As the intersection of sound, performance, and identity continues to shape the modern club culture, SARABAMBA emerges as an assertion of fluidity, collectivity, and reinvention. Rooted in anonymity and rejecting conventional notions of individual stardom, the Florentine duo of SARA and BAMBA, in collaboration with producer Abo Abo, have created a creative identity that thrives at the intersection of queer expression, techno-eclecticism, and avant-garde aesthetics. On March 21, SARABAMBA will unleash their fluid and untamed energy in Bucharest, performing a special hybrid set as part of Sqweez!'s return to Control Club.
More than a name, SARABAMBA is a plural noun and a fluid identity. The project surfaced in 2022 and was immediately forged within Florence’s underground. By fusing DJing, live performance, and multidisciplinary art, SARABAMBA are now a focal point of Italy’s queer sound. It is a sound at the intersection of genre and gender politics. While their DJ sets encompass many styles, an underlying sense of experimentation defies categorization. Their approach reflects the ethos of “queer-tech”—a cultural movement that disrupts rigid structures and embraces hybridity.
The duo’s collaboration with Abo Abo introduced a unique musical dialect dubbed "frizzantino" pop—effervescent, playful, yet rooted in the rhythms of techno and trance. Their sets feature a dynamic range between pulsating techno, hypnotic tribal, and melodic trance while staying attuned to energy and cohesion.
SARABAMBA’s discography reflects this commitment to pushing the boundaries. From their debut single, Doppia Pompa (2022), an irreverent and playful track produced by Abo, to their more recent releases like Bella Fisika and Bellezza Etrusca, their sound fizzes with unpredictability. Their 2025 debut album, HORROR proved their ability to weave together pulsating beats, haunting atmospheres, and a club-ready energy that refuses to settle into one genre.
At the heart of SARABAMBA is the notion that music should be a conduit for inclusivity and expression. This philosophy materialized in ASTROFLUID, a club night and artistic platform conceptualized by the duo. ASTROFLUID is a communal gathering point where electronic music converges with performance art, fashion, and visual experimentation. It is resident at Cassero LGBTQIA+ Center in Bologna, a historic hub for queer culture, while also extending to select clubs in Tuscany.
SARABAMBA’s aesthetic choices extend beyond sound into performance and visual presentation. They perform masked, originally due to a desire for privacy, but this has since become a defining characteristic of their public identity. What began as a tongue-in-cheek attempt to avoid recognition by their mothers is now a statement on anonymity, collectivity, and the subversion of iconography in art. By rejecting traditional visibility and embracing a form of self-erasure, SARABAMBA invites audiences to engage with them on an experiential level rather than through the prism of celebrity—a space explored by artists within the deconstructed club movement like Arca and SOPHIE.
While SARABAMBA's roots remain in Italy’s queer underground, their impact is gradually rippling across European clubland. Collectives like them are crucial in shaping the inclusivity of the culture's future. Though still in its early stages, SARABAMBA's impact as a counterpoint to industry norms is already undeniable.
