71st edition. From 23 to 31 October 2026.
71st edition.
23/31 Oct. 2026
23/31 Oct. 2026
71st edition. From 23 to 31 October 2026.
“A tribute to Cienfuegos.” That was Seminci’s simple proposal when it brought together those of us who had shared with José Luis the programming of so many nights at the Gijón, Seville and Valladolid festivals, inviting us to create this year’s Seminci Noche. The answer was immediate. How could we not pay tribute to the “boss”, as so many of us called him: the kind of boss who turned every collaborator into a friend and every team into a family. Some of us knew one another well, others less so, some hardly at all, but we were all connected by that invisible thread José Luis was so good at weaving around him. Cienfuegos had an extraordinary gift for finding consensus whenever everything threatened to descend into chaos. He also knew how to bring out the best in people, sometimes with a carefully judged compliment, sometimes with a sudden flash of temper. But he always made you feel part of something bigger than yourself, bigger than him, bigger than all of us—and two hundred per cent committed to whatever mission he had entrusted to you. That mission will shape every evening of this programme. The DJ booths at Bizarro and El Desierto Rojo, with the support of Cervezas 1906 and Coca-Cola, will welcome collaborators, accomplices, colleagues… the Cienfuegos family, after all. On Saturday, those of us responsible for so many nights in Gijón, Seville and Valladolid will break the ice. Sunday brings some of the people closest to him: Paco Alcázar, cartoonist and distinguished creator of the poster for this programme; another Paco, Campano, responsible for those much-shared SEFF spots; and even Herminio Afonso, the hairdresser behind those unforgettable sideburns. Monday belongs to members of the staff from each festival; Tuesday brings filmmakers such as Chema García Ibarra and Pablo Maqueda; Wednesday, inevitably, will be a night of soul. On Thursday we will look to the future, as our man behind the glasses so often did, with names such as Patata On Stereo. And on Friday and Saturday, musicians including Miqui Puig, El Meister, Igor Paskual and Jorge Explosion —another formidable Asturian—will take over the decks. The big family. Once again connected by the boss’s invisible thread. No doubt he will give it a tug or two from up there, just to remind us that he is still around, keeping an eye on us. We love you, boss. We have given this group, brought together by José Luis, a name: Colectivo Northern sur. We are Ramón, Vega and Javi (Gijón); Tali, Jesús and César (Seville); David and Sergio (Valladolid); and Javier, Mariona, Pedro and Laura (Seminci). From midnight onwards, see you at the bars. Free admission, subject to capacity.
The night moves from the uncompromising indie, rock and metal of Bizarro DJs — musicians, underground activists and the driving force behind Bizarro Bar — to the unlikely mashups of Maribel & Sebastian, who can shift effortlessly from elegance to high camp. Along the way, Monkey Week DJs, three of the minds behind one of Spain’s cheekiest festivals, will take to the decks with zero prejudice and very little restraint, while Ramón Isidoro invites us on a journey without a map through his seemingly endless musical worlds. Four ways to set the dance floor alight, three bars — Bizarro, Desierto Rojo and Berlín — and a single mission: raise hell for Cienfuegos.
BIZARRO / DESIERTO ROJO / BERLÍN Saturday 24 OCT
Illustrator, a major name in comics and a tireless musical agitator. Whether as one half of Humbert Humbert or solo as Van Delay, he has always enjoyed breaking musical rules. As a DJ, his guiding principle remains unchanged: set the dance floor on fire.
Yes, Herminio is a hairdresser. But he is also a longstanding figure on Spain’s soul and Black music scene, with more than thirty years behind the decks, both at home and abroad.
The Seville duo of Chica Unicornio and Love Invader turn the dance floor into a secret forest. From irresistible pop melodies to electronic beats, their sets are a glittering mirror ball made for dancing without inhibition.
A finalist at Palausa Sonora and resident DJ at Desván del Deseo and El Bizarro, Lykkelau is a familiar presence on Valladolid’s nightlife scene — and knows exactly how to set it alight with house and indie dance.
