Blending musical versatility, instrumental prowess, beautiful vocal harmonies and a premier rhythm section, the Easy Star All-Stars have established themselves as one of the top international reggae acts on the scene today. Thanks to their best-selling tribute album releases, Dub Side of the Moon (2003), Radiodread (2006), Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band (2009), Easy Star’s Thrillah (2012), the remix album Dubber Side of the Moon (2010), as well as original releases Until That Day EP (2008) and First Light (2011), the Easy Star All-Stars have built a growing, dedicated fan base throughout the world, bringing together fans of reggae, classic rock, dub and indie rock into one big family. The band has toured in over 30 countries on 6 continents. They’ve played many major festivals around the world, including an unprecedented three-day, three-stage stand at Glastonbury in 2009, which earned them a UK Festy Award Nomination that year.

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.

Godfather’, ‘Legend’, ‘International Hero’. All accolades attributed by loving fans Worldwide to the DJ, Producer and scene pioneer known as ‘Slipmatt’. For over three decades, this dubplate diamond has been changing the game, staying on the pulse and keeping ahead of the curve, packing dancefloors and selling out clubs long before it was cool and still does so to this very day.
  
Having produced a ton of successful singles and compiled a number of hit selling mix albums under his ‘Slipmatt’ alias for some of the World’s most respected record labels including United Dance and Ministry Of Sound, ‘Slipmatt’ is also one of the masterminds behind legendary production outfit SL2 (along with Lime and MC Jay), the visionaries responsible for the chart smashing anthems ‘On A Ragga Tip’ & ‘Way In My Brain’ among many others on the iconic label XL Recordings, home to legendary acts such as ‘The Prodigy’, ‘Basement Jaxx’; and ‘Adele’. 

‘On A Ragga Tip’ is presently enjoying a resurgence of popularity as it goes on the current Virgin Media TV ad as part of their Un-Limiting adverts which includes the new ‘On A Ragga Tip’ Un-Limiting Remix, which has equally proved as popular as ever with dancefloors around the globe and this year alone is scheduled  to collaborate in the studio with Shades Of Rhythm, Andy Galea of Sol Brothers, Alex P, Awesome 3, Alexis Raphael, Sooney and, his good friend DJ Lime with some brand new SL2 releases also in the pipeline.

This wayward don of dance has also played at every major dance event and venue worth knowing about over the years including Energy, Telepathy, Fantazia, Vision, Universe, World Dance, United Dance, Dreamscape, Helter Skelter, Slammin’ Vinyl, Rezurrection, Elevation, Moondance, Raindance, Peace Fest, Clockwork Orange and to top it all off had the great honour of playing directly after his good friends ‘The Prodigy’ to a packed O2 Arena of over 20, 000 people, bringing that particular night to an epic close, and ringing in the year 2014 with a tremendous bang.

‘Slipmatt’ also repeatedly continues to play across the globe in the USA, Asia, Australia, Europe and every corner of his native UK for a string of well recognised and well attended club promotions, festivals and events. He’s no stranger to a Festival or two either playing at leading big top gigs such as Glastonbury, Boomtown and We Are Festival and there has also been and continues to be multiple overseas visits to Ibiza where Slipmatt still to this day enjoys regular return trips to the White Isle’s most infamous hot spots to play such as Eden, Es Paradis and Benimussa Park (The Zoo) 

His media outreach is quite noteworthy also, having started RAW FM, been a resident on Kiss FM, a regular in M8 Magazine and Mixmag, featured in the illustrious DJ Magazine Top 100, he’s been on BBC television a number of times including the famous chart show ‘Top Of The Pops’, runs two of his own popular Radio shows and Podcasts ‘World Of Rave’ and ‘Slip’s House’ and additionally, has won a multitude of awards, including that of ‘Best DJ’ and ‘Best Producer’ awarded by some of the industries most respected bodies such as Kiss FM and EHM.

Not one to ever slow down or fall behind and always keeping himself fresh and relevant, this dancefloor don has been focusing lately on the biggest and best house beats, which has led him to an already extraordinarily busy 2020. Add to that his upcoming book “My Story (and How I Became a World Class DJ)”, which is set to be a smash hit amongst rave fanatics the World over later this year and with over a hundred gigs booked for 2020 already (mid-Feb), there are no signs of this crowd pleasing international artist slowing down any time soon. 

Godfather Of Rave and still keeping it fresh? Definitely.

by Jon Brown | 2020

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