RA's Jack Haighton travels to his former home town to take stock of the scene in Spain's capital city.

Incredibly lucid review. Madrid is a great city to visit, and the night scene is fun... except for electronica. Now that the RBMA is coming it is having a bit more life (Siroco and their new soundsystem, The Fame and their parties), but every event I tried to go related to electronica has that akward feeling I get here. First: there is still a lot of "see and be seen" attitude in clubs: I remember the last time I was in The Fame, with the RBMA finalists and Hudson Mohawke, and nearly no one danced. They all talked, were happy to see each other, and really took the club as a bar, with the shouting being nearly louder than the music itself. There is an underground song from a spanish group, Ultraplayback, that sang "Nobody dances today, everyone's a dj", and that pretty explains it all. You go to those events, and most of the times you see people being very social. Maybe it's that clubbing is a bit more authistic or whatever...

I've never been to Fabrik (it's very far from Madrid) and I only got once into Macumba, for one of the first sessions from Alexander Kowalski, hot back then. I remember going with a friend, both of us amazed by the gigantic room, the awesome sound, the impressive aesthetics of it all, but with a bit of unease. He told me "It's being violent here". That was it. Techno scene in Madrid feels tense, with boys that are looking agressively to anyone that looks at their girl and such.

Also Madrid have some electronic gigs and festivals, like the ones in La Casa Encendida. There is some people, lots of people (there are like 3.3 million people not couting near towns and suburbs) that like electronica, but also a lot that are carried from the "hip" inertia: if a magazine says that this is unmissable, they should go there... by invitation. This helps to a very narrow and isolated circle of culture creation, I think.

There is something more: though there are still a lot of bars and clubs, their "persecution" by police and, ultimately, Madrid goverment, in order to make Madrid a pretty modern city with quiet nights and no ugly bars, is really harming the night scene. And also, with this economic crisis, the support to any cultural movement is decreasing in an alarming way, with the RBMA being a welcomed exception. Madrid is forcedly getting old, it seems. It's still great for "tapas", as you say - in most of the city (or the country itself) you can enjoy good ones - and it's great for day walking, but the night scene is, nowadays, stale, and I believe that it is because of those reasons explained in the article.

More things: people go to clubs from 3 a.m. because there are two "time zones" in clubs or bars: one that starts the day before and closes at 3-3:30, and the other for clubs, that starts at 0:00-1:00 and closes at 5:30-6:00 . "Food" bars usually close at 1:00.

And though Madrid is not the better city for electronica scene, it is still great for indie pop and such.

I have a lot of faith in the Red Bull Music Academy; I have faith that it will ultimately "teach" people, be used to the music, and dance to something that isn't strictly 4/4.

Ok, that was my two cents rant.

Many thanks for the informative guide, Jack, comes in very handily with regard to my soon-to-be-trip to Madrid . As for Spaniards on the dancefloor: I experienced a Todd Terje rooftop party this summer in Barcelona where the PA continuosly broke down, but people didn't seem to care, they just carried on dancing, chattering and having a good time. Terje might as well could have drummed on with a spoon, a fork and a bottle of beer - to steal an image from Tobias Rapp - and would have still rocked that party.

Lol. But bear in mind that Barcelona people are different from the people in Madrid. There are quite more european foreign people living in Barcelona, for example, and this changes the club scene quite a bit.

This doesn't sound at all like the Madrid I used to live in. I was there from 2002 - 2005 and it was fantastic. Mondo/The Room was guaranteed fun and is still one of my favorite clubs in the world. The resident DJs Gerardo Niva and Alvaro Cabana always did a great warm up for the guests. Great bookings as well, every weekend. Very surprised to hear about the resident banging it out from the start in this article because it was never like that when I went there.

Afterhours were really common as well. You could literally spend your whole weekend in clubs if you went from one to the next. Lots of clubs opened at 6 AM on Sunday and would go well into the afternoon. On Sundays At Danzoo Maxime they had a great party called People which started in the afternoon, so you could easily party from Saturday night to Monday morning. Then there was Space of Sound at Macumba, which started at 8 in the morning on Sunday and went on all day long. There were the Goa parties at Fabrik which went all day long and were amazing with good weather because of the terrace outside. It's easy to reach by metro and Fabrik usually has shuttle buses going to and from the city, so it's not that hard to get there. No need for 100 euro cab rides.

Other mentions go to Low, Coppelia, Cafe La Palma, Deep @ El Divino. There are loads more as well.

