HLZ

Emilio Dimitri grew up in Manduria, in Italy’s Apulia region, and began making music in Italy after a period as a semi-professional volleyball player. He also promoted events there. His first stage name was Hellraizer, later shortened to HLZ. Dimitri spent seven years in Milan before moving to London in 2007, where he lived for years before returning to southern Italy during the COVID period. He is an Italian drum-and-bass producer and DJ, and grew up in Milan. Before pursuing solo work, he co-founded the drum-and-bass duo Need For Mirrors.

Peer Pressure, the label run by Facing Jinx and Philth, helped steer Dimitri towards a new direction in his career. His releases have appeared on Metalheadz, Integral, Dispatch, 1985, DSCI4 and Warm Communications, as well as Fokuz Recordings, V Recordings, Hospital Records and Sun and Bass Recordings. In 2009, he released the single 140 Dub / Project X on IM:LTD. Metalheadz issued his EP Eternal in 2019, followed by Amethyst in 2020 on Metalheadz Platinum.

HLZ also made the official remix of Goldie’s “Crystal Clear” for the anniversary edition of Saturnz Return. Metalheadz released HLZ’s 2026 album All My Life. His 2026 singles included Agent Zero on Rebel Music, Gong Show on Truth Hertz and Sentinel / The Claw on Carbon Music. He released Hope Against Hope on SPEZIAL with Carmen Mellino, Das SPEZIAL and INDIA BLUE.