ghanaian legend ebo taylor returns with perhaps his finest album to date. but don’t take our word for it. that’s coming straight from the man himself. and he should know after more than 60 years in the business.

a danny krivit and harvey favourite, as sampled by j dilla and glenn underground – a dubby disco cover of the o’jays classic. replica original 7” artwork, official mr bongo reissue, mastered from original dat.

lp, first re issue ever, cut from original masters. original packaging strictly reproduced. incl. rinted gatefold sleeve and printed inner-sleeve with cd included. original year of release: 1991. features the tracks out of time man, king of bongo, madame oscar, etc. mano negra the legendary first band of french singer manu chao featuring songs in spanish, french, english and arabic. we are celebrating this year the 30th anniversary of its foundation. the album has been unavailable on vinyl since its first original pressing.

official mr bongo reissue. replica original cover artwork. recorded in 1978, this is a latter-period gem from the larger than life legend, combining the glitz and glamour of disco’s heyday with maia’s raw funk and soul roots. for “disco club”, maia left his usual band and went into the legendary estudios level with an ensemble of rio’s finest including paulinha braga on drums, jamil joanes on bass, robson jorge on clarinet, hyldon de souza on guitar, sidinho on percussion, trombonists edmundo maciel and darcy seixas, and juarez assis on tenor sax. arranger and keyboardist lincoln olivetti was a crucial presence during these sessions – he added the all-important string flourish and brassy joy to the uptempo tracks, leaving maia enough room to express himself.

reviving turkish brews of folk, psychedelia, funk and rock in the 1970s legends like selda, bar&#305,&#351, manço and erkin koray with a mixture of covers and new arrangements

les adventures de president bongo is a unique work that will reveal itself over the next seven years, give or take, in the form of 24 lp s. what is a groove? it is something that goes on and on, not changing much seemingly, like the growth rings exposed when you cut and fell a tree. it is no coincidence that tree rings resemble the spiral track of a record: they re both grooves of a sort.

a groove is a routine, a life lived. it may not always seem like much – a cup of bitter coffee, another day spent under the flickering fluorescent lights of an office, an overly long queue at the check-out of a suffocating supermarket. but it is also the scent of slightly burnt meat and birch by a gently flowing stream under a pink sunset, a silver fog clearing without notice to expose a starry sky and its familiar twinkling constellations, an impenetrable smile on a crowded morning train. it is the pattern exposed on the tree stump. a proper groove has ups and downs, it has drama. a good groove is a good story, a transmission into the future.

omar di bongo ist ein audio-visuelles projekt, das video-feedback von hugo saugier mit zwei figuren der französischen underground-techno-szene verschmilzt: somaticae (in paradisum, tanzprocesz ...) bekannt für seinen dark cutting-techno, und c_c (small but hard, kvitnu ...) meister der feedbacks, und wilde analoge industrielle beats. ihre musik verbindet industrielle musik mit tribalen polyrhythmen und lässt uns in eine bestimmte art von psychedelia eintauchen, halluziniert oder demenziert. ihre produktionen bringen techno zu seinem kern zurück, der trance-dimension, die in vielen modernen musiken dieses genres oft vergessen wird.

a compilation dedicated to the early 80s spanish synth wave and post punk scene! first to be published outside spain, this anthology explores the electronic music side of the independent music produced in the days in the iberian peninsula: synthetic pop music with industrial sounds including futurist art rock, dance-floor productions and low-fi experiments on cassettes. classics or true hidden treasures, this selection of nineteen songs is symbolic of the musical dawn that spain experienced during the decade marked by the return of democracy and by the creative freedom initiated by punk music.

‘the original sound of burkina faso’ follows the hugely successful ‘the original sound of mali’ compilation released in march this year, also on mr bongo. 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.

for this album, ebo joined forces with 12-piece band ‘the pelikans’ — from the cape coast region of ghana — led by bessa simmona, with rhythm guitarist fifi orleans lindsay. a genuine ‘holy-grail’ of ghanaian music and one of ebo’s most saught-after.
the album was released on the small abookyi label. named after a nightclub they played in called pelikans, and sung in english and fante, this was the first album where ebo sang on tracks, such as the classic ‘come along’, on which he also plays keyboard. this song clearly defined a new direction in highlife and has become a ghanaian funk anthem. ‘come along’ formed the basis of sadat x’s ‘remember that’ hip hop jam from 2011.
this official mr bongo re-issue is packaged in our new & improved heavyweight ‘tip-on’ sleeves, printed in japan, pressed on high quality vinyl, audio restored to the best of our ability, with label designs and artwork as per the original release.

