CLUSTER
From web to dancefloor: the case of Angels Gun Club
by Pierluigi Fantozzi
Cluster explores the new senses that aggregate around musical currents of the past and present, their aesthetics and practices. Like the dissonant chord from which it takes its name, Cluster will highlight contrasts and chords in the relationship between sound and the communities built around it.
From a small studio in the Naples area to the most important global dancefloors. That of establishing oneself is a dream shared by many, recounted with irony even by the meme page @bedroomdjfantasies, for example. For many it remains a fantasy, but not for Angels Gun Club.
The independent label Angels Gun Club landed on Bandcamp and SoundCloud in 2020. In just four years, it has received endorsements from electronic music greats such as Aphex Twin and Nina Kraviz.
‘AGC was born on 19 June 2020, in the province of Naples,’ explains Francesco, aka Cybersin, founder and A&R of the label. It was pandemic that triggered it all: ‘I felt the need to express my vision and decided to create a series of podcasts. I entrusted x3nobaby with the creation of the logo and together we decided on the name of the project. I proposed to Wachita China to record the first mix, and she replied the same evening: the series has never stopped since. After six months we were a label.’ x3nobaby is now in charge of the visual identity of the label for which he chose the world of 3D graphics.
But AGC’s road has not been without its pitfalls. A few months ago, Francesco discovered that his label had been cloned on Bandcamp: an identical profile was selling AI-generated tracks.
A full-blown scam, and the platform was not prepared to deal with it. ‘I would like to thank the whole community who reported the problem,’ he says. ‘Without them that profile would still be online. Bandcamp claimed that the clone did not violate terms and conditions.’
AGC has recently become a booking agency that manages artists internationally. ‘We are still far from the goals I set myself, but I am proud to have created a vibrant, music-loving community from the bottom up.
With a computer and a lot of determination can you get anywhere? ‘For me yes, but the important thing is the will to transmit what you have inside.
Listening selection
Pierluigi Fantozzi
Pierluigi Fantozzi, 1995, is a musician. He graduated from the National Academy of Jazz in Siena and obtained his master’s degree at the Conservatory of Bologna. A clarinet player, he has played in jazz ensembles, but has cultivated an interest in electronic music, also collaborating with Tempo Reale. Since 2023, he has been part of the Controradio team, for which he has conducted interviews with important figures on the international music scene. As a radio speaker, he leads his own programme ‘Passabanda’.
