Óscar Sueiro is the director of MàQKina. History of a Subculture, a documentary broadcast on 24 June on 3cat after its cinema premiere last year at Barcelona’s In-Edit festival. Co-produced by Catalan public television, the documentary has enjoyed overwhelming success and is currently the most-watched documentary programme on the 3cat platform.
MaQKina. Historia de una subcultura traces the evolution of the self-styled mákina scene in Catalonia from the early 1990s to the early 2000s. Through interviews with DJs, producers, musicologists, anthropologists and figures involved in music distribution, the 68-minute film condenses three decades of musical history – from its emergence in the early ’90s, its peak in the mid-decade, and its near disappearance by 2000 – to the present-day revival known as the “remember” phenomenon.
“Although it’s a tribute, we wanted to show both the bright and dark sides of mákina,” explains Sueiro, who experienced the genre’s impact first-hand as a teenager. The idea for the documentary came from his interest in music and culture, and he admits he used to DJ with vinyl himself. “I remember how, as teenagers, everyone started dressing differently, buying bombers or Harrington jackets. Màkina was heard all over Spain, and I was surprised no one had ever captured it in a film,” he adds.
The production features some of the most iconic DJs of the era in Catalonia, such as Nando Dixkontrol from the Psicódromo nightclub; Pastis & Buenri, residents at Xquè; Frank Trax from Scorpia; radio host Juan Cruz, who describes being a “makiner” as a lifestyle; and writer Kiko Amat, who reflects on the genre’s more rebellious side.
Catalonia as a hub for mákina production
As the documentary explains, Catalonia became a hub for mákina production, with producers in Maresme, Barcelonès and the metropolitan area creating frenetic tracks inspired by trends from Valencia and European capitals. It was at this time that the genre replaced the letter “Q” with “K”, adopting a defiant, rebellious tone influenced by punk, with records bearing slogans such as “Màkina feta a Catalunya” (Makina made in Catalonia). At its height, Catalan radio station Flaix FM even filled the Palau Sant Jordi with its Mega Aplec Dance festival.
“The combination of a mass-market craze, occasional flashes of violence, sensationalist media coverage and tighter regulations on nightlife venues – such as the closure of after-hours clubs and stricter opening hours – meant the genre gradually faded as clubs switched to pop or Latin music, which boomed with the rise of Operación Triunfo,” explains Óscar Sueiro.
Nevertheless, the documentary ends on an upbeat note with the genre’s current resurgence. “We are now seeing a boom in mákina-themed parties. Those of us who enjoyed it back then are going out again, reliving our youth with events like Love 90’s, Makineros 90 or Remember Paradise,” says the director.
The Faculty of Communication Sciences at UIC Barcelona provided space for two of the interviews and is credited in Óscar Sueiro’s documentary. The production was co-directed by Álex Salgado, with Daniel Boix as consultant and Valti Roda as executive producer.
