Founded in Benque Viejo town in western Belize, Stonetree Records is the brainchild of award-winning producer Ivan Duran, and is firmly established as one of the leading independent record labels of Central America and the Caribbean. Since 1995, Stonetree has released a steady stream of internationally-acclaimed albums, introducing the world to Garifuna music with artists like Aurelio, Andy Palacio and The Garifuna Collective, receiving the prestigious WOMEX award alongside the late great Andy Palacio for their work on the chart topping Wátina album, and being voted by Amazon.com as the #1 World Music album of all time.

Since 2011, Stonetree has been expanding its horizons, working with international artists who share Stonetree’s vision of pushing the boundaries of traditional music styles and reinventing classic genres. Projects have included a JUNO winning album by Trinidadian Toronto based Kobo Town, a JUNO-nominated album by acclaimed Canadian songwriter Danny Michel with The Garifuna Collective.

More recently, in 2015, Ivan Duran produced the critically acclaimed Calypso Rose album Far From Home collaborating with Manu Chao and Kobo Town’s frontman Drew Gonsalves. The album was certified Platinum in France and received the 2017 WOMEX award and the Victoire de la Musique award for best World Music album of 2017.

Moving into its 3rd decade of musical adventures, the label continues its groundbreaking work in bridging cultures, traditions and musical styles, all while embracing new forms of popular music.

Check out some pictures that bring back some of our favourite memories from the first 25 years: