Here we are all lovers of electronic music. Of the quality electronic, the most remote of the commercial circuits. Quality techno music.
By all is known that techno is in a golden age, again !. With a multitude of labels and artists in top form.
As always, from here. From "The Midnight Clan Club" we like to support and contribute our bit so that techno and electronic music does not stop evolving and growing. PoleGroup rules!
As you well know "The Midnight Clan Club" is a global club. He does not understand borders and we like to support "quality" wherever he comes from.
From here we believe that Spain is, to this day, in the lead of techno scene. Captained by the tireless and brilliant Oscar Mulero. Who through its label serves as a platform for great consecrated artists, young promises and how not ... their own productions.
We recently talked about PoleGroup's 5-year history and we wanted to do it again in relation to the current tour of Australia, South Korea and Japan. Granting this debut for "RA JApan":
RA Japan interview Oscar Mulero (Owner of "PoleGroup" Label)
Mon / 28 Nov 2016 / 8:09 PM
1.When you spent your
savings as a youngster on The Cure’s “Standing on a Beach” could you ever have
imagined you would be where you are today? It’s quite a journey …
I always thought that I
would end up doing something related to music.., my dad was into playing drums
in bands and also used to dj too for some years.., so in some how music was
surrounding me since I was a kid, and in some how to perform were familiar to
me as well..
2.What was it that made THE
OMEN so successful? Obviously it was golden age for techno.
I think nobody were playing
the music we were playing at that club in Madrid that time..,probably this was
one of the reasons… I remember myself going to London and Amsterdam to buy
records that nobody could have in that time in Madrid.., so it was all about
that and the way of mixing those tracks what probably made the difference at
that time.
3.Sonar 1996: how
significant was that for your career? Tell us about playing that event.
Seriously…?? are you asking
about an event that happen 20 years ago……????? what can I say…, it was nice to
play Sonar for the first time, now what I remember the most is that it was for
me the first time seeing Autechre playing, they were awesome as usual.
4.You’re obviously a very
prolific artist: what drives you and where do you get that inspiration to keep
producing original and innovative music?
Obviously got my musical
inspiration and influences, but at the same time also all that happen around me
every single day in my life affects in some how my way of producing and
creating my music. Music is 100% related to your emotions, thats how it works
for me.
5.You’ve played all over the
world, how have you been received in Japan and what do you feel about the
Japanese sensibilities towards techno/house? How do they differ from
Spain/Europe?
I played Japan 6 years ago
so I guess things probably have changed.., but my experience that time it was
really good. Something that really got stacked in mi mind it was the fact of
how good the crowd reacted to music that they were listening to for the first
time.., this is completely the opposite to how it works with the Spanish crowd
for example who like to listen most of the times to tracks that they can
recognize.
6.What are you working on
now? Anything new in terms of style/direction?
I’m working on a new album,
non dance oriented this time, so there are no tracks for the dancefloor, this
time is going to be more for the listening, kind of IDM influenced as I’m into
this long time ago. Working on the final mix down these days and I’m
pretty happy about what I’m getting so looking forward to getting finished and
start to work on the selection for the final track list of the record.
7.So you are playing at Mind
Off (Wall&Wall) in Tokyo next. What are your thoughts about coming back to
Tokyo and playing this event?
It’s good to be back and
play in Tokyo again after some years, so my expectations about the Mind Off
night at Wall & Wall are big. Don’t know much about the club but I’m
sure its gonna be fun, as far as I can get good sound and good monitors in the
booth I will enjoy playing and according to this the people who come to see me
playing will enjoy my set too.
It is difficult today, when record stores disappear every day and can not spend hours checking new releases. This vice that is so lacking in the digital age, our weekly visit (minimum) to our favorite record store.
Much is said about the increase in the sale of music on vinyl.
Make no mistake, these statistics speak of commercial music. Mass music, which you can buy in department stores.
But, finding what we really like is increasingly difficult ... "the latest release of our favorite underground label, this album still unreleased" ...
Our favorite record store no longer exists, its closed. The clerk to assist us with a smile and was glad to see us now dedicated to something else. It's time to evolve and look where listen to our music elsewhere. By other means.
Of course, that means none other than internet. The network of networks.
One way, of course, is to be aware of the web of our favorite label. And check their releases daily. Or, if they have it, and subscribe to your mailing sent directly to our emails.
And do the same with websites selling music specializing in our favorite style. If you serve as an example, I usually investigate:
This is a good way to keep up. But you can only hear a sample. And I really like to hear the song in full. Manias of each.
