Deep Root Records, One Of Few 100% Black-Owned Labels In Dance Music, Brings Black Excellence To The Scene

For Deep Root Records, one of the few 100% Black-owned labels in dance music, it’s about bringing various genres of house music to the scene. The imprint began in 2014, when EDM was exploding and hip hop was at the forefront of music, with the purpose of creating a space for the classic house and old school house music that New York is known for.

Deep Root, founded by Haitian-born deejay and producer Francis Mercier and the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Business alumnus Ajamu Kambon, focuses on deep house, tech house, progressive house, melodic house and Afro house. Within the four subsets of the label—Deep Root Records, Deep Root Tribe, Deep Root Underground and WYN Records—Mercier says it’s key that any track signed delivers a message and provides the artist with a voice. “I think all of our records, a lot of the time, have vocals and they evoke an emotion,” he says. “We pride ourselves in signing compositions that have a meaning and that move you beyond just the dance floor. We want our records to be able to be hopefully timeless, to have relevance and to be a part of a movement.” Kambon adds that the message should touch on freedom, opportunity and diversity.

When it comes to diversity, the co-founders agree that the industry is becoming more inclusive. “I think people kind of understand that taking some time to consider and empower minorities is something of importance,” Mercier says. “ I wouldn’t say it’s just specifically for Black or African American artists, whether it’s female artists, Hispanic artists, Asian artists, I think the whole Black Lives Matter [movement] has given a sense of awareness to labels, to music [and] to industry executives.” However, the two agree that there is still more work to be done, such as shedding light on artists from Africa and those who don’t have necessary resources required in the industry—including other minorities, women, the LGBTQ+ community—as well as focusing more on funding artists than putting an emphasis on how much they generate in sales.

As a 100% Black owned label, Black History Month has critical meaning to both Kambon and Mercier. “It’s a month to celebrate Black achievement,” Mercier says. “It’s, with African American culture and heritage, a time of the year where we’re giving visibility as a minority. For us at Deep Root, it’s a time to be thankful for our mission to be happy to be empowering the artists from Africa and African origin. It’s a month that we [Deep Root] take to really reflect on our work and to really reflect on our mission statement.”

The imprint boasts a diverse international roster and has released music from the likes of Roland Clark and Rowetta, as well as up-and-coming talent such as Kenya’s Idd Aziz, Zimbabwe’s Nitefreak, Brazil’s REFFEL, Mexico’s Cossy, the UK’s Simon Field and Wh0 and New York City’s Dean Mickoski. In addition, the label has received support from Black Coffee, Tiesto, Themba, Camelphat, Rampa, Pete Tong, Blond:ish, Gorgon City, Keinemusik, Oliver Heldens, Duke Dumont and Chris Lake, as well as major Spotify playlists, including Night Rider, Housewerk, Dance Party, Happy Beats and Haitian Heat. Notably, the imprint’s Deep Root album, New York State Of House: Sunset Edition hit No. 1 on Beatport’s Afro house chart. Indeed, Deep Root proves to be an impressive label, event and show brand that features diverse talent while also bringing Black excellence to the dance music space.

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