LIVEGROOVES

Tag: madrid

  • Madrid Salvaje 2025: the Future of Spanish Urban Music

    Madrid Salvaje 2025: the Future of Spanish Urban Music

    The heart of Madrid Salvaje has always been its lineup, and 2025 feels like the festival’s most complete statement yet. At the top sits Al Safir, whose meteoric rise from Madrid’s barrios to the national stage embodies the festival’s ethos of giving a voice to the new wave of Spanish rap. Alongside him, figures like Sticky M.A. and Hard GZ bring a raw intensity, each with their own street-honed cadence—Sticky’s futuristic trap stylings balancing Hard GZ’s politically charged rhymes. The underground duo Grecas and the ever-inventive Midas Alonso keep the energy experimental, carving out spaces where genre rules bend and break.

    But the festival doesn’t stop there. It leans into the hybrid energy of artists like Kidd Keo, who continues to blur the lines between Spanish trap and U.S. influences, and Soto Asa, whose hypnotic reggaetón and trance-tinged flows feel tailor-made for open-air nights by the lake. Blake and Parkineos bring the swagger of street rap, while emerging voices such as Diegote and El Bugg represent the new generation bubbling up with fresh urgency.

    Diversity is key, and Madrid Salvaje prides itself on showcasing voices that challenge the mainstream. Santa Salut arrives as one of the few women at the top of Spain’s hip-hop scene, her razor-sharp lyricism carving out feminist and social narratives rarely heard in festival headliners. Acts like Nasta and 3lpardito keep things firmly rooted in hardcore rap traditions, while Kaze and Disobey add layers of emotional grit, bridging the personal with the political. On the fringes, collectives such as The Whistlers and rising names like SWIT EME or Javi Bambini Cattivi promise those chaotic, unpredictable moments that only happen in the margins of a wild festival night.

    Together, this roster paints a vivid picture of the Spanish urban sound in 2025: unapologetically diverse, politically alive, and sonically restless. It’s not just a lineup, but a map of where rap, trap, and reggaetón are heading—raw, unfiltered, and ready to explode in the open-air playground of Torrejón de Ardoz.

    For those ready to dive into this wild journey, tickets are still available through the official website

  • Mondo open air – ØTTA , Patrick Mason, Serafina

    Mondo open air – ØTTA , Patrick Mason, Serafina

    Bathed in golden sunlight and pulsing with bass, the third edition of Mondo Open Air unfolded this past Sunday at Jowke, the lush terrace-club hybrid on the outskirts of Madrid where palm trees frame the dancefloor and afternoon melts into something euphoric. From early afternoon until nightfall, Jowke became more than a venue; it became a portal.

    Jowke has that rare mix of urban edge and tropical dream. With its open-air decks, water features, elevated platforms and ambient lighting, the space moves between industrial and intimate. There’s room to drift, to lose yourself, to dance under the soft shade or perch on a ledge and watch the crowd fall into rhythm. The sound system was crisp and full-bodied, delivering every kick with warmth and force.

    Entasia opened the day with a set rooted in hypnotic techno. Hailing from the UK, her style blends gritty percussion with trance-like atmospheres. She built her session with intention, layering tension and suspense until the floor began to move as one. The energy was slow-burning and cinematic, the kind of set that invites you to surrender without even realizing it.

    ØTTA followed and brought a different light. Also from the UK, she leaned into melodic techno and soulful house textures. Her selections carried warmth and color, weaving emotional resonance into the growing pulse of the evening. As the sun began to drop behind the trees, her music seemed to guide it, each transition flowing like a gentle breath. People began to loosen, to lean into the groove with closed eyes and open smiles.

    Then came Patrick Mason. The Berlin-based artist arrived with a magnetic presence and a razor-sharp sound. His set was a masterclass in intensity, blending industrial techno with acid flashes, metallic rhythms and dramatic breakdowns. Patrick doesn’t just DJ; he commands. Every gesture felt choreographed, every track perfectly placed. The terrace turned into a pressure cooker, and when the drops landed, the collective release was immediate and wild. He connected with the crowd not just through sound, but through performance, and it made all the difference.

    Earlier and later in the day, Serafina and Gerardo Niva each brought their signature touch. Serafina carved out a psychedelic, trance-laced path through the mid-afternoon haze, while Gerardo, a beloved figure in the Mondo scene, closed with a deep and driving techno set that felt both grounded and expansive.

    What lingered most was the feeling in the air. This wasn’t just a party; it was a community in motion. Barefoot dancers by the pool, groups sprawled across lounge beds, hands reaching toward the fading light during Mason’s climactic peaks. There was connection, freedom, and something close to joy.

    Mondo Open Air at Jowke has cemented itself as one of Madrid’s essential open-air experiences. It’s more than a lineup, more than a location. It’s the way the music, the architecture and the sunlight converge into something unforgettable. If you’re thinking of catching the next one, don’t hesitate. Tickets are available at http://www.mondodisko.es/entradas. Come for the music, stay for the moment.