Bio

An eleven year old kid gets a gift — New Life 7″ by Depeche Mode. From that very moment the cold beats of drum machines and the alien sounds of synthesizers become the soundtrack of his life. Living the eighties as a teenager, he absorbed every futuristic and dark sound: new wave, goth, proto EBM, and classics like Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream.

He had been playing drums in local bands for a couple of years already. The switch to electronic comes with a Christmas gift from his parents — a second-hand Kawai SX-240 keyboard and a Korg KPR-77 drum machine — which sets everything in motion. He starts making his own noises and beats from scratch, soon forming his first music project: Ballet Mecánico, alongside his two fellows Groof and Daniel Erbe.

Heavily synth-pop influenced at the start, their sound soon moves to darker territories after discovering Front 242 and Nitzer Ebb. From there, proto-rave sounds via Frequencies by LFO, the Yellow album by Orbital, and the legendary Detroit compilations released by Network Records in the UK — Bio Rhythm and Retro Techno among others.

A trip to London opens a new world. Acid house and rave culture experienced first-hand — not through records but through rooms — recalibrates everything. The encounter with the UK underground pulls his ear toward IDM and Detroit techno, and seeds a restlessness that Ballet Mecánico’s synth-pop framework can no longer contain.

Alongside the music, Rozalén founds Undersounds — Spain’s first magazine dedicated entirely to electronic music, which he edits for years. The publication becomes a reference point for the nascent Spanish scene and deepens his connections with the artists, labels and club networks shaping the decade.

Ballet Mecánico runs its course through the mid-nineties, leaving behind two vinyl releases and a decade of formative live experience — including stages at Madrid’s Sala el Sol and other key venues in the nascent Spanish underground scene. The project closes, and with it an entire chapter of collaborative sound exploration that had begun on homemade drum machines and borrowed synthesizers.

A trip to Barcelona for the inaugural Sónar festival proves decisive: watching Kenny Larkin perform live is the catalyst that pivots his entire musical direction and ignites a parallel life as a DJ. Back in Madrid, the solo career as HD Substance begins with a track on the Electronic Generators compilation — a showcase of Spanish techno pioneers — on Geometrik Records, home of the seminal industrial cult band Esplendor Geométrico. Also featured on Waveland Music‘s international electronic compilation, marking an early international footprint. The groundwork for a debut release is already in motion.

The debut solo 12″ arrives: Anti Axis on Boozo Music, followed immediately by Porno Tunes. Both records establish the raw, hardware-driven techno identity that will define everything that follows. Featured on the Miranda Records vinyl compilation and the Run & Dance Vol. 1 promo series. The Spanish techno underground is taking notice. That same year, a four-year residency begins at Soma Experimental Club — one of Madrid’s most significant techno venues — sharing the booth with regular guests Jeff Mills, Richie Hawtin and Dave Clarke.

A landmark year. Pig Shoe lands on Rhythm Of Time. Then the debut album: Eleven — released on the legendary Spanish indie label Elefant Records via its Stereophonic Elefant Dance Recordings imprint. The album cements HD Substance as a key figure in the Spanish electronic scene. Featured on the Siglo 21 double CD on Virgin and the UniverSOnoro Volumen 3 triple CD on Boa, reaching mainstream distribution for the first time.

The Mushroom E.P. (12″, limited edition on Elefant) becomes one of his most sought-after releases — today sitting in over 570 Discogs wantlists. Collaboration with Milinko on Costumes explores a more experimental territory. The second album, Cáncer Pop (1999), arrives on Elefant: a denser, more rhythmically complex record. HD Substance appears at Benicàssim Festival (1998 and 1999), the biggest Spanish independent music event, exposing his sound to tens of thousands of new ears. That same year an invitation arrives from France: a slot at Transmusicales de Rennes, one of Europe’s most prestigious showcases for emerging electronic music — his first confirmed international festival appearance.

