Groundation releases A Light in Paris, a 17-track reggae set

A 17-track reggae set arriving on vinyl still says something in 2026, and Groundation knows it. A Light In Paris landed June 12, 2026 on Baco Records as both a digital release and a vinyl issue, a scale that makes it feel less like a quick drop and more like a statement.

Groundation have been building records like this since the band formed at Sonoma State University in 1998 around Harrison Stafford, Ryan Newman and Marcus Urani. Their sound has always moved with purpose, mixing roots reggae with jazz improvisation, funk grooves and dub textures, and that history gives A Light In Paris extra weight. The tracklist alone, from Intro and Original Riddim to Babylon Rule Dem, Candle Burning, The Youth, Keeper of the Flame, Trust Yourself, Anew and Freedom, points to a set built around struggle, steadiness and uplift rather than a throwaway single cycle.

The Paris setting matters too. In Groundation’s hands, Paris reads as a sign of reach, a reminder that this band still thinks in terms of scenes, rooms and full LPs rather than isolated streaming moments. That is where the vinyl release becomes part of the story: this is music meant to breathe across sides, not just sit in a playlist queue. For longtime roots-jazz devotees, the record offers the familiar Groundation combination of harmonies, consciousness and live-band depth. For vinyl collectors, the 17-track format gives the package real heft. For newcomers, it works as a clear entry point into a catalogue that has always treated reggae as a wider conversation with jazz, funk and dub, not a narrow lane.

At a time when many releases arrive clipped to algorithm-friendly length, A Light In Paris arrives with the opposite instinct. Groundation have made a long-form album that carries the weight of their own history, and the Paris name on the sleeve only sharpens the sense that this is a band still opening the room, not closing it.