The irreverent heirs of Lee Scratch Perry, brought up from an early age on the most rootsy rock steady, High Tone's universe has expanded over the last ten years, mixing strings, percussions and samples, to become a fully blossomed reference on the international nu-dub scene. Their bloom is a breath of life, leading you off the beaten track and yet well aware of its heritage and specific musical codes, both able to satisfy the purists and build up new following among electro and world-music newcomers. 'Roots is about what you do with them' could be the motto of this Lyon-based quintet, which has stretched way beyond the somewhat cumbersome quest for a 'vintage' sound, taking classic live dub along into more unexpected modernist electronic combinations. Rather than machine-based blending, they use a live set-up of guitars, bass, drums, DJ and keyboards to fill their sound with organic texture. Over the course of five albums since 1998, High Tone have embedded their dub with sonic distortions, hip hop gimmicks, and down tempo rhythms, creating a wholly original sound. An artistic course where risk-taking parallels an undeniable efficiency and strong public backing, reinforced by monumental live performances. In a recording career full of surprises, High Tone take the listener on a vivid trip into a bizarre interface between tradition and modernity. Their new album 'Out Back' is set out in two different but complementary parts, reflecting the diversity and versatility of the band's influences (Portishead, Scorn, Boogie Down Productions, Lee Scratch Perry, Digital Mystikz, Bästard...) and their own unique sound characterised by heavy broken bass lines, nervous ethnic scratches and mystical melodica. First disc 'Dub Axiome' offers a full-furnished dub music, clearly designed for dancefloors. Filled with wicked energy, nu-dub and digital sounds, these are eight tracks to please international sound systems. Second disc 'No Border' creates a more cinematic atmosphere, where electronic fields are more discrete, and acoustic instruments are given space to develop their sound. These tracks are quietly stretched out, evolving into heavy low frequency psychedelia. IDJ - 'Their spacious, tripped out noisemongering appeals to fans of everything from breaks to psy ... a journey ignited with racous, carnivalesque peak time club or festival bangers ... one long lesson in dub's diversity that references everything from tubby to Skream' ... DJ Magazine - 'Immense warping skank-outs - like Aba-Shant-I or Manasseh locked into a robotic exoskeleton.
