The store Ultra-Local Records, located in Poblenou, Barcelona (c/Pujades 113), is preparing to host a new edition of the Microclima Sound festival on June 4, 5, and 6. A proposal that since 2013 has consolidated itself as one of the most unique and small events in Barcelona's music scene.
The event, held in the store itself, maintains, one more year, its reduced format, with very limited capacity and an almost domestic dynamic. From the store, they explain that the idea was born with the desire to contrast with the model of large festivals, especially on dates when the city experiences the effervescence and saturation of Primavera Sound. In this way, and in a rebellious manner, they offer an alternative based on proximity and a direct relationship between the audience and artists, a fact that cannot be found at the big summer music events.
An “antithesis” festival born from the store
“Microclima is, in a way, doing the opposite of what happens outside,” they summarize from the store, where the festival began to be organized almost as a natural extension of what they already did in their business: presentations by different local artists.
In the early years, they recall, the audience was practically non-existent. “It was us and the bands,” they explain. Over time, however, the proposal has grown to gather about thirty people per concert. And they don't want to grow any more. In fact, they say their will is to decrease to disappear, quite the opposite of what the country's big festivals do.
The most local record store in Catalonia
Ultra-Local Records was founded in December 2012 by Raül Chamorro and Carme Baqués in Poblenou, at a time of vital change when Chamorro opted for this new project. “I came from a workshop-warehouse and it wasn't the life I wanted,” he recalls, explaining that it all came about after hearing the classic “do something you like.”
The initial idea was clear: to bring closer the music being made nearby and to give space to local scenes that often remained outside the usual circuits. “We realized that very high-level music was also being made here and that it was worth sharing,” they explain. Chamorro highly values the proximity to artists.
The spirit of the smallest
The name Ultra-Local responds to this philosophy of proximity, with an idea that connects with references such as Dalí and the notion that from the smallest one can reach the most universal: “It is starting from a very specific place and ending up connecting with any place in the world.”
Over the years, the store has also become a meeting point in the neighborhood, beyond just selling records. “We are a record store, but also a space where people come in, talk, and share music,” explains Chamorro. The project functions almost as a personal extension of the couple: they have a small, curated selection of records as if it were their own room, with international proposals, but a decided commitment to the local scene.
From this perspective, they especially defend local music and point out that there is often a prejudice against local bands that they try to break by giving them the same space as international artists.
Regarding the future of record stores, which seemed to be dying forever, they say that every neighborhood should have its own so as not to have to go to the center to buy music. In this sense, they are experiencing a paradoxical moment. “After years of decline, the format has resurfaced strongly, but it has become more expensive and has entered into more industrial dynamics,” says Raül, who adds that vinyl is becoming a luxury product, although they work outside this more commercial circuit.
Microclima Sound 2026
Microclima Sound 2026 began this Thursday, June 4, with Quintsuyi DJ and Lins EFX, who presented Arxiu de pràctiques improbables.
Today, Friday, June 5, it will be the turn of Power Burkas, who will take the stage of the store to present Amb la fi al davant.
And, finally, on Saturday, June 6, Ran Ran Ran will play, one of the groups most linked to the history of Microclima Sound. It will be their twelfth performance at the festival, in an almost unofficial residency relationship with the space. On this occasion, they will present Quadern de viatges I, a work that will be released on 7’’ vinyl and digital format just the day before, June 5, reinforcing the link between the live performance and the immediate publication.