massive funk monster , classic

the second instalment of the mr bongo record club compilation series a selection of favourites, recent discoveries and sought after obscurities. files under funk/soul - but a wide variety of styles ios present here

the second lp in the series air afrique records presents takes us into more electronic fields. mid-tempo house songs mixed with different elements like samples from all over the world or acoustic instruments and some weird electronic sounds create a very unique sound.

sivuca s legendary brazilian cover of the bill withers classic ‘ain’t no sunshine’ was a big hit on the rare groove scene and still sounds amazing today.
we’ve also included his amazing cover of edu lobo’s ‘ponteio’ on the flip – both where originally released on sivuca’s self titled album from 1973 on vanguard.

one for the heads! a rare female vocal double header, starting with dalila’s 1968 gem “canto chorando” originally released on a sort after compacto 45 on copacabana.
on the flip – a copacabana 7” release in the form of neyde alexandre’s 1971 song “perplexidade”, with a fantastic break intro, horn stabs and lush vocals. one of our favourite brazil 45’s.

razor-sharp production of the highest order from two of the masters of the early 80’s rio de janeiro boogie sound, robson jorge and lincoln olivetti.
both were highly acclaimed music producers of the time, starting around the mid-70’s. over the course of his career olivetti worked with artists including rita lee, erasmo carlos, don beto, marcos valle, tim maia, gilberto gil, gal costa, sandra sa, painel de controle and many more.
the album takes in mid-tempo, aor, boogie and even latin all way through the tempo’s to ultra-quick prince style disco-funk workouts. includes several standout tracks – ‘aleluia’ and ’ginga’ being our two favourites. synths, horns, claps, drum machines, guitars, keys and vocal harmonies combine effortlessly.
originally released in 1982 on som livre, brazil. replica original reproduction.

release #63 in mr bongo’s brazil 45 series.

release #64 in mr bongo’s brazil 45 series.

official mr bongo reissue. licensed from george prah, founder of gapophone records.
marijata was a group made up of three members – kofi electric addison on drums, bob fischlan on organ and nat osmanu on guitar, hailing from ghana. ‘this is marijata’ is the groups first lp, released originally on the gapophone label – it is pure, rootsy, raw, driving african funk music of the highest order, now highly sought-after in both its original and previously reissued forms.

back by public demand !! the album transcends the genre of brazilian music, and infact all genres. highlighted in part by the number of artists that have sampled from it, mf doom, ludacris & common, little brother, jneiro jarel aka dr who dat?, dibiase and action bronson amongst others.

this half-speed, deluxe edition released for rsd 2017 features unseen photography from the recording session in a 16 page full-size booklet. the audio source is the continental tapes, mastered at half-speed by the legendary miles showell at abbey road in london – the most stunning reproduction ever made, accentuating the details and nuances that appear throughout this masterpiece.
in our opinion this record is a true and complete masterpiece in every sense of the word, considered by many people to be one of the greatest ever made, regardless of genre. the original continental versions of the album now fetch around $2000.
the album transcends the genre of brazilian music, and infact all genres. highlighted in part by the number of artists that have sampled from it, mf doom, ludacris & common, little brother, jneiro jarel aka dr who dat?, dibiase and action bronson amongst others.

limited edition double vinyl of flavia coelho’s 2nd longplayer “mundo meu”, including 6 tracks form her 1st album “bossa muffin”. comes in gatefold sleeve with download code included.

master jazz pianist tenorio jr. aka francisco tenório júnior only recorded this one album, “embalo”, originally released on rge in 1964. rumour has it that he was arrested and thrown in jail (and possibly even murdered) while on tour with toquinho and vinicius de moraes in argentina in 1976. he has not been seen since...

double lp compilation, showcasing 11 of our favourite tracks from mali.

release #57 in mr bongo’s brazil 45 series.

stay straight to the line. this ep is dedicated to gerard, king of the kings, the man won the 2017 razzle battle.

late last year music for dreams released the digital album -debut- by bongo entp. this passion project from veteran studio session player jacob andersen brought us an unexpectedly fresh take on south american music traditions. on this new vinyl release, the project is both revisited and expanded upon. cherry picking some of the grooviest cuts from the album for this ep, we also get remix treatments from well sourced collaborators selvagem & carrot green. both hailing from brazil, these producers certainly know how to work latin percussion on a dancefloor. taking on the dreamy cover version of henri mancini’s classic -lujón- (original included too), carrot green ups the tempo and wrangles the elements of the original into something completely different. adding a house kick and dark acid undertones, he takes you on a wet trip with lots of twists and turns. the production duo of selvagem manage something similar with one of the looser bongo entp. jams. the original -foto feita do aviaõ is a jazzy scat sinaalong tune. in selvagem’s hands, it turns into an epic cosmic disco groover, locked into place by a muscular baseline. the vocal chants of the original are here, but used in a lower key and more sparingly to punctuate the bounce of the rhythm. the vinyl includes two other album highlights - the cafe del mar classic -el rey de pollo- , a santana-style chill-out affair featuring mikkel nordsø of bombay hotel fame and finally the moody -spanish winter- with its robotic reggae-like groove and syrup-thick synthesizers bubbling in a bittersweet fashion. a superb package.

