Setting sails in 1995. in Lyon, Frenchmen formerly known as Kaly Calypso start their expedition by cruising the currents of the Jamaican 70’s vibe. During the first 3 years of intensive gigging, they’ve earned a reputation of an outstanding live band and released the “Orange Dub” demo. After that, their drummer joined High Tone and both the line-up and the musical direction met some serious changes. Heavily injecting breakbeat, hip-hop and psychedelia to the traditional dub/roots style, they’ve partaken in giving birth to a particularly French cocktail of genres: Novo Dub. This turning point in navigation was signified by adopting the name Kaly Live Dub and releasing the “1.4 kHz” single.
The year 2000 brought us the first album, “Electric Kool Aid”. Stamping the scene with some masterful samples treatment, it made everybody aware of the band’s secret weapons. After a collaboration with a Jamaican singer Rod Taylor on their next EP, Kaly return to live touring and recruit a devoted audience. The keyboard player 2TT gives way to Louis Thibault after the “3 Maximal Overdubs” singles compilation in 2004., so the sound gets darker and more subtle. With full-length “Repercussions” (2005.) and “Fragments” (2008.), they affirm international acclaim with alchemical fusions of urban hauntings and ethnic arabesques of India and Africa, underlined with deep psychedelia. In the meantime, some members further develop the French sound through side projects: Dub Addict Sound System is returning to the old Jamaican collective style, while the Hybrid Sound System introduces dub to the contemporary drum’n’bass leanings.
Last year’s double album “Lightin’ The Shadows” is considered their masterpiece. Divided by disks to the coherent dark clubbing sound and sunshine reggae halves, it reveals the exciting paradox of Kaly Live Dub: the fearless investigators of the future sound are at the same time the orthodox guards of the roots’ fountainhead.
