Cubafrica

To celebrate 10 years of one of London’s most loved underground club nights, Tangent, Mr Bongo are thrilled to launch this new compilation series. Crafted by its two residents, John Gómez and Nick the Record, it aims to transmit a taste of Tangent’s spirit. A party rooted in inclusivity and open-mindedness, whose name captures the spontaneous switches in musical direction that are a defining element of their nights. For the compilation, the pair have cherry-picked a selection of their prized, rare and dancefloor-ready tracks from around the globe, that have soundtracked the past decade of parties.

Friends for close to 20 years, music lovers, record obsessives and internationally renowned DJs in their own right, John and Nick have two lifetimes worth of musical knowledge to draw from. John a long-standing NTS Radio resident and compiler for Music From Memory. Nick one of the UK’s go-to record dealers, resident DJ since the ‘90s at one of Japan’s pioneering parties, Life Force, and co-captain / co-edit-expert of Record Mission with Dan Tyler (Idjut Boys).

In 2014, the pair decided to bring some of Life Force’s grassroots principles to the UK, whilst channelling underground clubbing institution Plastic People’s meticulous attitude to sound. Tangent grew from being a small gathering of friends, to an established fixture in London’s nightlife, whilst always maintaining a strict no guest DJ policy. “As London’s clubs have become increasingly reliant on international guests, we wanted to emphasize the importance of a club night growing through its residents”, John and Nick reflect. With 10 years of the duo at the helm, an intimate connection between DJ and dancefloor has been built, allowing for freedom of expression on both sides of the decks.

Tangent reaches around the globe and across different eras to make connections that stimulate emotional reverberations in the unfamiliar. Where the blissfully Balearic ‘Laberinto’ by Miguel Perikás, goes hand-in-hand with the Cameroonian hip-house of King B.’s ‘Love is Crazy’. The thundering ‘Amek Amek’ by L'Innovateur Djoe Ahmed et le Zoukabyle, rubs shoulders with the soulful Caribbean-influenced touch of Champagn’s ‘Bel Ti Négress’. And Pellegrin El Kady’s afro-cosmic ‘Seiva de Carnaval’, crosses paths with Kajou’s Kompa disco anthem ‘Tet Chajé’.

Tangent’s longevity is in part down to it having always embraced contemporary sounds. The sub-rattling bass of Srirajah Sound System’s stunning Molam dub stepper ‘Si Phan Don Lovers Rock’ and the slow, woozy mantra of leftfield dancehall explorer Androo’s ‘Lyriso’, are two shining examples.

This compilation represents an ongoing dialogue between past and present, transporting listeners to the heart of a pure musical experience, where open minds and open hearts are eager to follow the tangent.

L'Innovateur Djoe Ahmed Et Le Zoukabyle - Amek Amek

City Lights: The Oscar Peterson Quartet – Live in Munich, 1994

Kelly’s Blues (Live)

Dogwood

The Budos Band EP

Nobody's Bulletproof

El Alacran from our soon to be released album “Quasi” performed live at Livingston Studios featuring Yelfris Valdes on trumpet

We are very excited to announce that our second studio album "Quasi" will be released on 15th of April. We can't wait now. We've taken on new journeys since our first album and wanted to show all the different things that Ariwo is to us. We hope it means something to the listener as well.

We have collaborated with many talented musicians for "Quasi". Our brother Yelfris Valdés make an epic come back on "Pyramid" and bring the carnival vibes on "El Alacrán", Binker Golding is tearing everything apart on "Ireme", Joe-Armon Jones is dreaming on "Dasht" and Thommy Lowry Garcia brings it back to Cuba.

Quasi's artwork is a collection of photographs taken by Iranian Artist Afshin Chizari at Hormoz Island.

Enjoy

Rumba Makossa (feat. Cuarteto Patria)

Manu Dibango

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