Mr. Bongo is and has been putting out some of the best reissues focused on World Music that you can buy. Basically, if you see them, and you like that type of music- insta-buy them. Pretty simple, right? David Buttle has been in the game as a DJ, shop owner and label runner and general lover of all things music for well over 30 years.
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.
In 2004 they moved into world cinema, a venture that has grown to compliment the music. In keeping with the record label philosophy, they carefully select and source films from around the world and their catalogue now includes works by esteemed directors including Scorsese, Coppola, Has, Bertolucci, Rocha and Dovzhenko amongst others. Mr Bongo aim to unearth iconic, stylish, hard-to-find gems and cult classics and make them readily available to cinema lovers.
We have had the pleasure of working with mr Bongo for the last 4 years, after meeting the team at an event in the Brighton Beer Dispensary back in 2018. A small pub tucked away in the heart of Brighton, sadly no longer with us.
From that meeting we went on to work on collaboration beers for Mr Bongo with Samba Rock and then last year with the release of the Luke Una Compilation - E Soul Cultura.
This is a fascinating listen, from the founder himself. Dating back to when David was visiting Brazil to record and discover music. Right through to the licensing and signing of reissues and new music.
Mr Bongo is a force in the music scene and their releases go from strength to strength, have a listen to how it all began and sample some of the amazing music they’re putting out. Essential.