BLACKWORKS: Six Years Without Surrender, Six Years of History

Electronic music has never been just entertainment. It’s an ecosystem that ties together communities, cities and whole generations. In the middle of digital overload, the dancefloor still stands as a place of resistance, where trends don’t matter, only the raw intensity of the shared experience. That’s the spirit this magazine comes from: a space to think, document, and honor electronic culture with the depth and respect it deserves.

Today, Latin America and Europe are beating side by side, connected through an ever-stronger circuit of artists, promoters, and collectives who see the party as a cultural movement. The club and the festival are more than venues: they’re territories of identity, emotional politics, and community building.

Within that map, Blackworks has carved itself out as a phenomenon. Born in Madrid in 2019, the project built its identity on raw aesthetics, heavy sound, and a community that sees it as far more than just an event brand. In a matter of six years, it’s gone from a local act of rebellion to a global reference point, without losing the essence that sparked its birth.

DANIEL NOVOA / DEXPHASE

Blackworks’ sixth anniversary isn’t just a celebration; it’s a statement. It’s a proof that a project can grow without watering itself down, that authenticity and expansion don’t have to clash, and that the community always knows when something is real.

That’s why this special edition is dedicated to Blackworks. Because telling its story is about understanding the tensions and the dreams of contemporary electronic music: the craving for community, the need for evolution and the power of a movement that keeps writing its own rules.

Beyond any professional role, Daniel Novoa, “Dexphase”, is first and foremost a raver that has became a cultural leader. His perspective doesn’t come from an office or a DJ booth: it comes from the dancefloor. That raw honesty in the way he looks at the scene, stripped of filters or poses, is maybe what gives Blackworks its magnetism.

In our conversation, he recalls the origins with the clarity of someone who was right there on the frontline: a repetitive Madrid scene, the gut feeling that the crowd was hungry for something different, and the decision to take the risk. The first event, chaotic, intense and overwhelming was, in fact, the true birth of a movement.

In 201G, the Madrid scene had hit a dead end. Nights felt like an endless loop: soulless, risk-free, stuck on repeat. That’s when a raver decided to step up.

Daniel Novoa remembers it clearly:

“I was just another raver, obsessed with music, watching a scene that felt repetitive and lifeless. I realized people wanted something different. And I thought: if nobody else is going to do it, then I will. It was an impulse of rebellion, but also the confidence of knowing the crowd, because I was part of it.”

That gesture, caught somewhere between frustration and vision, marked the birth of Blackworks. It wasn’t just another party; from day one it was conceived as a cultural movement, a space where the community could see itself and break away from the established order. Novoa explains it bluntly: Blackworks never wanted to be just another party. From the start, it was conceived as a space for community, with a sound and an aesthetic that couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. Travels, international influences, and a tight creative circle shaped a universe that today speaks a dark, hard-hitting, global language.

“I always saw it as a movement. From the beginning, I wanted it to be bigger than a party: a community space, a new standard, something that would break the mold.”

The debut was anything but perfect. There was chaos, nerves, uncertainty. But in the middle of all that intensity, a certainty emerged: this had another weight, another energy, another promise.

“It was chaotic, intense, emotional. I remember the nerves, the uncertainty… and a moment during the night when I knew this was way more than a party. That’s when Blackworks was truly born.”

With that first fire, what started as an individual act of rebellion turned into a collective language. From the very beginning, Blackworks became a shared code for those searching for something different. And that spark, ignited in Madrid in 201G, still fuels a movement that refuses to slow down.

The real turning point came soon after. When Blackworks landed on Boiler Room and later took over IFEMA, the scale of the phenomenon became clear. But it was the crowd who ultimately confirmed the true dimension of the movement.

“I felt it at Boiler Room, I confirmed it at IFEMA… and I fully understood it through the crowd: seeing people come back to every event, watching us pack venues without even announcing a lineup, seeing our community grow until it became a family. That’s when I knew this was real.”

Six years later, Daniel Novoa is still surfing between growth and authenticity, with his eyes set on a Blackworks that goes beyond the festival format and solidifies as a cultural movement capable of defining an entire generation.

He like to sum up that evolution into six words that capture two stages:

“Then: rebellion, community, passion. Now: ambition, evolution, movement.”

A synthesis that works both as a timeline and as a manifest, showing how an impulse born in Madrid’s underground has turned into a project with global ambition without ever losing its original DNA.

What sets Blackworks apart isn’t just its aesthetic or its sound, but the relationship with its community.

“They look for intensity, community, authenticity. They want to live something worth remembering, not just another party. When they go home, they want to feel like they’ve lived an experience that remains in their memory forever. The phrase I hear the most is: ‘These people know what we want, when’s the next one?’ That blind trust is what makes us unique.”

The bond with the crowd is the true fuel of the movement.

Blackworks’ identity is as visual as it is sonic. Novoa describes it without marketing formulas, guided purely by instinct:

“I’ve always followed my personal taste: rawness, darkness, strength. I surrounded myself with the best creatives and traveled a lot for inspiration. It was an organic process, but with a clear intention: to transmit intensity and authenticity. Today people recognize Blackworks instantly for that aesthetic and that sound.”

The result is a distinctive language that has managed to stay consistent with every edition.

Growth never came without tension. Blackworks quickly learned that expansion means walking the fine line between mass appeal and loyalty to the underground. For Daniel, that tension isn’t a problem, it’s part of the project’s DNA.

“It’s a constant challenge. Growth is necessary, but losing the essence was never an option. Every day I make sure that every decision—no matter how big—remains true to what made us: rebellion and authenticity.”

That conviction is what keeps Blackworks’ credibility intact even in its most exposed stage.

If Blackworks’ past was defined by rebellion, its future points toward global ambition. Novoa’s vision goes far beyond a lineup or a crowded dancefloor.

“I picture a global Blackworks: events all over the world, concept stores and hubs in key markets, a consolidated fashion brand, and a community that lives it day by day. I want it to transcend, not remain just another night of partying, but a cultural movement that can mark an entire generation.”

It’s not about scaling for the sake of it. It’s about turning intensity into legacy, transforming the energy of one night into a cultural identity strong enough to define an era. That is Blackworks’ true promise: to grow without compromise, to project into the future without losing the essence that gave it life.

Blackworks turns six, and its story is proof that electronic music can be so much more than entertainment. It’s rebellion turning into community, aesthetics turning into language, intensity turning into identity. From a Madrid basement to international stages, Daniel Novoa’s project has shown that growing without compromise is possible.

This anniversary isn’t just a date on the calendar: it’s a reminder of what it means to live music with absolute sincerity. Blackworks has cemented itself as a movement that defies conformity, speaks the language of authenticity, and writes its own rules with every edition.

In a time when so many projects get diluted by mass culture, Blackworks stands for the opposite: the confirmation that the future of electronic music belongs to those who dare to stay true to their essence. The community understands it and celebrates it, because every event carries an implicit pact of trust.

What started as a rebellious impulse now beats as a cultural movement with the power to define an entire generation. Six years without compromise, six relentless years of history with much still left to be written.

Blackworks isn’t just a brand. It’s a community, a family, and a living movement that has reshaped techno culture from Madrid to the rest of the world. The residents and close collaborators are the heartbeat of this story: their memories, their chaos, their visions of what makes Blackworks unique. We asked each of them a set of raw, straight-to-the-point questions, the kind you’d expect in a backstage chat at 6 AM, not in a boardroom. Here’s what they had to say.

“Blackworks means wild nights, pure energy, and dancing till you’re drenched backed by the huge lineups they never fail to bring.” - Fatima Hajji