What one doesn’t suspect while exploring the city’s medieval alleyways and Renaissance piazzas is that Florence was also once the hotbed of one of the most irreverent and creative underground movements in popular music history: post-punk. A little over 100 years after Florence’s nomination as capital of Italy, the city was the pulsating heart of a movement that generated some of Italy’s most renowned post-punk bands, such as Diaframma and Litfiba; record labels like IRA, Contempo and Materiali Sonori; and music clubs such as Banana Moon, Apis Niger and La Rokkoteca Brighton. Times have changed, but Florence is still one of Italy’s most interesting musical breeding grounds, especially with its record labels. Prepare your eardrums for some exciting new tunes.
BLACK CANDY RECORDS
The Italian record label with a Scottish heart. Producing good-quality Italian-bred Britpop/rock and active since 2003, Black Candy Records has become one of Florence’s musical landmarks, together with its sister event agency Reality Bites. Its roster hosts an impressive number of successful bands, such as Soviet Soviet, The Vickers and Appaloosa.
BURP ENTERPRISE
Don’t be fooled by the name. Burp Enterprise is quite a refined project and includes an underground record label, performance collective and comic artists group. With outposts in New York, Berlin and Florence, the collective has been active since the early 1990s. Experimentation galore!
ELASTICA RECORDS
Delivering bass music since 2007. The contagious sound mixes dub, techno, house, reggae and soul. The latest release is the dreamy electro-pop project Eldorado. Elastica has recently joined forces with newborn label Ooh Sounds, focused on electronic and audiovisual experimentation.
FRESHYO! LABEL
The motto is ‘Eclecticism.’ Created in 2010 as a netlabel by two Swedish-Italian designers is now one of Florence’s most prolific and hip musical forces. Listen to Godblesscomputers, one of its latest post-soul releases, and to psychedelic avant-rock band Tribuna Ludu.
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FROMSCRATCH RECORDS
Disturbing domestic peace since 2003. This label’s philosophy is founded on musical research and experimentation. Its genres include noise, electronic, no wave and math rock. Suggested listening: Eat the Rabbit, Miranda and Amavo.
IBEXHOUSE
Instant label. Created in 2014 by songwriter Alessandro Fiori, Ibexhouse has been an overnight success on the indie circuit and produces psychedelic-punk band Solki.
RED CAT RECORDS
Power chords and headbanging. Label and management agency based in Florence, Red Cat works mostly works with metal, hard rock and garage influenced bands.
ROCK CONTEST RECORDS
On a mission. Controradio, one of Florence’s most important FM radio stations, has been organizing the national talent search Rock Contest since 1984. In 2013, kicking its mission up a notch, it created Rock Contest Records, to further cultivate the Italian indie scene with bands such as The Whip Hand and Violacida.
Want more of Florence’s music scene? Check out the top gigs of the month.
