Optimo - "Epic Collection - thank you as always."

Hunee - "real music!"

Laurent Garnier - "TOP QUALITY MUSIC as always. Full support from me”

It's a pleasure, a labour of love and a yearly highlight to present a new volume of the Mr Bongo Record Club series. In this collection, we have curated new finds alongside old, treasured tracks that hold a special place in our hearts, selecting music inspiring us from the Brazilian, Latin, soul, disco, gospel, cosmic, dancehall and downtempo genres. We have chosen a diverse array of artists, including Os Panteras from Brazil, stomping underground disco by Claude Jay, the Danish soul sounds of Gitte & Inger and the gospel excellence of Truth & Devotion, to name a few.

Most of the selections in this volume are older vintage productions, however, there is one very special contemporary production, recorded exclusively for Mr Bongo Record Club 7. For ‘Spring Has Sprung’, we linked three of our cherished musical family together; the legendary cult artist Asha Puthli, the wondrous band SOYUZ and Swedish maestro Sven Wunder. The result, as you’d expect, is completely breathtaking.

Reflecting on Volume 7, it now feels like a record comprised of two themes. Firstly, we have gone quite heavy on the Brazilian selections. This saw us searching further afield and digging into other areas of the endlessly rich Brazilian musical tapestry. The reflection of a more folk / Afro-Brazilian sound than presented in previous volumes in the series, can be heard in the songs of As Sublimes, Romeu Fernandes and Conjunto de Percussão Dora Pinto. The second theme is a representation of the tracks that we have been playing in our club DJ sets and are aimed more at the dancefloor. Disco tracks such as 'Come Inside' by The Shades of Love and The Duncans' 'Too Damn Hot' have been firmly tested favourites in recent years.

We hope these songs, by the sensational artists on display, inspire you as much as they do us. Music is the gift that keeps giving and there is so much more to learn, find, and share.

Artwork by Nicolas Burrows

TRACKLIST:

A1. Dudu Moraes - Eloiá

A2. Yvette - Upa Neguinho

A3. As Sublimes - Mangueira É Canção

A4. Os Panteras - O Espaço

A5. Chico Evangelista - Frutas & Línguas

A6. Roman Andrén - Captain's Sword

B1. Romeu Fernandes - Nagô Naê

B2. Conjunto de Percussão Dora Pinto - Noite de Temporal

B3. Gitte & Inger - Ud Af Buret (Can't Hide Love)

B4. Truth & Devotion - Bless My Soul

B5. Judson Moore - Everybody Push And Pull

B6. Willy Chirino - Africa

C1. Chain Reaction - Search For Tomorrow

C2. Claude Jay - Find Your Light

C3. Shades Of Love - Come Inside

C4. The Duncans - Too Damn Hot

D1. Thandi Zulu - Love Games

D2. Tony Wilson - Hangin' Out In Space (Dub Mix)

D3. JC Lodge - In Between The Sheets

D4. СОЮЗ - Spring Has Sprung