Bonobo

Vinyl Records and Rare LPs:

	Fragments New Import - ZEN279 Sealed 2022 2LP 140gm Standard Black Vinyl Version. Includes Collaborations With Jamila Woods, Jordan Rakei, Kadhja Bonet & Joji. "Simon Green Began Working On His Seventh Studio Album As Bonobo At The Beginning Of 2020, As Dancefloors Around The World Were Closing Due To The Covid-19 Pandemic. In The Past, Green Had Typically Created Music While Touring, But This Time He Was Able To Stay Grounded And Concentrate, Creating The Record In A Self-built Studio In Los Angeles. Appearing A Few Years After Bonobo's Underappreciated Fabric Presents Mix, Fragments Has More Of A Focus On Club-driven Material Than Green's Previous Full-lengths, Yet It's Still Composed And Structured As A Proper Album Rather Than Just A Collection Of Tracks. His Productions Are Just The Right Balance Of Lush And Gritty, Blending Rich String Arrangements By Miguel Atwood-ferguson And Lovely Harp Playing By Lara Somogyi With Modular Synth Swells And Soulful Organs. Green's Sound Is Refined And Accessible, Yet Never Too Slick Or Loaded With Artificial Feel-good Vibes Like A Lot Of Commercial, Ibiza-friendly House. The Disembodied Vocal Sample On "Rosewood" ("I Won't Leave You") Is Mysterious And Stirring, While "Otomo" Uses A Haunting Choral Sample That Sounds Like Something Deep Forest Would've Employed In The Early '90s, But Sets It To More Of A Charging Breakbeat Rhythm. "Closer" And "Sapien" Both Feature Garage-influenced Beat Patterns And Hazy Synth Textures, And Could Easily Mix With Bicep Tracks Without Being Mistaken For Them. As Impressive As Fragments' Dance Tracks Are, Two Of The Downtempo Tunes Are Easily The Most Memorable Ones On The Album. On "Tides," Green Pulls Back The Curtain A Bit In Order To Spotlight Jamila Woods' Tender Lyrics; He Praises Woods' Contribution For Providing A Centerpiece And Giving Focus To The Record, And He's Right On The Mark. Kadhja Bonet Guests On The Album-concluding "Day By Day," And Her Delicate Vocals Tiptoe Through Sturdy Beats And Gently Rising Strings, Providing A Message Of Hope And Patience." AMG Review By Paul Simpson. more
	Fragments New Import - ZEN279X Sealed 2022 Original 2 LP Deluxe Edition, On Crystal Clear Vinyl, Housed In Wider-Spine, Non-Gatefold Jacket With Lenticular Sleeve & Four Art Prints. Includes Collaborations With Jamila Woods, Jordan Rakei, Kadhja Bonet & Joji. "Simon Green Began Working On His Seventh Studio Album As Bonobo At The Beginning Of 2020, As Dancefloors Around The World Were Closing Due To The Covid-19 Pandemic. In The Past, Green Had Typically Created Music While Touring, But This Time He Was Able To Stay Grounded And Concentrate, Creating The Record In A Self-built Studio In Los Angeles. Appearing A Few Years After Bonobo's Underappreciated Fabric Presents Mix, Fragments Has More Of A Focus On Club-driven Material Than Green's Previous Full-lengths, Yet It's Still Composed And Structured As A Proper Album Rather Than Just A Collection Of Tracks. His Productions Are Just The Right Balance Of Lush And Gritty, Blending Rich String Arrangements By Miguel Atwood-ferguson And Lovely Harp Playing By Lara Somogyi With Modular Synth Swells And Soulful Organs. Green's Sound Is Refined And Accessible, Yet Never Too Slick Or Loaded With Artificial Feel-good Vibes Like A Lot Of Commercial, Ibiza-Friendly House. The Disembodied Vocal Sample On "Rosewood" ("I Won't Leave You") Is Mysterious And Stirring, While "Otomo" Uses A Haunting Choral Sample That Sounds Like Something Deep Forest Would've Employed In The Early '90s, But Sets It To More Of A Charging Breakbeat Rhythm. "Closer" And "Sapien" Both Feature Garage-influenced Beat Patterns And Hazy Synth