The electronic vanguard meets at the Citadel
Contemporary electronic music is once again setting its sights on the north of the peninsula. The ElektrAV festival has unveiled the first half of the programming for its fourth edition, scheduled for February 19 and 20, 2027. Once again using the imposing Sala de Armas of the Pamplona Citadel as its bastion—a 16th-century venue that contrasts poetically with the futurism of synthesizers—the Navarrese event has confirmed figures of the stature of Mathew Jonson and Bas Mooy, articulating a sonic discourse that moves between raw techno, IDM, and audiovisual experimentation.
The announcement has generated an immediate response in the clubbing community. With five months to go before the doors open, the organization has confirmed the sale of 30% of the total capacity. This data is particularly relevant when analyzing the demographics of the attendees: approximately half of the festival passes purchased come from outside Navarre, with buyers registered from locations such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza, or Bilbao. This resounding capacity for mobilization underscores the weight that ElektrAV is acquiring within the national circuit.
Analog mastery and industrial forcefulness
The great attraction of this first wave of confirmations lies in the presence of the Canadian Mathew Jonson. With a quarter-century of career behind him, Jonson is a true scholar of synthesis and live performance. His sets, far from the traditional DJ format, are based on the real-time manipulation of drum machines and modular gear. His astonishing ability to weave complex polyphonic melodies over forceful rhythmic bases has crowned him as one of the most respected live acts in the world. The founder of the Itiswhatitis label and a regular on prestigious catalogs such as Perlon, Kompakt, M_nus, or Cocoon, will contribute his unmistakable groove, reminding us why masterpieces like Marionette or Decompression remain timeless anthems of club electronics.
At the darker and more visceral end of the sonic spectrum is Bas Mooy. The artist originally from Rotterdam, a city forged in steel and with a deeply rooted electronic culture, will land in Pamplona to deploy his uncompromising vision of techno. As the founder of the influential MORD Records platform, Mooy is synonymous with tension, abrasive textures, and energy designed strictly to transform the dance floor. His raw sound captures the essence of Dutch industrial warehouses, taking the audience to a state of collective catharsis.
A multidisciplinary sonic ecosystem
Far from settling only for heavy international names, the curation of ElektrAV 2027 bets on an amalgam of talents that explore the limits of hardware and visual art. The organization has designed an experience that avoids stagnation in a single language, adding the following proposals to the lineup:
- LAIA: Bringing freshness and an impeccable selection to the decks.
- CEM3340: Pure exploration of analog sound and synthesis.
- RRUCCULLA A/V Live: A collision of breaks, experimental jazz, and immersive visual design.
- Twusheps LIVE: The duo formed by Alfredo Urra and Xabier Munárriz, who will debut a live act built entirely with machines, tense rhythms, and complex textures.
- Promising/Youngster A/V Live: IDM and cinematic atmospheres to round off the sensory experience.
The goal is to build a festival with a careful format and recognizable personality capable of generating public displacement and inserting Pamplona-Iruña into the national circuit of contemporary electronic music.
— ElektrAV Management
The magnetism of a consolidated proposal
The upward trajectory of ElektrAV is not a matter of chance. After selling out all tickets in its last edition, this first preview of 2027 predicts a new resounding success for the scene. The fusion of the historical heritage of the Citadel with the most avant-garde frequencies of the current landscape creates an unrepeatable atmosphere. By betting on hybrid formats, live acts based on hardware, and a careful visual aesthetic, the festival not only offers a musical event, but a deep immersion in electronic culture. It remains to be seen what surprises the remaining 50% of the lineup holds, but the foundations for an anthological edition are already firmly established.
