Sideral

A DJ booth that changed the Barcelona nightlife

The rotating dancefloor of the original Nitsa turned Sideral into a magnetic figure of post-Olympic Barcelona: a DJ capable of bringing together indies, ravers, and lovers of techno under a single, borderless selection. His way of DJing did not respond to a closed school, but to a fierce intuition for reading the dancefloor and building tension in a set with music that could come from house, electro, indie pop, rock, EBM, or drum and bass.

From guitar pop to the Nitsa myth

Before becoming associated with the DJ booth, Aleix Vergés was already moving between instruments, bands, and songs. In the first half of the nineties, he was the singer, guitarist, and songwriter for Peanut Pie, a Barcelona pop group with a Madchester pulse that won the Rockdelux demo contest and released an album produced by Enric Palau and Sergio Caballero. His decisive leap came in 1994, when he started DJing at Nitsa in Plaza Joan Llongueras. Between 1994 and 1997, he established himself as a resident and emblem of the club, just at the moment when electronic music began to occupy a central place in Barcelona's nightlife.

Eclecticism as a style statement

His charisma, his changing aesthetic, and his intuitive reading of the audience made his mixes circulate on tapes and be talked about as events. In Barcelona, he passed through venues like Moog, Salsitas, Otto Zutz, Razzmatazz, and Mond Club; in Madrid, he appeared regularly at Siroco, El Nasti, and Low Club. His reach expanded with residencies and sessions in Ireland, especially at The Kitchen in Dublin, as well as performances in spaces and festivals such as Florida 135, Industrial Copera, FIB, Sónar, and Groove Parade, the festival that would later be associated with Monegros.

Recordings, his own label, and a pop trail

His discography as a mixer captured part of that imagery: Darkhouz & Popotronic in 2001, Schizotronic & Techno in 2003, and Popotronic 03. El problema in 2006. He also released tracks like Keeper 21 and If You See Kate (FUCK), remixed Sidonie, and launched the label Hit Kune Do, a reflection of his fascination with Bruce Lee and a flexible idea of style. After his death in Barcelona in 2006, his more pop-oriented side remained pending; that material took shape in Canciones Siderales, released under the name Leire. His figure remains linked to the birth of a more hybrid, emotional, and risky Spanish club culture. Los Planetas dedicated Tendrá que haber un camino to him, performed by Enrique Morente, and his memory remains that of a selector who didn't just play records: he opened paths.