Migration
Ninja Tunes/Inertia
Since emerging on the scene around the turn of the millennium, Bonobo has been consistently releasing music of increasingly high quality. Simon Green – producer, multi-instrumentalist and all round musical genius behind the monkey moniker, can do no wrong.
Starting with the downtempo, jazz-inflected beats of 2001s Animal Magic, he has honed his skills and developed his sounds over six albums. As a pillar of the legendary Ninja Tunes label, he has established himself as one of the UK’s greatest electronic exports, with a unique emotive style and aesthetic that has become a benchmark others strive towards.
Following his biggest album and tour to date, 2013’s The North Borders, he took some time to travel and find new inspiration, fitting in some in-demand DJ sets along the way in the world’s most exclusive locations. As the name implies, Migration was inspired by this inter-continental movement, much of it being written on the road. Green even sampled field recordings from his travels, including an elevator in Hong Kong, rain in Seattle and a New Orleans fan-boat engine.
Migration on the whole is more eclectic than most Bonobo albums. Over its 12 tracks, it’s at times ambient, lush and textured – at others, deep, electronic and housey, but Green always seems to keep the balance right, effortlessly creating expansive soundscapes that find that sweet spot between ambient and clubby vibes, with just the right amount of vocals sprinkled on top.
As anyone who’s seen him live knows, Green’s main instrument is the bass, and that’s what gives his music its deep groove – everything is based around the bass.
The bass takes about two minutes to kick in on the opening/title track, starting slowly with a flickering loop, alongside some delicate piano, played by none other than Jon Hopkins – another ex-pat now based in LA. Nothing in Bonobo land is as simple as it seems. Every track is an intricately constructed patchwork. For Migration, Green built an algorithm in Ableton, in order to randomise short harmonic loops – then had Hopkins improvise alongside these random patterns.
The beautiful Break Apart contains another California connection, featuring sublime vocals from Michael Milosh of LA R&B duo Rhye, which float above a stuttering beat, horns and a diving elastic bassline.
Grains is based around a warped sample of Pete Seeger’s One Grain of Sand, something only Bonobo could make work. Likewise, first single Kerala layers a vocal sample from Brandy’s Baby over blissed out, steppy beats, to great effect.
Second Sun is something quite different for Bonobo – a guitar and piano arpeggio march up and down over a swing beat and rising strings. Very soundtracky. While Ontario employs some exotic eastern strings over on a ratcheted Amon Tobin style beat.
No Reason is the anticipated collaboration with Nick Murphy. Ever since Murphy (as Chet Faker) joined Green on stage at Southbound to sing Grey Reverend’s vocal part on First Fires, it seemed a perfect match. The track features Murphy’s distinct vocals over an anthemic housey beat, that moves into a tougher techy territory towards the end. Maybe it’s the weight of expectation, but you just feel the potential’s there for them to create something even more amazing, but this will certainly do for now.
After repeated listens, it’s the African vibes of Bambro Koyo Ganda, featuring Moroccan band Innov Gnawa, that rises up as the strongest track on the album – an absolutely stormer reminiscent of Leftfield. It works its way up over tribal chants, before a mighty drop kicks in with a wicked descending bassline.
The orchestral Figures with its lunging bassline and twisted melody has a James Blakey vibe, except better, and closes out the album nicely. Migration may take longer to unfurl its inner beauty than other Bonobo albums, but it’s a truly rewarding experience; and another ambitious, sprawling, diverse chapter in this maestro’s story.
ALFRED GORMAN