International expansion begins. We’re Back (12″) on Germany’s Fieber Records becomes one of his most collected releases — 213 copies tracked in the Discogs community. A split 12″ with long-time collaborator Daniel Erbe — Chinese Food on Audiodrome — deepens their creative partnership. A split EP with Joel Pons closes a highly prolific year. HD Substance is now releasing consistently on labels across Spain, Germany and beyond.

A sustained, prolific run. Appears on Milinko‘s album A New Life on Subterfuge Records (2001). EPs land on Consigned Recordings, Tongut, Subconce Records and S’hort Records. A collaboration with Canadian producer Noah Pred yields Riding Through on Metapath Recordings (2005) — one of the first transatlantic connections in his catalogue. Remixes for El Aviador Dro, Automatics, D’Wachman and others reflect a growing reputation as a remix craftsman. Festival appearances multiply: DC 10 Ibiza, Monegros Desert Festival, Sónar 2003. A memorable night at Madrid’s Revolver sees him open for Information Society — a full-circle moment connecting his early synth-pop roots with the club world he now inhabits.

Three albums in four years define an exceptionally creative period. Corteza (2007, Miga), Levadura (2009, self-released) and Hardware (2010, Monofunk) explore different production approaches — the last being a mixed DJ album that showcases the breadth of his catalogue and influences. The shift to digital formats via netlabels like Software, OffAudio and Playground reflects an artist comfortable navigating the new distribution landscape without compromising sound quality. The Feet Food series (four releases on Software) becomes a landmark in his digital-era output. When Hardware finds its way to a Detroit record shop, an invitation to play The Works follows — his first international gig, in the city that invented the music. He goes on to become a regular.

A second international wave. Ice’n’Easy EP lands on Detroit Underground (2015) — one of the most respected American techno imprints, home to artists from the city that invented the genre. Ode To Nothing arrives on black. Records (2016). Vinyl returns with a split 12″ alongside Kike Pravda on Blitzkrieg Waves. A busy remix schedule takes in Jak & John V, Shkedul, Bodyscrub and Pepe Arcade. EPs on Illegal Alien Records, SUB TL, Truetype Tracks, Fanzine Records and Fartlek Records cement relationships with a new generation of European labels. Live, a residency at Cassette Club (Boite, Madrid) begins in 2013 — a recurring home base in the capital — while Shanghai’s Lola Club becomes a regular stop on the international circuit.

One of the most prolific stretches on record. EPs arrive at a steady pace across New Rhythmic, Illegal Alien Records, SUB TL, Hxagrm Records and Koryu Budo Records (the first vinyl in years). A vinyl collaboration with Shkedul and Insolate on NORD LTD (2020) marks a return to wax. Remixes pour in from labels across Europe: DEAD CERT. Records, Sungate, Hxagrm Records, BYLLY, Deadwalkman, JX-216. The connection with Hxagrm Records deepens — a relationship that will define the following decade. This period also sees the emergence of District 909, a collaboration alias with UK-based producer Tim Baker. The project takes on a distinctly international character: smartbar in Chicago, The Works in Detroit (a second home since 2010), Sala Siroco in Madrid, and stages across Germany — including Berghain-adjacent venues in Berlin. Twelve events documented on Resident Advisor under the District 909 name, spanning Europe and North America. Live as HD Substance, the period delivers some of the most demanding performances of his career: a four-hour set at Berghain (Berlin) spanning three decades of music — EBM, acid house, house, disco and techno — and appearances at Tresor Club, cementing his place among the handful of Spanish artists who have played both of the city’s defining techno institutions.

A trilogy of albums on Hxagrm Records marks a new peak. Actors (2021) is followed by Actress (2024) and Directors (2025) — three interconnected records that together form the most ambitious statement of his career. Missing Link (12″, TTR, 2021) returns to vinyl. Remix work continues for Steve Parker on ART21 and Aöcram. A collaboration with A4 (13) yields Before We’re Gone I on Illegal Alien Records. Groof — his original Ballet Mecánico bandmate from 1987 — releases a remix EP featuring an HD Substance interpretation (2023), closing a circle that spans four decades.