So lately, as I do not get new releases me to my house, like the great djs. I had to find a way to do it. And something that gives me very good result is the unconsumable YouTube.
Search and subscribe to channels to share news. And fit with my musical tastes of the moment (underground techno in this case). I happened any case you want to take a look and see for yourselves.
There are hundreds, or thousands of times I've turned on the Technics at home.
With the simple intention to enjoy, or hang out.
But the other day, I pressed the ON button with the idea of recording a different set. Dark, strong, he was able to convey something.
I really do not know if I got it. Actually I did not prepare the list of songs, only I selected randomly among many that might have sounded.
I was satisfied. It should be inspired. Dimly inspired. Hence its name.
And of course, I wanted to share, here. In my corner of the net.
I hope, at least, enjoy it eschándolo half of what I enjoyed doing.
Tracklist:
1. Raw by Stanislav Tolkachev
2. One Thousands League by Birth of Frequency
3. Assambled by Milton Bradley
4. Passage 17.1 by Reeko
5. Revoke by S100
6. Transients V2 by Truncate
7.Silent Menace (303 Mix)bySyntec / D. Diggler
8. 3.8 by Slam
9. Provoke (Shifted Remix) by Secluded
10. Stressed by Dj Deep
11. Gipson (SHDW & Obscure Shape Remix) by Monoloc
12. Long Delay by Luca Agnelli
13. Stressin by Dj Deep
14. Exoplanet War by Farceb
15. The hand is faster than the eye (Unreleased) by Jeff Mills
Hector Sandoval began his career as a DJ in 1994 after years of residences and sessions in small clubs in Asturias until in 1999 decides to go into production.
Hector talk is talk about one of the most acclaimed duos of Spanish techno scene, Exium (with Valentin Corujo).
Together they have traveled half the world beats and dishing have been great techno anthems. Played by artists of the stature of Surgeon, Christian Wünsch, Oscar Mulero, Ben Sims, Dave Clarke, Gayle San, Ángel Molina, Takaaki Itoh, Damon Wild, Iñigo, Kennedy, Pacou.... To name a few...
His version is more personal behind his alias Komatsu. He lets fly his inspiration where more leisurely and intimate music.
It belongs to the cavalry PoleGroup, seal of the great Óscar Mulero. and next to the label's artists perform authentic worship sessions. Where techno sound commands and cared until the last consequences.
Just over two years ago and after twenty years and over a hundred papers published throughout his career, Hector creates a new project called Tensal.
With this reinvention has managed to give another turn has its sound and in just 2 It has taken six EPs worthy of any addicted to techno music lover.
With gems like this:
We are a huge artists, prolific and eager to please his audience.
The techno music has made and is making history. It is a sound and clear development throughout the world music genre. Where each day has more followers.
It may seem a modern music, but nothing is further from reality.
Needless to mention artists like Kraftwerk to be aware that there is electronic music (techno not only) since mid early 70s.
For all this, today I wanted to share a file from my private collection.
A London session of legendary producer Ben Sims. Held in Spain in a small festival called Move disappeared. In the province of Valladolid. a whopping more than 17 years ago, ...
Enjoy it!
And as always, if you want to enjoy electronic music in all its forms and times you can visit my Youtube channel.
Madrid,
mid-80s, the Spanish capital lives a true musical explosion not known until
then. Amid all this maelstrom an unknown teenager enters a record shop to
invest their savings in an album, Standing on a beach of The Cure. Even he knew
this would be the first step of a long and costly steps it would take to be one
of the dj's essential for this country.
This fondness
for discs for personal consumption continued to expand with references Joy
Division, The Smiths, Sisters of Mercy, Fields of the Nephilim and the whole
Dark wave and gothic rock. Electronics came later, when he attends as a public
one of the historical moments of the Madrid electronics, EBM mythical nights in
the disco OH Madrid. We talk about 1989 and a risky developer decide to bring
the capital to the cream of European Music Body, in a few months pass by the
scene of this club: Front 242, Cassandra Complex, Nitzer Ebb or A Split Second.
Many of those attending these nights are definitely engaged in the hardest and
Oscar was one of them electronic. The collection grows and is no longer enough
to hear the solo albums over and over again, quickly arises the need to share
this music with others, virus dj attacks the nervous system Oscar, almost
without realizing the vocation is emerging and soon comes the first
opportunity: a friend who always appear in a small club gets sick and called to
replace him.
