BARCELONA — From spinning funk and breakbeat anthems in Europe’s elite clubbing sanctuaries to spending nearly five years inside some of Panama’s most inhospitable prisons, Ángel Francisco López Morán—better known to club culture as Professor Angel Dust—has seen it all. Today, the legendary Mexican-born DJ and producer unveils his wild journey in a new English release of his memoir, In the Belly of the Beast: Adventures and Misadventures of a DJ (En el estómago de la bestia).
Born in Mexico City in 1963, López Morán abandoned religious conventions early on after a pivotal encounter with Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, dedicating his life entirely to music and contemporary art. A move to Toronto pulled him into a hedonistic, drug-fueled night scene, laying the groundwork for his lifelong devotion to club culture. That path quickly spiraled into iconic territory—including legendary nights at New York’s Paradise Garage dancing to sets by Larry Levan, and stints with underground post-punk bands like Jesus and the Mutants, Fandango, Bambi, and On (the latter producing a record with Warner Sweden under the mentorship of Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren).
However, it was behind the Technics turntables in Barcelona during the 1990s where Professor Angel Dust truly made history. Establishing himself as a pioneer of funk and breakbeat, he held court at the most exclusive venues across Barcelona and Europe. His mainstream breakthrough—a high-powered cover of Santana’s “Oye cómo va”—thrust him into widespread fame, though he quickly disowned the mainstream spotlight to remain true to his underground roots. Alongside his brother Diego Delippo, he went on to redefine Barcelona’s nightlife in the early 2000s with the iconic Bongo Lounge nights at La Paloma.
Then came the fall.
At the height of his career, López Morán became entangled in a dark criminal conspiracy, leading to a nightmare nearly five years long inside Panama’s harsh penitentiary system. Yet, true to his resilient spirit, the DJ reinvented himself behind bars: he restored an abandoned recording studio inside the prison, mentoring inmates and producing music once again from the depths of incarceration.
Written at a breakneck pace, In the Belly of the Beast offers an unvarnished, thrilling peek into the high-voltage highs and devastating lows of a life lived entirely on the edge.
In the Belly of the Beast: Adventures and Misadventures of a DJ is available now at major bookstores and online retailers.
