Simon Green was sick of beats. Sitting backstage at Auckland’s Town Hall on the eve of a sold-out show, the artist better known as Bonobo confesses “I found the scene a little too self-righteous. It wasn’t fun anymore.”
Bonobo AKA Simon Green Photo: supplied
Bonobo is one of the longest-serving artists on London's Ninja Tune label, home to Coldcut, Amon Tobin, Cinematic Orchestra, and many more. The common thread is an interest in big, chunky drum beats. Calling it instrumental hip-hop is an oversimplification, but that's the gist.
The key to reigniting Green's musical passion came from immersion in London’s electronic music scene, attending the infamous Plastic People club night (championed by the likes of Four Tet), and embracing its emerging post-dubstep sounds (think Burial).
Electronic music has always fed on itself, and part of the key to Green’s longevity (he’s been at this for nearly 20 years), has been incorporating fresh sounds into his arsenal. Despite this, he still gets tagged as “trip hop”, a label that causes him to bristle when he catches himself saying it. “For me trip hop was a very specific thing that happened between 3 or 4 years. A Bristol dub sound. It’s funny how that sound is still sort of being dragged through the mud.”
Green’s latest Migration was made on the road during a global tour, its name intended to suggest the fluidity of music and culture in 2017. For the first time, he had a portable studio of sorts – a library of sounds and a laptop. Songs were created in planes and vans, each inspired by their location. “I briefly flirted with the idea of naming every song after the place of its conception. But then Bon Iver did that, so that idea got vetoed pretty quickly.”
Simon Green and Szjerdene Photo: Tony Stamp
When Green takes the stage that night, he’s backed by a 10-piece band including brass and string sections. A few years ago, he made a decision: “I didn’t want to do the ‘one dude nodding into a laptop’ thing”.
What’s grown from that is an extravagant setup that electronic music isn’t usually afforded, and speaks to the reputation Bonobo has after so long in the game. He certainly isn’t sick of beats anymore, and he’s still one of the best in the world at producing them.
Review: Bonobo at the Auckland Town Hall
The UK beat-maker played an extravagant first-ever NZ concert last night, replete with string and brass sections. Tony Stamp was there.