First contact
with the profession, and from below, without shortcuts, makes its way step by
step, decisively, firmly believing in every move he makes, putting all his
passion in music, no more. It will not be long until a standard is made in the
booths of the most underground clubs in Madrid, which beautifully embrace its
dark and sharp musical discourse, fueled by the best of European electronic
dance and the elite of the new wave and the riskiest rock. Thus end 80 and a
decade that will be vital for the development of Oscar Mulero as dj begins, the
best is yet to come and the first stone was called New World. It electrifies
the nightlife, clubs like Attica, Saratoga, Somersault, National Public Name 3
or bet on the European underground music and DJs who mixed. In that little
embryo techno New World played a key role, and DJs (Oscar, Yke and Yury) were
very important part in this. New World sounded thunderously, metallic,
precisely, the cabin was in the middle of the room and contact with the public
was total. The music was programmed open, without limitation, could sound as
soon as The Cult Front 242 or more underground disk new beat Belgian or German
trance. Club goers receive this musical message with passion and quickly become
unconditional. Word of mouth begins his work ...
The success
of the sessions in New World is rising and Oscar entered the studio for the
first time to collaborate on the creation of the official record of the club,
Nuclear Zone, an approximate distance, more like sonic counselor as a real
producer. The album goes on sale in 1993 and is a quite remarkable success for
the period, reaching included in various compilations national level. Seen in
perspective is a very consistent work with the style that prevailed in the
first 90 and the time has come to become a cult object on Ebay.
Like
everything in life, the New World experience has an end, the restaurant's owner
decides to sell and the mythical time of the square cubes signs his requiem.
Far from being the end of something, it is the start of something even bigger.
The Omen born, for some, the total club, formed by a team of luxury in every
aspect. In The Omen, every aspect was treated with thoroughness, DJs selected
the music using the whole range of styles at your fingertips, from liquids and
slowed early session until the final apotheosis and memorable. The club meeting
was conceived as a movie, always different, always moving, with the same
attention in the beginning, middle and end. Along with music and visual
projections contributed something new in the nights of the capital, no one had
seen before in the same cabin three courses and a computer. The combination of
light jockey dj's and provided a complete audiovisual experience. As for the
graphic image, the Omen flyers were true works of art, created to detail,
experimenting with fonts, formats and more futuristic materials, creating
branding and marking school. A curious fact in the info equal importance to
DJs, light jockeys and to the public relations it was, leading the team spirit
to every corner of the club.
During this
stage, Oscar definitely session marks its concept and style of constructivism
mixture, in which the discs become less important in themselves to become tools
of building something much bigger in the form of session. Musically, cosmic
sounds of European labels like Harthouse and Eye Q are mixed with the roughest
and abstract sonorities detroitiana or British influence, the first UR, the
first Tresor or the first Soma, added to better ambient and IDM for the opening,
with the entire catalog of Warp and Artificial Intelligence series as sonic
palette, plus music labels as risky as Apollo Records (downtempo subdivision
legendary Belgian label R & S) or Fax planeadora electronics Records. Omen
success quickly turns into a tourist attraction, with clubbers across the
country traveling to Madrid every weekend to enjoy the sessions. This involves
a change in the Oscar race, weight mutates resident dj traveler, starts out
regularly to expand the sound Omen throughout the peninsula, first to the north
and progressively in the four cardinal points. Oscar's intimate
relationship with roads and airports takes shap
But
unfortunately, the Omen also has an end, unwanted by anyone, in full media
explosion of designer drugs and weekends endless, as a victim of biased
information and unaware of the musical values of what we now call techno.
From this moment, Oscar Mulero will not be permanent resident anymore, Constant
requests for promoters, both in our country and in the rest of Europe,
implicating him in a constant tour weekend that will not stop for a moment
throughout his career.
In their
first European dabbling have the opportunity to share cabin and direct contact
with the best of world techno: Jeff Mills, Laurent Garnier, Derrick May ...
Oscar learns and synthesizes in his mental recorder new techniques, new sounds
and adds to its already extensive background, even he is aware, but is creating
something unusual, a total full dj who knows both teach and learn, not tight
and he sees his career as a constantly evolving closing stages and seeking new
goals.
1996 arrives
and with it the third edition of Sonar, a festival which by then has already
established itself as one of the most important in the world. For the first
time the Oscar Mulero name appears in the list of national squad, along with
other co-generation as The Frogmen, HD Substance or Resonic. Sonar 96 serves as
official confirmation of a scene hitherto embryonic, for the first time is
taken into account as something serious, like the germ of something solid. In
this edition Oscar measured forces with figures like Richie Hawtin, Garnier and
Mills not lose out. Outside our country begins to talk about his technique and
unique musical selection. Goal achieved and a closed stage.