Judging by this article a lot has changed in recent years. A shame, because Madrid used to be mindblowingly good when it came to nightlife.

@ Risingson, I agree regarding feeling uneasy at Macumba sometimes. Same with Fabrik. Some really dodgy people at those places. Lunatic bouncers as well.

Low is Pirandello right now. Low club was a dirty dark club that I usually loved when it was at Mostenses, that experimented with live shows, parties and good djs. Coppelia does not exist anymore.

I forgot about La Palma, but it is too small. Oh, and we forgot one of the most promising ones: Specka. And let's mention again the two other promising clubs: The Fame (next to Ideal cinemas, near Sol) and Siroco sessions (Bok Bok is going there on the 8th November).

EDIT: I forgot: yes, there are 2 euro buses from Plaza de España (where the Pirandello is) to Fabrik. Correctly advertised in the Fabrik posters, btw.

Jack... you've quite missed the spot again!.
You can't really go out in Madrid (well, everywhere, but especially in Madrid where nightlife begins so late) without a proper warm-up, and without following the very special nightlife pace that madrid people have… You have not lived the night, you've just been a spectator, and your visit has been very superficial.
Arriving at 1am in a frozen and empty Mondo sets the tone for a very boring night…

There are some bars in Madrid where music is important, where DJ's prepare your body and your soul for a great night in clubs. Bars and small clubs with no bouncers, free entrance, good drinks and above all, a great interest in music.

Next time, try to begin with a good DJ set at Chicote on Gran Via, Areia in calle Hortaleza, Tribeca in calle Valverde.
If you come back, try especially, the tiny Club Demodé, in infamous calle Ballesta, back Gran Via. A must for music lovers from thursday to Saturdays. It's basically where music happens. It's an old brothel in a street historically famous for the trade of flesh, right in the center of the city.
The boss and resident, Luis, a more than often excellent DJ seems to be only driven by one energy: music. Deep house, Disco, Nu Disco, Tech house, etc… until 3 am. Bass driven and very warm sounds… no we don't always like it hard !.
Pete Herbert comes from time to time to play before a night at Mondo or a Sunday a Goa, Munch and Tiger & Woods are expected soon. GOA resident Marcos In Dub hosts thursday's parties Himmel Bar, Sandro Bianchi and his very active DJ crew, Madactive, play there once a month, Alvaro Cabana hosts sometimes its famous Wonky nights. Music is always top. Sound is huge for a tiny club of 300 with no attitude, just love of music (a tip…: most PR of other clubs drop by Demode before their work night, and it's quite easy to land your name on any guest lists of the cool clubs you'll go after).
Your experience will be very different when you then go to, walking distance, Mondo, Pirandello, Playback, Audium, Sirocco, etc…. On Sunday nights, you've missed historical house music Weekend Club in Callao. You've also missed the newest club in town, Charada, now closed for shady administrative reasons, a two floor human sized club in the center of the city, set for reopening soon. You've also missed Zombie Kids nights at Sala Heineken, quite a wild party on wednesdays, yes, another school day, but crowd is queuing all night to fill the 1500 people venue near Plaza de España.
And the scene is moving, there are plenty of new DJs, producers, etc… and new guys are way more open minded than the previous generation…

I disagree with your grimy portrait of Madrid's nightlife.
It's way more fun than what you lived, I'm sorry you've hit once again the wrong Madrid.
Next time try to come when there is a Goa on Sunday, and stick to "madrileños" night schedule.
Come back soon…! Max.

Don't know about many of the clubs you say, but Charada and the Zombie Kids and their pop-techno attitude isn't really that interesting (to say something not really negative about Zombie Kids). I remember Charada first for the Black Book Sessions, where it harmed the sound to make Mark De Clive-Lowe keyboards sound... better said, not sound at all. And then I went to one of their sessions, to the most absurd VIP zones I've ever been, where people, again, didn't dance and everyone looked like they didn't have a good time but they had to be there. Also Charada is famous for their very long queues even when the place is empty. A very unconfortable place, though it was really beautiful when it opened with that name.

And the rest you mention... it sounds like queer as folk-like house for me. Sessions where I asked myself "I really like electronica, why am I that bored with this stuff?" and then I decided not to come back (as it happened to me with Cool, with Ohm...). Chicote is other place where I felt (back then) that people concerned about everything but the music.

Areia is a nice coffee place that... is really the only place to have some coffee/tea/whatever with good music. Though, again, it's not a place to dance.

