Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Mr Bongo's essential Brazil 45s series notches up release number 89 via a blast of heavy dancefloor pressure that touches on both Brazilian funk and samba-rock. On the A-side you'll find Golden Boys' 1975 gem 'Segura Na Cintura Dela (O Gaviao)', an irresistible slab of full-throttle, orchestra-sporting, Hammond-heavy samba-funk marked out by strong group vocals and some superb musical arrangements. Over on the flip you'll find another classic from the same producer (Milton Miranda), Silvio Cesar's 1971 carnival masterpiece 'Beco Sem Saida' - an infectious excursion that found fame in the 2000s when Drumagick sampled it on 'Sambarock'.

Review: Beastie Boy Mike D Edit has decided to rework Malian artists Idrissa Soumaoro and L'Eclipse De L'I.J.A. and their track 'Nissodia' - from the 1978 album Le Tioko-Tioko - for this new one on Brighton label Mr Bongo, the second time it has landed on the label, having previously been on The Original Sound Of Mali in 2017 Both tunes are pumping, full flavour Afro jams with screeching melodies and big, jangling, angular guitars all powered by funky beats. Each one is guaranteed to light up any cultured dancefloor.

Review: South African funk outfit Stimela, named after the Zulu word for locomotive, formed out of the ashes of bandleader Ray Phri's previous band, The Cannibals, and soon became an institution in their homeland. Five albums deep in 1986, they also released the astounding Rewind EP, which now gets faithfully reissued by Mr Bongo for a fresh audience. Every track on here is a winner, from the epic, proggy groove of 'I Love You' to the low slung, synth-rich funky angles of 'Shaka Doo Ba'. You won't regret copping this slab of wax, trust us.

Review: A-grade diggers, label, shop and reissuers Mr Bongo are back with another of their essential offerings, this time in the form of a 7" taken from Swedish artist Sven Wunder's debut album Do?u cicekleri on new label Piano Piano. The resulting record is a seamless fusion of bright colours and bleeding pigments, real instruments and synthetic sound that is as worldly as they come. "Magnolia" here is the intoxicating a-side with its freewheeling drums and big lead lines, while "Lotus" takes us into a more oriental sound, with gypsy funk and dark-soul stylings making it delightfully hard to pin down.

Review: Considered one of the essential Brazilian funk records of an era, Sandra Sa's Vale Tudo receives a much deserved reissue here on Mr. Bongo. Originally released in 1983, it was produced by Lincoln Olivetti alongside a who's who of musicians that were central figures on the scene at the time. From the disco boogie of 'Trem Da Central' featuring one amazing brass section, the heartfelt and romantic ballad 'Onda Negra' and the late night boogie-down vibe of 'Guarde Minha Voz' - they are the perfect backdrop for Sa's unique voice which really shines throughout. Although most prolific in the early '80s, Sa continues to work in the music industry to this day.

Review: Brighton based record label, publishers, cinematographers and legendary former London record store Mr Bongo reissue the legendary 1968 album by Pedro dos Santos, entitled Krishnada. Born in Rio de Janiero in 1919, Santos was (according to the label) "a percussionist virtuoso, composer and inventor of instruments.. such as the 'Tamba' (electrified bamboo drum) and the mouth berimbau whistle." He was a very spiritual person apparently and regarded by some as a philosopher of sorts. The album was produced by himself at CBS studios with arrangements by Joppa Lins. It features poetic lyrics in a unique linguistic structure, as well as various percussive instruments and horn arrangements with samba rhythms from Latin styles. Despite the originality of his percussive sound and the influence it has had on musicians, it had little impact at the time. The album had a cult revival in the noughties and began circulating the internet in MP3 format, finally giving recognition to this unusual spiritual Bossanova masterpiece.

Review: The candidly titled Ananda Shankar And His Music hears its first official reissue via Mr Bongo. Released on His Master's Voice in 1976, the album is a sublime collage of sitar-funk, traditional Indian classical music and psychedelic grooves, from the Indian sitarist, composer and musician. Nephew to India's legendary sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar, Ananda's musical family and upbringing led to a deep respect and love of the wealth of music that emanated from his birthplace of Almora, North India. However, touring America in his 20s revealed a latent love for psychedelic rock, and this debut LP captures that obsession to a T. The fusion of cyclic, North Indian tala with Americana music is best heard on the likes of 'The Lonely Rider', which envisages the a sonorous Sonoran Desert set against an action-sequenced sitar and guitar strumming. 'Back Home' achieves similar results, with a Western, soul balladic walking bass mixing effortlessly with the sitar's distinctive, tweeting "bendre" - an exotic but compelling combo.

Review: Soyuz follows up their 2022 debut Force Of The Wind with a stark but subdued reissue of their second album, Ii, released three years earlier in 2019. The album captures a pivotal evolution in the band's career, the recordings giving a snapshot of what would become their sound on Force Of The Wind, yet with echoes of avant-psychedelic-pop footprints from yester years. Produced at a time when bandleader Alex Chumak had moved from Minsk to Kyiv, torn between the need to try something new and the homesickness it brought about, Ii nicely captures the slow burn of homesickness extended across a long bouts of travel and transience, through stylistic recollections of Mikita Arlou, Ethiopian jazz and Italian library music.

Review: In 2002, the Japanese government recognized bamboo flute maestro Hozan Yamamoto as a "living national treasure". It was in honor of his lengthy career in music, and in particular the way he championed a traditional Japanese instrument even when he was turning his hand to Western music. "Beautiful Bamboo Flute", an album first released in 1971 and almost impossible to find since, is a superb example of this. It sees him deliver haunting, emotional and life-affirming solos over funky jazz, big band and fusion backing tracks that tend towards the fresh and funky. It's an unusual blend, but also an invigorating and exciting one.