Maria También

Produced by Allan McConnell and Finn Rees 
Mixed by Allan McConnell
Mastered by Dustin Alexander
Artwork and design: Piewack

Close Counters would like to thank everyone who helped facilitate the creation of this record, from the many studios or make-shift recording spaces where these songs were written, produced and mixed, to the supportive friends, family and community. We’re ever grateful.

Management by Rick Bridgman for Good Intent

This record was made predominantly on stolen land belonging to the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation and the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. We wish to pay our respects to the elders past present and emerging and note that sovereignty was never ceded.

CONSTANT LOVE feat. Jace XL

Mr Bongo proudly announces the first single from Don Glori’s forthcoming third album ‘Paper Can’t Wrap Fire’. The cornerstone of the LP, 'Brown Eyes' is a joyous soul-jazz groover featuring the captivating lead male vocals of fellow Melbourne/Naarm local, ML Hall. On first listen you’d be mistaken for thinking this is a straight-up love song. Yet underneath its uplifting soulful flavours and sultry vocals, lies a deeper topic at play.

‘Brown Eyes’ discusses the comfort of seeking and finding your community when you had previously felt like an outsider. As Don mentions, “This song is about feeling 'othered' in a predominantly white society like Australia. The first verse is about being tokenised/tolerated and having to stake your claim to a place at the table. The second verse and hook are about finding people who have a shared history with you and feeling at ease around them. When you meet another person like that, and you don’t have to explain all the above, it’s a comforting feeling.” 

“It was the first song I wrote start to finish for the record, starting with the opening riff on the piano. I was taking a lot of cues from Jordan Rakei’s cover of Donald Byrd’s ‘Wind Parade’, as well as throwing in a nod to The Doobie Brothers inserting hooks where they shouldn’t be.”

The result is an empowering hit of jazz-injected soul, nourished by a funk flavour. A track that ebbs and flows between sections of sweeping tenderness and head-nodding, bassline-heavy grooves. Crisp swung drums, masterful keys and those honeyed vocals from Hall, backed with lush harmonies from Ruby Dargaville, Isadora Lauritz, and Bianca Kyriacou, combine to send you cruising out across the horizon.


Don Glori - Brown Eyes (Ft. ML Hall)

Instrumental guitar-act Santino Surfers shares ‘Goodnight Mr Racoon', a fresh dispatch of warm, nocturnal blues.
 
‘Goodnight Mr Racoon'→https://linktr.ee/musicfordreams

Jonas Krag is a renowned Danish guitarist with a career’s worth of melodic craft in his locker. Santino Surfers is his first solo project. The song comes off his forthcoming second album for Music For Dreams.

Supported by Koda’s Cultural Funds and Musik Forlæggerne.

Connect with Santino Surfers
Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/artist/0rhvpJA9qFkdTot8R8AdaQ
IG : https://www.instagram.com/santinosurfers/

Connect with Music For Dreams
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/musicfordreams
FB : https://www.facebook.com/musicfordreams
SC : https://soundcloud.com/music-for-dreams
YT :https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo8HNI0C0QGdOoHWrTqhVWA​
IG : https://www.instagram.com/musicfordreams/
TW : https://twitter.com/musicfordreams
BC : https://musicfordreams.bandcamp.com/
Home : https://musicfordreams.dk/

Santino Surfers - Goodnight Mr. Racoon - s0830

Good friends and Record Mission co-captains, Dan Tyler (one half of the Idjut Boys) and Nick The Record, take the reins for the third volume of the Mr Bongo Edits 12" series. With previous editions coming courtesy of Danny Krivit and Luke Una, Dan and Nick set their sights on a hand-picked selection of iconic ‘70s Cuban recordings for this three-track cosmic whirlwind. Across the A side, Dan picks out two Juan Pablo Torres tracks, with Nick taking on Grupo Los Yoyi on the B. Tweaking, extending and reworking the recordings with a dose of extra magic they remould the tracks to fit the sounds and structure of today’s dancefloors. 

