Bonobo likes everything in moderation

by Marsha Casselman

April 15, 2013

0

0

0

0

0

Email this article to a friend

Bonobo, a.k.a. Simon Green, has managed to fly under the radar since helping to pioneer a jazzy, trip-hop-meets-downtempo sound in the early ’00s.

Despite critical acclaim and the backing of heavyweight electronic label Ninja Tune, Bonobo was never trendy nor did it break out of a scene. Instead, it slowly developed a loyal fan base, which Green hopes to impress with a fifth studio album, The North Borders, out this month.

“I’m anxious to hear what people make of it,” says the 37-year-old Brit, now based in New York City. “I’ve sat in a room making it for the past two years and now everyone’s going to hear it, so this is always kind of an anxious time.”

Moving from Bonobo’s lounge/jazz roots, The North Borders is ripe with textured beat experiments including two-step, garage, and house. Vocals are at the forefront, with appearances by Brooklyn folk singer Grey Reverend and the soul diva herself, Erykah Badu.

“I met (Badu) last year when we were at the same festival. We just sort of chatted about stuff and decided we’ve got common interests, and musically we knew a lot of the same people,” Green says. “We just made a connection.” “Heaven for the Sinner” ended up as one of the album’s stand-out tracks—two step enveloped by a forlorn melody and Badu’s deep, melancholic voice.

Green has a knack for discovering up-and-coming vocalists, having collaborated with Germany’s Bajka, and helping to launch the career of UK’s Andreya Triana on Green’s universally lauded 2010 album Black Sands. The latest album features the breathy, crisp vocals of UK singer-songwriter Szjerdene, a testament to how well-connected Green still is to new talent, especially in his homeland.

“The world is a lot smaller these days. I’m still in the UK every two months,” explains Green, who keeps DJ residencies in Paris and Berlin. “I always try to be aware of what’s happening musically.”

Green is not only as a trendseeker, but a setter: you could even say he foreshadowed on 2006’s Days to Come the now ubiquitous use of indecipherable vocal samples that laptop producers like Burial have since popularized.

“It went a bit too far last year with the manipulated vocal samples,” he says. “It borders on silly. I think it can sound great if you do it well. But everything in moderation.”


This article originally appeared in the April 2013 Issue of AUX Magazine.

Download and subscribe for free in the app store.

Tags: Music, Interviews, AUX Magazine, bonobo

0

0

0

0

0

Email this article to a friend