Thursday’s a good day to look around the exhibitions and stands, because it’s the quietest day and you can browse at leisure. I spend most of the day at the SonarVillage, the main courtyard of the CCCB, not so much for the music, rather for the atmosphere. They’ve covered the whole thing on astroturf and you can sit on the grass amongst the trees and chat to the other punters.

One thing I like about Sonar is the variety of the people who attend. You meet people from all over Europe, often from further afield, and almost everyone has some story or other to tell. They all seem to be up to something, whether they’re musicians, film makers, or designers they all seem to have as much to contribute to the festival as they have to draw from it. And they do like their photography! I haven’t seen so many cameras per square metre anywhere else, not to mention the promiscuity of MiniDV cameras (or the lomographers who are out in force).

SonarMatica is the festival’s multimedia exhibition. This year’s edition’s called “Invisible London” with the explicit purpose of exploring the vast pool of lesser known talent of the British capital. There’s a high bias towards photography and graphic design, but after looking at too many fliers and record sleeves in glass cabinets it seemed a little pointless, especially considering the quality of the material at the museum’s bookshop, where you can see good examples of local design that you could get your paws on and flick through. So we carry on to find out how to start our own pirate radio station, and on through various interactive installations which were generally very well produced by not terribly engaging. However, one installation in particular, the SodaConstructor was excellent fun. Have a look at the online version then try to imagine it with sound, on a huge touch-screen and with powerful speakers turning the user into an improvised composer. It had everyone mesmerised.

The final installation was a simple, brilliant idea. In the dark, you could hear the amplified noise of a flash gun charging, and on your left there was a wall glowing with luminous paint. Whenthe flashes went off, it left your silhouette on the wall. Personally, I think that the best installations are the ones that turn into a big toy for people to play with! As I left, everyone was striking silly poses and giggling like a bunch of schoolchildren. If that’s art, I want to go back to primary school!

But let’s not forget we’re here for the music. At the SonarVillage Mexican Collective Nortec, offered us a balanced, minimalist set of house beats, venturing occasionally into ethnic landscapes, yet squarely aimed at those who have come to dance. Nicole Willis brought us a superb soulful performance with husband Jimi Tenor on the Moog. Over at the SonarLab, Jeff Sharell and Charles Webster are playing Statra. They’ve got trouble with the sound. It’s the last show of the day in the SonarLab and although some of the audience are chilling out on the deck chairs, the majority of them can’t stop dancing. Jeff’s house feeds on Jazz and downtempo beat and the dancey, upbeat set was a total surprise for those who expected a more chilled out show: gotta move your feet.

Evening fell onto the SonarVillage and with the vibe, the claras and the sweet acid jazz there was just no sitting down.

This year Sonar by Night is very very big and very very far away. The previous venue was in the Mar Bella, in a sports centre by the beach, but demand has outgrown it, so this year we’re off to an expo centre in Hospitalet, an industrial complex in the middle of nowhere (approximately). The first impact is agoraphobic: I spot a check-in desk with the Iberia logo and start to worry. It’s big. Really big.