Having formed the Idjut Boys in the early ‘90s, Dan and Conrad McDonnell have crafted a dubbed-out, disco-tinged style that permeates their countless productions, remixes and DJ sets. Speaking of the two tracks Dan has chosen to rework for this EP he mentions, “Having been caught under an avalanche of good music from Mr Bongo, I took it upon myself to extend and add effects to a couple of the fantastic tracks from the Juan Pablo Torres LPs they recently re-issued. Just for disco jockey and barn dance use.”

First, Dan looks to Cuban maestro Juan Pablo Torres’ 1978 album 'Algo Nuevo', taking one of the standout tracks ‘Cacao’ and giving it more space to breathe. Teasing out the scatting vocal line and percussive climax that nods to George Kranz's ’83 electronic disco anthem 'Din Daa Daa', whilst adding more cosmic tripped-out synths and space echoed dubs, Dan builds the tension to fine effect. This track sounds immense on a big club system and the swirling synths felt like they were lifting the ceiling off when we played it at the amazing La Paloma ballroom in Barcelona. 

Dan then turns his attention to Torres’ 1977 'Super Son' album, giving the psych-Latin-funk track 'Pastel En Descarga' a dub makeover. Rich in delay and drama, whilst maintaining and extending the breakers funk intro, he juices it up into a punchy, no-nonsense, cosmic-funk delight. 

On the B side, Tangent co-founder, long-standing Life Force resident and seasoned rework master, Nick The Record, revisits an edit that he originally constructed in 2009. Clocking in at over double the length of the original cut, Nick’s edit of Grupo Los Yoyi’s 1977 cut 'Paco La Calle', is made with dancers firmly in mind. This secret weapon builds and simmers, with the drums and percussion pushing and pulling before the psychedelic synth lines return in a sweltering fashion. In this new 2025 version, Dan is drafted in to work some brilliant new synth lines into the mix.


Juan Pablo Torres - Cacao (Dan Tyler NAD Bulto Versión)

The 18-piece Afro-Cuban jazz big band New Regency Orchestra set out their stall last year with an electrifying debut self-titled album. Inspired by the musical fusion that bubbled up in NYC in the 1950s, they breathe fresh life into this golden era with a host of London’s best contemporary Latin and jazz musicians.

Recording an album with such an abundance of players meant there was a wealth of multitrack stems accumulated from the recording sessions. NRO’s artistic director, Lex Blondin and Mr Bongo thought what better way to utilise this archive of music, than to offer up the parts so that anyone could try their hand at a remix. The winner would have their remix released on Mr Bongo. An incredible range of remixes were submitted from all over the world with all manner of different genres in the mix. It was a tough decision but one stood out from the rest…

More than a simple remix, The Process (aka Jonny Cuba & Ollie Teeba) alongside Washington emcee J Scienide, have totally flipped NRO’s track ‘Pregon’. In true hip-hop fashion, they’ve picked a small section, put their stamp on it, and made it their own. Chopping and sampling the horns in expert style, they’ve layered them over a brand-new beat that channels the golden age boom bap sound. It’s the perfect foundation for J Scienide to step up to the mic, with a flow that takes the track to stratospheric heights.

As Lex Blondin mentions, “Listening to all the remixes coming back was so much fun. A big thanks to all who have participated, there were some really great remixes, but we have a clear winner here. The Process with J Scienide, who remixed our intro track called Pregon, takes it away! Originally written by Chico O'Farrill as the opener of 2nd Afro Cuban Suite, this track was begging for a backbeat and the way they've flipped it gives it just the bop it needed. This remix is pure boom bap goodness...I love how they've chopped up the horn line and peppered it around the chorus. Class work!”

London-based production duo, The Process, are no strangers to the world of music. Both Jonny and Ollie have been pioneers of underground UK music for years, coming up in the mid-1990s as DJs and artists on Ninja Tune. Ollie, being a member of the iconic Ninja Tune band The Herbaliser, and working with emcees such as MF Doom, Roots Manuva, and Rodney P. Jonny, as a partner in Dynamic Syncopation working with the likes of Phi Life Cypher, Chill Rob G, and Mass Influence and going on to form the group Soundsci. On this remix, they are joined by emcee J Scienide whose pedigree has seen him collaborate with hip hop heavyweights on the mic and production, including DJ D Styles (Beat Junkies), Daringer (Griselda Records/Action Bronson), Conway the Machine, Blu, Rome Streetz, and Kev Brown.


