Oscar Mulero: Madrid's Techno Architect and His Labels
· re:union Radio editorial · 3 min read
Oscar Mulero has shaped Madrid's techno since the late 80s: The Omen Club, Warm Up and PoleGroup labels, and albums from Black Propaganda to Perfect Peace.
When you talk about hard, dark techno from Spain, you'll sooner or later land on Oscar Mulero. Already in the late 1980s, he was behind the decks in Madrid clubs like New World and Overdrive, which focused on EBM and techno. In 1994, he founded The Omen Club in Madrid – and later built two labels that continue to carry his sound to this day.
At a glance
- Oscar Mulero, real name Óscar Mulero Crecente, is a techno producer and DJ from Madrid.
- He has operated Warm Up Recordings since 2000 and PoleGroup Recordings since 2004 – each label has more than 100 releases in its catalog.
- His album Black Propaganda was released in 2012 on Warm Up Recordings.
- In 2024, the album Have You Ever Retired A Human By Mistake? (Warm Up) and the EP The Stranger were released on Token.
From EBM Club to His Own Label Universe
Mulero's roots are not in large-scale raves, but in the smaller Madrid clubs of the late 80s, where EBM and early techno were played. This period is considered the beginning of his professional career. Since the early 1990s, he has shaped the Spanish electronic scene, and since his productions of the early 2000s, he has been considered one of the leading representatives of underground techno.
Crucial is the infrastructure he built for himself: Warm Up Recordings since 2000, PoleGroup Recordings (also Pole Recordings) since 2004. Both catalogs have grown to over 100 releases each. If the darker side of the genre appeals to you, you'll find suitable additions in our Industrial Techno Releases September 2026.
Profile: Oscar Mulero
| Real Name | Óscar Mulero Crecente |
|---|---|
| Origin | Madrid, Spain |
| Occupation | Techno Producer and DJ |
| First Club Appearances | Late 1980s (New World, Overdrive) |
| Club Founding | The Omen Club, Madrid, 1994 |
| Label 1 | Warm Up Recordings (since 2000) |
| Label 2 | PoleGroup Recordings (since 2004) |
| Album Selection | Grey Fades To Green (2011), Black Propaganda (2012), Biosfera (2013) |
| Recent Albums | Perfect Peace (2018), The Beauty Of Leaving A Legacy (2019), Have You Ever Retired A Human By Mistake? (2024) |
| Other Labels | Token, Tresor, Hospital Productions, Semantica Records |
Albums Between Power and Depth
Muscle and Mind, his fourth album, was released on April 20, 2015, on PoleGroup. According to the announcement, it combines introspection and abstraction with raw, percussive elements. Remixes by SHXCXCHCXSH and Stanislav Tolkachev were featured on the pre-released Dualistic Concept EP.
With Perfect Peace, Mulero consciously went in the other direction in 2018: his fifth album, released on March 16 on Semantica, focuses on low BPM and deep sound textures and is intended as a soundtrack for listening. The label explicitly announced no “dancefloor burners.”
Selección Natural and the Club Focus
For the 50th PoleGroup release, Mulero teamed up with Exium and Reeko as Selección Natural. The three produced the building blocks in random phases, so no one knows who did what. 14 tracks were released in three parts: PoleGroup 50 and 50.2 on vinyl and digital, 50.1 digital only. The label described the direction as follows:
“You’ll find no ambient interludes, no anthems, no big breakdowns… every piece in this creation has been designed for the finest dancefloors.”
— PoleGroup, quoted by XLR8R
Mulero is equally present on other labels: Only Dead Fish Go With The Flow was released in 2007 on Tresor, Paradisaea in 2019 on Hospital Productions, Titan in 2021 and The Stranger in 2024 on Token. You can find more hard-hitting tracks from this year in The Best Hard Techno Releases 2026.
FAQ
Which labels belong to Oscar Mulero?
He operates Warm Up Recordings (since 2000) and PoleGroup Recordings, also called Pole Recordings (since 2004). Both labels each have more than 100 releases.
Who is behind Selección Natural?
Selección Natural is the collaborative project of Oscar Mulero, Exium, and Reeko. It delivered PoleGroup's 50th release with a total of 14 tracks in three parts.
Which Oscar Mulero album is the newest?
The most recent album in his Wikipedia discography is Have You Ever Retired A Human By Mistake?, released in 2024 on Warm Up Recordings.
Source: Wikipedia: Oscar Mulero, XLR8R: Muscle and Mind, XLR8R: Perfect Peace, XLR8R: Selección Natural
