Bonobo, also known as the musical magician that is Simon Green, has recently released his fifth full-length album The North Borders, a collection of perfectly chilled electronic tracks and his best one to date. Bonobo appears to have permeated the electronic music scene silently and seamlessly, building up a small fan-base merely from his musical merit alone, with most critical acclaim resulting from his last album, Black Sands, and his latest work is set to be recognised among the mainstream.
‘The North Borders’ follows on from Bonobo’s previous work, incorporating the same trip hop and deep electronica influences seen in previous albums, but progressing the music’s sound: Green integrates more complex bass lines and jazz-infused influences, a combination which makes for something delicious and intriguing.
The album’s stand-out tracks are by far ‘Cirrus’ and ‘Heaven for the Sinner’, which Green managed to get R&B quasi-legend Erykah Badu to feature in. ‘Cirrus’ blends dreamy percussive sounds with a trance-like beat and marks the greatest progression in Bonobo’s body of work, while ‘Heaven for the Sinner’ is an easy listen, its laid-back melodies flowing effortlessly and providing an intriguing listen before the more subtle tracks feature on the album.
The record drifts into more subdued tones as the track-list progresses, with the penultimate track ‘Transits’ embodying this very feeling, which means the whole album finishes leaving you with a feeling of ethereality and intoxication.
For an artist who has been working for so long in perfecting his new breed of electronic music, Bonobo has shown that the music industry is starting to open its mind to the possibility of a multitude of sub-genres. To the unaccustomed ear, The North Borders may seem a little strange or obtuse, but Simon Green holds no pretentions. This is honest, expressive electronic music at its very best.