Mr Bongo started life in 1989 as a small record shop underneath Daddy Kool’s Reggae Store on Berwick Street in London. They were the first shop to sell vinyl releases from independent hip hop labels such as Def Jam, Rawkus, Nervous and Big Beat outside of the USA. They also became an established bearer for hard-to-find, classic Latin music, particularly Brazilian, outside of the Americas. Over the following years Bongo moved three times within Soho and opened in Shibuya, Japan. They moved their offices to Brighton in 1999.
25+ years on they now have a recording roster featuring some of the best Brazilian, Latin, reggae, African and Jazz music by artists including Terry Callier, Jorge Ben, Joyce, Seu Jorge, Prince Fatty, Incredible Bongo Band and Marcos Valle. At the end last year they opened up a new store in Brighton. We are incredibly excited to announce that Mr Bongo have agreed to do a monthly feature of their top 5 in store picks. Below are their 5 favourite records in store last June.
Click the album covers to listen and buy vinyl!
Floating Points – Reflections Mojave Desert
‘First up and hot out of the box for it’s June 30th release is the brand new Floating Points LP. An amazing epic session recorded to accompany a short film by director Anna Diaz Ortuño inspired by the band’s visit to Mojave Desert on their US tour. A beautiful record with lush Rhodes, cinematic ambient soundscapes and touches of progressive rock which enters on classic Pink Floyd live at Pompeii psychedelic vibe in places. Check the live band out if you get a chance, so good!’
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Gaby Hernandez – Spirit Reflection
‘New on Mr Bongo for the summer we have ‘Spirit Reflection’ by Gaby Hernandez. This is the third album LP from Los Angeles singer-songwriter Gaby Hernandez. Blissful layers of instrumentation, electronics, vocal harmonies and folkloric percussion intertwine with west coast feel to create a unique beautiful and multi-layered record. In our opinion this is a future classic.’
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Hiroshi & Claudia – Six To Six
‘We managed to get a few copies of this from Chris at Northside Records in Melbourne. Unearthed for RSD 2017 in Australia by Northside and Roundtable re-issue a rare Australian private press recorded in Sydney by a mysterious group of Japanese musicians and an unknown Mauritian session vocalist! Six to Six features a mixture of jazz Balearic cosmic disco and funk – a very unique and excellent record.’
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Lô Borges – Lô Borges
‘New re-issue from Polysom in Brazil of Lô Borges masterpiece. It’s an incredible record and a companion piece to ‘Clube Da Esquina’ which came out the same year, 1972. An essential Brazilian record.’
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Various Artists – Pop Makossa: The Invasive Dance Beat Of Cameroon 1976-1984
‘This record flew out!!! A superb compilation on Analog Africa. Disco, funk and makossa sounds from Cameroon featuring artists such as Eko Pasterur, Lappé and others. Well recommended.’
