A bit of history about dub music in Bordeaux….

Bordeaux is the 9th most populated town in France. It is in the department of Gironde (33). Many famous French celebrities and artists came from this city : “Ausone”, “Aliénor of Aquitaine”, “Montaigne”, “Montesquieu”, “Serge Lama”, “Partenaire Particulier”, “Noir Désir”, “Odezenne”, and “Les Hurlements d’Léo”.

But we’re mostly here to speak about dub music and sound systems and you’re going to learn why Bordeaux’s surname “la Belle Endormie” (which means the “Sleeping Beauty”), doesn’t suit it well when we’re talking about Dub music.

When talking about this city we have to start by talking about the mythical Improvisators Dub, which was the first French dub live band ,active from 1994 to 2009. Without a doubt they have inspired the current French scene through their supercharged concerts where the instruments were “dubbed” live. Being pioneers of novo-dub or electro-dub, it probably isn’t a coincidence that this style is greatly present in Bordeaux. Thanks to their activism, many English precursor artists came to play in their city as from the end of the 90s : Iration Steppas, Alpha & Omega, Martin Campbell, Jonah Dan… We can also talk about Manutension, founding member of the Improvisators Dub , active solo artist and relentless dub activist, as he has left his imprint thanks to his talented hypnotic and particularly lively mixes. It’s on his initiative that Bordeaux was surely the first city to host the English sound system of Jah Shaka in December 1995 (see flyer at left). In 1998 the Uzinadub collective enters the scene and attracts crowds with their “electro dub to jungle” productions. The collective was active as such until 2004, but its members are still invested in the sound system world : Sir Hill (founding member of Control Tower Records), DJ Koniks and the producers Dub Machinist, I-Tist and Dub Bowser.

Bordeaux also hosts many events, such as the famous Reggae Sun Ska Festival, renamed Medoc Sun Ska in 2020 and has reunited the biggest international reggae artists since 1998, making it one of the oldest active European reggae festivals. Let us not forget the So Good Festival which is oriented around dub and electronic music and has been proposing an attractive programme since 2009. There are numerous events organized all year round so we invite you to check out the following : the Bordeaux Dub School organized by Wandem Sound System, the events of the M.A.C from the CROUS, the Dirty Skank organized by Dirty Knees, the Dub Temple, by Quetzal’coalition, the Lyrical Yard by Full Concept, L’antidote est le dub organized by Musicalarsouille, the Sclanking Dub Session by the Clank, and the events organized by SunDub Bordeaux and Lezard Des Champs. In short, you can find a place to skank every week-end ! Special reference to the “Jimmy”, a bar which was open from 1961 to 2000 and which welcomed hundreds of groups and DJ’s. The tendancy was more so rock oriented but a few dub artists such as Dub Syndicate, Improvisators Dub or New York Ska Jazz Ensemble passed by there.

As far as production companies are concerned, it would be impossible not to mention « Baco Records » based at Bordeaux which has been producing excellent French and international reggae artists, such as Groundation, Danakil and Max Romeo, since 2001. A little more eclectic, « Banzaï Lab » has been active since 2008 and not only promotes Hip-Hop and Electro but also Bass Music and Dub with artists like Smokey Joe & The Kid, Al’Tarba ou le local Feldub. As essential players of the Bordeaux music scene we can also name « SoundRising Records » who have been supporting Dub, Urban and Bass Music since 2013 thanks to many free to download releases.
And finally, the record label “Breakbeat Fury Recordings”, created by DJ Norman, essentially orientated towards Drum & Bass and Bass Music, proposes a few dub titles, particularly in its Underground Bordeaux Massive compilations which bring together the best of Bordeaux’s Bass music.

Dub music has always been linked to the Sound System scene which has never been as alive as today in France.
But the oldest fans know that it’s at Bordeaux that we can find one of the most long-standing French crews, the famous DJ Akademy Sound System, created in 1989 (but their actual sound system is not that old, it only dates back to 2011) ! As from 2000, other sound systems start to form: Dub Browser Sound System in 2008, followed by Kaya Natural Sound System and Ital Vibes Sound System with their 8 scoops each in 2011. Wandem Sound System arrive in 2012 and they now organize the legendary Bordeaux Dub School which is a quarterly event that welcomes some of the best international dub artists. The Zoulou Sound System was built in 2013, Infinity Hi-Fi joins the Bordeaux family in 2014, followed by many young crews who came to share the good vibes : Massive Skankers and Jungle’s Echo Sound System in 2015, Grateful Vibes Sound System, Youth Tribe Sound System, Uzly Hi-Fi, Zion Rave Sound System and Abar Sound System in 2018, and the more recent Lyrical Bass Sound System and Dub Excursion Sound System.

It would seem that Bordeaux citizens are not yet tired of hearing Sound Systems everywhere. More and more people promote the Sound System culture every day with no less than 16 Sound Systems ! Can we safely say that Bordeaux is the French capital of Dub music …? We’ll let you make up your own mind !

City Squad : Bordeaux, it is the opportunity to (re)discover the universe of 20 artists based in Bordeaux, each of whom offer you an exclusive tune here in free download. You will be able to listen to one and a half hours of music straight outta Bordeaux City, now you know who dubs your town !