Enric Palau, the man behind one of the most prestigious festivals in Europe, has been living for years in Empordà. He defends the philosophy that a small town can have the same creative force as a big city. His commitment to advanced music, culture in all its facets and the dissemination of artistic research have made Sónar festival one of the most respected in the international scene.

Is a festival like Sónar only possible in a great metropolis?

At Pontós, for the festival Mapa, there was a totally unusual level of involvement by people. All the people involved themselves in a very creative, unselfish way. I participated as an extra and it was a very interesting festival. As a neighbour of Pontós, I’d love to see Mapa again someday.

Can something so powerful emerge from small towns?

Yes and no. Minds and creative forces are everywhere, the problem is that the event itself requires a natural audience. Sometimes wanting to promote a show in a place where there is no natural audience is complicated. Sónar is closely connected with the north of Catalonia: Banyoles, Alt Empordà and Baix Empordà, but I understand that it would not be easy to organise something of such magnitude from a rural point of view only.

Is the secret to staging a great festival not to be swayed by trends or exclusively commercial issues?

We started Sónar with the idea of promoting creativity around technology. In 1994 this was something that sounded very alien, but there was a tradition established since the fifties that made us have confidence in people’s response. In the beginning the theme was music, but the years have passed and we have been expanding into other disciplines. As with any evolution, in the end we crossed the red lines that we ourselves had drawn initially.

By ignorance, the concept of advanced music is often associated as being made with computers and electronically. What do you think of these prejudices? Is there a difference between the musician who makes songs with a guitar and those who make it with a sampler?

Producers are able to apply the latest technology in their discipline and thus advance the history of art. We look for this kind of creativity. What Paco de Lucía did with a guitar at the time, Aphex Twin then did with a computer. Both are moved by the same creative impulse. For me the guitar of Paco and the music of Aphex Twin are equally magical. There is a moment in which the artist and the instrument work together to create a feeling, create a mood, which is ahead of its time. You do not need to advance the instrument, but the music itself. This is what we really want.

Where is your haven in ‘Empordà?

Empordà has many havens to be protected. If Empordà is worth anything now, it is for the value of the landscape, which is what new generations will enjoy. If we want to maintain a place in which people can live and work, we must prevent Empordà from becoming an area full of factories and industrial complexes; we should focus on making the region a space for research and development of new ideas. It is a perfect place to work and I think that should enhance the area in this regard. Many who work in Barcelona but live in Empordà know that we have to defend this wonderful area. They have done terrible things like installing high voltage lines, which has never been done in any other European country, or adding lanes to the national road, which will be awful for the country. This is what we must fight against.

Let’s not forget the coast…

We have a coastline that has been destroyed from the Straits of Gibraltar as far as Begur, more or less. We were lucky that the coast of Empordà has remained relatively free of urban impact over the years. We must preserve this landscape. We must preserve the sea at Empordà. If I consider myself from Empordà it is because from the age of six months I went for dips in the water in L’Estartit. Since then I have seen that the sea has been losing a high percentage of its flora and fauna. I say that first-hand as I have been swimming in these waters for a long time. I swim with a fantastic group, with people from Sònia Jornet’s DiverSport, the Tintoreres group, my inseparable Baltasar and the swimmers of Llançà. We swim throughout the year, winter and summer, and from there we make a call to preserve what makes Empordà rich: the intangible that makes people want to come from outside and see what those who live here love.//