7 Acts Not To Be Missed At Sonus Festival 2024
Sonus Festival returns to Croatia’s Pag Island for its 11th edition this year. As ever, they’re drawing ravers to Zrće Beach with a carefully curated mix of established legends, rising new talent and local acts flying the flag for the region.
Taking place from August 18-22, a ticket for the festival gives you access to all three clubs, Aquarius, Kalypso and Papaya, for five days and five nights, and more than 15 parties being held on the island.
There are also additional passes available for boat parties and a special pre-festival bash on August 17. Single-day tickets are currently available, as well as weekend tickets that includes entry to the opening party on Saturday at Aquarius and the first day of the festival on Sunday.
Spanning everything from dark, percussive techno thunder to light, melodic house music—and plenty inbetween, the five-day festival boasts a vast lineup of DJs. Naturally, there’s a lot to take in and it can all be a bit overwhelming, so here at Complex we’ve put together a rundown of seven essential DJs you need to check out to get the full experience.
Jamie Jones
Welsh-born Jamie Jones goes up against Neapolitan tech-house selector Joseph Capriati for this year’s Sonus. They’ve been firm friends for years and have roughly a decade of on-deck history with B2B sets notched up all over Ibiza. Their partnership is tighter than ever these days and Jones’ picks are a big part of that. Bringing the kind of tropical, sun-drenched magic that makes his own productions, his Hot Creations label and his solo sets such fun.
Patrick Mason
Berlin-based DJ/producer Patrick Mason brings a certain element of unpredictability when he’s booked for a set. Although known for delivering uptempo and dark techno sets, there’s much, much more to a Patrick Mason set. It’s not clear exactly what his Sonus set will have in store, but there’s every chance there’ll be a live element to it. In the past, he’s been known to incorporate much more of a live element with live vocals while playing three decks. Selection-wise, the ‘dark techno’ label is just as reductive. Expect dubby elements, breakbeat, Detroit house, tribal house and much more.
Seth Troxler
Never one to deliver a dull set, Seth Troxler is an essential stopping-off point. Energetic, charismatic, engaging, there’s also an ever-present hint of wildness, but it’s his meticulous approach to his craft that makes it all work. Raised on the finest Detroit techno, Troxler’s a keen student of the roots of rave and he pours the essence of that into every set. Theatre, drama, a touch of chaos and a refined palette, his Sonus sesh will definitely be worth your time.
Ellen Allien
Berlin rave royalty, Ellen Allien has been in the game for over 30 years now. Though she sticks pretty much exclusively to techno, she’s famed for her broad and eclectic sets, taking you right across the techno spectrum. Soft, hypnotising melodics, robotic funk and jaw-cracking heaviness are all thoughtfully pulled together. She pays just as much attention to the visual side, too, finetuning every set to the space she’s DJing. Expect her set to be an unforgettable one.
Robert Hood
A titan of techno, Robert Hood—aka Floorplan—is one of the masters. Born in Detroit, he was a founding member of legendary techno outfit Underground Resistance (along with Jeff Mills and Parliament/Funkadelic bass player Mike Banks) and a pivotal figure in what is considered to be the second generation of Detroit techno. Often credited as one of the originators of minimal techno, Robert Hood’s decades-long career has given us some of the most influential techno ever. If you want to see a true master at work, Robert Hood is unmissable.
Miss Monique
A runaway star of 2024, Ukranian Miss Monique has been racking up headline sets and cover stories the world over. Since fleeing her home country in 2022, her career has skyrocketed with remixes for Madonna, Blond:ish and David Guetta and critical acclaim for her refreshing take on progressive house. Now based in Lisbon, her sets are subtle, warm, sometimes euphoric, at other times hypnotic, and completely immersive. Filled with light and breezy selection, her sets push progressive house to its emotive and colourful potential.
DJ Holographic
DJ Holographic is another selector raised on all the world-beating exports the Motor City has given us—Motown, R&B, rock and house and techno—and you can hear all of it in her DJ sets. Full to bursting with heat and intensity, she flips between pounding house and heavyweight funk to soulful euphorics and even moments of subtle minimalism. Whether it’s the heavier moments—which are plentiful—or the lighter melodies, the defining feature of a DJ Holographic set is the influence of soul, R&B and Motown: big, room-filling vocals and deep, irresistible grooves.
