Irie Maffia is a Hungarian band formed in 2005. Their music is based on reggae and dancehall, which they blend with hip hop, funk and rock. The band also has a sound system formation (Irie Maffia Soundsystem), where András Kéri (aka MC Columbo) sings ragga lyrics on the reggae/dancehall riddims played by band leader Márton Élő (aka Dermot) and Gáspár Horváth (aka Jumo Daddy)from vinyl records. History and present
Their first recording in 2006 made use of a dancehall riddim, the Rodeo riddim (formerly made popular by the mighty Seeed), which was released by Germaica Records, Europe’s leading reggae/dancehall record company. The full house release party of the Mafia’s first LP, Fel a kezekkel! (Hands In The Air), took place on A38, a party boat in Budapest, in December, 2007. To make the most of the success, the Maffia went on tour to several European destinations, amongst which was the Italian Rototom Sunsplash in 2007, probably the greatest reggae competition of the continent. They came in second. Irie Maffia's first video clip, shot for their most popular song, "Hands In The Air", came out by the spring of 2008. In autumn 2008 the Irie Maffia is one of the 5 nominees for MTV European Music Awards Local Hero, the voting is now on. The band's sound system formation holds weekly club nights in Corvintető, offering reggae music to the Tuesday night audience of the venue. Having fulfilled the requirements of Dutch/foreign trustees, the Maffia took part in Amsterdam's My City Budapest Festival, an event featuring the most important Hungarian bands. They were also asked to participate in a festival in Rovereto, Italy, celebrating the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I, to which each European country's national radio station contributed one band. Members
Sena Dagadu - vocals, rap András Kéri aka MC Columbo - vocals, rap István Busa aka Papa Diamont - rap Ákos Baranyai aka DJ Future - turntable Tamás Dési aka Monsieur Büdoá - drums Ádám Meggyes aka Mézeságyas - trumpet Márton Élő aka Dermot - trombone Gáspár Horváth aka Jumo Daddy - keyboards Miklós Havas aka Doktor úr - bass Ádám Szekér - guitar Antal Oláh aka Monsieur Zsömoá - percussion
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