Roots dans la Vallée

A Jamaican festival in the heart of Quercy

Created in 1999 in Vaux-le-Pénil in Seine-et-Marne, the Roots dans la Vallée festival forged a solid reputation in the French Jamaican music scene for a decade in the Paris region. Building on this experience, the festival moved to Figeac in 2009, bringing a unique musical event dedicated to Jamaican roots and their contemporary offshoots to the Lot valley.

A program focused on musical fusion

The Roots dans la Vallée program highlighted Jamaican music as a root to follow in all its variations: ska, rocksteady, reggae, hip-hop, and more electronic branches of the genre like dub. Each edition offered a journey through the musical heritage of the "little island," Jamaica, while exploring the crossovers and fusions that were born from it around the world.

World-class artists

Over its editions, the festival hosted prestigious artists from the international reggae and ska scene. The 5th Figeac edition in 2013 notably featured an exceptional creation: the Madd Vibes Brass Band, the result of a collaboration between Angelo Moore from the American band Fishbone and the French collective Ceux Qui Marchent Debout. Pat Kelly, a legend of Jamaican rocksteady, performed accompanied by Rude Rich and the High Notes for a distinguished and brassy rocksteady performance. French dub pioneers Zenzile and Brain Damage also left their mark on the Figeac editions.

A musical legacy in the Lot

During its Parisian years, the festival had already hosted legends like The Skatalites, Capleton, Black Uhuru, The Abyssinians, and the Pannonia Allstars Ska Orchestra. By establishing itself in Figeac, Roots dans la Vallée contributed to enriching the cultural offerings of the Lot region, providing a unique musical event in the area. Organized by the cultural services of Figeac-Communauté, the festival had a bar and catering on-site at the Espace François Mitterrand. After five editions in Figeac, from 2009 to 2013, the festival ceased its activities, leaving behind the memory of a singular event that vibrated the Lot valley to the rhythms of Kingston.