Listen

Makina (often stylized as Mákina) is a Spanish strain of hardcore techno rooted in the Catalan‑speaking regions (Catalonia, Valencia, the Balearic Islands). It couples the drive of 4/4 techno with the euphoria of Eurodance and hard trance, yielding rapid tempos (typically 150–180 BPM), bright supersaw or hoover leads, big breakdowns, and hands‑in‑the‑air vocal hooks. Closely related to UK hardcore and bouncy techno, Makina favors a lighter, more melodic, and highly anthemic approach than continental gabber, but retains the same relentless energy. Early Spanish techno in the early 1990s—shaped by New Beat and EBM aesthetics—provided the chassis, while Eurodance choruses and hard‑trance riffs gave the style its signature uplift and festival‑scale emotion.

New beat is a Belgian electronic dance music style that emerged in the mid-to-late 1980s. It is defined by dark, rubbery basslines, hard-hitting but minimal grooves, and a deliberately slow tempo (typically around 100–115 BPM), in contrast to the faster house and hi-NRG of the time. Stylistically it fuses the cold textures of new wave and EBM with Italo/euro-disco sequencing, acid squelches, hip‑hop sampling aesthetics, and early house production, often featuring monotone chants or spoken hooks, eerie pads, and sharp orchestral hits. Originally a club-born phenomenon in Belgium, it rapidly spread across Western Europe, leaving a strong imprint on the continent’s late-1980s dance culture.