The Biltmore Era is known as the Golden Era and most competitive period of the Sound Clash Industry extending from the late 80's to 1996. Such clashes were kept in four major Ballrooms throughout New York City, Tilden Ballroom, Starlite Ballroom, Flamingo Ballroom and most importantly Biltmore Ballroom. As the "Mecca" of the industry, the era contained many talented and entertaining sound systems that rightfully deserve their place in the history books. However, none has been more dominant and respected as King Addies. Known for their exclusive specials and rare collection of artists, thousands of fans worldwide consider Addies to be the greatest competitive Sound System of all time and thus have been the topic of many conversations among those involved in the industry.
King Addies was THE sound that made upcoming sound systems understand that you didn't have to be a Jamaican based sound system to make it to the top of the industry! Addies cleared the way for Sounds like Mighty Crown, Poison Dart, Sentinel, Blunt Posse and Tek-9 making them without a doubt, the most influential Sound of all time.
King Addies soon became known as the Billboard Sound, representative of the variety of top international artists and tunes they managed to record on dubplate. Their selection was never limited to only reggae and dancehall music. King Addies' catalogue contained dubs from various genres of music including a heavy supply of hip hop and R&B plates!
Addies emerged as the leading sound out of New York in the late 80's and early 90's. Pioneered by the legendary selector "Danny Dread", whose contacts helped advance the careers of nuff reggae artists in the international markets of North America and England. The sound system gradually got their ratings from fellow rivals, artists and most importantly the thousands of fans listening to clash tapes around the world.
Not many people recognized Danny Dread's protègè "BabyFace" aka "LionFace" was Trini born which initially may have been perceived as a disadvantage amongst a heavily dominated Jamaican industry, however this never held him back from rising to the top. BabyFace has been named one of the best and most talented selectors the world has ever witnessed. Known for his aggressive and relentless ability to obliterate any competition in his way, his unequalled skill on the turntables, confidence and style ensured that no sound system had it easy coming up against the King Sound. More importantly, his selection was always unpredictable, explosive and on point.
Addies' popularity further exploded as a talented young mic man called Tony Matterhorn joined the sound in 1993. Previously of the Inner City sound system, Matterhorn brought a modern style of entertainment to the industry that was fresh and contagious which made the combination of LionFace and Matterhorn the "Dream Team" of the industry. Almost as important, Matterhorn brought an extremely close relationship with the hottest artist in business at the time, Bounty Killer. The combined strength of the Ace selectors Baby Face & Danny Dread and hype of Tony Matterhorn made Addies an unbeatable force placing a stamp on the industry as the most admired sound in the game.
Over the years King Addies has created an unmatched resume! With legendary rivalries with sounds such as Earth Ruler, LP International, Saxon, Bodyguard and Bass Odyssey and no one can forget their legendary battle with the mighty Killamanjaro!!!!! This clash is still regarded as the greatest and most controversial clash of all time!
