Each month, we are focusing on a record label founded by an active digger. We are stopping with David Buttle, the man who launched Mr Bongo 25 years ago. Check soon the selection ‘1989- 2014 25 Years Of Classic Releases‘
When did you start digging records?
I started in 1979 /80 looking for funk records in junk stores.
What Lps did you buy at first? Do you still listen to them?
I had a Dizzy Gillespie 10 inch, some ELO of course, Sex Pistols, Gary Numan, Rolling Stones, then the first record that hit me hard was Steel Pulse ‘Handsworth Revolution’. What a f…ing record! Most of my records have no groove left in them and I buy them five times.
Do you have a particular style or favorite period? And why?
I used to love 50/60s New York Jazz because they created such a competitive environment that each musician just got better and better as John Coltrane fought Sonny Rollins, if Coltrane won then Rollins would go woodshedding for six months coming up with new techniques. But ultimately Coltrane is the one I listen to now, Bill Evans, Yusef Lateef all the soft spiritual sound. I cannot handle the wild free jazz anymore…
What was your first issue?
Well we released the classic Bossa LP by Os Ipanemas, those old trio/bossa records from Brazil in the 60’s had an incredible sound so heavy, simple but the sound right in your face.
Why Mr Bongo?
I flirted with the name Unkle Funkie for a while, but then the Mr Bongo name just felt right, we never looked back…
The latin tinge?
I toured Joe Arroyo when I worked at World Circuit in 1988. I would got to Venezuela and Colombia every month looking mainly for Fania reissues, cumbia, colombian salsa and cuban reissues. Then I started collecting brazilian so the label followed this path, it was my passion for those sounds.
What could be the editorial/esthetic line?
Music has to be amazing/original , and when we release it we must make the best quality we can. From using the greatest cutting engineers like Tom Coyne, Walter Coelho to Andy Edwards our amazing designer and printing the sleeves in Japan, we always strive to be better. Music is so hard these days: the customer demands the best.
How do you decide on the choice of reissues?
Sometimes it’s timing like the Hareton + Meta EP which was just being discovered, other times I have been trying to reissue them for more than fifteen years like Olli Ahvenlahti… Or the Lula Cortes album ‘Paebiru’ which I discovered when we had been asked to hunt down the bootleggers of this holy grail of brazilian music.
What could be your leitmotif of the label?
Quality & originality, because we want to be the best at being different.
Your were well known for your brazilian touch, and still appreciated for that (like the 7″ issues), but now – and for a long time in fact – you do reissues in other styles, like ‘The Poet’. Is it difficult to go out your (supposed) speciality?
I think if you have a good musical ear you can appreciate Jazz like ‘The Poet’, or reggae like our Prince productions and our great Brazil 45 series… We find that our customers know that when Mr Bongo releases a record it is going to be worth a listen… I do not think it is good to pigeon hole a label too much then you cannot do other projects… As you know, we also release art house films and documentaries…
What is the best deal/business : to make reissue or to produce new records?
In the old days you could release just what you like and it would sell enough. Now you have to do some research and make sure there are enough people who will want the record as well.
Is it two different jobs?
Tracking down artists labels can be detective work, producing and releasing amazing records is a different skillset but they are all driven by the same passion for the music. Then they are forged from this passion together.
Have you received many negative answers on some of the LPs you were trying to reissue?
Not that I can remember, maybe now we will !
There is more and more reissues of old LPs. Do you think that the LP reissue market could ever reach saturation point?
Not really there are so many great records by the time they are all reissued. It will be time to do it again for our grandchildren.
What are your next releases?
Horseman ‘Dawn of the Dread’, Olli Ahvenalhti ‘The Poet’, ‘Os Brazoes’, Tom Ze (Self titled LP)…
What is the LP you dream of reissuing?
Pedro Santos Krishnanda, Ananda Shankar, so many…
Aldea de Ogum
Milk And Honey
Did You Give The World Some Love Today Baby
Heaven
Dancing In Outer Space
Chant To Mother Earth
