Born in Paris and bred between France, West Africa and the UK, Mr Boogie specialises in sounds and rhythms derived from African and Latin American traditions such as jazz, salsa, funk, disco, tropical beats and house.
As a self-proclaimed vinyl junkie, his collection is diverse and his multifaceted DJ sets are amply reflective of his unique and international upbringing. Mr Boogie is also the man behind the Soulsa ® brand and Melting Pot – the long running weekly music show on @shoreditchradio.
With the combination of his Parisian and Ugandan heritage, Mr Boogie was never going to be the type of person who just played any old record. Having spent his formative years split between France and West Africa, he made the move to the UK in his teens and set about putting his burgeoning love for music to good use. A keen traveller with a penchant for a dusty basement or two, Mr Boogie took full advantage of frequent stopovers in cities such as New York, Havana, Lagos and Buenos Aires to dig deep into the vast history of Afro Latin music and beyond.
His passion for these global rhythms led Mr. Boogie to create his own space to represent this “Melting Pot” of sounds – his brand Soulsa was born. The name “Soulsa”® is a portmanteau comprising the terms Soul and Salsa – Soul acting as the representation of any beat or rhythm of Black origin while Salsa serves to encapsulate the sonic essence of the Latin diaspora. Inspired by the spirit of 60s and 70s Spanish Harlem.
Thanks Mr. Boogie for sharing your digs with us!
Be sure to give him a follow @soulsa_london 🖤
Each week we will be taking a dip into the crates and minds of some of the digging scenes most prolific collectors.
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DIGGR: What were your earliest music influences?
MR BOOGIE: “Michael Jackson, French pop, West African rhythms, Congolese rumba, Kassav and early 80s hip-hop.”
D: What is it about vinyl that makes you dig it?
MB: “The fact that it is tangible, tactile and carries an unmistakably warm, earthy sound.”
D: One record that sums up your happiest memories and where does it take you back to?
MB: “Gozame! Pero Ya… by Cal Tjader. There’s a gorgeous track on the LP called Shoshana which takes me back to some amazing summers spent in New York in the early noughties.”
D: Who are your biggest musical influences?
MB: “Oh wow…so many to choose from. Tito Puente, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Cal Tjader, Eddie Palmieri, Sade, Roy Ayers, Charles Earland, Marvin Gaye, Masters At Work and Public Enemy just to name a few.”
D: Strangest place you found a record…
MB: “One random Friday night almost 10 years ago, someone left a stack of records by the side of the road near Brixton Village. Ty (the late emcee) and I went through them and ‘fought over’ a copy of the soundtrack to The Woman in Red.”
