Bonobo
Animal Magic

From the respected stable of Ninja Tune certainly stands out the talented British DJ Simon Green, better known as Bonobo, who by now possesses a background-fame of notable significance, also (and not only) due to his prestigious collaborations alongside the most renowned electronic gurus, Coldcut, and Amon Tobin among others. Simon has produced many interesting works, but among the many albums, EPs, and DJ mixes he has created, his debut "Animal Magic" deserves a closer look. It was conceived in 2000 (when he was just eighteen), initially released by Tru Thoughts, later (in 2001) reissued on the glorious label of Matt & Jonathan.

"Animal Magic" is a surrogate, almost a preview, of what would eventually become the well-established and highly personal Bonobostyle, which would earn him much critical acclaim. Forget about the refined salon finesse of K&D, trip hop front-female-vocal, and the relaxing pads of certain lounge music. Bonobo, with his "abstract-trip-hip-hop-lounge-downtempo-future-jazz", will astound you, blending this and so much more to make you travel with elegant tunes, while thrilling you with undeniably powerful beats! The Englishman falls into that respectable circle of extremely versatile musicians who create equally varied and difficult to categorize products, so many are the references to other genres. (But beware, this is not about simple copy-pasting that allows you to fit a track into one genre over another, but rather a total mix, compact and incredibly balanced).

Who would have thought, for instance, that a jazz double bass-style riff (did someone mention So What?) could be midi-electronically transformed into a bewildering dark and obsessive introduction? Yet this is "Intro", the brief opening track which, like the stunning "Dinosaurs" with its mysterious progression, and the refined "Shadowtricks" with its delightful sax, borrows here from Jazz, there from Trip Hop, without ever making it too obvious! And that the airy female vocals of "Sleepy Seven" would stop being exclusive to Télépopmusik and be used behind a striking (and structurally innovative) Hip Hop sound desk? Clearly, the power of beats plays a primary role in this debut. It is a well-known characteristic of Green's, a thesis supported by moments like the seductive "Kota", and "Silver", a true masterpiece of the album where the old meets the new: a succession of violins, trumpets, piano, a jazzy atmosphere, restarts (enthusiastic the bridge halfway through the track), flangers and elaborations worthy of master and friend Tobin, follow a driving beat not lacking in low frequencies, which admittedly, somewhat clashes with that damn melancholic and retro atmosphere.

"What do I care about the big hip hop box and these jazz things? Hey Yosiffe, I read Trip hop and I wanted trip hop like Portishead!" Calm down, here come the warm sections of synthesized strings, and the soft chants of "The Plug", the rhodes of "Gipsy", and the sensual mic-fairies of "Terrapin" (pay special attention to the complex traveling melodic textures complete with sitar, of the latter). No objections here, all are fantastic trips with an idyllic atmosphere, a peculiarity that finds its ultimate expression in the fascinating "Sugar Rhyme", dark and gloomy like few others.

Need more? This album is simply amazing, and its mind deserves further exploration by listening to the subsequent releases (always at high levels). Start with "Animal Magic," you can't miss it!