Massilia Sound System, who got together in 1986, are also renowned for their innovative "rub a dub" style. ("Rub a dub" is a musical genre similar to rap but whose origins lie not in the States but in the reggae haven of Jamaica). The group's name reflects their vibrant fusion of Provençal culture and reggae sounds - Massilia comes from the Latin name for Marseilles and Sound System refers to the legendary 'sound systems' or makeshift box speakers which Jamaican musicians set up in people's backyards to blast their sound through the neighbourhood.

The three founding members of Massilia Sound System - Tatou, Jali and Goatari - soon discovered that their individual talents complemented one another perfectly. Tatou became the group's songwriter and composer, Sicilian-born Jali took on the role of 'tchatcheur', improvising his lyrics over a heavy rub-a-dub beat on stage, while Goatari took care of the speakers and the sound machines.

Inspired by Mediterannean cultural heritage and the tradition of the troubadours (medieval poets and musicans who improvised sonnets and ballads), Massilia Sound System would invent their own form of modern urban poetry. Singing in local Provençal dialect (Occitan) and 'tchatching' over the top of a vibrant rub-a-dub beat, the trio would recount the trials and tribulations of day-to-day life in the Marseilles suburbs.

Occitan Ragga

Performing in Toulouse in 1988 Massilia Sound System would go on to meet two other groups concerned with promoting Provençal culture, Les Fabulous Trobadors and Bouducon Production. Uniting their efforts, the three groups would wage a prominent campaign aimed at persuding the French public that there was a thriving music scene which existed outside Paris.

As part of their campaign to break the French capital's monopoly on the music world, Massilia Sound System went on to set up their own record label in 1989. Roker Promocion would not only give Massilia Sound System complete control over their own production. The label would also provide a veritable launch-pad for Occitan culture, giving numerous local groups and musicians the opportunity to record their music without 'emigrating' to Paris. Tatou, working as the label's chief sound engineer and producer, was repsonsible for launching the careers of Marseilles rap stars IAM and the Toulouse-based musicians known as Les Fabulous Trobadors.

After setting up their own label, Massilia Sound System went on to release a debut cassette album in 1989. The album, which featured 14 original tracks, was entitled "Rude et souple". The following year the trio would return to the studio and record another 15 tracks in cassette form on an album called "Vive le PIIM". (The "Internationalist Party Fighting For An Independent Marseilles" was a fictional party dreamt up by Massilia Sound System's three incorrigible pranksters).

By November 1991 Massilia Sound System were ready to record their first CD album, "Parla Patois" (Let's Speak Dialect). This highly-accomplished and wonderfully humourous album, which vaunted the merits of the fictional PIIM, as well as the joys of football, 'tchatching' and non-stop partying, was made available on national release. And "Violent", the first single release from the album, would put Massilia Sound System firmly on the musical map. Following the release of this first single, the group would set off on an extensive national tour.

Spearheading the Modern Troubadour Revival, Massilia Sound System returned to the studio in September '93 to put the finishing touches to their second album entitled "Chourmo". ("Chourmo" in the group's regional dialect being slang for "posse" or "group of mates"). Recorded in Massilia Sound System's own "Estudio Zero", the new 16-track album came out in November and rocketed to national prominence after the release of the first single "Qu'elle est bleue". Following this second single success, Massilia Sound System hit the road once again, their new tour lasting well into 1994.

Massilia take a stand

The following year the group, who had by now expanded their original line-up to include two new members, returned to the studio to record a third album entitled "Commando Fada". Fusing Jamaican rhythms with Mediterranean folklore, Massilia Sound System continued to vaunt their regional identity. Yet while on the surface the group's music remained vibrant and fun-loving, the lyrics on "Commando Fada" were charged with an almost political force, urging the upcoming generation (les "minots") to take their destiny in hand and take a stand against the French capital's monopolisation of culture.

On June 28 1995 Massilia Sound System headed up to Paris to perform at La Cigale. Whipping their fans into a frenzy as if they were at a Marseilles football match, the group brought the house down in Paris. Massilia Sound System would prove equally successful on their ensuing tour which lasted several months and took the group across the length and breadth of France. The atmosphere of the group's bombastic concert performances was captured on Massilia Sound System's excellent live album "On met le Oai partout" (released at the beginning of 1997).

