Under the Lazer in the Hazer: Tempio Del Futuro Perduto

10 Minute Read

Art & Culture

A chat with the founders of Tempio del Futuro Perduto, far more than just a club, it’s a vibrant, autonomous cultural hub in central Milan that defies convention. It’s also the spot we’re celebrating our Italian leg of 15 years of R$N this weekend…

Founded as a sanctuary for creativity, resistance, and community, this unique space has become a beacon for artists, activists, and marginalised groups in Milan, Italy and further afield. We sat down with the founder Tommaso to explore the highs and lows of running such a dynamic and unconventional venue. From the exhilarating moments of community solidarity to the ongoing challenges of navigating legal pressures and social complexities, he shares candid insights into what it truly means to keep the Tempio’s spirit alive. Here’s what they had to say about the best and the worst parts of their journey so far…

Our first night was…
A total mess. The space was still half-abandoned, the Milan crowd hadn’t yet been educated to values like respect and kindness, the police were repressing us, fascists were attacking us, the mafia was threatening to buy us out, the city didn’t understand us, and we were completely alone with a budget of just €350.

Our worst complaint was…
We made a rule from day one: no complaining, no begging for understanding or attention. We had a huge opportunity in our hands, and it wasn’t the time to whine. That’s why we held our breath and gritted our teeth for years without looking back.

If we had all the money in the world, our dream lineup would be…
I can answer for myself: Steve Reich and the Coro delle Mondine di Novi, Hans Zimmer and the Gregorian Chant School Claudio Abbado, Laboratorium Pieśni, RZA as Bobby Digital, AFX b2b Chris Cunningham A/V, Naomi Klein, Camille Paglia and Byung-Chul Han, Jeff Mills b2b Robert Hood, Giorgio Moroder, Underground Resistance Galaxy to Galaxy live, Psycho Realm & Immortal Technique, CCCP (Italian punk band), DJ Zinc b2b Shy FX, Locked Club… and many, many more.

And our soundsystem would be…
We would organize a global challenge, putting historic industrial brands and artisan workshops on the same level. It would be interesting to find the most suitable sound for our needs without falling into marketing traps, by spending a full year listening to all of them. There’s no such thing as the perfect soundsystem, because there’s no such thing as the perfect space—especially when you’re playing in industrial warehouses that once built trains. So the investment would need to be split between the sound system and acoustic treatment—which, however, would drastically alter the aesthetic of the spaces. Form or substance? It’s an ongoing debate.

The most misbehaved artist was…
Myself—when I closed my set three hours after the scheduled ending time, making all my collaborators furious. But the vibe was incredible. It was the first and only time. So far…

The most complex technical rider we’ve ever accommodated was… (you don’t have to say who!)
A single artist with a Yamaha C7 grand piano prepared “à la John Cage” and a mic on the strings, plus two drum machines (TR-909 and TR-606), a TB-303 bassline, and SH-101, MS-20, and JUNO-106 synthesizers. I’m happy to actually say the name because he’s an incredible Italian artist: Fabrizio Rat.

Find out more on Tempio Del Futuro Perduto HERE:
Don’t forget to check out our 15 year party at Tempio Del Futuro Perduto HERE:
And finally, head here for Tempio Del Futuro Perduto’s Instagram