
25 Nov Life In Music: 30 Years of Mr Bongo, an anniversary film about the store
Mr Bongo celebrates 30 years of running a record shop and label with a new film titled Life In Music: 30 Years of Mr Bongo. The short film directed by Owen Tozer is a portrait of Mr Bongo’s owner and founder, David Buttle. It tells the story of a life in music, and explores the passion and dedication required to sustain it. Watch it below.
Life In Music: 30 Years of Mr Bongo

Mr Bongo was founded by David Buttle 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. Throughout years Mr Bongo moved three times within Soho and even opened a shop in Shibuya, Japan. Then they moved their first office to Brighton in 1999 and closed all the shops in 2003. At the end of 2016 Mr Bongo opened a new store in Brighton and it is now home to much sought after African, Brazilian and Latin records.
Mr Bongo’s recording roster features some of the finest Brazilian, Latin, reggae, African and Jazz artists. For example, Ebo Taylor, Prince Fatty, Terry Callier, Marcos Valle, and Seu Jorge amongst many others. Head here to visit their online store for more information.
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