The Incredible Bongo Band - Bongo Rock

Year Released: 2006
Label: Mr Bongo
(first releases on 45: Bongo Rock 1973 on Pride / Apache 1974 on MGM)
Genre: Funk / Breakbeat / Instrumental Rock

Description:

“Bongo Rock / Apache” by The Incredible Bongo Band is a double-sided funk-break masterpiece, released as a 7″ single in 1973 on Pride Records (PRD-0028), a subsidiary of MGM. Produced by Michael Viner, the record pairs two of the most explosive instrumental cuts in funk and breakbeat history, each featuring thunderous percussion, heavy drum breaks, and cinematic energy that would go on to define the sound of early Hip-Hop.

The A-side, “Bongo Rock,” reimagines Preston Epps’s 1959 hit, transforming it into a dense wall of percussion — bongos, congas, and trap drums layered over fuzzy rhythm guitar and sharp horn accents. Recorded in Los Angeles with session legends including Jim Gordon and King Errisson, the track embodies the raw, analog feel of early-’70s studio funk. Its rhythmic complexity and break-friendly sections made it an underground favorite among early DJs.

The B-side, “Apache,” is the track that changed music history. Featuring a pounding drum intro, syncopated tom fills, and infectious bongo interplay, it became the blueprint for the Hip-Hop breakbeat. First championed by DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, and Afrika Bambaataa at Bronx block parties in the mid-1970s, the song’s central drum loop — now known simply as “The Apache Break” — became one of the most sampled and scratched beats of all time.

“Apache” was later immortalized on Breakbeat Lou’s Ultimate Breaks & Beats Vol. 1 (Street Beat Records, 1986), ensuring its continued life in the sampler era. From that point on, the record became a DJ crate essential, its grooves serving as rhythmic DNA for countless Hip-Hop, dance, and electronic tracks.

Notable examples of songs that have sampled “Apache” include:

Sugarhill Gang – “Apache (Jump On It)” (1981)

Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five - "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" (1981)

Young MC - "Know How" (1989)

The Roots – “Thought @ Work” (2002)

Run-DMC - What's It All About (1990)

Over time, both “Bongo Rock” and “Apache” became fixtures of breakdance battles, DJ sets, and sample libraries, transcending genre to influence generations of producers.

Original U.S. pressings on Pride Records are highly sought-after for their heavy vinyl and bold MGM-era label design, often accompanied by a paper sleeve bearing the Pride logo. The single remains a cornerstone of any serious funk, Hip-Hop, or breakbeat collection — a compact record whose two sides changed the course of modern rhythm.

“Bongo Rock / Apache” stands as the definitive breakbeat 7″, capturing the exact moment where raw funk energy collided with the birth of Hip-Hop"