No discussion about Italian reggae is possible without mentioning Mellow Mood among the main players of an ever-growing scene. Born in Pordenone (North-East Italy) around 2005, the band officially debuts in 2009 with the release of their first album, entitled “Move!”. Produced by Paolo Baldini, who was later to become their dubmaster, the album was intended to be their first “move” on the international reggae scene: totally self-released, it was an unexpected success and the two singles “Only You” and “Dance Inna Babylon” were viewed in total more than twenty million times on You Tube. The band, led by twins Jacob and L.O Garzia, was then composed by Federico Mazzolo on drums (also known for his electronic project IOSHI), Enrico Bernardini on keyboards, Giulio Frausin (now divided between Mellow Mood and his folk-acoustic project The Sleeping Tree) on bass, Stefano Salmaso and Roberto Dazzan on horns. Two years of intensive touring and artistic growth followed. After a slight line-up change, Mellow Mood went back into the studio with Baldini to record “Well Well Well”, published in May 2012 by Italy’s most important independent label, La Tempesta, headquartered in Pordenone too. Ranging from roots-reggae to rocksteady, to tribal clubbing, “Well Well Well” is intense and elegant, and showcases the progression of Mellow Mood, as they proved to be among the protagonists of a new generation of reggae artists coming from all over the planet. Over the second half of 2013 the two singles “Dig Dig Dig” and “Extra Love” were released (the latter features reggae legend Tanya Stephens), as a preview of the band’s development. Their third album, entitled “Twinz” is released in June 2014. It is once again produced by Paolo Baldini, has a streamlined line-up (the band no longer has a stable brass section), prestigious international collaborations (Richie Campbell, Sr. Wilson, Forelock and KG Man) and couples the rediscovery of roots music with a deeper knowledge of the newest Jamaican sounds. Mellow Mood subsequently played at Europe’s most important reggae festivals (Rototom Sunsplash, Summerjam, Sziget) and in Southern America. Less than one year later, “Twinz” reveals its twin: “2 The World”, once again published by La Tempesta, bears witness to the creative growth of the band and is enriched by national (Forelock, Andrew I) and Jamaican colaborations (Tanya Stephens, Jah9, Hempress Sativa, Gideon & Selah). The title aims at both underlining the international calling of the band and the work team gravitating around Baldini’d studio, as well as showing how the Italian scene (artists and the general public together) is now ready to find their place on the reggae global landscape.
