BYG

BYG is a French label formed in Paris, France, in 1967. The acronym stands for the founders of the label: Fernand Boruso, Jean-Luc Young, and Jean Georgakarakos. The primary aim of BYG Records was to record and capture a growing market of 'free-style' jazz-oriented artists and exponents of avant-garde music that were emerging at the close of the 1960s. Artists such as Archie Shepp, Don Cherry, Dave Burrell, and Gong featured on the label. BYG/Actuel also initiated a five-day concert in Europe in 1969 but had to move it to Belgium due to environmental concerns by French authorities. Despite financial setbacks, many bands booked for this event became influential figures in rock and jazz scenes.

In hindsight, snubbing BYG/Actuel's vision proved unwise as many of their booked bands became highly regarded within the music industry. By 1972, BYG Actuel had mostly disappeared as a label. However, Karakos went on to establish his own label called Celluloid while Young formed Charly Records. Past recordings from BYG Actuel have been released by both labels.

The BYG Records 'Actuel' series is denoted by catalog# suffix 300 with most recordings being pressed on high-quality 180 gram vinyl.