A whole host of new names have been added to the line-up of the 2011 Sónar festival, the main strand of which takes place in Barcelona on June 16-18.

Where to begin? How about the scheduled live performance from Aphex Twin. AFX’s visual collaborator turned solo artist of note Chris Cunningham will also be in Barcelona to present one of his dazzling A/V sets, and Raster-Noton’s Alva Noto will perform live with Ryuichi Sakamoto. Poppier fare comes from Janelle Monae, The Human League, Toro Y Moi and Yelle.

There are several label showcases of particular note: one from Tri Angle which promises live performances from How To Dress Well, Balam Acab and Holy Other, Smalltown Supersound presents Annie, Diskjokke and FACT favourite Bjorn Torske, while Numbers lays on Deadboy, Jackmaster, Redinho, Spencer, Lory D and Jessie Ware. Ninja Tune & Big Dada, Russian Beats and Infine also curate their own line-ups.

BBC Radio 1 has a heavy presence, with Annie Mac and Benji B bringing over Pearson Sound, Toddla T and Redlight ft. Ms Dynamite & Dread MC, and Red Bull looks after the SonarDome, laying on Zinc, Katy B, Tiger & Woods, Brandt Brauer Frick, Discodeine, Illum Sphere and many more. Floating Points and Gilles Peterson are also on board.

Techno is at the heart of what Sónar is all about, and this year punters will be treated to sets from Surgeon, Sandwell District’s Silent Servant, Actress, Trentemoller and Agoria, with Scuba repping those murky dubstep/house hybrids. Blackest Ever Black’s Raime will perform live their intense, industrial-inspired bass music.

We’re particularly excited about the Shangaan Electro show – the stars of Honest Jon’s 2010 compilation presenting the marimba-heavy, near-footworking dance sound of South Africa. N’wagezani my love, that’s all we’re saying…you pretty much know this is going to be the real highlight of the festival.

For the full list of new additions, visit the Sonar site here. They join the previously announced likes of Shackleton, Hype Williams, Steve Reich and Magnetic Man.