For the 16th episode of Listen to the Label, we wanted to join a birthday party and celebrate the first decade of life of one of the most important uptempo labels in the world, Baco Music.

Baco Music came to life in 2011 by the will of and through the work of French roots reggae band Danakil, who wanted “to take back the reins of its independence and to develop in parallel other artists, within innovative artistic projects, often underground, always of quality”.

Since then, the label has established itself in the thriving French reggae scene, eventually “conquering” the world by supporting and releasing the albums of some of the most interesting acts, from legends like Max Romeo and Clinton Fearon, to fresh projects like Mista Savona‘s Havana Meets Kingston.

Throughout its life, Baco has significantly expanded its operational field, also embracing publishing, booking, distribution, recording and launching its own music festival in Paris.

As anticipated, 2021 marks the 10 year anniversary of the label. So, we thought there wasn’t a better occasion to reach one of its “architects” (Mathieu Dassieu) and have a chat about the ten upbeat years of the project, its aims and dreams, the French independent music scene and what it means to run a music label in these mad times…