[Berlin, São Paulo, Venic, New York] – As part of its 10th anniversary celebration, Berlin-based Tropical Diaspora Records proudly presents the climactic final chapter of its foundational Bugiganga Tropical series: Vol. 4: "Cotton." This commemorative 7-inch vinyl embodies the label's decade-long journey, bridging Brazilian and American musical traditions through serendipitous encounters that mirror the diasporic connections the label has championed since 2015.
The Stories Behind the Songs: A Decade of Musical Encounters
The creation of this final volume spans continents and chance meetings, curated by label founder DJ Garrincha whose personal connections with the artists shaped the release's profound narrative.
Side B: Piedmont Blūz Acoustic Duo - "The Last Kind Words" by Geeshie Wiley
The discovery of Valerie and Benedict Turner came during an unexpected encounter at the Historical Regata in Venice, Italy. What began as a racial incident transformed into a profound connection when DJ Garrincha intervened in support of the Turners, who were facing discrimination during the festival.
"In that moment of tension, we found immediate kinship," says Benedict Turner. "When we discovered DJ Garrincha and I shared almost the same birthday, it felt like the ancestors had orchestrated this meeting."
The trio's farewell at a Venice crossing where eight streets converged—a powerful symbolic reference to the orishá Eshu, who governs human pathways and crossroads—inspired the Turners to contribute with their own interpretation of the classic "The Last Kind Words by Geeshie Wiley." This haunting acoustic piece closes not only the record but exactly coincides with Tropical Diaspora's 10th anniversary, making the completion of this musical cycle feel cosmically ordained.
A Immigrant Perspective: Curating the Diasporic Dialogue
Founded in Berlin in 2015, Tropical Diaspora Records has leveraged its position in the European cultural landscape to facilitate conversations between diasporic musical traditions that might otherwise remain separate. DJ Garrincha's and Dj Dr.Sócrates roles as cultural bridge-builder has been essential to these connections.
"These two encounters—one planned (Renato Gama) here above, one completely unexpected (Valery and Benedict Turner) in the next episode—demonstrate how the diaspora continues to find ways to reconnect," says DJ Garrincha. "From the research trips of the Mississippi Delta to the chance meeting in Venice's canals, the ancestors were guiding us to complete this circle exactly as we mark our decade of existence."
Completing the Botany of Resistance
With "Cotton," Tropical Diaspora Records brings its Botany of Resistance full circle:
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2015: Coffee – The awakening, the bitter stimulant of consciousness
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2018: Cacao – The hidden sweetness of stolen knowledge
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2020: Sugarcane – The painful extraction that produced enduring sweetness
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2025: Cotton – The final stitch, the fabric of bondage now becoming the banner of freedom
"The fact that we complete this series exactly ten years after we began, with songs born from such meaningful encounters, feels like a blessing from Exú himself," reflects DJ Garrincha. "The streets in this world that brought us together now lead us forward into the next decade of Tropical Diaspora."
This release serves as both a standalone masterpiece and a crucial piece of Tropical Diaspora Records' 10th anniversary box set, Roots & Resonance: A Decade of Ancestral Communion.
Availability:
Pre-orders begin September 15, 2025, exclusively through tropicaldiasporarecords.com and select partner retailers worldwide. Release date: September 2025.