release #62 in mr bongos brazil 45 series.

release #61 in mr bongos brazil 45 series.

nilamayé is a group of afro-colombian music. his repertoire is inspired by music related to water seas and rivers that have been synonymous with life, joy and interbreeding. with fresh exuberance of his voices, the warm tones of marimba de chonta, deep sounds of cununos and bombos, the brightness of guasas and maracas and rhythmic exuberance of alegre drum. nilamayé shares with listeners the contagious joy of the colombian people.

rare brazil album made available again through mr bongo, incl. voce abuso & kabaluere. nice! a truly fantastic record that sounds the way it looks – psychedelic rock, samba-funk and tripped out mpb. features kabaluere as sampled by marcelo d2 on his hit qual e. arranged by rogerio duprat, featuring legendary guitarist lanny gordin. antonio carlos & jocafi were a very successful and famous brazilian writing duo, born in bahia. they worked with the likes of wilson simonal, rosinha de valença, trio mocotó, milton banana, toquinho and more. originally released on rca brazil in 1971, this was the duos debut lp. two versions of the album cover exist in brazil – this, the psyched-out, burnt out version, and a much less exciting photograph of the chaps, pressed to include the single desacato which became a popular hit in brazil and several european countries.

the first instalment in our new ‘mr bongo record club’ compilation series – a selection of favourites, recent discoveries and sought after obscurities, which form the basis of our dj sets and our radio show of the same name. including cuts by claudia, cortex, dave pike set, fruko, neno exporta som, connie laverne, barbosa and more.
dj support from jeremy underground paris, disclosure, mr saturday night, luke howard / horse meat disco, dam swindle, tim sweeney / beats in space, hunnee, laurent garnier and more.

the holy grail of brazilian music. a wicked afro psychedelic album. a joy to listen to from the beginning to the end! highly recommended! tip! pedro dos santos, born in rio in 1919, was a percussionist virtuoso, composer and inventor of instruments that apparently included oddities such as the tamba (electrified bamboo drum) and the mouth berimbau whistle. nicknamed perdo sorongo after the rhythm he invented, that features throughout krishnanda. a highly spiritual man who was regarded as a philosopher by many.

ela mandou esperar’ is a stomping, soulful brazilian funk taken from cassiano’s sought after ’imagem e som’ lp from 1971. a big hint of northern soul to this one to!

‘deixa rodar’ is an essential midtempo disco/boogie jam taken from hanna’s ‘deixa rodar’ lp from 1979. a tip off from our good friend mark ‘gv’ taylor, played at the first of our ‘braziloid’ sessions on brighton sea front.

gloria glorinha – quirky, upbeat mpb-funk with soaring vocals, jb esque stabs, horns and bubbling piano. originally released as part of a 4-track 7” ep on odeon from 1970.

a few years ago i saw a documentary about the audio trickery employed in ww2. i was totally flabbergasted and soon absorbed anything i could find on the subject. artists and scientists alike cooked up incredible situations to fool the german army. inflatable tanks and trucks stacked with speakers projecting recordings of an imaginary reality were used to deceive and deviate the opponent. this odd scenario influenced me profoundly and drove me towards composing music that related these feelings. the project only collected dust inside my head until radio bongo heard of it and encouraged me to finish. sveinbjörn bjarki jónsson aka sonic deception

the official mr bongo re-issue.
banda black rio’s ‘maria fumaca’ is one of the strongest brazilian samba-disco-funk-soul-fusion albums of all time. as regularly played by theo parrish, gilles peterson and co.

the official mr bongo reissue.
‘os orixas’ is rich in layered percussion, horns and guitars. singer eloah’s lead vocals are reminiscent of the likes of ellen mcilwaine, elza soares and joyce. samba, funk, folk, jazz and mpb over ijexa and african grooves, that combine beautifully across the moods. os orixas refers to one of the manifestations of the ’supreme god’ in the yoruba faith.

release #50 in mr bongos brazil 45 series.

release #16 in mr bongos africa 45 series.

release #15 in mr bongos africa 45 series.

release #47 in mr bongos brazi 45 series.

release #48 in mr bongos brazil 45 series.

release #12 in mr bongos latin 45 series.

release #11 in mr bongos latin 45 series.

release #43 in mr bongos brazil 45 series.

release #13 in mr bongo’s latin 45 series.

release #45 in mr bongo’s brazil 45 series.