V4YS Album Review - Bonobo - The North Borders (Ninja Tune Records)

With his fifth LP, The North Borders, UK bass-player & producer Bonobo (aka Simon Green) offers us his most fascinating work to date.

After the mesmerizing Black Sands, this new musical journey reaches a new high when it comes to blur the lines between electronic music and organic sounds. If it borrows the majority of its rhythmic frames from the deep house and bass music space, the infinite finesse of each track's sound texture firmly anchors it in a soulful downtempo world that Bonobo keeps conquering, record after record.
A new brilliant guest-list of singers (from Erykah Badu to exciting new underground talents like Szerjerdene, Grey Reverend and Cornelia) bring a subtle note to an incredibly poetic experience.

Out now on Ninja Tune, The North Borders is my favorite LP so far in 2013, so don't miss it !

Some of my favorite extracts below :



Avec son cinquième album, The North Borders, le bassiste et producteur britannique Bonobo (aka Simon Green) nous offre sans doute son oeuvre la plus fascinante à ce jour.
Après le subjuguant Black Sands, ce nouveau voyage musical efface un peu plus les frontières floues entre electro et instrumentation plus classique. S'il emprunte la plupart de ses lignes rythmiques à la deep house et à la "bass music" anglaise, l'infinie finesse de la texture sonore de chaque titre encre ce nouvel opus dans un univers "soulful downtempo" que Bonobo n'a de cesse de réinventer, disque après disque, pour notre plus grand bonheur. Ajoutez une nouvelle remarquable liste de guests au chant (depuis l'incontournable Erykah Badu jusqu'à de jolies découvertes comme Szerjerdene, Grey Reverend and Cornelia) et vous obtenez un ensemble d'une incroyable poésie.
Sorti sur Ninja Tune, The North Borders est sans aucun doute mon album favori de ce premier trimestre 2013, ne passez pas à côté !

Ci-dessus extraits de mes titres favoris.

Bonobo - "The North Borders", first extracts

After the great deep house track Cirrus, released a few weeks ago, here comes another brillant teaser from Bonobo's forthcoming new album The North Borders.

Back to his distinctive poetic downtempo universe with this beautiful Heaven For The Sinners featuring Erykah Badu herself on the vocals !

Streaming of both tracks below:

V4YS Album Review - Bonobo - Black Sands Remixed (Ninja Tune)

Beautifully blending his producer's unique downtempo universe with shades of UK bass music and hints of nu-soul, Bonobo's fourth LP Black sands received a much deserved praise in 2010 following its release on Ninja Tune.

24 months later the always prescient label revisits this reference record with a remixed version gathering some of the electronic music scene's most groundbreaking producers.
Floating Points, Machinedrum, Mark Pritchard, FaltyDL, just to name a few, offer us their interpretations of the original LP with a particular emphasis on the single Eyesdown which revealed at the time singer Andreya Triana.

Dubstep, house, broken and abstract beats, the spectrum of styles present in this remixed edition is wide and not only is a remarkable extension of Bonobo's work but also a perfect snapshot of some of the most innovating parts of the current electro world.

Below a couple of short extracts from Ninja Tune, Eyesdown by DELS and and Eyesdown remixed by Machinedrum :






Retrouvez cette review en français sur le site WeGoFunk !

V4YS Concert Review - Bonobo Live Band Feat. Andreya Triana - Live At Le Trianon, Paris, 130411

Andreya Triana, Le Trianon, Apr11

Après une série de concerts acoustiques en 2010 à la suite de la sortie de son très bon 4ème album "Black Sands", c'est en version grand orchestre que Bonobo (aka Simon Green) continue de faire vivre sur scène ses productions. De passage au Trianon, il nous a offert un très bon moment downtempo/nujazz accompagné d'une dizaine de musiciens (avec notamment une section cuivres et un trio de violons).

Bonobo, Le Trianon, Apr11

Aux commandes des samples tout en jouant de son instrument de prédilection, la basse, il avait aussi emmené dans ses bagages la remarquable chanteuse Andreya Triana dont on a souvent parlé sur ce blog l'an passé à l'occasion de sa participation remarquée sur Black Sands mais aussi de la sortie de son premier album solo "Lost Where I Belong". Alternant les titres des premiers disques de Simon (notamment plusieurs extraits de "Dial M For Monkey") et les morceaux de son dernier opus, le groupe a déroulé sur scène une orchestration très travaillée (non sans rappeler l'approche live de Cinematic Orchestra qui restent les maîtres du genre à mon goût) où il manquait peut-être un petit zeste d'improvisation et de folie pour que la soirée prenne encore plus d'ampleur.

