High Tone came into being in 1997 in Lyon. The quintet released a first album in the year 2000 under the Jarring Effects label. The following year, Bass Temperature appeared and enjoyed a level of commercial success. This combo's music is a product of many influences, among them Jamaican dub from the 70s, hip-hop, jungle, drum'n'bass, techno and oriental sonorities. A pioneer of what is called neo-dub, High Tone has paved the way for a whole new crop of French groups grown from the same soil.