Proudly presenting our reissue of a bona fide Latin classic from 1979 by the Cuban-born violinist Alfredo De La Fe. Based in New York and Colombia, Alfredo worked with some of the greats in Latin music including Eddie Palmieri, Willie Colon and Roberto Roena, alongside disco and soul icons like Sylvester and Aquarian Dream.

His debut album, Alfredo, is sublime and comprises two distinct halves. The A-side is a fine outing of Latin dancefloor workouts, with Alfredo innovatively incorporating the violin as a key element of his songwriting. Take to ‘Toca Alfredo Toca’ or ‘Charangueando’ to hear Alfredo’s violin solos placed centre stage, a unique dimension to Latin music which he helped to pioneer at the time.

Side two though is where things get interesting and unexpected. ‘Hot To Trot’ is a string-laden, Latin groover with a heavy dose of disco-funk and bubbling Brazilian percussion. It is sheer genius and still ignites a dancefloor to this day. The track became a favourite with the iconic New York DJ Larry Levan and was spun in one of the ground zero blueprints of modern clubbing, the Paradise Garage. This tune has been a mainstay amongst DJs ever since its release, has featured on compilations by Louie Vegas, Dave Lee and Danny Krivit over the years and is a record that never leaves our bag.

Other highlights include the cosmic, layered string, Latin jazz version of 'My Favourite Things' that opens into a psychedelic percussive jam and the mesmerising ‘Que Rico Bailo Yo’. Also be sure to check the epic closer 'Canto Del Corazon', which fuses avant-garde elements into a bass-gliding funk before morphing into a brilliant Latin final section.

This is a true masterpiece from the trailblazing “El violín de la salsa” and one that deserves a place in every collection.

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Following the success of ‘The Original Sound of Mali’ compilation, we return with another explorative delve into the wonders of Malian music compiled by French writer, journalist and Grammy-nominated compiler Florent Mazzoleni and Mr Bongo’s very own David Buttle. Restoring, reissuing and contextualising iconic tracks from Ousmane Kouyaté & Ambassadeurs Internationaux, Rail Band, Les Messagers du Mali, Mystère Jazz de Tombouctou and many more, the second compilation in this series dives ever further into the richness of post-independence music emanating out of Mali. One in which traditional foundations and instrumentation, blended with modern musical advances and influence.

Following Mali’s independence, after ten years of maturation, the 1970s saw modern Malian culture revealed to the world through musical anthologies and overviews of national and regional productions. It was a remarkably fertile period of the country’s musical history, with state-sponsored bands and orchestras now able to be documented and recorded by sound engineers.

Mali has always had a diverse storytelling tradition through music, with each province and ethnic group having its own unique character and nuances. As influences and sounds from the West drifted over the Atlantic, Malian musicians began hearing artists like John Lee Hooker, Wilson Pickett, Johnny Pacheco, Celia Cruz and James Brown. Elements and ideas from blues, soul, rock and funk led to bands covering artists they’d heard from these genres. The Tjiwara Band de Kati’s raw cover version of Pickett’s soul / R&B classic ‘In The Midnight Hour’ and the James Brown funk-channelling cut ‘Get Up James’ from Les Ambassadeurs du Motel de Bamako, are two such examples featured on this compilation.

Most bands also relied on playing in hotels in Mali’s capital, Bamako, which naturally became where they honed their sound. With guests wanting to hear the influence of foreign styles and modern instrumentation becoming more available, this fusion of Western ideas with traditional Malian rhythms and organic instruments led to a one-of-a-kind musical excellence.

The second volume in this series, captures the raw energy of Mali in this period, with a spread of sounds that radiated from Mali’s newly recorded musicians. The afrobeat rhythms of Ousmane Kouyaté and mesmerising Malian classic from Bouba and Sokona Sacko, sitting side by side with the swirling hypnotism of Tentemba Jazz du Mali and a ngoni-infused, percussive dancer from Allata Broulaye. Elsewhere, the deep African desert music of Mystère Jazz de Tombouctou rubs shoulders with the grandeur of the Rail Band, powered by Salif Keita’s iconic vocals.

