Known internationally as for the depth of their dubplate box, their innovative way to approach reggae soundclashes and dancehall shows, the italian dubplate masters better known as Heavy Hammer Sound consist of a team of deejays and mcs that travels the globe playing reggae, dancehall, dubstep and hip hop music.

Esthablished in 1999 in a small city near Lecce in Salento, an hot area of south Italy called by many “the italian Jamaica”, the formula born as four friends united by the love for reggae dancehall music and jamaican culture, a sound system, and some crazy dancehall parties in front of the sea until sunlight.

Starting from first dances in Salento area the crew is soon booked in all main italian cities including Rome, Milan, Turin, Catanzaro, Florence, Bologne, playing in every italian region often in historical yards for italian reggae scene, as well as outside of Italy, touring the whole Europe and UK with also gigs in USA, Jamaica and Japan, including performances in international festivals like Rototom Sunsplash (Spain), Bielawa Festival (Poland), Maremoto Festival, Salento Summer Festival and Gusto Dopa Al Sole (Italy) just to name a few.

The sound had the chance to plays alongside the main names in the reggae business like Sentinel, Heartical, Rodigan, Soundquake, Black Chiney, Tony Matterhorn, Killamanjaro, King Addies, Coppershot, Ricky Trooper, Black Cat and with almost all italian sounds such as Gramigna, Ishence, Ital Sound, Dancehall Soldiers, Yaga Yaga, Bass Fi Mass, One Love, opening concerts of artist like Buju Banton, Cocoa Tea, Michael Rose, Alborosie, Shaggy, Romain Virgo, Ward 21 and many more.

Heavy Hammer is also the resident sound in the biggest italian summer yard, Mamanera Beach in S.Foca near Lecce, where the parties on the beach during summer season are usually attended by 4000-5000 people, sharing the turntables the best names in the reggae business like Tony Matterhorn, Black Chiney, Ricky Trooper, Coppershot, Pow Pow, Sentinel, Supersonic, Ward21, Romain Virgo, TOK, Baby Cham, Morgan Heritage, Perfect, Cecile, just to name a few, playing reggae music until the morning lights.

SOUNDCLASHES ||

In 2007 the crew win his first official dubplate clash, killing in Rome the Rome-based Love Massive in front of 1200 people; the audio of the clash become right away a classic for clash fanatics and get an istant fame even outside of italians borderlines, even if the clash is all italian-talked, declaring Heavy Hammer one of the more dangerous italian soundkillers.
Few years later in 2010, the crew touch down in Stuttgart, Germany to win the trophy of World War 3 Soundclash, a stricly dubplate war against Deebuzz from Germany, Captain C (ex Mighty Crown selector) from Japan, and Ruffpack from Switzerland.
Just a matter of days is booked to represent Italy in the Riddim Clash 2010 the european n.1 international soundclash – that take place in Dusseldorf, Germany alongside sounds like Citylock from Germany, Guiding Star from France, Rootsman from Canada, Poison Dart from Antigua and Blunt Posse from New York; after winning all rounds Heavy Hammer brings for the first time the RiddimClash throphy to Italy killing Blunt Posse in the dub fi dub segment, giving to Heavy Hammer the world fame.
During 2011 and 2012 the crew has travelled the world to represent Italy and Europe in sound wars: they started joing in the world temple known as Amazura in New York, the world clash called Sound Fi Dead alongside sounds like Bass Odissey, Black Cat, Synemax and Tek 9: after a strong performance the crew wins the second round point and then end up at the dub fi dub with Bass Odissey placing at the 2nd place in their first clash in New York.
Just a week later they come back in europe in a one-to-one clash in Wuppertal, Germany, against the Florida’ notorious Poison Dart, moving to Jamaica few months later in april to join the Irish&chin’ Worldclash R.E.S.E.T., facing off sounds like Killamanjaro, Bass Odissey, Black Blunt, Black Cat, Rootsman and Code Red; Even if that’s the first time the Hammers touch down in the island they reach the third place, giving up only after a well discussed 4th round with Bass Odissey and Jaro.
It’s not over yet, during summertime Heavy Hammer fly to Japan for the Japan Soundclash Tour – the 1st one ever by a european sound – for 10 days of soundclashes and dubplate showcases winning every show, from Osaka to Fukuoka, Yokohama, Okayaman, Hyogo and more places.
The 2012 closes with the performance at Global Clash 2012 in Brooklyn, New York, where the sound face off King Addies, Soul Supreme, Risky Dice from Japan, King Klepto from Canada and Madd Squadd from Jamaica.

