Oscar Mulero is a Spanish techno producer and DJ from Madrid, born in 1971. He begins in Madrid’s underground club scene in the mid-1980s and becomes a regular presence in the city’s DJ booths before moving into production.

Career

His first studio involvement comes through New World, where he helps with the club’s official record, Nuclear Zone, released in 1993. He later becomes closely associated with The Omen, a Madrid club that draws clubbers from across Spain and turns him from a resident DJ into a travelling one, taking his sets around the country.

By 1996 he appears at Sónar for the first time as one of the national invitees, alongside artists including The Frogmen, HD Substance and Resonic. He performs there against figures such as Richie Hawtin, Laurent Garnier and Jeff Mills, and his technique and selection begin to attract attention outside Spain. In 1998 he releases About Discipline and Education on So Dens, described as the first Session CD of its kind released in Spain. The release becomes a major success and combines influences from Birmingham techno and US techno represented by artists such as Regis, Surgeon, Jeff Mills and Joey Beltram.

In 1999 he works with GROOF as the duo Quite Unusual, releasing music on GROOF’s Brainwaves label. His first release on an international label follows in 2000 on the French label Kobayashi. That period also marks the start of Warm Up and, later, PoleGroup. Over the following years he releases music on techno labels including Coda, Pure Plastic, Tresor, Sheep, Tsunami and Main Out.

Aliases and projects

Mulero records under several names. In 2003 he releases A Occhi Chiusi on Pure Plastic as Trolley Route, a release that marks a further step in his development as a producer. His Dr. Smoke alias reflects a broader selection style that moves beyond techno into electro, dub and IDM.

In 2009 he helps create the Selección Natural collective with Exium, Reeko and Christian Wünsch. He also makes a CD mix for Tresor Records and releases the Trolley Route album digitally. Later, he develops the PoleGroup platform, which continues the approach of Selección Natural and brings together a range of Spanish techno artists.

Labels and releases

Mulero’s releases include work for So Dens, Brainwaves, Kobayashi, Pure Plastic and Tresor, as well as music associated with his own labels Warm Up Recordings and PoleGroup. Between 2000 and 2002 he releases nine EPs, which leads to a booking contract with Dynamix Booking in Berlin.

His first LP under his own name is Grey Fades to Green, released as a double CD and also as a four-vinyl set.

International profile

By the late 1990s and 2000s, Mulero is performing at major festivals and clubs internationally, including Members of Mayday and Movement in Detroit, and he travels widely across Europe and beyond. His work establishes him as a major figure in Spanish techno and as a producer and selector with a wide-ranging catalogue and multiple aliases.