Pregon (The Process with J Scienide - Out in the World Remix)

n an ever-expanding musical universe, Azymuth have long existed as a celestial giant, drawing countless artists, musicians and followers into their orbit. Marking fifty years since their 1975 debut album Azimuth, their new album Marca Passo proves that the band’s alchemic brew of Brazilian jazz-funk and cosmic samba soul remains as vital as ever, as the group honours the profound legacy of their departed founders.

Recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Marca Passo is the first full-length release since the passing of founding drummer Ivan "Mamão" Conti in 2023, following the earlier loss of keyboardist José Roberto Bertrami in 2012. Alex Malheiros, the sole remaining original member, sees his stewardship of the band’s musical legacy as his spiritual duty. He is joined by the equally devoted Kiko Continentino (Milton Nascimento, Djavan) on keyboards, who has been with the group since 2016, and new recruit Renato Massa (Marcos Valle, Ed Motta) on drums.

Yet since their earliest recorded music, Azymuth have always been far greater than the sum of their parts. The "three-man orchestra’s" unmistakable sound is rooted in Brazil's MPB studio scene of the 1970s and early 1980s—a time when artists blended traditional Brazilian rhythms with global jazz, rock, and emerging psychedelic and progressive elements. Marca Passo continues this legacy, seamlessly fusing Brazilian musical traditions with global influences while showcasing the exceptional musicianship that powers Azymuth's distinctive, multi-dimensional sound.

The album is produced by studio mastermind Daniel Maunick, responsible for Azymuth’s two previous studio albums, Fênix in 2016 and Aurora in 2011. Daniel’s credits also include albums by Marcos Valle, Sabrina Malheiros and Terry Callier. Azymuth also invited Daniel’s father, British jazz-funk royalty Jean Paul “Bluey” Maunick, of Incognito, to play guitar on a new version of Azymuth’s eighties classic “Last Summer In Rio”, in tribute to the song’s composer, José Roberto Bertrami. Equally, “Samba Pro Mamao” is a new composition dedicated to Azymuth’s beloved original drummer, Ivan “Mamão” Conti.

Marca Passo releases on limited edition blue, red & black vinyl LP editions, CD and digitally on the 6th June 2025, via Far Out Recordings, supported by European and North American tours.

Azymuth - Andaraí

Proudly presenting ‘Transe’ the first single taken from Zé Ibarra's forthcoming second album. You may be familiar with the hypnotic entrancing tones of Zé’s vocals, through his work in the four-piece, Latin Grammy award-winning Brazilian powerhouse, Bala Desejo and the band Dônica. Zé has also toured with Brazilian legend Milton Nascimento on vocals and guitar, a real honour but also a reflection of Zé's craft to be selected in the band by such a musical titan.

A classic singer-songwriter, 'Transe' sees Zé starting as the song would have been written, simply an acoustic guitar and his voice flowing in an intimate dance. It’s an instantly comforting tone reminiscent of classic Brazilian songs from the past (think Caetano Veloso), before the song builds with ghosty string arrangements, vocal overdubs, and percussion. The energy in Zé's voice intensifies to a climax, as the dial swings in a more contemporary direction powered by a grooving bassline. 

Speaking about the song, Zé mentions, “This song represents, at this moment, a side of me that is still little explored and more intimate. It moves between pop and conceptual, creating an experience closer to a film than a traditional song. This effect is reinforced by the guitar and bass of Frederico Heliodoro, who is also part of Milton Nascimento's band."

‘Transe’ therefore shows a more experimental side to Zé beyond the scared partnership of voice and guitar. Mixing elements of jazz, MPB, and progressive rock, it’s rich and dynamic with a cinematic feel that is full of suspense. A stunning single and a taste of what is to come from one of the finest modern-classic musicians in Brazil’s blooming contemporary scene.


Transe

Soulance "Kebab Discothèque" Takeover - Souleance - 14th May 2025

CIPHER DIVINE-ROUTINE [DISCIPLINE]

Available to download here: https://princeklassen.bandcamp.com/album/2005-2012

Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish - Flowers (Prince Klassen Edit) (110)

Record label. Record shop. Film label. Since 1989.

Pregon (The Process with J Scienide - Out in the World Remix)

Mr Bongo

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