A noter aussi la brillante participation sur deux titres de Ruby Wood, la chanteuse de Submotion Orchestra, groupe electro-jazz dont je vous recommande chaudement le premier Ep, "Finest Hour", paru en 2010 en attendant très bientôt leur premier album.

Andreya Triana, Le Trianon, Apr11

After a series of acoustic live shows in 2010 following the release of his great 4th album "Black Sands", Bonono (aka Simon Green) is currently touring with an large orchestra featuring both a horns and a string section. 
At the lovely Le Trianon theater in northern Paris, the band delivered an ambitious downtempo/nujazz show reminiscent of Cinematic Orchestra live performances.
Andreya Triana, whose name was often quoted on the blog last year following her outstanding contribution on "Black Sands" but also the release of her first LP "Lost Where I Belong", was also there to add her folksy soulful vocals on several tracks. Alternating songs from Simon earlier productions (mosty notably fom the famous LP "Dial M For Monkey") and from "Black Sands", they presented a finely-worked orchestration where the only thing missing to me was a hint of improvisation. 
Worth mentionning as well was the brilliant contribution of Submotion Orchestra singer Ruby Wood on two tracks. I actually highly recommend anyone not familiar with this Leeds-based electro-jazz band to check their outstanding first Ep "Finest Hour", a promessing production anticipating their soon-to-be released first LP.

V4YS Album Review - Andreya Triana - Lost Where I Belong (Ninjatune)

Here is an album I have been expecting these last few months as I particularly enjoyed Uk singer Andreya Triana first featurings with artists such as Flying Lotus or Bonobo (on his brilliant latest LP called "Black Sands, review here).

This positive impression was also confirmed with the release earlier this year of her first solo single "Lost Where I Belong", a beautiful "folkish" song where her deep voice blends perfectly with a Bonobo-made acoustic melody.

So here it is!
This first Lp, also titled "Lost Where I Belong", produced by Bonobo on Ninjatune is a rather short album with only 9 tracks. Suffice it to say this is more than enough to demonstrate the lady's songwriting and interpretation talent!
On a musical frame oscillating between folk, soul and downtempo, Andreya delivers her river of words in an intimate way. Sweet as she may be, her voice offers a subtle dose of harshness and gravity that give her work a feeling of maturity and genuineness.
True, I had hoped that she would have explored more musical universes than downtempo ballads in this Lp as she brilliantly did in her multiple prior collaborations as a guest (electro, funkier sounds...). Let's say she has ample time to widen her solo scope in future productions!

Having seen her for a great short live shocase with Fink and Bonobo earlier this year during Gilles Peterson's worldwide awards (review here) I hope she'll be soon presenting live this album in small and intimate venues.

Below a streaming of one of my favorite track, "Draw The Stars", where the complicity with Bonobo's magical musical atmosphere is at his best :



And a beautiful acoustic version of the single, "Lost Where I Belong" :

V4YS Ep/Album Review - Bonobo - Black Sands (NinjaTune)

Bonobo (Simon Green) is well known by most downtempo/electronica lovers for the diversity and quality of his first 3 albums released on Ninja Tune in 01, 03 and 06. An outstanding musician (originally bass player) and a master in the use of the multiple opportunities brought by the computer age, his signature is a downtempo electro sound where discontructed beats, complex samples, heavy basslines and warm vocal collaborations often are at the forefront.
His new album, "Black Sands", stands up to the high standards set by his previous works.

The new Lp starts with an amazing combination : the light and exotic "Prelude" melts into "Kiara" where its strings melody with a kind of asian aftertaste gets more bewitching as a slow and heavy bass beat enters the scene.
Waouuw what a beginning!
Now you've started your journey, and you'll easily let yourself float to the rythms of jazzy downtempo tracks ("Kong","The Keeper", "Animals", "Back Sands") reminiscent of Ninja Tune mates "The Cinematic Orchestra" , deep two-steps gems ("Eyesdown", "1009" ) or typical Bonobo latin-flavored sweets ("El Toro", "We Could Forever").
Uk-based singer Andreya Triana adds a smooth nu-soul tone on three tracks, we are waiting in the months to come her first Lp with great hopes.

So to conclude, we have nothing else to say but a loud and clear "bravo" to Bonobo. Go get this album you won't regret it!

Below a free mix by Ninja Tune of the Lp, and a youtube link of the fantastic "Eyesdown" single featuring Andreya Triana.

Bonobo 'Black Sands' Album Mini Mix by Ninja Tune