Laurent Garnier had the foolhardy idea of having a go and by the time they’d finished with him, it was a miracle that he could still walk! I stumble out of my car and check my watch. Craig Richards should be making room for Amon Tobin soon, but until then I head for the SonarPark where Plaid are in the middle of an exciting set full of light hearted tunes and curious bleepy sounds. They’re one of my favourite acts on Warp and their live performance is no disappointment. Ed Handley and Andy Turner play most of the repertoire from their latest album “Double Figure”and the set is packed with razor-sharp cuts and dreamy melodies that take us far beyond this earth-bound venue. Very nice indeed.

Mr Tobin starts his session gently with a varied selection of rhythms, funky basslines and you hardly need to make any effort at all keep your feet off the ground. There’s a beautiful attention to detail about his set and he paces it impeccably, slowly building the beat up over the first half hour, and easing it every now and again for a break. In fact it’s the best set I’ve heard in a long time. Each tune is refreshing and lively, the rhythms never cease to surprise, and my torn leg-muscle hasn’t complained once! The crescendo continues throughout most of the first hour, then, after a slightly quieter spell, we dive deep into drum’n’bass. I can tell our Brazilian friend has been sharpening his claws! He’s been saving it for last because you need a good warm-up to keep up. It’s powerful and explosive but never strays from the warm, subtle basslines and the touch of free jazz which carries you along so lightly. Variety is the key word, and there’s something about his mixing that makes me feel I’ve never heard any of the material before. You get the impression he’s improvising, because that’s the way it sounds, but you can tell he had it all worked out fine. Brilliant, totally brilliant, by far the best set I heard during the whole festival.

Meanwhile, our evil friend Richard James is twiddling knobs at the SonarPark. Personally, I love Aphex Twin but I figured him out a long time ago. You wanna buy his records, fine; you wanna dance at his sets, well you can fuck right off! You do not dance at an Aphex set. Full stop. It’s as simple as that. Watch him: he’ll peer over the top of whatever bizarre machine heｴs grinding away at, and if he sees anyone trying to dance, he buries himself back into the machine and blows them away with infernal industrial chaos! I’ve seen it! He does it every time. It’s a bit like what they do to Michael Caine in the Ipcress File. If you’re in a good mood, you shouldn’t go. He opens tonight’s set with down tempo background beats, then tears the place up with drum’n’bass and his trademark sonic rays. He plays around with the audience, getting them all worked up with a tune, then switching to something completely different just to confuse them. Extreme electronic music, with samples clearly imported from other planets. Accompanied by awesome visual graphics courtesy of the lomographic society. Wicked, in the true sense of the word.

Metalhead girlie Storm is on at the SonarPub. It’s good, solid drum’n’bass, full of energy and verve. The sonarites get down to it full throttle but after the first twenty minutes or so I’m totally worn out. After Amon Tobin’s set, this feels a bit rough. I would have loved to see her after Roni Size for instance, in fact she would have been one of the few who could have followed up a set like Reprazent’s, but after such a subtle and sophisticated set as Amon Tobin’s, it feels a bit cold. Nonetheless very good, I just don’t have the energy.

Now the one I’m looking forward to seeing is Squarepusher. With a bit of luck he’ll turn up with live double bass and offer us a new insight of the ever expanding borders of free jazz, but it’s not our lucky day: no Fila Brazillia, no Bullitnuts and no Squarepusher either. Unfuckingbelievable! You cannot imagine how disappointing this is. I’m going home.