Life In Music: 30 Years of Mr Bongo

Life In Music: 30 Years of Mr Bongo

Confession: this 5-minute video gave me goosebumps. Maybe it’s because I’m a sucker for well-produced and well-thought-out music documentaries. Maybe it’s because of the encouraging message towards the end. Or perhaps neither, and it’s just Mr Bongo‘s incredible 30-year-run that speaks to the imagination.

Anyway, back to acting like I’m a cool writer before I lose my hip-hop credits: “Life In Music: 30 Years of Mr Bongo” is awesome. The video tells the story of Mr Bongo founder David Buttle, crammed into five minutes. It zooms in on his love for Brazilian music—and music in general. All over a mini-OST featuring (in order of appearance) a Rainer Truby Remix of Miyazawa’s “Anjos Lramaos”, The Incredible Bongo Band’s iconic “Apache” track, and “Summertime” by Roshinha De Valencia.

“I had just started working with Mr Bongo and I think it was catching up on those 30 years and hearing the stories for the first time that triggered the idea of telling the story of the brand,” says film director Owen Tozer. “Mr Bongo has come a long way from Dave DJing and selling records from his house. I think it’s a perfect time to tell that story. I’m grateful for the chance to go to Brazil with some of the Bongo crew and see for myself why Brazilian music has been so important.”

The label and journey actually deserve a full-length documentary. But hey, it’s a start.

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Just an ordinary guy always on the hunt for extraordinary music. Not just as the founder of The Find Magazine & Rucksack Records, but also as a freelance music journalist (bylines at Tracklib, Bandcamp, Wax Poetics, DIG Mag, among others) and—above all—out of love for all kinds of good music.