Resident DJ at Gijón’s legendary Bar Soho and a veteran of festivals such as Sonorama. His sets move through bold indie, unruly rock, Britpop and the unmistakable pull of northern soul.
An acclaimed filmmaker whose work moves between the domestic and the fantastical. At Seminci Noche, he swaps the camera for the decks to share tracks every bit as playful and fascinating as his films.
That two of his films have approached the figures of Werner Herzog and Nanni Moretti says a great deal — and all of it good — about Pablo’s hallmarks behind the camera: boldness and delicacy. The same qualities find their way into his DJ sets.
A project by filmmaker Enrique García-Vázquez in collaboration with the Samain label, combining the energy of acid techno and psytrance with the spirit of traditional Iberian roots music. Pure folk trance.
Elegance and retro rhythm in abundance. Marta Verano Fatal arrives ready to fill the dance floor with a refined yet energetic selection of soul, northern soul and 1960s gems, with refreshing touches of ska and R&B.
A hospitality professional — behind Salón La Tigre and La Passión Café — as well as a self- taught photographer and natural-born traveller, Marcos Esteban Redondo, aka Marco Negroni, also serves up sets every bit as intense as the cocktail that gives him his name.
De Rusia a Japón, de Perú a México, Javi Bayo lleva años rastreando vinilos y rescatando joyas del jazz y los ritmos tropicales. Miembro del equipo de Munster Records y elegido mejor DJ de 2023 por Enlace Funk, sus sesiones hacen convivir hallazgos de medio mundo sin una sola estridencia. Arqueología musical, sí, pero con ganas de baile.
We have seen him collaborate with Ortiga, Teo Lucadamo and Ben Yart, among others, but Lucas — a rising name in Spain’s new electronic scene — is more than capable of getting a dance floor moving on his own, blending techno, drum & bass, UK garage and plenty of flow.
The local sonic agitator serves up an explosive cocktail of tropical glitter, cumbia, baile funk and perreo, laced with UK garage and breakbeat. A hip-shaking set driven by urban rhythms, heavy bass and pure sabrosura.
Put on your finest madreñas. The Burgos band brings the energy of a village fiesta into the club, powered by jota, tambourine and garage. An irreverent format, the communal spirit of the verbena and a party that ends with churros at sunrise.
A pop icon — from Los Sencillos to the Operación Triunfo Academy — and director of Pista de Fusta, a leading Catalan programme devoted to dance music, Miqui is also an accomplished DJ who brings to every set that strange and unmistakable feeling of happiness.
With a DJ name Jess Franco might have chosen for one of his films, here is the festival’s great mystery. Who is hiding behind the X? Consider the surprise served.
The charismatic frontman of Arizona Baby and Corizonas, Javier Vielba is also the composer of Seminci’s official theme, commissioned two editions ago by the much-missed Cienfuegos. No surprise, then, that he has now earned a booth in our hearts.
The unstoppable frontman of Doctor Explosión and restless mind behind Circo Perrotti studio is always a ticking time bomb. What better way to close this edition than to let ourselves be swept into his maelstrom of sound?
Columnist, teacher and, above all, formidable guitarist — Loquillo and Babylon Chat can certainly vouch for that — this San Sebastián native also knows how to heat up a dance floor. Think of his heroes: Chuck Berry and the Stones. Enough said.
There are seventy-one songs, though there could easily have been more. This year, music curators Maribel & Sebastian have assembled a soundtrack drawn from films that José Luis Cienfuegos introduced us to over three decades: a cinema in which music and sonic experimentation often play an essential narrative role, from the work of Leos Carax, Kelly Reichardt and Pietro Marcello to Mia Hansen-Løve and Miguel Gomes. Across the festival venues, audiences will hear Nick Cave, Mina, Blur, Françoise Hardy, Damien Jurado, Rosalía, Tindersticks, Low, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joe Crepúsculo, Gal Costa and Frankie Valli.
