Reggae Smoothie

By blending two opposing world cultures, Italian and Jamaican, Sud Sound System have managed to create a distinct sound, which will be resonating through your ears and into your raggamuffin brain sooner than you expect.

Reggae music is not generally associated with Italy. How did you get into traditional reggae and who were your influences?
Sud Sound System was born in Apulia, a region of south Italy; very poor at that time and killed by Mafia and drugs, we needed to find a way to escape from these terrible conditions ... It was the chance to find ourselves and other friends in the countryside and play together, creating rhymes and lyrics on reggae riddims such as Dennis Brown, Sugar Minott, Tenor Saw, U-Roy and others.

Reggaefest focuses more on the traditional reggae coming out of Jamaica. How do you feel being part of the line-up when you come from a non-traditional reggae country?
We have been part of several reggae festivals in Europe, where most of the acts where from Jamaica. It is a great honour that our music is appreciated by who represents the country of reggae music. Artists like Luciano, Morgan Heritage, T.O.K., Daddy Freddy, Anthony B, Voice Mail and many more have had the opportunity to collaborate with us on stage and in the studio recording, and everybody has seen our style as original.

How do you strike a balance between your local Italian culture and traditional Jamaican dancehall; and what influences do you draw upon from your Italian roots?
Jamaican music and Italian music are both traditional. The language is the patois and the music is of the people. We translated our traditional music into reggae music mixing together the culture of two countries so far apart geographically, but so close culturally.

Do you think your omnipresence as the best dancehall group in Italy has changed the Italian reggae scene?
Well, we're the reggae act who have produced more albums in Italy. The reggae scene is varied, the new, upcoming singers and DJs take inspiration from our lyrics and music and nurse the idea to sing in their own dialect. Some classic words of our dialect such as 'sciamu moi', 'sine moi', 'brucia moi' and 'massicci', have been taken from this new generations of artists in their lyrics. It's  like some artist learns to sing in Jamaican patois not being Jamaicans; the same happens with us.

Sud Sound System play Reggaefest at The Brewery, Byron Bay, this Saturday, December 4.