Ya'sta is one of those other clubs that is good from time to time (I remember going there as a teenager and listening to underworld... :') ), because sessions are always changing from place to place. It is difficult to catch up to the many changes of names and clubs, but I suppose that happens in every city.

I really need places where people like the music. No "I am not drugged enough to enjoy that stuff", or "this isn't packed enough, let's go somewhere else", or "this is chillout! [when someone plays something which isn't strictly house or techno]". Let's hope, again, that we have some variety in some months, and people become educated, and so on.

Risingson... of all the places I mention, the one I really stress our attention at is the one you do not mention... Club Demodé.
This is THE place.

Madrid should have 5 like that, for sure.

The others I mention are for info.only (in a piece about clubbing in Madrid, you shouldn't miss some stuff, even if it's not my cup of tea either - zombiekids, chicote, etc...) and for jack to warm up next time he comes to Madrid.
Did I mention Cool or Ohm ?? They are not only queer as folk-like house, there are literally gay sessions (cool in a lesser extent).
And then, the best of Charada was the red box, the tiny room below, not the boring black box...
And some sessions are better than others, need to catch a good day...

Yep, I used those examples as... well, as feel-alike. I need to catch a good day, that's for sure.

But why is it that difficult?

bonjour ma cher(e) je vie en afrique du sud je veux partissipe au forum qui se tiendra au madrid novembre 2011 reson pour l`aquel je vien au pres de votre haute bien veillance vous de monde quelles on les condition pour en beneficier a la tente de votre suite mercie mon e-mail mcedricpresley@yahoo.com mon tel (0027)736322604 le nom que je utulise de RA SE malonga

bonjour ma cher(e) je vie en afrique du sud je veux partissipe au forum qui se tiendra au madrid novembre 2011 reson pour l`aquel je vien au pres de votre haute bien veillance vous de monde quelles on les condition pour en beneficier a la tente de votre suite mercie mon e-mail mcedricpresley@yahoo.com mon tel (0027)736322604 le nom que je utulise de RA SE malonga

bonjour ma cher(e) je vie en afrique du sud je veux partissipe au forum qui se tiendra au madrid novembre 2011 reson pour l`aquel je vien au pres de votre haute bien veillance vous de monde quelles on les condition pour en beneficier a la tente de votre suite mercie mon e-mail mcedricpresley@yahoo.com mon tel (0027)736322604 le nom que je utulise de RA SE malonga

I agree on some points with Risingson but on others with MaxLaroca. personally I think there is clublife in abundance in Madrid and new small places are popping out everywhere, but I often feel that people don't go there because they want to see a specific DJ or hear a specific sound. I mean there is kinda one scene where everything is mixed together and you can see the same local Djs play in the same 5 clubs over and over again. They don't like to open for new talent, they only invite international DJs and the locals are always the same names. It's a job for them and due to the crisis they have to stick together and don't want to share the clubs and nights with new names. In years I haven't seen any new and upcoming talent in the main clubs in Madrid. Luckily in recent times there are more and more smaller places, mainly DJ bars, the ones that MaxLaroca mentioned and 2 or 3 others where smaller scenes are being built. So the choice is again increasing. Still, the Madrid electronic music scene needs some local identity, that is currently missing, compared to cities like Berlin, London or Paris. With an increasing amount of labels, producers and small venues this should be possible, although it may take a while.

You are all invited to my small intimate party on November the 6th - Misa de Seis. An electronic music gathering on Sunday afternoon-evening, at Alma Cafe in the Lavapies barrio (close to Reina Sofia), with an underground selection of Deep Dub House and Techno sounds and nice people. See you there!

@Risingson
You can't talk about Madrid night scene if you've never been to Fabrik and just one time to Macumba. I don't think Fabrik reach second position in the Dj Mag's top world club by chance. Go to a Goa or Reverse party and you will see how huge is the club and how good is the line-up(juste few name : Laurent Garnier, Seth Troxler, Damian Lazarus, Radio Slave, Steve Bug, Matthias Tanzmann, Tanai Vulcano, Robert Hood, Gaiser, Marco Carola, Tiga, 2 Many Dj's, Felix Krocher,etc.). Macumba lost the Danzoo parties (now in Maxime) but the space of sound is the best party on sunday with Goa. If you take a look at the parties those promoters are making for New Year's Eve (Space of Sound Festival, Day One, Goa,etc.) you will understand.
And speaking about "small clubs", parties in Pirandello and Sala Heineken are not so bad: Playback, Audium, WTF, Zoologico, Stardust (the former Sala Cool parties),etc. Penelope is quite good also with the Up session even if the club is not well funky.