Heavy Hammer crew now is made of eight members: Raffa, Gecky, Gigi, Kwasta, Jangio, Lep, Boris and Charly.
More than a decade inna di business, collaborations with the most important reggae artists and worldwide selectors, hundreds of dancehalls and stages, as well as the unique dubplate box are the elements that give to the Heavy Hammer shows something exclusive that cant be easily repeated.  The dubplate masters from Italy are ready anytime to mash up your party!

OTHER PROJECTS ||

While handling the sound, Heavy Hammer crew has created or contributed to some of most important projects to develope sound system and reggae culture in Italy.
In 2001 they created www.heavyhammer.it, where togheter with the sound information and agenda there has been for years a huge collection of projects for speaker boxes, from scoop bins to nowadays stuff to build a sound system, togheter with technical infos, suggestions and tips; the website is named as the start point of many sound systems now active in italy.
From 2003 to 2008 the crew worked for www.bashment.it, that for some years has been the leading web portal for dancehall and soundclash culture in the italian area, with reports from soundclashes, articles, dubplate sessions and all concerning the dancehall and soundclashes culture.
In 2003 Heavy Hammer Dubplate Studio see the lights in the north of italy, followed soon by twin studio in the south. With over 40’000 tracks recorded and over 500 artists passed on the mics, Heavy Hammer Dubplate Studios are an established international dubplate link that built solid links and collaborations worldwide, working with top sounds from all over the world as with upcoming crews, recording upcoming and world famous artists, in some cases as exclusive dubplate agent for Europe.

Good Vibes Cali Tour On Sale Now ☀️
"Taking My Time" and "Pay No Mind" Out Now 💫

Damian Robert Nesta Marley, also known around the world as “Junior Gong” and more recently as “Gongzilla” was born in 1978 to parents Bob Marley and Cindy Breakspeare, Miss World 1976.  As a young adult, he developed a passion and a gift to speak for those who cannot always speak for themselves. A self-proclaimed ‘Spiritual Revolutionary’, Damian has worked assiduously to carve his own niche in music history and to add a new perspective to the Marley legacy for the 21st century. 

At the age of 13, Damian began performing in a group called “The Shepherds” which comprised of Shiah Coore (son of Third World guitarist Cat Coore) and currently a member of his band, and Yashema Beth McGreggor, daughter of reggae singers Freddie Mcgreggor and Judy Mowatt and then began touring with his brothers, Stephen, Ky-mani, Julian and Ziggy. 

By 1996, Damian had already made his stamp as a different kind of Marley when he released his first solo album “Mr. Marley”, a heavily dancehall-influenced album produced by his brother Stephen Marley.  His second album “Halfway Tree” was released in 2001 by a major record label and showcased Damian’s unique gift for blending dancehall, reggae and hip-hop styles.  This album won Damian much recognition and remained on the Billboard Top Reggae Album Charts for 158 weeks and earned him his first Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 2002. 
While honored by this recognition by the global music fraternity, Damian continued to work in the studio, laying the groundwork for the tracks that would become his highly anticipated album, “Welcome To Jamrock”. The lyrics in this album presented Marley as a true spiritual revolutionary, as he used his talent to evoke a spiritual change while trying to enforce a better way of thinking.  He is described as “rhyming with the conviction of a street preacher with the intellect of a university economist”.  

