Mace

Mace is the stage name of Simone Benussi, an Italian DJ, beatmaker and record producer born in Milan on July 9, 1982.

He has produced tracks for many artists on the Italian rap, hip hop and urban scene, including Fabri Fibra, Gué Pequeno, Marracash, Izi, Noyz Narcos, Salmo, Joan Thiele, Kaos, Colle der Fomento, Jack the Smoker, Gemitaiz, Venerus and Rkomi.

Mace entered the world of hip hop from a young age, first getting into graffiti writing and later into producing beats. After a formative period he struck up a partnership with Milanese MC Jack the Smoker, forming the group La Crème, with whom he released the album "L'alba" in 2003. The duo began performing across Italy, with a few appearances in Switzerland as well.

After his debut he began a long series of collaborations with leading names in Italian hip hop, producing tracks for Kaos, Colle der Fomento, Mondo Marcio, Ghemon as well as American rapper Afu-Ra. In 2007 he released the album "Tilt" together with Milanese MC Blodi B, a member of the collective Banhana Sapiens.

In 2008 Mace turned towards electronic music and founded Reset! together with Alex Trecarichi, Rocco Civitelli, Vincenzo Catanzaro and Matteo Ievolella. The group's sound has been described as a fusion of funk, electro, house and hip hop.

Over the course of their career they released a series of singles and EPs through British, Australian and Japanese record labels, as well as producing official remixes for Fatboy Slim, Cassius, Robyn, Bingo Players, Audio Bullys and Mad Decent (the label founded by Diplo).

In 2013 his debut album "Future Madness" was released, featuring numerous guest artists such as Erick Sermon of EPMD, Keith Murray, Guè Pequeno, Emis Killa, Noyz Narcos, Clementino, Ensi, Ghemon, Francesco Sarcina and Paul King.

In 2012 the musician turned his attention to trap, and starting in 2013 he began releasing his first solo singles and EPs and doing promotional tours in Australia and Japan. The following year he went back to producing beats for various Italian rappers, including Marracash, Guè Pequeno, Jake La Furia, Salmo, Noyz Narcos, Gemitaiz, MadMan and Izi, for whom he created, together with Shablo, the beat for "Chic", which was certified platinum.

In 2017 he produced Fabri Fibra's single "Pamplona", later certified triple platinum by the FIMI and reaching the top of the Italian airplay chart.

Between 2018 and 2020 came the singles "Sindrome" with Venerus, "Immaginario" with Colapesce, "Non mi fido" with Side Baby and Psicologi, and "Bianco/Gospel" with Gemitaiz.

In 2020 he announced he had signed with Island Records and simultaneously released the single "Ragazzi della nebbia", featuring Irama and FSK Satellite: it served as the lead single from his debut album titled "OBE". The record was released on 5 February 2021 and achieved considerable success in Italy, debuting at the top of the FIMI chart.

The album's success was driven by the second single "La canzone nostra", recorded with Blanco and Salmo, which went on to achieve gold certification.

After presenting the album through a livestreamed event on 5 July 2021 at the Arco Trionfante of Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Mace announced the "OBE Live – An Out of Body Experience" tour, consisting of six dates held in May 2022, during which he was accompanied by various musicians.

On 27 May 2022 he released his second album "Beyond". Unlike "OBE", the eleven tracks it contains are entirely instrumental and feature sounds that alternate between electronic and psychedelic music.