For many of us, music has been a much needed respite from the madness of 2020. It has inspired, soothed and provided a soundtrack for a year of great change all around the world. Our Brighton store may have been closed for most of 2020, but we have been overwhelmed by the support shown to us through our online store and social media. We have been working flat out to keep the music coming and there has been a wealth of incredible releases to celebrate. The team at Mr Bongo have selected some of our favourites from 2020 - we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Mr Bongo's Pick Of 2020

1) Sault - Untitled (Black Is) / Rise - LP

Forever Living Originals

It's always hard trying to compile your favourite releases of the year. What happened in January / February seems a long time ago now, and whilst we are bound to have missed some real sitters, one thing is for sure - it was Sault's year! Universally liked both by staff and customers, they struck a chord and connected with a wide spectrum of listeners.

2) Surprise Chef - Daylight Savings - LP

Mr Bongo

We are a bit biased with this one as we love these dudes from Melbourne, and so do a lot of you it seems, judging from the orders and feedback we had for this amazing sophomore record. With their 'New Ferrari' single getting playlisted by BBC 6 Music, and their vinyl flying off the shelves, it was lovely to see the guys popularity sky-rocket over the year. They were the soundtrack to a lot of soul soothing and we cannot wait to see what they bring to the table in 2021. Cheers fellas for recording this ripper!!!

3) Sven Wunder - Wabi Sabi – Vinyl LP

Piano Piano

Not much good came of 2020, but one positive which did happen was making virtual friends with John from Piano Piano Records in Stockholm. He opened the doors to a wonderful world of music and introduced us to the timeless, beautiful records of the mighty Sven Wunder. Cheers John and Sven for brightening this shocker of a year. 'Wabi Sabi' could easily be our top pick too.

4) Wilma Archer - A Western Circular – LP

Weird World

Wilma Archer's album came out in mid-hard lockdown here in the UK and it became a soundtrack to those times for us. One of those records which can't be pigeon-holed and all the better for it. A momentous album. Featuring collaborations with MF Doom, Samuel T. Herring (Future Islands,), Laura Groves, Sundan Archives and others.

5) Phi-Psonics - The Cradle - Vinyl LP

Self-Released

It's always great to work directly with musicians, which is the case when Seth from the Phi-Psonics emailed us about the independently produced-pressed-distributed album, 'The Cradle.' This lush, timeless and deep spiritual / modal journey is a real treat and we can't wait to hear more from Seth and the crew.

6) Soft Power - Brink Of Extinction – Vinyl LP

RR GEMS

If it's released on RR GEMS records out of Estonia you can buy it on sight. We were taken aback by the Finnish band Soft Power's jazz /funk / library style this year. Oiro Pena is a member of Soft Power and his amazing music also features in our top 100 list. The Muriel Grossmann albums on RR GEMS also need to be investigated!

7) Wax Machine - Earthsong Of Silence – Vinyl LP

Beyond Beyond Is Beyond

Another record that acted as a blanket over the hard lockdown was the folky-psychedelic goodness of Brighton based band, Wax Machine. Produced by Kikagaku Moyo don Go Kurosawa, it's a superb album from an awesome band that more people will hopefully discover in 2021.

8) Matthew Tavares & Leland Whitty - Visions / January 12th - LP

Mr Bongo

Matty, Leland, Julian and Matt excelled themselves with both their 'Visions' and 'January 12th' albums. Two stunning bodies of work from musicians at the top of their game, these records seem to evolve every time you listen to them. We are super proud of these two releases and to be working with musicians of this caliber.

9) Wyndham Earl - Epoch - Vinyl LP

Time Spun

A late contender that sneaked its way into the top 10 is from another Brighton connection (well now Hastings) - Wyndham Earl. Released on his own Time Spun Records imprint, 'Epoch' is a psychedelic trip through dusty downbeats & cosmic compositions drawing on jazz, folk, hip hop beats, prog, library music vibes, and more. A fantastic album throughout and essential stuff!!! Also, check out Wyndham Earl's remix of Wax Machine on the Mr Bongo Record Club Vol.4 compilation for further listening.

10) Cleo Sol - Rose In The Dark - LP

Forever Living Originals

This record seems to have been a bit overshadowed by Cleo's sister project, Sault, but 'Rose in the Dark' is essential in its own right. A superb album throughout. We maybe actually prefer this album to Sault’s offerings, but that is a controversial claim here in the office :)

11) Rammellzee & K-Rob - Beat Bop - Vinyl 12"

12) Kit Sebastian - Ennui / Abandoned – Vinyl 7"

13) Idrissa Soumaoro Et L'Eclipse De L'Ija - Nissodia (Mike D Edit) - Vinyl 12"

14) Gus Levy - Magia Magia – Vinyl LP

15) Bessie Banks ‎- Don't You Worry Baby The Best Is Yet To Come – Vinyl 7" / Freda Payne - We've Gotta Find A Way Back To Love – Vinyl 7"

16) Various Artists - Mr Bongo Record Club Volume Four – Vinyl 2-LP/CD

17) Sweet Mixture - I Love You – Vinyl 7" / Rubeinstein - Joy / Somehow (Make Way) – Vinyl 7"

18) Felbm - Tape 3 / Tape 4 – Vinyl LP

19) Reuben Vaun Smith‎ - Warm Nights – Vinyl LP

20) Guilherme Coutinho E O Grupo Stalo - Guilherme Coutinho E O Grupo Stalo (Exclusive Yellow Vinyl) – Vinyl LP

21) Oiro Pena - 2 – Vinyl 10" / Oiro Pena
Music From Moments – Vinyl LP

22) Alabaster DePlume - To Cy & Lee: Instrumentals Vol. 1 – Vinyl LP