Biography
France remains a notable outpost for reggae despite the genre’s Jamaican origins, and it is there that the Bordeaux outfit Improvisators Dub established itself during the 1990s and 2000s by concentrating on dubwise. The ensemble deliberately sidesteps dancehall—the tougher, more abrasive form of toasting that succeeded dubwise’s peak period and bears the imprint of American hip-hop on figures such as Bounty Killer, Shabba Ranks, Lieutenant Stitchie, Ninjaman, Cutty Ranks, and Nardo Ranks. In its place, Improvisators Dub adheres to an earlier dubwise aesthetic that echoes the landmark 1970s work of Jamaican artists including I-Roy, U-Roy, Ijahman, Big Youth, and the late King Tubby, whose productions exerted a decisive influence on the French group and many of its peers.
The band’s approach therefore functions as a conscious revival of the sound-system culture that flourished in 1970s Kingston and Montego Bay, when performers carried large mobile rigs across the island. It simultaneously evokes the parallel rise of dubwise in Britain, where practitioners such as Aba Shanti I and the London-based Mad Professor shaped the pre-dancehall landscape.
Improvisators Dub came together in Bordeaux in 1997; shortly afterward the members traveled to London to cut their debut EP alongside Jamaican singer and producer Junior Delgado. Their first album, Hybrid, was succeeded by Dub & Mixture, a collaboration with the English dub collective the Disciples that appeared in France in 2000 on the Reverb imprint. Later Reverb releases comprise the live recording Live Act Outernational from 2001 and Super Vocal & Dub Session from 2002; the latter title reached the United States in 2004 via Vicious Circle.
Production choices throughout the catalog favor the organic, roots-oriented techniques associated with Lee “Scratch” Perry and Sly & Robbie—the reggae counterparts, in a sense, to Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff—rather than the polished, hip-hop-inflected methods typical of dancehall. The lineup has featured Manu on electric guitar and keyboards, Nicodub on electric bass, Knarfenstein on drums, Fransax on saxophone, and Fouine operating the sound system.
The band’s approach therefore functions as a conscious revival of the sound-system culture that flourished in 1970s Kingston and Montego Bay, when performers carried large mobile rigs across the island. It simultaneously evokes the parallel rise of dubwise in Britain, where practitioners such as Aba Shanti I and the London-based Mad Professor shaped the pre-dancehall landscape.
Improvisators Dub came together in Bordeaux in 1997; shortly afterward the members traveled to London to cut their debut EP alongside Jamaican singer and producer Junior Delgado. Their first album, Hybrid, was succeeded by Dub & Mixture, a collaboration with the English dub collective the Disciples that appeared in France in 2000 on the Reverb imprint. Later Reverb releases comprise the live recording Live Act Outernational from 2001 and Super Vocal & Dub Session from 2002; the latter title reached the United States in 2004 via Vicious Circle.
Production choices throughout the catalog favor the organic, roots-oriented techniques associated with Lee “Scratch” Perry and Sly & Robbie—the reggae counterparts, in a sense, to Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff—rather than the polished, hip-hop-inflected methods typical of dancehall. The lineup has featured Manu on electric guitar and keyboards, Nicodub on electric bass, Knarfenstein on drums, Fransax on saxophone, and Fouine operating the sound system.
Albums
