Mr Bongo Rob - Rob (Funky Rob Way) LP
The Accra-born pianist and frontman, ROB,
only released a few albums in small quantities,
yet two of them are among the most sought-after records from 70’s Africa.
This was the first.
So what do we know?
After learning his craft in Benin and playing
with the likes of Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou,
ROB returned to Accra to write his own material and find a sound.
Hooked on the driving funk and raw soul of stars
such as James Brown and Otis Redding, he would often imitate
his heroes on his father’s piano during school holidays.
The title track sets the pace with a JBs-like rhythm,
ROB almost shamanic with his sparse yet commanding vocal.
The organ and wahwah guitar spin us out before those imperious horns bring us back in.
And what better way to close this set than with ‘More’,
swept up in a call and response between Rob and his backing singers
as a ‘Blow Your Head’ synth flares and the brass blasts.
Good times guaranteed.
As the man himself says, “Funky music is in my blood.
What you hear is the coming out of my mind.”
No one sounds like Rob, because there is no one like Rob.
Mr Bongo
(EN)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. Mr Bongo also became an established bearer for hard-to-find, classic Latin music, particularly Brazilian, outside of the Americas.
Over the following years Mr Bongo moved three times within Soho and opened in Shibuya, Japan. They moved their first office to Brighton in 1999 and closed all other shops in 2003.
Their recording roster features some of the finest Brazilian, Latin, reggae, African and Jazz artists including Ebo Taylor, Hollie Cook, The Skints, Jorge Ben, Joyce, Seu Jorge, Prince Fatty, Incredible Bongo Band, Terry Callier, Arthur Verocai and Marcos Valle amongst many, many others.
(DE) Mr. Bongo begann sein Leben 1989 als kleiner Plattenladen unter Daddy Kool's Reggae Store in der Berwick Street in London. Sie waren der erste Laden, der Vinyl-Veröffentlichungen von unabhängigen Hip-Hop-Labels wie Def Jam, Rawkus, Nervous und Big Beat außerhalb der USA verkaufte. Mr Bongo wurde auch ein etablierter Anbieter für schwer zu findende, klassische lateinamerikanische Musik, insbesondere brasilianische, außerhalb Amerikas.
In den folgenden Jahren zog Mr Bongo dreimal innerhalb von Soho um und eröffnete in Shibuya, Japan. Heute sind sie in Brighton zu finden.
Ihr Programm umfasst einige der besten brasilianischen, lateinamerikanischen, Reggae-,
afrikanische und Jazz-Künstler, darunter Ebo Taylor, Hollie Cook, The Skints, Jorge Ben, Joyce, Seu Jorge, Prince Fatty, Incredible Bongo Band, Terry Callier, Arthur Verocai und Marcos Valle und viele, viele andere.