Damian’s hit single “Welcome to Jamrock” was listed as one of the Top 100 Songs of the Decade by Rolling Stone, and at the 2006 Grammy Awards, he won Best Reggae Album and Best Urban/Alternative Performance for Welcome to Jamrock. Damian is the only Jamaican reggae artist in history to win two Grammy Awards on the same night. He is also the only reggae artist to win in the Best Urban/Alternative Performance category at the Grammy Awards. The New York Times called Welcome to Jamrock the “best reggae song of the decade.” 
Welcome to Jamrock led the pathway to Damian’s critically acclaimed collaboration with Nas for 2010’s much lauded album “Distant Relatives” – a project which explored the relationships between reggae, hip-hop and Africa. The album title refers not only to the bond between the artists, but the connection to their African ancestry, which inspired the album both musically and lyrically. USA Today referred to the album as a “potent and often provocative collaboration” and by Rolling Stone as “an Afrocentric winner.” The album debuted at Number 5 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart and Number 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Rap Albums and Reggae Albums charts, with Billboard heralding the album as “a dynamic hybrid.”    

The Distant Relatives Tour kicked off in 2011 and saw Damian traveling and performing for thousands of fans all over the world, including South America, Europe, The United Kingdom, The Caribbean and North America.  

Damian continued to cross musical boundaries in 2012, as he went on to partner with Skrillex for their groundbreaking track “Make It Bun Dem”, which Rolling Stone called “a monster mash up of dubstep and dancehall” and has led to several remixes of the original version.  Damian recently released two other singles; “Set Up Shop” and  “Affairs of the Heart” which both received widespread airplay. 

Damian continues to tour with his band all over the world as a way of entertaining and healing as he continues to spread the message for those whose voices cannot be heard. He is working with his brothers Stephen and Julian under their Ghetto Youths International Label, to discover, develop and sign gifted artistes by applying their musical talent and vast experience to create new and different styles of music.  

Damian is currently in the studio working on his upcoming solo album.

New York City's Easy Star Records has produced three of the best-selling and trendsetting reggae albums around - the Easy Star All-Stars' Dub Side of the Moon, Radiodread and Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Dub Band - while building an international brand and roster that has come to signify quality and class.

The independent label has created an impressive body of work that includes those above-mentioned in-house productions, along with progressive recordings from envelope-pushing acts like Protoje, Jesse Royal, John Brown's Body, The Skints, The Black Seeds, Rebelution, Passafire, Backbeat Soundsystem, Gentleman's Dub Club, Cas Haley, New Kingston, The Expanders, Lila Ike, The Late Ones, Marcus Gad, Tommy T, JonQuan and Ticklah; reissues of classic reggae from the vaults of Sugar Minott and Linval Thompson; new music from reggae legends The Meditations and Sister Carol; and collaborations with international reggae stars like Matisyahu,  Michael Rose, U Roy, Luciano, Anthony B, Christofer Martin and Morgan Heritage.

Easy Star has steadily built a scene that extends in many directions, following any path where reggae leads, bringing together young producers and musicians, reggae stars, and even artists outside the genre who have been influenced by Jamaican music, like Citizen Cope, blues musician/musicologist Corey Harris, Janelle Monáe, Jason Mraz and Kelly Clarkson.

The label manages its in-house musical collective/touring band The Easy Star All-Stars, who have played in over 30 countries on 6 continents. Dub Side of the Moon, Radiodread, Lonely Hearts and Thrillah have formed the backbone of a growing franchise of reggae re-inventions of classic albums; the band is at work on the next installment, targeted for 2022.

Easy Star has also developed a strong sense of how to market reggae to both core genre fans and a mass audience, leading to work consulting on marketing for albums such as Gov't Mule's Mighty High. Easy Star's musical director Michael Goldwasser produced albums for Corey Harris and Israeli band Hatikva 6, as well as remixes by Umphrey's McGee, Rebelution, Jason Mraz, Yoko Ono and more, bringing the Easy Star sound further outside the family. And Easy Star has raised its profile as a lifestyle brand with events such as Easy Star Reggae Tuesdays, which was one of the longest-running weekly reggae parties in New York.

9 piece electronic band out of Cape Town. Hit mixnblend.com/#connect if you want music from us and want to be part of our crew.

Connor Clay is following