ACL Artist Spotlight: Bonobo
Written by Yuliana Bourdin on October 11, 2017
Simon Green aka Barakas aka Mr. Blue aka Bonobo. This talented individual may have many names but his talent shines through each and every one of them. The British artist, producer, and DJ has been part of the music industry since 2000. That year he released 4 EPs and his debut album Animal Magic while signed to Tru Thoughts, which got him recognized as a pioneer of downtempo music. Today, he is one of the biggest names in dance music.
After his first album, Bonobo signed with Ninja Tune and that’s where the magic began and has shined to this day. By blending the very real sounds of instruments that flow through the air with electronic cut-and-paste beats, he encompasses everything that Ninja Tune wants to put out as the label’s sound. His second and third albums Dial “M” for Monkey (2003) and Days to Come (2006) increased his appearance in media-related fields. Black Sands (2010) portrayed his further musical expansion into the attuned sounds of instruments and started to bring forth his recognition in the dance genre. The North Borders (2013) was the major turning point that made him a must-see live act as the album’s 18-month tour put him in front of a collective audience of 2 million people.
Early this year he released his sixth album Migration, which won Album of the Year at the Electronic Music Awards on Sept. 21. The album got plenty of praise and is perhaps his greatest collection. It is filled with lovely melodies that harmonize especially well with the dance quality of the tracks that don’t quite follow the regular metronomic beat of the genre.
Since 2010 Green has been touring with a full band in order to liven up his performances with a wider range of musical execution, which allows room for improv and instrumental solos on the studio materials. Between albums, he still enjoys touring as a solo DJ so if you keep an eye out, you could catch Mr. Blue.
This year, Bonobo has been touring for his latest album, playing at festivals like Life is Beautiful, North Coast Music Festival and Rifflandia and soon will be stopping by ACL on both Fridays during the October 6-8 and 13-15 weekends. To catch him there, buy your tickets here.
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