Bonobo

"The Bonobo, until recently usually called the Pygmy Chimpanzee and less often the Dwarf or Gracile Chimpanzee, is one of the two species comprising the chimpanzee genus, Pan. The other species in genus Pan is Pan troglodytes, or the common chimpanzee. Both species are chimpanzees, and the term can be used both to refer only to the larger of the two species, Pan troglodytes, and to both species together..." Actually, Wikepedia is wrong when it claims that there are two species of The Bonobo - indeed, there is a third, and he hails from the concrete jungles of Brighton.


Simon Green, aka Bonobo, debuted in 1999 at the age of 18 with a song released on the Tru Thoughts Recordings label. This was a fully self-produced track, and with it he caught some attention as "one of the new downtempo pioneers"(downtempo as in "a laid-back electronic music style, often referred to as chill out music", just in case you were wondering what the official definition was). Indeed, Allmusic.com describes his music as "laid-back, mellow, nocturnal, freewheeling, and detached." But all these labels and cookie-cutter words aside, tucked between broken drum beats, Latin sounds, funky bass rifts, strings, flutes, vocals, cellos, and computer-generated beats and samples (the list continues), are rhythms which invoke feelings less easily described, and which make Bonobo's sound all the more poignant.

The "laidback", "chill-out" music genre is a hard one to carve a respectable niche into, for there is the constant risk of being too self-indulgent and pretencious as the artist tries for that original jazz-fusion and trendy sound that conjures up smokey lounges, leather couches, top hats and stand-up bass guitars. No matter how many bass rifts, saxophones solos and cello combinations are thrown into a song, the fact is, the artist is still operating within the confines of a computer-generated, beat-driven genre where a relative formulae needs to be followed or it sounds pompous and trying--that, or too abstract, which is another genre in itself. On the other end of the spectrum, the artist may lean on the beat too much, falling into a yet another category of dance music, unable to create enough of a fusion sound, and in the end being too bland, dull, and worn out--like the hundreds of chill-out albums come and gone (you know, the ones played and almost at once shelved away into the recesses of your mind alongside an uncountable collection of unidentifiable down-tempo compilations). It is here, maneuvering between these two extremes of bland dance beats and snobbish chill-out lounge, where Bonobo has identified himself: like America's Thievery Corporation and Austria's Kruder and Dorfmeister, he manages to create a sound that is distinctly enough his--one that manages to strike an original note deep within and therefore find a memorable space set aside on that proverbial shelf in your mind set apart from all those other "chill out" albums; in short, Bonobo engineers a sound that deftly lingers just outside of your music-classification-reach. It may be the heavier-than-average beats he props his jazz-influenced samples up with; or it could be the acoustic sounds he sprinkles throughout the breakbeats which please the less electronically inclined listener; or perhaps it's the vaious asian and international instruments he dabs with, lending a more nostalgic and authentic sound to his dance tracks; or maybe it could be the rather direct, simple and therefore uncondascending framework he roots his songs in... anyway, I digress.

To think why Bonobo's sound works among today's fast-paced society and beat-propelled escapism electronic music, we need to look at the structure of Bonobo's tracks. And, here is where Bonobo "sound" identifies itself the most. For, on the one hand, it is unarguable that Bonobo's song structure can be simplistic, straightfoward and sometimes, for lack of a better word, basic. Yet, it is this exact aspect of his music which provides him with the opportunity to mess around with the "content" of his song as much as he likes without raising his nose at you; Bonobo has the ability to delve as deeply as he wants into jazzy roots, fusion, and acoustic elements without sounding too hauty in a genre which defines itself as being electronic. Allmusic.com attests this point: "Simon Green's Bonobo project may not have the respect of discriminating, forward-thinking electronica fans, but his melody-driven downbeat pop is no less interesting for its lack of processing power -- in fact, Dial "M" for Monkey is more intriguing for its focus on discernible melodies as well as experimental samples" (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:n6rp286l053a). And so, because of this "simplistic" element, the originality of sounds which make up his song become Bonobo's main act: if a song of his lacks original samples, rare combinations of instruments, and meloncholic vocals, his tracks pitter out before tweaking that memorable chord in the listener's mind. Luckily, this is less often than not. Indeed, Bonobo uses an vast array of instruments reminding the audience that he is a band and not only a computer engineer. As a result, he keeps his "sound" rooted in the tangible, where computers meet wood, strings meet samples, and smokey lounges coming crashing in on dance floors.

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Animal Magic (2001). His debut album. This 12" gives the listener a glimpse into what is quintessentaial Bonobo sound, yet can be a bit rough around the edges. A wicked album, paving the way for what is yet to come.

One-offs, remixes and B-sides (2002). Released on the Tru Thoughts Label, this disc is solely responsible for getting me into Bonobo. The remixes are plentiful, and a theme of nostalgia runs pretty deep throughout the song - nostalgia with a chocolate-molasses beat.

Dial M for Monkey (2003). For me, Dial M for Monkey and Animal Magic could've been released together. Sister albums, they play off of one another wondefully well, and where. Animal Magic could feel a bit like eletronic layering, Dial M for Monkey has that more polished feel.

It Came from the Sea (2005). A mix cd of Bonobo's influences, funky and jazzy counterparts with some of his tracks thrown in.

Days to come (2006). This album is beautiful. Like polished oak, there is a deep resin of soul and bass rifts in this album. All which provide a stage for an array of vocals. With this album, Bonobo has taken his sound and added something else entirely to

...And some praise for Bonobo, the monkey king:

"Inspired throughout." - Independent, 4/5
"Bonobo returns triumphant. An outstanding piece of work." - iDJ, 5/5
"A ravishing stew of styles. A man of many talents." - The Sun, 4/5
"A high point in his career to date." - Music Week
"One listen was enough to convince me to bestow 5 stars on this. Without doubt a future classic." - Notion, 5/5
"A simply brilliant piece of music." - Straight No Chaser
"Simply the most stunning tracks Ninja have put out in years… Unmissable." - Stool Pigeon
"Consistently brilliant." - Clash