Reggaefrance, Bloody Hell, 10 Years!

1999. The euro enters our wallets, Lauryn Hill releases her first solo album, the Internet celebrates its thirtieth birthday, the Kosovo war ends, the embargo on British beef is lifted and Clinton is finally cleared by the Senate over his shenanigans with Monica Lewinski. The Erika sinks, Dominique Strauss-Khan is caught red-handed over the MNEF, Michel Petruciani and Stanley Kubrick pass away… as does Dennis Brown… Jah Cure has just gone to prison, and Sizzla is on top of the reggae world.

That was already the last century. At the end of summer, Reggaefrance emerged from the digital soil in a Paris flat bedroom. An adventure among mates, the kind that starts for fun and grows without you realising it. When we pull out the rear-view mirror and measure the road travelled, we are the first to be astonished.

The memories parade past: the meetings, the nights at the espace Masséna, the first report abroad, the first parties we organised (Kabanon Bashment, Paris Sound Club, RF & Friends…), the missed appointment with Coxsone Dodd, who died a few days before our scheduled interview. The first videos put online in 2004, the new version the same year that left us drained, red-eyed from hours spent in front of the screen… We repaint the Café Chéri(e) to hold our photo exhibition, we feverishly wrap up the Reggaefrance Mag, which would stay at issue zero… Not forgetting the radio show Fresh from Yard, broadcast on Média Tropical. And every day, inexorably, keeping the site alive.

And then also the first threats, the first pressures… This time it is certain: Reggaefrance has put on weight. We still laugh, but not all the time any more. Reggaefrance moves forward with a target on its back: it is new, and we spend time sorting out problems. Our opinion counts, that of our readers even more: the forum remains the crossroads for reggae fans. The editorial team's unruly offspring, the forum lives, bustles, dozes off, gets indignant…

Reggaefrance is free. That is kind to our readers, but as a result, finding the funding for our work is a challenge too. Or how to try to do a lot with very little. Ten years have passed, and we keep marching forward: Summerjam, won over by our video report in 2007, entrusted us with the official coverage the following year.

Projects are multiplying, even if they remain (for now) in the boxes. We record the Paris Jam Sessions, acoustic sessions with Morgan Heritage, Shaggy, Daville and Alpheus. There is also Digital Reggae, our download platform… There are still many challenges to take up. That will be for the next decade.