But there is
life after Sonar and this accolade level provides even more work, more travel,
bigger festivals like the Members of Mayday, to result in 1998 in his first cd
session (and one of the first published in our country ) About Discipline and
education, published in the Catalan label so Dens, then closely linked to the
organizers of Sonar. At the time, the musical selection was quite advanced and
risky, with the best of Birmingham dry and industrious hand Regis or Surgeon
sound and best sound USA represented by Jeff Mills and Joey Beltram. The CD is
an absolute bestseller, one of the CD's electronic music best sellers in the
history of our country. If the name of Oscar Mulero was already known by the
underground and the most loyal clubbers, happens now occupy the front pages of
specialized and general media, he thanks the figure of dj is taken seriously in
media so far only saw it as one more workers in one night. As so often, opening
doors and marking paths.
But he is not
satisfied yet, a mission accomplished lens, non stop music. Still not feel
complete, the idea of producing his own music keeps you awake, the jump will
not be easy, but still decide to give, as always without looking for shortcuts,
from below, from the beginning. The objective is clear, if you want to work in
this form professional, travel the world and let you know beyond your borders
you can not sit still, you need to edit your own music, you need to DJs you
admire put your records, the world know what you're missing. To work, and not
just have to be aware of the latest music, there are now new tasks, we must get
the study material needed to make the music you have in your head reality. But
machines do not sound alone, the learning process is hard and sometimes
frustrating, you have to spend many hours in white to make the team something
that fits fairly to those who have in the brain.
And once this
first hurdle you have to have the time and the shamelessness necessary to
present it in public as demo, accept all kinds of opinions and make sense of
learning highly developed to constantly bring something new. If you have done
well all this will have a reward in the form of disk, and if it works, double
reward. Not all DJs are good producers and viceversa.Óscar has worked very hard
to match the level as DJ with animal studies.
His first
work is published in 1999 by a producer from Madrid experienced Groof, both
form the duo Quite Unusual Groof in the seal itself, with unanimous support
Brainwaves critical and sales. The baptism of fire gives satisfactory results
and provides enough courage to throw himself to his solo career. That moment
arrives in 2000, in the French label Kobayashi. First away game and first win.
The next step is clear, you can not rely on others to edit your music, create a
seal.
Said and
done, in the same 2000 born Warm Up and a couple of years later his rod Pole.
From this moment all efforts are focused on edit their own material either at
home or playing outside in the best seals techno planet, as CODA, Pure Plastic,
Tresor, Sheep, Tsunami, or Main Out, among others .. this will definitely
places on the world map editing techno nine maxis between 2000 and 2002. not
bad. Background work, gym, workout, you name it, now needed a hit, one of those
magical themes you never know when you go to compose, that many come to never
compose, that only comes when the coordinates are coupled with precision.
The moment
comes when Ben Sims ask for a demo Oscar for his label Theory, one of the most
powerful scene at the time, after a slow and costly comings and goings of
masters and demos between Madrid and London and hours of work study, Anaconda
is published in late 2002, this is their first international hit that puts
definitely in the all star of world techno producers, the disc is punctured and
charted by DJs most respectable of the globe and as a direct consequence career
Oscar Mulero soars exponentially. Signed for the prestigious German booking
agency Dynamix, sharing the roster with the best hard techno. Passport stamps
collapses airports of the five continents and their luggage visit since the
best clubs and festivals in South America, Europe or Asia. For most mortals
there is enough with this, to Oscar Mulero no.
To complete
his doctorate missing an album, a work concept. New challenge, not easy. In
2003 put back the monkey work, is enclosed in the studio with his package snuff
and necessary provisions and published on the seal Pure Plastic, under the
moniker Trolley Route, A Occhi Chiusi, an album of overall mental electronics
and danceable at the same time, with this album cycle is closed and maturity as
a producer is beyond doubt. Since then and until today his work as a sniper has
continued, both as producer and remixer in the world techno essential seals and
continuing with multiple performances tirelessly throughout the electronic
world.
A career
unblemished, without twists, full of work and dedication, with the same love
for music in the mid-80s made him buy his first vinyl and never lose hope, an
illusion that holds a future full of new projects and expectations, as the
release of their second album as Trolley Route, creating the new platform Zero
Oscillator Parties with DJ Dead, which unleashes his passion for all styles of
electronic music, combining tradition and future. In short, a complete artist
without which you can not understand the history of dance music in our country.
