Materazi Future Club, the Italian trio comprising Marco Manini, Riccardo Montanari, and Edoardo Piron, channel the pulse of football culture into a kinetic blend of punk, electronics, and dancefloor urgency. Their sound is a collision of raw guitars, rapid-fire rhythms, and dub-inflected textures, all underscored by a restless post-punk energy. On their sophomore album THE ITALIAN JOB, released 6 November 2026 via Woodworm Publishing SRL/Universal Music Italia, the group distill this spirit into a collection of propulsive instrumentals, interwoven with post-match interview samples and commentary. Tracks like ‘ZOLA (The Italian Job, Pt. 1)’ anchor the record’s narrative, capturing the adrenaline and drama of the terraces. As they prepare for a European Club Tour with stops in Turin, Fontanafredda, Florence, Milan, Ravenna, and Berlin, Materazi Future Club arrive fresh from electrifying sets at Sziget and MI AMI Festivals, UEFA Champions League social media features, and a collaboration with Federico Russo on ‘Dio Perdona Riganò’. Their momentum is further marked by streaming milestones, BBC Radio 6 airplay, and coverage from Rolling Stone among others.
In this exclusive interview, the trio open up about recording the album in London with producer Jake Long and the football icons that fuel their vision.
Hey, thanks so much for sitting down with us today – what’s been the absolute best part of your week so far, music aside?
Hey! Well, we actually got back from two gigs just two days ago, so we’re still recovering! Apart from that, the highlights so far have been those shows and work!
Which genres best describe your music?
The very generic label of post-punk is at the core of our sound, but we could also add dance-punk and garage rock. We’ll leave the rest up to the listener’s imagination!
If someone wanted to understand the real vibe of the band beyond the music, what’s one story from your everyday life that says it all?
To really understand the band’s vibe, you probably need to take a look at our everyday lives. We’re constantly surrounded by music, either listening to the classics or searching for new projects to discover. We’re also big followers of Italian and English football, so we spend quite a lot of time watching matches and keeping up with the results
What’s the wildest creative risk you’ve ever taken in the studio that actually paid off in ways you never saw coming?
Definitely our decision not to use vocals in the traditional sense, choosing instead to incorporate audio clips from interviews with football players and managers, as well as snippets of football commentators’ commentary. When the project first came together, we asked ourselves: why not let the people at the heart of our songs do the singing instead of using our own voices? It was quite a gamble, but it’s also become one of our biggest trademarks.
How often do you hope to release new music?
So far, we’ve been releasing new music every two years: our debut album, Formazione Titolare, came out in 2022, followed by the Punkinari EP in 2024 and THE ITALIAN JOB in 2026. It would be fantastic to release new music every year, and that’s something we’re working towards!
What is the date of your next planned single/EP/Album release?
Our new album, THE ITALIAN JOB, was just released on November 6th!
What is your main platform for distributing and promoting your music?
We use several streaming platforms, but Spotify is probably the one we focus on the most, as it’s currently the most relevant platform in the Italian music market. When it comes to social media, we’re particularly active on Instagram!
If you could change one thing about the modern music industry overnight, what would it be?
That’s a great question! Unfortunately, the music industry currently revolves far too much around streaming and social media numbers. If you don’t have a certain level of engagement, you’re often perceived as someone who isn’t making interesting or worthwhile music, and that does a real disservice to quality music. This whole system also has a knock-on effect on live music attendance, taking away some of the joy of discovering new projects and going to see them live, even when you don’t know anything about them beforehand!
Do you see AI as a threat to musicians, a helpful collaborator, or something else? How do you plan to keep your music relevant as the industry changes rapidly because of these tools? By embracing AI, avoiding it, or taking a different approach?
AI can definitely be an added value for everyone, as long as it’s used thoughtfully. Unfortunately, when it becomes a competitor to people who make a living from creative work, it turns into a real problem. When it comes to music, you can usually tell when something has been created by AI: it sounds fake, almost plastic
What is the single biggest challenge you currently face as an independent artist/band?
Growing our live audience! We’re already at a good point, but we’d love to reach a stage where we can play to completely packed clubs, full of people ready to dance to our music!
What core themes were you hoping listeners would connect with in your latest track?
Quite simply, our love for football and music. Our songs tell stories: the stories of the football players or managers they’re dedicated to. We want everyone to have fun with our music. Whether you already know the story and get to rediscover it, have never heard it before and learn something new, or couldn’t care less about football but use the opportunity to dance a little!
If you could revisit one decision from your artistic journey and do it differently, what would it be?
Maybe it’s still a little too early for us to answer that question. Let’s catch up again in a few years! 😀
What’s one unexpected influence, maybe from outside music, that keeps showing up in your work?
The answer is pretty obvious for us: football! Whenever we travel to play gigs, we meet lots of people who tell us wonderful stories about local and small-town characters. They’re always a great source of inspiration for our work in the studio.
What’s one fun or ridiculous moment from the studio or road since this release that still makes you smile?
One thing that always makes us laugh is singing Italian opera music in the car on our way to a gig. We give it our best shot, trying to harmonise, but let’s just say the results are often questionable…
Materazi Future Club’s Upcoming Tour Dates:
21 November 2026 – Glue – Florence
28 November 2026 – Biko – Milan
12 December 2026 –Bronson – Ravenna
2 April 2027 – Schokoladen – Berlin
Tickets: https://linktr.ee/TIJtour
Listen to THE ITALIAN JOB:
Follow Materazi Future Club:
Instagram – Facebook – TikTok – YouTube – Spotify
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