New records that we sell in the <a href="http://www.mrbongo.com">shop and on the website</a>. Updated weekly.

Mr Bongo Weekly Selections

Mr Bongo proudly presents the debut album from Tasmania-born, Melbourne-based, Finn Rees. Gliding across a swirling palette of saturated hues, Dawn Is A Melody feels vintage yet vibrant, new but familiar at the same time. A spiritual, deep and textured jazz record, tipping its hat to greats from the past, capturing memories and reformulating them into new ideas with the help of some of Melbourne’s finest talent.

Expert keys player for the likes of 30/70 and Elle Shimada, alongside one-half of Close Counters, this debut LP was Finn’s conscious departure from the realm of groove-based jazz. Instead, Dawn Is A Melody places the piano and arrangements centre stage, giving Finn and his fellow Melbourne crew freedom to explore the spaces in between, new emotions and alternate soundscapes.

In Finn’s own words: “My intention with Dawn Is A Melody was to create a world; a microcosm of colour. Something rich and beautiful that allowed the melodies and compositions to reach their full potential. It was driven by hope, curiosity and the search for beauty and reassurance in this ever-changing world. The emotion behind the music is really about the journey of life, growing up and changing, as well as my relationship with Tasmania’s natural landscapes where I grew up, a part of the world that is incredibly unique and beautiful.”

The album arcs between opening, middle and end. Beginning with the optimism of ‘Looking Up’ and ‘Lagoon’, the former a celestial, string and harp marbled slice of positivity, the latter a spiritual journey of exuberance and hope, Finn’s fingers dancing across the ‘70s Yamaha grand piano. From there the songs blossom outwards with the cinematic soulful journey of ‘It’s Behind Me Now’ and Brazilian-inspired ‘Expansion’, as the divine ‘Crossing’ signals a transition to a new realm. The energy is transformed from the rich cosmic textures to a more intimate and personal feeling with ‘Ablaze’, ‘Between Spaces’ and ‘As It Passes’ which blissfully fades down to simply piano and strings to close out the record.

Recorded at Rolling Stock in Collingwood, Melbourne, Henry Jenkins was drafted in as recording and mix engineer, his minimal vintage mic setups giving a live aesthetic and warmth to the arrangements. Lucky Pereira and Blakely McLean Davies form the rock-solid rhythm section, with a hand-picked line-up of other Melbourne talent on display, including Cheryl Durongpitikul on tenor sax, Siwei Wong on harp, Audrey Powne on trumpet and Allysha Joy on vocals to name only a few.

Plotting a course from Alice Coltrane, through Herbie Hancock, to Arthur Verocai, this is a debut nourished by the past but firmly made in the present. A record unable to be age-stamped, casting ambiguity as to when, what era and by whom it has been crafted. Like a vintage lens capturing a current scene, Dawn Is A Melody is warm and familiar yet focused on the here now.

Finn Rees - Dawn Is A Melody

Curation 0607 The Gear Shop

Melbourne-via-Tasmania musician @finn-rees finds his creative spark in the works of Alice Colrane, Herbie Hancock, and Arthur Verocai. Despite these influences, the album he has created is distinctly his own.

Album of the Week: Finn Rees - Dawn Is A Melody

Finn Rees❤️‍🔥

Well, August has packed its bags and left the building. Now it's time to look back and marvel at the tsunami of musical gems that serenaded our ears over the past 31 days.

Twistedsoul Sterero: August

Education & Recreation

Iconoclasts

The second single to come from the ‘The Globeflower Masters Vol.2’, and with a title such as 'Moogs Over Jupiter’ it’s not only literal, but also a jumping off point that enables Mark and Glenn's musical imagination to go wild. It takes the listener on a journey covering some distance – all the way to the moon! Not just any moon, but a moon orbiting the largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter. 

Mark’s Mini Moog and Jupiter 8 synthesiser are the stars of the show here, providing the perfect combination of depth and frequency to soundtrack their space-scape. Add to that some heavily effect-laden guitar from Glenn and the slow-but purposeful drive of the drums and Milo Fell’s percussion and we’re travelling without moving. 

The imagery of space travel echoes throughout this laid-back excursion. If a Moog pioneer such as Jean-Jacques Perrey had jammed with a contemporary, headsy beat-maker, the results may have been similar to this floaty as helium, cinematic, spacefaring jaunt.

Glenn Fallows & Mark Treffel - Moogs Over Jupiter

‘Glance’ is the second single to be taken from SOYUZ (COIO3) forthcoming album, ‘Force of the Wind’. It was the only song written between the sessions for the band’s previous album ‘II’ and ‘Force of the Wind’ that made it to the album in its original form. 

It’s a song inspired by measured life in the low-rise and village-like Minsk, which is the band's composer Aleksey Chumak’s hometown. It references Lo Borges' debut album and the work of Burnier e Cartier. Breezy as a summer east wind, gentle Fender Rhodes swirl, guitars sway whilst Alex's gentle ethereal vocals surf the bassline. Over too soon and akin to waking up and trying to remember a dream, the images of the song tickle away leaving you wanting more.

SOYUZ (СОЮЗ) - Glance (Мгновение)

Sounding simultaneously from the past, the present, and the future, the debut album 'MLDE' by Marxist Love Disco Ensemble seeks to eradicate both the trite from disco and the sobriety from political music. Half poetic, half tongue-in-cheek, this stunning compact eight-track album is influenced by Eastern European and Mediterranean 70s disco records. In the words of band member Paolo, ''it was written in response to hearing 'I love America' by Patrick Juvet. The song prompted the question: why does disco, a genre originally created by oppressed minorities, eventually become synonymous with Western capitalist excess?" MLDE seeks to break this connection.