@djnoxx yes, well, you know, I can't go there because if I want to go there I should go alone (EDIT: going alone to Fuenlabrada. 30 kms away from Madrid. By bus, surrounded by uncontrollable teens, with an imaginary arrow above me saying "pedobear"). And well, something that is implied in the RA text but maybe is not very clear: in Spain you don't go alone to clubs. Imagine: going to Fabrik, feeling like a grandfather of what surrounds you, and with people asking me for a drink every 10 minutes, and asking me for drugs, just because I'm enjoying the music. No, thanks. I'll take the risk in the RBMA activities - and all my friends look at me as I was saying "I'm going to Libia for holidays" - and then I'll leave that hostile and uncomfortable atmosphere for other strong souls.

EDIT2: and "only once in Macumba". Why, of course I was only once there, one time when I decided no to persuade any of my friends for going there. You know, there are many things that you do once, you don't like it, and then you stop doing them. I don't understand what you blame on me there.

I've gone a lot of time to clubs on my own and I've never had problems to talk and have good feelings with people in Madrid. I just want you to know that there are many things you didn't see and experienced in Madrid and you should go back there and, as ChilledOut1981 said, "meet the locals"

There are a good clubs in Madrid, If you have the choise the to listen Cora Novoa, she was amazing, a diferent type of music, She works for the label "Natura Sonoris" and the sets are so pretty, in spain we meet Cora as the "princess of electronic music", melodyc music with techno drums

Thanks for the article - It's a shame you didn't make it to "Post Club" at the totally revamped Siroco. This night (and new soundsystem) addresses all the issues you raise about the city. Its sole purpose is to develop a similar the kind of culture of electronica (with a special nod towards bass music) listening that you suggest the city is missing. They are also participating in RBMA and will host the likes of Pearson Sound.

Basically, in Madrid very few people follow DJs... they follow "copas". I always get the sense that it doesn't really matter what is being played there, although the offer is a lot better than you make out if you know where to go.

John

Siroco should really advertise more this change of soundsystem and music programme. It seems that only a few of us knows about it.

clubs should promote more the music itself and that this is the reason this all exists. often I read in events about useless stuff rather than the DJ, the music he/she plays, etc. it's only about money most of the time. just by looking at the nights we have here the scene should be booming. loads of international acts all the time, every weekend. but the local scene is small and as I said before, it is shared by the same DJs in the same places all the time, over and over again. it's just getting boring over time to see that they just seem to share the slots between each other and the people who run the bigger clubs are totally against promoting new local talent. you have to suck a lot of arse to get into somewhere, and even if it is just for warming up the first 1-2 hours in front of nobody....for an urban area of 5 million people (bigger than Berlin) this is kinda sad. but as mentioned, there are smaller nights and bars/clubs coming up with a more diverse local scene. good signs...

Goa, WeekEnd, Casette, Club13, Taboo, Mondo, Charada, Danzoo, Pirandello, Ochoymedio, Audium, Forumtek...

;-)

+ deMode, The Room, La Casa Encendida, Circulo de Bellas Artes...

DayOne, Klubbers...

X_____________D

Anything specific you wanted to add to the debate?

A few cool sesion & clubs.

I give more underground examples of partys taking place in Madrid at the moment:
Analogical Force
Femur Club
DZA
Holy Dubs
Post Club
Lumen et Umbra
Impersonal Strikes
8z8
Bass Madrid
look at the small clubs and you will find better sessions and audience...

Madrid is not only FSM, Macumba, Fabrik, Kapital or Mondo...
check clubbingspain.com for more information, radio's online like Oscilacion, Geometrika FM...
you have label's and netlabel's like Titan's Halo, Semantica, Frigio, Chaval record's, Geométrica...
vinyl shop's like Cuna, Rotor, Recycled...

Of course. Most of these caused by the RBMA activities, which I shall glorify every day.

RBMA is actually being a great "update" of this scene, like, at last, everyone is being informed of what is happening in the city. There was a debate yesterday about the clubbing scene, what happened here, what will happen, and how it is not necessarily the same scene as the indie dance clubs. And yes, there are a lot of stores and such, but I feel as the little scene we have here is a bit closed. Meaning: I like electronica, I'm not interested in vinyls.

BTW, I've been twice to Fabrik since last time I've posted: one Goa and last Code. Amazing place, even beautiful, but too far from the civilization I think. And I prefer this kind of public to the indie one. Hm. Maybe I'm changing, getting older and such.