MACE: photos of the concert at the Unipol Forum in Milan

Photo by Andrea Ripamonti

MACEone of the most important and recognized producers on the Italian music scene, on October 18, 2024 held his first concert at Unipol Forum in Milan.

An Out Of Body Experience will bring MACE in live training that will accompany the spectator on an extracorporeal journey, outside the self, towards a collective dimension and dream worlds.

Looking back at the best of OBE, MĀYĀ And BEYOND, the concert will be a multi-sensory experience in which to completely abandon yourself, with more distinctly live sections spanning musical genres – thanks also to the numerous guest singers and musicians on stage – and other sections with a more clubbing soul, with moments of pure electronics, physical and hypnotic.
MACE (pseudonym of Simone Benussi), after almost 20 years as a collaborator of the most important rappers and an intense career as a DJ, releases in 2021 “OBE“, his first album full of great guests which left an indelible mark on the Italian music scene, preceded by the single “OUR SONG“, with Salmo and BLANCO which has established itself among the most iconic songs of the last decade, reaching 6 platinum records.

A few hints about who Mace is.

“OBE” debuts in first place in the world of Spotify's “Global Top 10 Album Debuts” chart (i.e. the most listened to albums worldwide in the first 72 hours of publication) and is one of the best-selling albums of 2021which remained in the top 10 of the Fimi / GfK e charts for 14 weeks double platinum certified. In July, an iconic live broadcast created by MACE was broadcast live fromTriumphal arch of the Vittorio Emanuele II Galleryan event organized with the patronage of the municipality of Milan. After the performance at the May Day concert in Rome, “OBE Live Tour” – for the first time in Italy a producer carries out a tour of this magnitude – which will bring MACE in live formation in all the main city: conceived audio-visual performances as immersive experiences in which to completely abandon yourself, with more distinctly live sections that straddle genres – thanks also to the numerous guest singers and musicians on stage – and other sections with a more clubbing soul, with moments of pure, physical and hypnotic electronics. Followed by the publication of “BEYOND”, 12 entirely instrumental tracks that continue the producer's research into ultrasensory and psychedelic explorations. In addition to his solo project, MACE has produced huge hits such as “Ho Paura di Uscire 2” by Psalm And Lazza“Chic” by Izi“Pamplona” by Fabri Fibra“10 Girls” by Rkomi And Herniathe entire album “DNA” by Ghali. The list of artists with whom he has collaborated (which also includes Marracash, Geolier, Mengoni, Venerus, Colapesce, Gue) is truly extensive and varied. In his career MACE has navigated at least three major contemporary musical moments: the rise of rap from the underground to total mainstream dominance, the impact of the internet on electronics, and the end of the West's centrality in musical discourse, succeeding every time to take on their forms and learn every facet of these realities.

After an adolescence active in graffiti, he formed his first artistic partnership with his childhood friend Jack the Smokerwith which it forms La Crème and published in 2003 “The dawn”, still considered a small milestone of Italian rap. From here begins a long series of collaborations with historic artists such as Kaos, Colle Der Fomento and Bassi Maestro. His journey as a DJ began in 2007, with the foundation of the collective RESET!, with which he publishes releases on international labels, he performs in numerous tours between Australia, Asia, UK, Japan, Ibizaorganizes warehouse parties in Milan with thousands of clubbers and creates official remixes for Fatboy Slim and Cassius. His tireless and curious nature leads him to explore the globe through his travels to more than 50 countries – driven by the continuous need for new human and cultural connections – and new states of consciousness through his numerous psychedelic and meditative experiences.

For a few months he stops in Africa, moving in 2017 to Johannesburg where he works with local artists including Sjavatogether with whom he created “Umama”, an Afrobeat song that reached number 1 on the radio in South Africa. On the label of Diplo (who has played songs by MACE many times in his radio shows), releases a song with Mc Bin Ladenstar of Brazilian Baile Funk and holds an annual residency on Japanese radio Tokyo.Fm. The singles “ will be released in 2024I DON'T RECOGNIZE MYSELF ≠ “, the new song with SALMO and the very young centomilacarie and “RUST ∞ ” with Coez and Chiello, published by Island Records / Universal Music Italia, which anticipate “MAYA”, the new album released on April 5th. In July it comes out on the radio “Flash in the pan” with Marco Mengoni, Frah Quintale and Gemitaiz, single from the new work. During the summer he participates in some important festivals in DJ sets and on 18 October 2024 he will hold his first concert atUnipol Forum in Milan.

Click here to see photos of Mace in Milan (or browse the gallery below).