EL CLUB MATADERO

Dance music such as house, techno, or disco emerged in Chicago, New York, and Detroit in the late 70s with a hedonistic and rebellious spirit that has since seeped into today’s globalized society. From sweaty clubs and LGTBIQ+ dance floors, it jumped to festivals around the world and eventually earned a central place in celebrations at major contemporary art institutions. From the 25th anniversary of Tate Modern to the festive closing of Centre Pompidou, the path of this music reflects the triumph of resilience and a hedonism that invites us to escape the jaws of late capitalism and take refuge in the beat.

El Club Matadero launches a public program that aims to highlight electronic music as a genre capable of taking us on a journey without moving, purely through listening and dance. Music of resistance, dissidence, and pleasure. Through periodic sessions and a carefully calibrated sound system, the program offers sets long enough to move through different states and emotions. Sensory journeys for people with open minds and hearts, ready for the ecstasy of music.

Curated by Marc Ventosa, artistic director of Bilbao BBK Live and Kalorama among others, the first sessions of this club will feature two five hour sets by one of the most internationally recognized DJs on the Spanish scene, Cormac, and by the cultural agitator and guerrilla creator Miguel Agnes.

Christmas will serve as the thread connecting these vermouth time sessions, running from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday December 13 and Sunday December 14. On the first day, Miguel Agnes invites us to wander through an underworld version of Christmas, while Cormac will take us to the dance floor with his festive high queer energy.

BIOS

Miguel Agnes (Saturday December 13) represents an approach where music works as an extension of a cross disciplinary artistic practice that blends photography, performance, and queer culture. His work as a DJ draws from personal archives, dissident aesthetic references, and a deep understanding of Madrid’s urban subcultures since the 2000s. His sessions mix mutant electronic sounds, deconstructed pop, industrial influences, and nods to the city’s festive imagination, always with a playful and irreverent tone.

His irreverent style and playful focus run through all his work, which has been shown in cities like Berlin, Bilbao, and Valencia. Along with organizing iconic parties such as 'En Plan Travesti' and 'La Garçonnière', Miguel Agnes is the creator and host of EPSA – El Programa de Sita Abellán, a pioneering podcast in Spain’s alternative scene. Since 2012, EPSA blends interviews, music, pop culture, and reflection in a free and provocative format. With hundreds of episodes and live editions like the EPSA Podcast Party, the program has become a key platform for queer culture, art, and dissidence.

Cormac (Sunday 14 December) is one of the most renowned DJs on the international dance scene. A resident at Panorama Bar in Berghain, a true temple of dance music, the Northern Irish artist is also a music producer and the owner of his own label, Polari Records, through which he has worked to tilt the balance in favor of LGBTQ+ artists who have long been underrepresented in the music industry. His commitment to the queer community is also reflected in his podcast Cormac’s Queerly Beloved, which has featured guests like Peaches, Romy and Kiddy Smile to talk about identity and music.

Beyond that activism, this former psychology student from the University of Derry became known for getting crowds dancing in major clubs such as Berghain or Wet Yourself, the celebrated club night he launched in 2007 in a former London swimming pool. Cormac has been based in Berlin for years, a city where the world’s best DJs measure themselves, and where he stands out for the hedonistic and festive character he brings to every set.