Textures, And Could Easily Mix With Bicep Tracks Without Being Mistaken For Them. As Impressive As Fragments' Dance Tracks Are, Two Of The Downtempo Tunes Are Easily The Most Memorable Ones On The Album. On "Tides," Green Pulls Back The Curtain A Bit In Order To Spotlight Jamila Woods' Tender Lyrics; He Praises Woods' Contribution For Providing A Centerpiece And Giving Focus To The Record, And He's Right On The Mark. Kadhja Bonet Guests On The Album-concluding "Day By Day," And Her Delicate Vocals Tiptoe Through Sturdy Beats And Gently Rising Strings, Providing A Message Of Hope And Patience." AMG Review By Paul Simpson. more
	Fragments New Import - ZEN279X Sealed 2022 Original 2 LP Deluxe Edition, On Crystal Clear Vinyl, Housed In Wider-Spine, Non-Gatefold Jacket With Lenticular Sleeve & Four Art Prints. Includes Collaborations With Jamila Woods, Jordan Rakei, Kadhja Bonet & Joji. "Simon Green Began Working On His Seventh Studio Album As Bonobo At The Beginning Of 2020, As Dancefloors Around The World Were Closing Due To The Covid-19 Pandemic. In The Past, Green Had Typically Created Music While Touring, But This Time He Was Able To Stay Grounded And Concentrate, Creating The Record In A Self-built Studio In Los Angeles. Appearing A Few Years After Bonobo's Underappreciated Fabric Presents Mix, Fragments Has More Of A Focus On Club-driven Material Than Green's Previous Full-lengths, Yet It's Still Composed And Structured As A Proper Album Rather Than Just A Collection Of Tracks. His Productions Are Just The Right Balance Of Lush And Gritty, Blending Rich String Arrangements By Miguel Atwood-ferguson And Lovely Harp Playing By Lara Somogyi With Modular Synth Swells And Soulful Organs. Green's Sound Is Refined And Accessible, Yet Never Too Slick Or Loaded With Artificial Feel-good Vibes Like A Lot Of Commercial, Ibiza-friendly House. The Disembodied Vocal Sample On "Rosewood" ("I Won't Leave You") Is Mysterious And Stirring, While "Otomo" Uses A Haunting Choral Sample That Sounds Like Something Deep Forest Would've Employed In The Early '90s, But Sets It To More Of A Charging Breakbeat Rhythm. "Closer" And "Sapien" Both Feature Garage-influenced Beat Patterns And Hazy Synth Textures, And Could Easily Mix With Bicep Tracks Without Being Mistaken For Them. As Impressive As Fragments' Dance Tracks Are, Two Of The Downtempo Tunes Are Easily The Most Memorable Ones On The Album. On "Tides," Green Pulls Back The Curtain A Bit In Order To Spotlight Jamila Woods' Tender Lyrics; He Praises Woods' Contribution For Providing A Centerpiece And Giving Focus To The Record, And He's Right On The Mark. Kadhja Bonet Guests On The Album-concluding "Day By Day," And Her Delicate Vocals Tiptoe Through Sturdy Beats And Gently Rising Strings, Providing A Message Of Hope And Patience." AMG Review By Paul Simpson. more
	Migration New Import - ZEN236 Sealed 2017 180gm 2LP Standard Version, EU Import. Housed In A Wide-Spine Single LP Sleeve, With Two Custom Printed Inner Sleeves Containing Liner Notes. "Following The Release Of His Most Successful Album To Date, 2013's The North Borders, As Well As An Even More Triumphant World Tour, British Producer Bonobo (Simon Green) Returned In 2017 With His Sixth Proper Studio Full-length, Migration. The Album Was Partially Inspired By His Touring Experiences, But Also By The Death Of A Relative. Green's Family Is Spread Out Across The World, And They All Reconvened In Brighton, England For The Funeral. These Types Of Experiences Cause Green To Question What Identity Means, And Where A Person Is From If He Or She Is Constantly Moving. As With All Bonobo Recordings, Green Absorbs A Multitude Of Cultural Influences Here, From The Underground Club