Review: Bonobo – The North Borders

Three years since ‘Black Sands’, Bonobo is back and he faces his greatest challenge to date. Having created a masterpiece he now has to follow it up. While many would crumble under the pressure and record something completely insane under a new alias before unsuccessfully trying to recapture the magic of the old days, Bonobo is made of sterner stuff. ‘The North Borders’ is an ambitious follow-up and does not disappoint, challenging what has gone before it and absorbing just a hint of his contemporaries.

The press release claims that “there was no sudden, viral internet sensation, no one- off big hit, no abrupt, accidental alignment with the zeitgeist. Instead, over the course of four albums, myriad tours, singles, remixes and production work for other artists, he quietly but very definitely became one of the most important artists in electronic music.” However, I wouldn’t say that’s entirely true; at least from my vantage point. His first three albums did gradually build his profile, slowly being passed between those in the know with some occasional airplay. They’re right to say there was no viral explosion, but when ‘Black Sands’ dropped something was different. The production matured greatly from ‘Days To Come’ (unsurprising given the four year gap between the two records) and something about the arrangements, the soulful melodies and the departure from a sound that, like it or not, did adhere to a few different electronic styles.

Before ‘Black Sands’ Simon Green’s music was a combination between trip-hop and IDM. While technically accomplished and with a few catchy tracks, there wasn’t much in the way of hooks or anything that would immediately grab the listener and lodge itself in their brain. But with ‘Black Sands’, Green began to explore more organic sounds, bringing in strings and an almost folk aesthetic into the mix. Broadening the appeal, this album found itself in the record collections of inde kids, hip-hoppers, ravers, dubsteppers and folk enthusiasts. It straddled a lot of different scenes without sacrificing anything. In fact, that album was arguably the launch pad for a lot of the “future garage” and electronica being enjoyed today.

You may wonder why I embarked on that massive tangent. I wanted to explain why that was such a landmark album for Green and electronic music as a whole. I also wanted to illustrate the sheer scale of the challenge Green faced with this new album. Judging by the sound of it, its predecessor was a gift and a curse. It was a gift because the remix album brought in artists like Four Tet, Banks and FaltyDL and may well have influenced Green in his productions, giving him a few options when deciding which direction to go in with the ‘Black Sands’ follow-up. It was a curse because it is an album that many would consider impossible to surpass. What the hell was he going to do to follow that up?

It turns out he decided that rather than fighting the legacy of ‘Black Sands’ it would be smarter to build on it, take the next logical progressive step. ‘The North Borders’ is an admirable follow-up to ‘Black Sands’, mixing organic sonic textures, vocals and breakbeat into something beautiful and melodic. Tracks like ‘Emkay’ remind you straight away what makes this guy great. A sultry sax and a minimal double bass guide the listener gracefully through some of the most seductive vocals I’ve heard in a while. ‘Heaven For The Sinner’, the entrancing collaboration with Erykah Badu, has already proved to be another fan favourite with plenty of syrupy, hypnotic, vocals to envelope yourself in.

I would, of course, be selling this album incredibly short were I to leave out the album’s keystone, ‘Cirrus’. A plodding beat and warm, slow bass provide the perfect bed for a playful dance between what sounds like a xylophone, some back-masked bells and a few other things I decipher. Not only is this record full of devastatingly simple melodies, it can also be enjoyed countless times over while you process the full palette that’s at play. To say you can hear the influence of artists like Four Tet or Caribou would not diminish the brilliance of this track. Anyone wanting to search out electronica in the same vein as Four Tet’s ‘Smile Around The Face’ or Caribou’s ‘Odessa’ will get a real thrill from this album. Of course, I should punctuate that with the caveat that one should always be looking forward, etc. It’s just nice to get taken back to the golden age and to hear something with some real soul; something that really inspires emotion, whether it’s joy or sadness. Fortunately, this album inspires both in equally dizzying quantities.

‘The North Borders’ will be released on 1st April through Ninja Tune.