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. Below are their 5 favourite records in store last November.
Click the album covers to listen and buy vinyl!
Atle Lauve – Atle Lauve
‘The ever excellent Preservation Records have unearthed a collection of un-issued Norwegian AOR disco / boogie, recorded by Atle Lauve between 1979 and 1983 when he was in his teens. The track ‘Du Er Så Deilig’ has a Loose Joints esque vibe to it. One for the AOR and Disco fans.’
Hemingway – Memoirs EP
‘Toronto’s Cosmic Resonance start their new label in style, dropping a dope cosmic disco, jazz-funk EP from producer Hemingway. Their second EP Proto by Raf Reza is equally as great.’
Wilma Dias – La Massagiste
‘An alternative version of Painel De Controle’s Relax, with erotic French vocals by actress Wilma Dias. Produced by the late great Lincoln Olivetti, pretty rare on original compacto and thankfully now reissued by Athens Of The North.’
Various Artists – The Original Sound of Burkina Faso
‘The Original Sound of Burkina Faso’ follows our ‘The Original Sound of Mali’ compilation released earlier on the year. Here we have a collection of songs that pay tribute to a truly golden age of music; touching on folk, funk, blues, highlife, disco, psyche, latin, rock and soul, compiled by David ‘Mr Bongo’ Buttle and Florent Mazzoleni.’
Hermeto Pascoal & Grupo Vice Versa – Viajando Com O Som (The Lost ’76 Vice-Versa Studio Session)
‘Big release from Far Out. An unreleased album by legendary Brazilian composer and multi-instrumentalist Hermeto Pascoal which has been lost since 1976!’
