Long live to the clubbing: interview with Antonio Carbonaro

More than a simple event, in its more than twenty years of life CircoLoco has become a reality capable of imposing itself inside and outside the clubs. Flag bearer of Made in Italy, from The Monday Morning Sessions in 1999 until the consecration of the following years, CircoLoco has brought the name of Italy around the world, passing through New York, Miami, London, Milan, Paris, Amsterdam, Tel Aviv, Istanbul, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Bogota, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Sydney and Melbourne to name but a few. Despite the stop imposed by the pandemic, CircoLoco and its founder Antonio Carbonaro wanted to relaunch with the birth of CircoLoco Records, the record label created with the software house Rockstar Games, the same behind successful video games such as Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption. CircoLoco Records, however, is just the umpteenth proof of the transversality of the creature from Carbonaro, which has become a real lifestyle also thanks to No Soul For Sale and its continuous contacts with the fashion world.

nss magazine joined Antonio Carbonaro to talk about CircoLoco Records, the state of clubbing after the pandemic and the future of its creation.

Where did the idea for CircoLoco Records come from? And where does the partnership with Rockstar Games come from?

CircoLoco Records is a project born from a great friendship between me and Sam (Houser) also fueled by the visceral passion we have in common for music. We used this period of stagnation in which the dance music scene was hit hard to join forces and donate this label to the communities that have always supported us. During an event produced in Miami in collaboration between our two brands in October 2019, the primordial idea of ​​this label was born, structured in the dark period of the pandemic.

In what state is the world of clubbing after more than a year of pandemic? Many predict the return of a completely new underground scene, in your opinion is this a plausible scenario?

The world of clubbing, such as that of major events, concerts, festivals, has suffered a severe blow and consequently the booking and management agencies, the lives of artists, promoters and operators in the sector, from the business of multinationals to private realities, autonomous or independent, no one excluded. The world of dance music is all this, not just clubbing. I believe that music draws inspiration from life and in turn has the power to influence it. It is likely that the underground scene will push itself to a higher level, having a very solid cultural background it can afford to cross the boundaries recorded up to now and go beyond.

Fashion is increasingly looking to club culture for inspiration, sometimes in a cumbersome way (see the case of Bottega Veneta at Berghain). How do you think the relationship between fashion and clubbing will evolve?

We offer an experience and the fashion world is fashinated by it. For years now, barriers have been broken down and the various worlds have been observed and attracted. We live in the era of collaborations, some perhaps more banal and others very interesting. The right evolution is to create culture with these forms of art that come together.

No Soul for Sale is the link between CircoLoco and the world of fashion, how important was it to transform the brand from a clubbing reality to a real lifestyle reality?

No Soul For Sale was the slogan of CircoLoco's twentieth year. In wish of this goal we have created an independent digital platform where something will happen. Longevity is one of the reasons why we are now also considered a lifestyle. CircoLoco is today the longest-running electronic music brand in history among its peers, and that's not all, we still have a lot to do. It is very important for us to continue on this path.

What are the plans for the future of CircoLoco and No Soul For Sale?

With God's help and good health, we wish you many interesting ones.