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.

Unit 137 is a sound system based in Lewisham, London. Unit 137 has operated successfully as a sound, record label and event production crew since 2012.

The New Regime is a one-man band fronted and created by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s youngest inductee of all time, Ilan Rubin. The latest album, Heart Mind Body & Soul, which was released in four parts over the last year, is now being rereleased in its deluxe form.

For Rubin, the most challenging aspect of recording music has nothing to do with writing every song himself or playing all the instruments. It’s about finding the time to record and tour between his work with two established bands and major touring entities — Nine Inch Nails, which was inducted into the Rock Hall this year, and Tom DeLonge’s Angels & Airwaves. 

For more than a decade, Rubin has drummed for NIN, starting his tenure in the band at the end of his teenage years. Since 2011, he’s also served as a drummer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist in DeLonge’s band. Scheduling his own shows around these commitments has been difficult — but, in 2015, Rubin found a yearlong window on the heels of a two-year world tour with NIN. That’s when The New Regime was first able to tour extensively, supporting major acts including Muse, The Killers, Juliette Lewis, Alice In Chains, The Used, and more. He’d also begun work on Heart Mind Body & Soul, The New Regime’s third full-length, which was quickly picked up by RED Music, now The Orchard, upon completion. 

“People digest music differently and much quicker today than they ever have,” Rubin says, explaining one reason why he chose to look at the album like a chaptered book. “I felt like it would be doing the songs a disservice by releasing everything at once, especially since people seem to enjoy digesting music in small pieces.” While catering to the demands of the music-listening public, Rubin refuses to create vapid, predictable pop tunes to increase his mainstream appeal. 

Heart Mind Body & Soul is anthemic, infectious, and innovative. The title track is a euphoric, unabated rock track colored with bracing guitars and a soaring chorus. “Surreal Disaster,” which at times sounds like a hybrid of Duran Duran and the Strokes, opens with lusciously harmonic wall of vocals before building into a decadent groove. “Sweet Kind of Suffering,” on the other hand, is a slow-burning serenade that haunts with strings, organs, and a transfixing bass line.

“I like everything I’ve done, but this feels like a new beginning,” Rubin said at the time of the album’s initial release. “It feels fresh. I’ve really tried to focus on writing multi-layered songs. If something doesn't have a deeper meaning that you didn't know was there, what makes it worth more than a handful of listens? I want the listener to keep discovering new elements and come back for more.” 

In addition to drawing inspiration from Jeff Buckley, The Police and — yes — Nine Inch Nails, Rubin continues to follow the anything-goes spirit of his primary influences, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, and Queen. As a result, the broad combination of sounds The New Regime elicits is vaguely familiar yet always marked with Rubin’s modernized stamp. “I have so many influences, from classical composers to Depeche Mode, and I see every project as an opportunity to do something different,” says Rubin. “I never want to repeat myself.”

Rubin revels in delivering the unexpected. While he’s a sucker for a strong hook, he inserts just enough dissonance to provide atmosphere and contrast. He won’t hesitate to interrupt a sunny melody with a mournful guitar line — or weave a reflective arpeggio into a pumped-up, celebratory melody. The same goes for Rubin’s lyrics, which are often pensive despite the propulsive rhythm they’re enveloped in. 

“The songs all reflect my take of what is going on these days with people and their relationships with one another,” Rubin says. “In life, very little fits neatly into a box. Nothing is characterized by one shade or one emotion. Feeling melancholic doesn't mean that there aren't glimmers of hope.”

Aussie vinyl club and boutique record store.

Revolutions Per Minute is a global new music platform for Indigenous music from across Turtle Island and around the world. 

We are always looking to discover the best of Indigenous Music Culture. Email us: info@rpm.fm

www.RPM.fm

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.

Hi. I'm Kelly. I'm a mixing engineer.
I produce, sing, and play guitar, bass, piano, and synthesizer.
I am Okayfine, using my most useful means of expression to get the hurt out.
Member ASCAP.
Currently based Chicago, IL.

Music (Reggae, Singer/Songwriter, Urban) // Artists: Helen Kaiser - Jaqee - Koalas Desperados - Lee Everton - Maxim - Mono & Nikitaman - Nattyflo - Nosliw - Rojah Phad Full - Sebastian Sturm - Slonesta - Symbiz - Teka

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