Emilia-Romagna Music Export at ESNS 2026 (Groningen, 14–17 January)

Emilia-Romagna Music Export will take part in ESNS – Eurosonic Noorderslag 2026, the most important European event dedicated to the music industry, taking place in Groningen (The Netherlands) from 14 to 17 January 2026, as part of the activities supporting Italian music export coordinated by ICE – Italian Trade Agency for the promotion abroad and internationalisation of Italian companies.

Following Italy’s role as Focus Country in the 2025 edition, ESNS 2026 – celebrating its 40th anniversary – will inaugurate the House of Europe, a shared space dedicated to European countries aimed at promoting unity, collaboration and networking within the European music industry. Located at De Oosterpoort, it will function as an extended conference area for European music export offices, hosting showcases, panels and networking events.

The Emilia-Romagna delegation

Eleven music industry professionals from Emilia-Romagna will be present in Groningen:

• Panico SRL (booking)

• Estragon Società Cooperativa (live club, festival)

• Associazione Culturale Retropop Live (festival)

• Vulcano SRL (booking, label)

• Associazione Ferrara Sotto le Stelle APS (festival)

• Associazione Culturale Bronson (live club, festival, label)

• Associazione ARCI Comitato Territoriale di Reggio Emilia APS (network of venues)

• Ozono Factory APS (live club, festival, production)

• ARCI Emilia-Romagna APS (network of venues)

• Circolo Culturale Left APS (live club)

• IMARTS | International Music and Arts (booking)

Emilia-Romagna showcases at ESNS 2026

KODACLIPS
Friday 16 January | Der AA-Theater | 19:00–19:40
Formed in Cesena in 2021, Kodaclips are one of the most solid acts within the new Italian shoegaze and alternative scene. Their second album Gone Is the Day, released by Sister 9 (Manchester) and Black Marmalade, is a dense and layered work built on reverbs, distortions and emotional melodies. Post-punk, psychedelic and 1990s influences blend into a hypnotic sound already appreciated on national and international stages, sharing bills with artists such as Slowdive and A Place to Bury Strangers. The live dimension is the beating heart of the project, where emotional intensity becomes a collective experience.§
Follow Kodaclips on: Facebook – Instagram

GAIA BANFI
Friday 16 January | MXT Front | 21:20–22:00
With La Maccaia, released by Trovarobato, Gaia Banfi has established herself as one of the most interesting voices in Italy’s new experimental music scene. Pop, songwriting and electronics intertwine in a personal language suspended between experimentation and intimacy. Her work draws inspiration from atmospheric and geographical suggestions – the Ligurian “maccaia” – transformed into sonic storytelling, where memory, childhood and emotional development become musical material. Her writing, both fragile and incisive, stands out for a distinctive vocal identity and arrangements that look to both the Italian songwriting tradition and contemporary experimentation.
Follow Gaia Banfi on: Instagram

ALEX FERNET
Friday 16 January | Huize Maas Front | 00:50–01:30
With Modern Night, Alex Fernet constructs a noir and nocturnal sonic universe in which soul, funk and new wave are reworked through a post-contemporary lens. His imagery evokes cinema, hauntology and the Italian provinces, resulting in music that is deeply evocative and politically charged in its melancholy. Live-recorded drums, ghostly pianos and imperfect synths define an aesthetic that rejects digital smoothness in favour of a more human and analog dimension. Fernet confirms himself as one of the most original figures in Italy’s new oblique songwriting scene.
Follow Alex Fernet on: Instagram

LAURA AGNUSDEI
Friday 16 January | Lutherse Kerk | 01:00–01:40
Composer and saxophonist Laura Agnusdei presents Flowers Are Blooming In Antarctica, a work that marks a turning point in her artistic trajectory. The album is a profound reflection on the relationship between humanity, the environment and non-human forms of life, translated into a musical language that blends spiritual jazz, fourth-world minimalism, electronics and tropical influences. The saxophone becomes a narrative and political instrument, capable of evoking visionary and meditative soundscapes. The project is part of Opale, a curatorial platform born from the collaboration between Maple Death and Canicola, combining music and visual storytelling in a unique editorial and artistic format.
Follow Laura Agnusdei on: Facebook – Instagram

Networking and international promotion
Among the key events in which Emilia-Romagna Music Export will be involved is the Meet the Italian Music Industry matchmaking session, scheduled for 15 January from 17:00 to 19:30 at Het Concerthuis, designed to foster connections between Italian operators and international professionals.

On 16 January, within the House of Europe, the event Experience Italy with Don Pasta’s Food Sound System will also take place: a multisensory performance combining music, vinyl records and Italian cuisine.

Participation in ESNS 2026 confirms Emilia-Romagna Music Export’s commitment to supporting music export, promoting regional artists and professionals within the main international contexts of the contemporary music industry.

The support actions implemented during the initiative are made possible thanks to ICE – Italian Trade Agency, in collaboration with the Region of Emilia-Romagna, as part of the music export activities carried out by Emilia-Romagna Music Commission in collaboration with ATER Foundation, Region of Puglia – Puglia Culture within the regional music system development project Puglia Sounds, Assomusica, Italian World Music Network and Sicily Music Conference.