TN:144 Bonobo

John sits down with English musician, producer, and DJ Simon Green, better known as Bonobo, to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced works from across his back catalogue.

Bonobo first caught attention with his 1999 debut. Over the years, his evolving sound, often including elements of world music, nu-jazz and electronica, have earned him a devoted following. This popularity surged with the release of critically acclaimed albums including 'Black Sands' and 'The North Borders', released via Ninja Tune, which earned him multiple Grammy nominations and solidified his status as one of the biggest names in dance music. His latest work, the single, ‘Expander’ released in August 2024, is a slice of fresh yet unmistakable Bonobo, weaving organic vocals and instrumentation with vibrant dance floor energy.

Catching up at Baltic Studios, not too far from where Simon recorded his early work, the conversation digs into Bonobo’s creative process, discussing how he builds his unique drum patterns as well as exploring the essential plugins and sounds that shape his distinctive style.

Tracks discussed: Expander, Sapien, Cirrus, Black Sands

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LISTEN to ‘Expander’ here. (lynkify.in/song/expander/lXTujdDB%20)
LISTEN to ‘Fragments’ here. (lynkify.in/album/fragments/gQkOHr6v)
LISTEN to ‘Black Sands’ here. (lynkify.in/album/black-sands/i6PH2lPy)
• Ninja Tune

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GEAR MENTIONS
Knock Drum Buss Plugin (geni.us/RBVWAp)
Soundtoys Decapitator (geni.us/pPArH)
Soundtoys Little Alterboy (geni.us/o8nbO)
Valhalla Room (geni.us/G4N9K)
Valhalla Vintage Verb (geni.us/uFfKpF)
Miroslav Philharmonik Strings (geni.us/t0iXnb)
Slate & Ash Landforms (geni.us/gy0HlZ8)
Slate & Ash Cycles (geni.us/vn1Rq)
Slate & Ash Choreographs (geni.us/O4qpavx)
TB Reelbus (geni.us/ElJhg)
Intellijel Plonk Module (geni.us/74or)
Make Noise Optomix (geni.us/QVdex)
Noise Engineering Basimilus (geni.us/mFPIB9a)
Oberheim Xpander (geni.us/nHLr)
Oberheim OB8 (geni.us/eAM5BXe)
Roland TR-808 (geni.us/lhw8fZa)
Ableton Operator (geni.us/vqza)
Ableton (geni.us/tMpiD)
Logic X

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