Following the success of this extensive national tour, Massilia Sound System took a temporary break from the French music scene to travel in India. This trip would prove a rich source of inspiration for the group's next album "Aïollywood" (the title is a pun on the Indian cinema industry "Bollywood" and the Mediterranean sauce aïoli). Fusing Indian film music with ragga rhythms, this new album featured outstanding contributions from Rishi, a musician the group met in Marseilles who played the violin, the Indian flute and the sarod (the traditional lute).

As Goatari, one of the original trio who had founded Massilia Sound System, had left the group to work on his own musical projects, Massilia's two new members - Lux B and Gari - also came to the fore on this new album. While "Pas d'arrangement", the first single release from "Aïollywood" was very much in the same vein as Massilia's previous singles, the new album also featured a number of tracks such as "Raja Occitani" which explored a new musical approach (integrating Indian melodies into the group's traditional Occitan raggamuffin).

The Move

In the spring of 98 Massilia Sound System changed their base, moving to La Ciotat. This move was not inspired by a desire for a change of scene, on the contrary, it was a direct political statement, marking the group's disagreement with the Front National mayor who had taken control of the town hall. In spite of their move, Massilia Sound System continued their work with up-and-coming local groups, organising weekly music workshops where young singers and musicians could learn to perform and compose music on computers. The group aim to develop further projects along these lines in the near future.

Meanwhile, Massilia Sound System were also extremely busy in the studio, working on a series of remixes for their new album "Marseille London Experience". Released in April '99, the album was recorded with Mad Professor and the Robotiks, a group that Massilia had met during the World Cup the previous year.

One year later, on April 19th, the group released a new album entitled "3968CD13". The album featured an eye-catching cover sporting a photo of the 2CV, a legend in French automobile history and a symbol of user-friendliness and resistance (two key words in the Massilia philosophy). Renowned for their habit of offering concerts and a round of pastis at the same time, the group celebrated the release of their new album with a concert/get-together at the "Docks des Suds" in the Marseilles harbourside, bringing the house down with their vibrant mix of reggae, ragga and "tchatche".

The Massilia family collective soon went on to move into a communal house together. Set amidst a picturesque garden of olive trees, the house combines recording studios and offices with living quarters. Needless to say, the Massilia residence has already become a thriving hub of activity, a host of young local singers and musicians converging here to work on individual and collective projects.

In October 2002, Massilia Sound System released a new album entitled "Occitanista". "Occitanista" consisted of a mix of Occitan Ragga and African and Brazilian sounds with the contribution of Guinean Griot Hadja Kouyaté and Brazilian singer Naçao Zumbi.

Before going on tour together, the band’s many members individually took part in various sound-systems. After a concert in Marseilles on October 12th, Massilia Sound System set off to the Fiesta des Suds. They went on to bring the house down at the Bataclan on December 12th.

In Spring 2003 the band hit the road again for a score of gigs up and down the country.

Shortly after this, individual members of Massilia Sound System branched out to pursue solo and collective side projects. Tatou and Blu threw their time and energy into the group Moussu T e leï Jovents, promoting Marseillais tradition and Occitan culture on three albums ("Melle Marseille", "Forever polida" and "Inventé à la Ciotat"). Meanwhile, Gari and Lux teamed up together to form the rock group Oïstar, releasing two albums: "Oistar" (2004) and "Va à Lourdes" (2006).  As for Jali, he recorded a solo album under the pseudonym Papet J ("Papet-J.com" released in 2006).

Massilia Sound System finally got together again for a new group album, released in October 2007. "Oai e Libertat", which delved into the group's usual themes, found MSS going back to their early way of working, elaborating songs based on "riddims" (Jamaican instrumentals). Shortly after the album release, the collective hit the live circuit again on a marathon tour which lasted through until the summer of 2008.

Lux B, who had been absent from this tour due to health reasons, died on 18 July 2008 after losing his battle with cancer. The charismatic MC's untimely death at the age of 47 brought a host of tributes flooding in from journalists and  musicians.

August 2008

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