Massilia Sound System
Encyclopedia
Massilia Sound System is a reggae
band formed in Marseille
, France in 1984. They developed a Provençal
hybrid version of reggae, rub-a-dub and raggamuffin with lyrics in the French
and Occitan languages, sometimes referred to as trobamuffin (from the Occitan word trobador and the musical style raggamuffin), though they have also performed in Portuguese and Italian. They incorporate many rhythms, beats and samples from the local tradition or other musical colleagues, and their lyrics indicate a profound parochialism for Marseille and the south of France in general.
Massilia Sound System re-popularised the city of Marseille in the 1990s, in conjunction with the success of Olympique de Marseille
, the local soccer club. Along with that empowered an entire generation of young Marseillais with a positive identity, proud of their city and their capacity to embrace different cultural traditions.
Intra-regional links were formed with other groups, such as Claude Sicre's Fabulous Trobadors
in Toulouse
, Les Nux Vomica in Nice
, and other reggae/ragga groups using the culture and language of the region.
Their recent albums incorporate more rock
sounds, with deepening explorations into world music, such as the use of tabla
, and make further incursions into drum and bass
and hip-hop
.
On 18 July 2008, Lux B, one of the members of Massilia Sound System, died at the age of 47 after battling illness for some time.
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
band formed in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, France in 1984. They developed a Provençal
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
hybrid version of reggae, rub-a-dub and raggamuffin with lyrics in the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Occitan languages, sometimes referred to as trobamuffin (from the Occitan word trobador and the musical style raggamuffin), though they have also performed in Portuguese and Italian. They incorporate many rhythms, beats and samples from the local tradition or other musical colleagues, and their lyrics indicate a profound parochialism for Marseille and the south of France in general.
Massilia Sound System re-popularised the city of Marseille in the 1990s, in conjunction with the success of Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...
, the local soccer club. Along with that empowered an entire generation of young Marseillais with a positive identity, proud of their city and their capacity to embrace different cultural traditions.
Intra-regional links were formed with other groups, such as Claude Sicre's Fabulous Trobadors
Fabulous Trobadors
Fabulous Trobadors are a band from Toulouse, France, founded in 1987. They have developed their own distinctive style based on Occitan folk music and the rhythms of northeastern Brazil....
in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, Les Nux Vomica in Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, and other reggae/ragga groups using the culture and language of the region.
Their recent albums incorporate more rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
sounds, with deepening explorations into world music, such as the use of tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
, and make further incursions into drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
and hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
.
On 18 July 2008, Lux B, one of the members of Massilia Sound System, died at the age of 47 after battling illness for some time.
Discography
- Rude et souple (demo cassette)
- Vive le PIIM (demo cassette)
- Parla Patois (1992)
- Chourmo (1993)
- Commando Fada (1995)
- On met le òai partout (live album) 1996)
- Aïolliwood (1997)
- Marseille London Experience (1999)
- 3968 CR 13 (2000)
- Occitanista (2002)
- Massilia fait tourner (live album) (2004)
- Oai e libertat (2007)
External links
- Official Site (in French and Occitan)
- MySpace page
- Papet Jali interview with CNN, 2006