They need no introduction. As our man Jack says, Skream and Benga smash it everywhere they play and Dour 2010 this year was another example of that. Heavy pulsating ragged baselines, filled with drifting r&b melodies, liberally sprinkled with syncopated machine gun percussion was the formula to which Sgt. Pokes orchestrated a few thousand ravers into a frenzy in the early hours of Sunday morning near the Belgian-French border.

www.myspace.com/skreamuk
www.myspace.com/bengabeats

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 French dub scene. Rather than machine-based blending, the five Tones opt for a choice of live guitars / bass / drums / DJ / keyboards, in order to provide their sound with an organic texture.

High Tone have embedded their dub with sonic distortions, hip-hop gimmicks, down tempo rhythms, creating a wholly original sound. The five Lyon lads take the listener on a vivid trip, a bizarre interface between tradition and modernity.

www.hightone.org