Back catalogue: Funk

Review: Mr Bongo's authoritative Brazilian 7" series continues apace with this delightful gem, featuring the magical talents of Guto on the A-side and Tony Nunes on the flip. Guto's 'Transito Livre' is a sweet slice of MPB (musica popular brasileira) which switches time signatures with flair from verse to chorus. Tony Nunes turns the heat up with 'Por Favor', a 1973 cut which sounds like it could jump right off the turntable with its fiery, funky urgency. Another essential purchase for all those who love hidden nuggets from Brazil's abundant musical history.

Review: Dan Tyler and Nick The Record's third installment in the Mr Bongo Edits series brings a bold twist to Cuban classics with three tracks that are equal parts cosmic and dancefloor-ready. On the A-side, Tyler extends two Juan Pablo Torres tracks from his reissued 1978 'Algo Nuevo' and 1977's 'Super Son.' First, Tyler reimagines 'Cacao,' a standout track from Torres' LP, giving it room to breathe and intensifying the percussive climax with swirling synths and spacey dub effects. It's a track that thrives on a big system, building tension as it goes, and works wonders in the right environmentijust ask anyone who caught it at La Paloma in Barcelona. Next, Tyler dials into 'Pastel En Descarga,' turning the Latin-funk fusion into a punchy, trippy dub with delay and drama, keeping the track's energy while taking it further into spacey, cosmic territory. On the flip, Nick The Record tackles Grupo Los Yoyi's 1977 'Paco La Calle,' taking a 2009 edit and expanding it into a longer, more hypnotic piece. The percussion pushes and pulls as the psychedelic synths swirl, creating a dynamic and ever-building groove. The 2025 version is elevated with new synth lines courtesy of Tyler, deepening the track's psychedelic richness. A cosmic whirlwind of reworks that bridges the gap between '70s Cuban innovation and modern dancefloor sensibilities.

Review: Many will know Teaspoon & The Waves' incredible 'Oh Yeh Soweto' - a brilliant Afro-disco riff on Lamont Dozier's 'Going Back To My Roots' that has appeared on countless compilations and re-edit releases over the years - but fewer have heard the rest of the tracks on the South African band's incredible 1977 debut album (in part because original copies are rather hard to find). To those people, we'll say this: check out this Mr Bongo reissue right now! Blending Afro-jazz with jazz-funk, soul, deep funk and disco, every single track is a winner, with highlights including the celebratory 'Friday Night', the dazzling, duelling solos and heavy percussion of 'Saturday Express' and the life-affirming brilliance of 'Got Me Tight'.

Review: We love RSD only for one thing, and that's providing us with inaccessible records that have been snapped-up by Discogs sharks over the years. This timely reissue of Pat Thomas second LP from 1976, the wonderful Marijata, is one such record that has become impossible to find in its original format, and one which allows us to have some access to the highlife beat, one of our biggest loves. While much of this album rests in classic soul and funk, Pat Thomas' Ghanaian influences are loud and present, whether through the guitars, the aesthetics of each instrumental and, of course, the quality of the recording itself. Funk out to some ORIGINAL STYLE. Cop it quick!