Sounds Of London To American Folk Songs. Strangely Enough, Other Than "Bambro Koyo Ganda," A Collaboration With New York-based Moroccan Group Innov Gnawa, The Album Somehow Sounds Less Exotic Than Some Of His Other Releases. This Isn't Meant As A Complaint, Though, As Green Has Always Demonstrated A Talent For Blending Disparate Elements Into A Cohesive Sound. As Ever, He Excels At Incorporating Acoustic Instruments And Drums In A Manner That Makes It Difficult To Tell If They're Being Played Live Or Sampled And Chopped Up -- He Devised An Algorithm For The Drum Programming, Yet It Sounds Human Rather Than Computer Generated. "Ontario" Is Built On Booming, Crackly Breakbeats Reminiscent Of The Classic '90s Ninja Tune Sound, But The Suspenseful Swelling Horns And Delicate Acoustic Guitars And Rhodes Keyboards Take Center Stage. Other Tracks Are More Club-focused And Employ Shuffling 2-step Rhythms Or Thumping House Beats, But The Warm, Emotive Melodies Are What Drive The Songs. Emotionally, Migration Continues Down The Dusky Path Of The North Borders. It's Not An Outright Gloomy Or Depressing Album, But It's Certainly Not A Carefree, Relaxing Chill-out Record Either. Tracks Like "Grains" (Built Around An Eerie Yet Homely Pete Seeger Sample) Seem World-weary But Contemplative And Quietly Transcendent, And The Brandy-sampling "Kerala" Is More Outwardly Ecstatic. The Album Ends On A Subdued Note With "Figures," Which Slices Up Vocal Extracts From "Just An Excuse" By Elkie Brooks. House Fans Will Recognize The Sample From When Moodymann Flipped It For His Instant Classic "Why Do U Feel" In 2012, But Bonobo's Take Is Subtle And Reflective Rather Than Heart-wrenching, And It Feels Like It's Approaching The Sentiment From A Different Angle. With Migration, Green Blends The Unexpected With The Familiar And Emerges With Some Of His Most Affecting Work Yet." AGM Review By Paul Simpson. more
	The North Borders New Import - ZEN195 Sealed (Just) 2013 180gm UK Original. "On His 2013 Release The North Borders, British Producer Simon Green (Aka Bonobo) Continues Along The Organic-meets-electronic Path That His 2010 Release Black Sands Followed, But This Walk Takes Place As It's Turning To Dusk, And There Are Varying Degrees Of Mist And Chilliness Along The Way. Opener "First Fires" With Grey Reverend (Singer/songwriter L.d. Brown) Sounds Like It Could Be Quite Warm, But It's Entirely Autumn-minded Sweater Music That Wistfully Wonders What To Do With "Faded Dreams" As Green Allows Bits Of Glitchy Sunlight To Shine Through His Cloudy Synth Construction. "Emkay" Is The Clangs And Echoes Of A Seaside Port At Night That Wonderfully Shuffles Its Way Up To A Lighthouse Tune, Then There's Majestic Songstress Erykah Badu Wonderfully Vibing ("We Don't Need No Truth/got Plenty/now It Grows On Trees") On "Heaven For The Sinner" Over Bonobo's Deep Version Of The Broken Beat. "Towers" Suggests Sleepy Urban Buildings In Twilight With A Vibraphone Representing The Little Bits Of Life And Light That Will Sparkle Through The Night, While "Don't Wait" Is Just Before The Dawn, As Innocent Chimes Chase Away The Eerie Things That Lurk In The Darkness. Still, It's Not All Drifting As The Great "Know You" Drops A Jazzy Breakbeat While The High Stepper "Ten Tigers" Struts To Something Sounding Like An Inverted Handclap, Although There's Little Here That Will Make Sleeping Cats Jump Off The Couch. Fine Song Structure And An Overall Album Flow That's Nearly Perfect Are Things Bonobo Regulars Might Expect At This Point, But His Discography Hasn’t Offered Up A Rainy Day Soundtrack So Fitting Until This One, So Hope The Weatherman Has Bad News And Plan On Staying In." AMG Review By David Jefferies. more