Simon Green turned 50 this year. He has been releasing albums as Bonobo for half his life; Distance in Static is his eighth, and as he prepares for the next phase of his life, he nimbly pulls the eject lever and waves goodbye to the rat race one last time. A new life as a filmmaker, visual artist or DJ behind the decks awaits. This isn’t the first time Bonobo has defied the status quo. In the 2000s, he made a name for himself with music whose precursors would still have been tagged on iTunes as ‘Nu Jazz’ or ‘Mo’ Wax’ – organic, sample-based sounds with plenty of soul and hip-hop in their DNA. But dancing is fun too, which is why he chose to focus on more club-friendly tracks. If Distance in Static is to be cautiously regarded as a farewell, the music is therefore anything but cautious.
Tracks such as the euphoric ‘Cycles’, which veers towards trance, and the bubblegum bass in ‘Me and You’ sum up well how time has never stood still for Bonobo either. Garage-style beats, such as those on the hit-worthy, deeply rumbling ‘Talk to Me’, should not be overlooked. Should Bonobo do more DJing in future, however, that might not be such a huge change after all. Even on his own tracks, he knows how to give other musicians the space they need and deserve. Featured guests such as Nicole Miglis and Aanya Martin are, thanks to their vocal work, the secret stars of the album.
