Irie Maffia life and biography

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.

Having been formed in 2005, Irie Maffia soon became a firm favorite with the young party-goers of Budapest, which can hardly be considered a surprise given the powerful medley of reggae, hip-hop, rock and funk they play, and the impressive line-up in terms of the Hungarian underground-music scene. Sena, Busa and Columbo are all well-known figures of Budapest nightlife. Among the musicians are such names as Dermot, the ingenious bandleader and trombone-player, or Jumo Daddy, the Hammond organ wizard.

The band has performed at practically every festival in Hungary imaginable, while their sound system formation (consisting of the DJs and MCs of the band) has been kept busy by the clubs of the country.

The memorable full house release party of the Mafia’s first LP, Fel a kezekkel! (Hands in the air), took place on A38, a popular party boat in Budapest, in December, 2007.
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 was one of the 5 nominees for MTV European Music Awards Local Hero in Hungary.

The band's sound system formation holds weekly club nights in Corvin teto, offering awesome reggae music to the Tuesday night audience of the venue.

The popularity of Irie Maffia, however, is by no means restricted to the borders of Hungary. 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.

Discography:
Geller EP - 2006
Fel a Kezekkel! / Hands In The Air! - 2008
What's my name? - 2009

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