Those are just a handful of the recordings highlighted on this compilation, which includes an extensive booklet looking at the history and relevance of the tracks written by Florent Mazzoleni. With so much enchanting, deep and mind-expanding music coming out of Mali in this period, ‘The Original Sound of Mali 2’ is a perfect aid to discovering the richness of music this country has to offer.

Vinyl LP housed in a gatefold sleeve with A5 booklet liner notes.

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A. Sonia Santos - Poema Ritmico Do Malandro (Balanço Do Crioulo) / B. / João Donato - Cala Boca Menino

Back in stock due to popular demand, the 23rd release in our signature Brazil 45’s series served up a double header of classics from Sonia Santos and João Donato.

First up, 'Poema Ritmico Do Malandro (Balanço Do Crioulo)' is a beautiful track from the instantly recognisable Sonia Santos. A song that drifts from classic to psychedelic samba, laden with strings, horns and crowd noise. First released on 7” by Copacabana in 1971, but never on an album, originals fetch up to £100 per copy. A different version of this song also appears on the truly excellent Zito Righi Alucinolandia LP.

On the B side, 'Cala Boca Menino' is taken from João Donato’s much sought after and requested Quem É Quem LP. Quirky percussion, bubbling keys, horns and a hypnotic vocal. Donato is a hugely prolific force in Brazilian music and worked with the likes of including Tom Jobim, Astrud Gilberto, Cal Tjader, Dom Um Romao and Gilberto Gil amongst others. ‘Cala Boca Menino’ was released on a 7” in 1973 in Brazil, but is very difficult to find at a reasonable price and in good condition these days.

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A. Georgette - Kiriê / B. Claudia - Com Mais De 30

Back in stock due to popular demand, the 26th release in our signature Brazil 45’s series. For this 7 inch, we shone the light on two Brazilian masterpieces from Georgette and Claudia that are firm favourites of some of the biggest DJs in the business, including Gilles Peterson, Four Tet and Floating Points.

'Kiriê' by Georgette is simply one of ‘those’ tracks. It gets better with every listen and you hear something different every time. Taken from the hard to obtain ‘A Moca do Mar’ LP on Tapecar in 1976, previously unavailable on 7”, you won’t forget this one in a hurry. Long championed by Gilles Peterson and co, the tight uplifting guitar changes, layered percussion and super-subtle strings radiate under Georgette’s vocal, backed by a chorus of male vocals.

The flip features one of Claudia’s best, ‘Com Mais de 30’ a cover of Marcos Valle and Paulo Sérgio Valle’s original version. Fuzz guitars, joyous piano, huge drums, percussion and Claudia’s soaring vocal make for a heavy yet uplifting MPB/funk track of the highest order. Originally released on her hard to find ‘Jesus Cristo’ LP on Odeon in 1971. Also featured on Four Tet and Floating Points iconic Plastic People closing party mix.

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A. Marcio Lott - Tema De Baby / B. Silvio Cesar - A Festa

Back in stock due to popular demand, the 33rd release in our signature Brazil 45’s series. A spellbinding pairing of Marcio Lott’s rarer than hen’s teeth, sun-soaked groover ‘Tema de Baby’ and the samba-rock fusion flavours of Silvio Cesar ‘A Festa’.

Marcio Lott’s ‘Tema de Baby’ is a REALLY rare one. We spent a long time trying to license this and were delighted to be able to release it as part of this series. Laid back sunshine samba-rock/funk/MPB, laced with Ramsey Lewis-esque piano and wah-wah guitars and lovely vocals top it off. Originally released on 7” by Tapecar in 1974.

Silvio Cesar’s ‘A Festa’ was brought to our attention - like many others in this series - by the almighty duo Brazilian Beats Brooklyn. A firm favourite here with everyone at Mr Bongo it’s a certified stormer from the opening beat. Jazzy, samba-rock fusion that touches on disco when the hi-hats open up. Floating synth lines, tough drums and crowd noise throughout add to the scintillating vibe. Taken from his LP ‘Som E Palavras’ released in 1977, as also featured on our Brazilian Beats Brooklyn compilation.

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