Event poster on the door of Cinéma Eldorado

On 5 December 2025, Cinéma Eldorado in Dijon hosted a unique and immersive evening of film screenings celebrating the diverse world of sound system cultures from around the globe. Organized by Skanky Yard Association and Dubatriation Sound System, in collaboration with Sonic Street Technologies (SST), the event offered audiences the chance to explore five exclusive SST documentaries, showcasing how communities use DIY sound systems not only for music and dance, but as tools for cultural, spiritual, and political expression. For this event, all films were specially subtitled in French by Skanky Yard, whom we warmly thank for their effort. The screening was free to attend, with donations welcomed, emphasising accessibility and community support.

Exterior of Cinéma Eldorado

The evening drew approximately 120 attendees, filling the room to capacity and creating a lively and intergenerational atmosphere. The audience included long-standing members of the local reggae scene, activists, cultural workers, younger participants encountering sound system culture through film for the first time, as well as middle-aged regulars of Cinéma Eldorado.

The program featured five short films from the SST project:

• Playing with Purpose: The Story of Urabá Sound System (Colombia, 33’)
• Rockers Sound Station: Tales of the Kingston Dub Club (Jamaica/UK, 38’)
• Street, Gender and Sound: The Feminine Hi Fi Experience (Brazil, 10’)
• Survival: A Rasta Sound System Gathering (South Africa, 10’)
• Word Sound & Power (Colombia, 10’)

Before the screening, Camille Clergeot and François Rancillac introduced the Skanky Yard Association (the legal branch behind the Dubatriation Sound System), explaining their ethos, before illustrating  what a sound system is, based on their longstanding practice. Dr. Brian D’Aquino then provided a short introduction to the SST research, situating the films in their broader cultural and methodological context to enhance audience understanding.

Cinema hall filling up

The lively discussion following the screenings saw a wide range of audience questions regarding the SST project, its methodology, political ethos, and the availability of other research outputs. Other questions focused more specifically on the context of individual films, such as the relationship between reggae and resistance to apartheid in South Africa, and the community engagement strategies of the Urabá Sound System collective in Colombia. Part of the discussion also revolved around the designation of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), following UNESCO’s recognition of reggae music as ICH in 2018, analysing both the opportunities and risks associated with such designations.

Overall, the event exceeded the expectations of the organisers, who, despite being aware of the potential of the program, were uncertain about audience response. Indeed, this success can be attributed in particular to the longstanding cultural work of Skanky Yard and Dubatriation Sound System in Dijon. The event was part of the Protect the Dub program, which Dubatriation has been running for over ten years, which has literally nurtured a generation of sound system heads in Dijon.

Sound System Cultures Worldwide in the local press

Dubatriation was born in 2009 as an informal collective focused on bringing international dub music and sound system culture to Dijon through sessions and record releases. At a time when local infrastructure for this culture was scarce, and even before building their own rig, the collective meticulously layed the groundwork for what would become the Protect the Dub program by renting community centers and inviting sound systems to play, while simultaneously releasing records by emerging artists. From the outset, inviting international artists became a defining feature, establishing Dubatriation as a hub for translocal music exchange. Their sessions are characterised by a diversity of guests and a commitment to offering visibility to emerging artists, often including fundraising for social causes.

Early collaborations with Les Tanneries, a former punk squat-turned-independent cultural venue, helped shape further Dubatriation’s volunteer-driven, collective ethos. They don’t see the sound system as a business opportunity but rather as a community effort. As  François explained: “With Dubatriation, we operate as a collective… At the end of the day, everything is owned by everyone and no one, and we are all volunteers on all sound-related projects.”

Screening room filling up

They also reflected on the screening, wth Camille noting that the SST project aligned closely with Dubatriation’s 360-degree approach to cultural intervention: “We think of ourselves as the first attendees of our own events, and we thought it would be very nice for us to watch these films together as a crew. We then decided to open it up to the general public as well. We didn’t know what to expect, but it was great.”

Overall, the screening demonstrated how the SST short films can illuminate sound system culture as both a musical and social practice, fostering rich discussion among diverse audiences. As the project comes to an end in December 2025, we are currently planning additional screenings and dissemination events throughout 2026. Feel free to reach out if you would like to bring Sound System Cultures Worldwide to your town, university, venue, or festival!