Merging disco, post-disco 80s pop, and boogie into the fold, 'MLDE' was recorded using only analogue instruments, giving it warmth and space. Recorded on cassette, ½ inch tape, this gives moments of lo-fi abstraction between the beats of an aggressive, tight drum kit. Instruments used for this recording range from saxophone, trumpet, harpsichord, guitar, and rare analogue synthesisers. The bass sound is shaped by early 80s boogie records, whilst the influence of artists such as Hamlet Minassian can be heard in some of MLDE's more driving-disco outings, such as 'Hues of Red'. In the tradition of Soviet vocal group records, which the band has studied, some songs are sung by a vocal quartet in homage to this tradition. 

Tracks such as '1905' and 'Brumaire' have a greater pop aesthetic, with Paolo's vocal style on these more pop-driven songs evoking early 80s bands such as Orange Juice and Chas Jankel. 

The format and message of pop and disco are commonly viewed just to entertain and move bodies around a dancefloor; however, lyrically, the subjects range from dialectical and historical materialism, class struggle, Marxist theory and praxis, as well as the concept of Marxist disco music. 

Adding the icing to the cake, mastering don Joker aka Liam McLean dusted the album with his magic, giving the songs space where the room is needed, as well as the kick and punch demanded by the modern dancefloor.

Marxist Love Disco Ensemble - Manifesto

Finn Rees, one of the key members of Melbourne’s bubbling music scene, announces his debut solo album, Dawn Is A Melody on Mr Bongo with the first single, ‘Looking Up’. As part of 30/70 and Close Counters his previous work has found form in its groove, Dawn Is A Melody instead places the piano and arrangements centre stage, embracing a timeless warmth infused with bittersweet melodies and saturated textures.
 
The lead single ‘Looking Up’ is a divine dose of uplifting, soul-rousing optimism that kicks off the album. A blank canvas for Finn and a whole host of Melbourne’s finest talent to fill with colour. Sitting between spiritual and cinematic, the track instantly envelops you in a swell of vintage hues, Lucky Pereira feathering the drums as Blakely McLean Davies riffs on the double bass. Finn’s fingers flow across the ‘70s Yamaha grand piano, delicately dancing around Siwei Wong’s stunning harp playing as the track builds and breaks. A sublime string section made up of Chloe Danger, Eunise Cheng, Nils Hobiger and McLean Davies, alongside shimmering vocal harmonies by 30/70 bandmate Allysha Joy, lift the track to limitless heights.
 
Finn’s layered synthwork on the Moog and Prophet provides a contemporary touch to proceedings, but one of the beauties of ‘Looking Up’ and the rest of the Dawn Is A Melody is its inability to be placed by age or era. A blend of inspirations from Arthur Verocai to Alice Coltrane, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson to Kamasi Washington, tied together with recording and mix engineer Henry Jenkin’s vintage recording setup warmth.
 
Just as the swell washed in at the start, the tide draws ‘Looking Up’ to a close, fading back out across the horizon as the sun sets another story.

Finn Rees - Looking Up

‘Expansion’ is the second single from Melbourne-based, Finn Rees’ forthcoming debut album, Dawn Is A Melody. A Brazilian-inspired, spirit-embracing jazz immersion, that nods to greats like Luiz Eça, Dom Salvador and Cesar Camargo Mariano yet showcases the vibrancy of Finn’s contemporary palette. 

Further illuminating the microcosm of colour that is Dawn Is A Melody, ‘Expansion’ explores the connection between the worldly and those cosmic realms that float in between, with the help of some of Melbourne’s finest musicians. Igniting the track, Lucky Pereira’s exquisite drumming marries with Blakely McLean Davies’ strutting double bass playing, as a Latin touch shines through Dom Kirk’s percussion. 

Sitting at the helm, Finn’s signature mastery across the keys from the ‘70s Yamaha grand piano to the warming tones of the Rhodes, elevate your mind to a weightless dimension. Enhancing those earthly measures, he taps into the cosmic-channelling Moog to add an undertone of interstellar electronics.  A foundation that gives ground for the triplet of horns to form a harmonious unison, Audrey Powne on trumpet, Cheryl Durongpisitkul on tenor sax, Josh Moshe on alto sax, all gliding as one. 

Both grounded and galactic, it’s an intricate, soulful and spiritual jazz journey with a depth and richness that is perfectly saturated by recording and mix engineer Henry Jenkin’s vintage recording setup.

Finn Rees - Expansion

Flores para Verene / Cantos para Caramina

Angela's Angel

Travel

Finn Rees - Crossing

Finn Rees - It's Behind Me Now

Finn Rees - Horizons

Finn Rees - Lagoon

"À L'instar Du Flair," a highlight of @bolbec's upcoming debut album, whisk listeners away on a modal jazz adventure that echoes the vibes of Yusef Lateef.

Read more: https://twistedsoulmusic.org/2024/08/06/bolbecs-a-linstar-du-flair-ts-premiere/

Victime De L'aube

Bolbec - À L'instar Du Flair (TS Premiere)

'Sunset in June' is a Jazz Amapiano song composed, produced and performed by trumpet @jayphelpsmusic. He blends the warm textures of Jazz and African grooves to produce a unique sound that’s new and fresh.



Read more: https://twistedsoulmusic.org/2024/08/06/jay-phelps-sunset-in-june-ts-premiere/