Massilia Sound System

Massilia Sound System are a French reggae group active for several decades whose wide-ranging style includes aspects of dancehall, hip-hop, and drum'n'bass. The group notably sings in French as well as Occitan, a romance language native to southern France. Founded in Marseille in 1984, Massilia Sound System are comprised of MCs René Mazzarino (aka Papet Jali), François Ridel (aka Moussu Tatou), and Laurent Garibaldi (aka Gari Gréu), plus turntablist Gilbert Kayalik (aka DJ Kayalik), keyboardist Janvié, and guitarist Blù. Former members include Lux Botté (aka Lux B), an MC who died in 2008. The popularity of Massilia Sound System began to extend beyond Marseille during the 1990s with the release of albums including Parla Patois (1992), Chourmo (1993), Commando Fada (1995), Aïollywood (1997), and Marseille London Experience (1999). The group subsequently began hitting the French albums chart with 3968 CR 13 (2000), Occitanista (2002), Massilia Fait Tourner (2004), and Oai e Libertat (2007). Several of the early Massilia Sound System albums were remastered and reissued in 2002 after the group signed a deal with the Wagram Music label. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi