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Galliano's music is built on a collage-like meld of spoken and sung poetry, spiritual jazz, cosmic funk, socially conscious soul, dub reggae, and EDM. The group emerged at the dawn of the acid jazz era as the first act signed to Eddie Piller and Gilles Peterson's Talkin' Loud in 1987. Following their debut single, "Freddie at Rest," they issued their first studio long-player, In Pursuit of the 13th Note, in 1991. Produced by Chris Bangs, it struck a major chord in club culture. 1992's A Joyful Noise Unto the Creator went to number 28 on the British album charts, while 1994's The Plot Thickens cracked the Top Ten and netted two Top 40 singles. Galliano issued :4 in 1996, and split in 1997. They re-formed 26 years later, delivered two singles in 2024, and in August issued the long-player Halfway Somewhere on Peterson's Brownswood label.

Galliano formed in 1986 around acid house DJ Rob Gallagher (aka Roberto Galliano), but later turned to laid-back and jazzy soul with a heavy emphasis on live presentation and environmental issues. A loose collective during its first years, the group comprised Gallagher with raps and turntables, vocalist Valerie Étienne (aka Auntie Val), guitarist Mark Vandergucht, bass player Ernie McKone, drummer Crispin Taylor, keyboard player Mick Talbot (formerly with the Style Council), and contributors Brother Spry, Daddy Smith, and, occasionally, Roy Ayers.

Galliano's first release was the 1989 single "Frederick Lies Still," a tender play (and a sample) on Curtis Mayfield's Superfly anthem "Freddie's Dead" by Curtis Mayfield. The band's debut full-length, the Chris Bangs-produced In Pursuit of the 13th Note, followed two years later on Talkin' Loud. They established a fan base in the underground clubs and warehouse parties.

1992's A Joyful Noise Unto the Creator (their first outing to feature ex-Style Council keyboardist Talbot), peaked at 28 on the U.K. album charts, and charted in Australia, too. Galliano received an American contract and released What Colour Our Flag as a basic trainer (the album compiled the best tracks from the first two LPs). Though it appeared on Talkin Loud, the label was distributed in North America by Verve, which made 1995's The Plot Thickens the group's proper U.S. debut. It peaked at number eight on the U.K. album charts due in part to the popularity of its two singles, "Long Time Gone" (a cover of the David Crosby song that went to 13) and "Twyford Down," that peaked at 37. It was followed by A Thicker Plot: Remixes 93-94 and the BBC-issued In Concert 639.

A year later, Galliano returned with :4. Co-produced by engineer Indian Demus and keyboardist Ski Oakenfull, the album didn't chart, but its track "Slack Hands" was used in the title sequence of Kevin Reynolds' 1997 film One Eight Seven, starring Samuel L. Jackson. The band toured Europe and Asia, and in 1997 released Live at the Liquid Room (Tokyo) before splitting shortly thereafter.

Gallagher, Etienne, Oakenfull, and Dilip Harris formed Two Banks of Four. They issued three albums and a remix collection between 2000 and 2004. Gallagher did session work, appearing on albums by Jazzanova, Jazztronik, Quasimode, United Future Organization, Sleep Walker, and Tosca. Gallagher and Alex Patchwork also perform as the Diabolical Liberties, and Gallagher also employs the aliases General Rubbish and Earl Zinger. The latter released a slew of singles and a pair of albums including High Protection & The Sportswear Mystics in 2021.

Etienne was a session singer, composer, and arranger long before she joined Galliano; she continued in those roles afterward with credits numbering in the hundreds. Her lone solo album, For What It Is, appeared to critical acclaim in 1999. Later, she appeared on dozens of recordings by a range of artists including Koop, Incognito, Shawn Lee, Horsemeat Disco, Haggis Horns, and Matt Johnson (The The).

In 2023, Gallagher and Etienne announced the reunion of Galliano as a recording and performing ensemble and signed to Peterson's Brownswood label. Bandmembers also include bassist Ernie McKone, drummer Crispin Taylor, and Oakenfull on keys. In May 2023 they released "Cabin Fever," followed by "Circles Going Round the Sun" in May 2024; in June they released a cover of Eddie Chacon's "Pleasure Joy & Happiness" and "In the Breaks" in July. In August, Galliano released Halfway Somewhere, their first album in 27 years. It included 17 originals, a cover of Roy Ayers' "The Black Five" (from 1975's Mystic Voyage here re-titled "Dancin' in Your Own Time"), and Chacon's tune as the closer. ~ John Bush & Thom Jurek