opinion
old-schooler AUTOR SERGIO BIFEIS
The summer of 2025 left behind a con- troversy in the electronic music scene that, although seemingly anecdotal, reveals the way we relate to music culture. Asturias is a major stronghold of techno in Spain, and the Aquasella festival, with almost three decades of history, is its greatest reference point. The event has grown to gather 80,000 attendees, which forces it to open up to new audiences and sounds. The lo- yalty of veterans is not enough, and diversification becomes a necessity to attract new generations.
Currently, Adrián Mills and his collec- tive 240km/h, successful with their Face 2 Face concept (two DJs facing each other, each with their own set), are synonymous with success. They mix commercial-style vocals with fast-paced hard-house and hard-te- chno bases, adding euphoric melodies on top. Their performance at Aquase- lla drew criticism from those who felt it lowered the standard and “purity” of the festival. In response, Mills announ- ced on Instagram that at his next set at Florida 135 he would play an edit of an Oscar Mulero track with the voice of reggaeton star Feid, and that, mo- reover, people would be asking him for the track ID. This story was even inter- preted as a show of disrespect toward a historic figure and an exacerbated display of egocentric opportunism.
This episode reignited a recurring de- bate: the tension between those who defend a rigid vision of authenticity and those who bet on different paths. It’s nothing new. Remember when Da- vid Guetta headlined Monegros De- sert Festival in 2010, causing a scan- dal among purists. Today, social media amplifies these frictions and turns every gesture into a public battle.
For many, Aquasella symbolizes a te- chno sanctuary. That’s why the ope- ning to trending genres sparks the fear of losing identity and diluting the legacy. Spaces of authenticity have always been minority ones, and for that reason they are defended with passion. The question is whether such attachment justifies rejecting any kind of openness outright. The orga- nizers, moreover, must ensure an eco- nomic sustainability that makes the event’s existence and growth viable.
Techno, however, has never been sta- tic. From its birth in Detroit as a cul- tural rupture, to the Berlin reinter- pretations of the nineties, and later fusions with house, minimal, industrial or trance—its history is one of cons- tant mutation. Its richness lies in the branches that have kept it alive and in continuous evolution.
The debate reveals the fear that tho- se who haven’t lived “the essence” will take over a space many feel is their own. Thus, the dancefloor, conceived as a place of freedom and mixing, tur- ns into a battlefield between old and new. But perhaps the key lies in recog- nizing that there isn’t just one dance- floor. Musical globalization allows for the coexistence of niches, and this diversity ensures that everyone finds their place without needing to expel the other. Authenticity, more than in always sounding the same, lies in kee- ping alive the spirit of experimenta- tion, community, and collective search that defines club culture. Turning au- thenticity into dogma risks locking music into a prison of immobility.
We old-schoolers will continue to exist because you can’t stop the human dri- ve to preserve what feels sacred and left its mark on us. But music and the dancefloor don’t belong exclusively to anyone. What Adrián Mills seems to point out—beyond the provocation— is that being an old schooler means standing still in a world in constant motion. And music, like life, can only be danced moving forward.
097
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212
