Mr Bongo

Mr Bongo is a British independent company that brings together a record label, independent film activity, and publishing, with a focus on world music and art house and world cinema. Based in Brighton, it is best known for treating music and film as connected areas of work rather than separate sidelines, reflecting an identity that spans recorded releases and screen-related projects.

According to available background information, Mr Bongo was founded in 1989 and began in London as a record shop of the same name on Berwick Street, Soho. The shop later moved within Soho several times, and the company also operated a shop in Shibuya, Japan. The label’s office relocated to Brighton in 1999. The London and Shibuya shops closed in 2003, and a new shop later opened in Brighton in 2016.

Musically, Mr Bongo is described as specialising in world music, a remit broad enough to accommodate contemporary artists working across international styles and scenes. The label’s roster and associated names point to an interest in globally oriented pop and dance music alongside more niche, scene-specific releases. Artists connected with Mr Bongo include Hollie Cook, Ana Frango Elétrico, Dora Morelenbaum, and СОЮЗ, as well as Project Gemini, New Regency Orchestra, Don Glori, and Finn Rees. Rather than centring on a single genre, the label’s identity is framed by its outward-looking approach and its willingness to place different regional and stylistic threads in the same catalogue.

From 2004, Mr Bongo also expanded further into cinema-related work. It operates a publishing division that produces and licenses music for use by third parties, aligning with its stated emphasis on film as well as recorded music. Across these activities, Mr Bongo is presented as a Brighton-based independent label with roots in specialist record retail, and an ongoing commitment to world music and art house and world cinema.