TN:144 Bonobo

Tape Notes

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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• Ninja Tune

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Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective

GEAR MENTIONS

Knock Drum Buss Plugin

Soundtoys Decapitator

Soundtoys Little Alterboy

Valhalla Room

Valhalla Vintage Verb

Miroslav Philharmonik Strings

Slate & Ash Landforms

Slate & Ash Cycles

Slate & Ash Choreographs

TB Reelbus

Intellijel Plonk Module

Make Noise Optomix

Noise Engineering Basimilus

Oberheim Xpander

Oberheim OB8

Roland TR-808

Ableton Operator

Ableton

Logic X

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