Italy is a country that has much to offer. For example, it gave the world a fine dish called pizza – a food that has provided the fuel for more Ears To The House articles than you’ll ever know. It’s also the place where coffee isn’t just a drink, it’s a way of life – much as it is in our office.

That said, they also recently elected Giorgia Meloni as their Prime Minister recently – a woman who says she doesn’t want to see Sharia law in Italy despite the fact no one has asked for it. Nonetheless, no country is perfect – but another thing which remains a mystery to us is just how Derrick May still manages to get so many bookings in Italy.

Since multiple allegations of sexual abuse were made against May in 2020, most of Europe’s nightlife has responded in much the same way – by simply not booking him anymore. Yet Italy still sends some work his way – mostly because of legacy contacts who either don’t know or simply don’t care about the claims made in the media.

Then again, perhaps it was the prospect of cappuccinos and pizzas that persuaded May to play at the Audiodrome in Torino last Friday night – a gig organised in such secrecy that the club hadn’t publicised his appearance at all on social media, nor had Seth Troxler, who was also playing on the same night…

Indeed, the only person to actually promote Derrick May’s appearance at Audiodrome on Friday night was, er, Derrick May himself. Even then, he only managed to do so a few hours before the event began – doing so on Instagram Stories, the ideal method of ensuring something awkward hopefully disappears after 24 hours on the Internet.

Curiously, May’s slot wasn’t due to start until 3.30am. With Google’s listings stating the club closes at 5am, this left Detroit’s most occasional DJ – who once used to play for at least a minimum of four hours – with just 90 minutes to do his thing. Not exactly the return to glory that May hopes for…