After Being a Leading Force in Dance for Decades, Bonobo’s Switching Things Up for His New Album: ‘I Don’t Have to Keep Trying to Prove Myself’
Categoria: Musica
British producer Simon Green talks about his stunning new LP Distance in Static, turning 50, and how he’s considering a major change for the project.
Por Billboard | 11/09/2026
For the past 26 years, Bonobo – the moniker for artist, producer and DJ Simon Green – has quietly shaped the sound of British dance music. While Fred again.. and Calvin Harris have made their mark in flashier style, Green’s journey has offered an alternative vision, but no less prestigious: Grammy nominations, his series of popular Outlier parties and seismic performances at venues like London’s Royal Albert Hall and the Sydney Opera House, all while remaining signed to an independent label, Ninja Tune. Put that to Green, a softly-spoken presence, and he is fittingly understated. “I sometimes forget we did all that,” he says, speaking to Billboard U.K. from Ibiza, a quarter of a century on from his 2000 debut Animal Magic . “When you’re in those moments, you’re not really acknowledging them: you just think of the next gig or record.” Reflection is rare, particularly for an artist who has repeatedly innovated their sound. “There’s always a thought of: ‘Let’s just keep moving forward. What can we do next?’” Green’s eighth LP Distance in Static , released Sept. 11, is a prime moment to take stock. The record possesses all that makes Green’s music such an outlier in the contemporary electronic space: thoughtful instrumentation, striking guest vocalists and forthright dancefloor bangers, a combination few of his contemporaries can match. The LP feels like a career-spanning collection of hits, despite featuring entirely new material – a “retrospective feel” that Green notes is “not a backwards-looking one.” He adds, “there are definitely nods to the other records but a broader palette to choose from.” There’s the same lush orchestration as 2017’s Migration – the record that Green says he is most proud of – which earned him a Grammy nomination in the best dance/electronic category, and landed at No. 59 on the Billboard 200. The guest vocalists mirror the ambition of 2013’s The North Borders , which boasted a spot from Erykah Badu; this time, Joy Crookes, Nilüfer Yanya and Arooj Aftab lend their sultry tones. The blend of club-ready heaters and jazz-infused, downtempo beats feel most reminiscent of his 2010 classic Black Sands , which saw Green break cover to become a must-see live act and set the standard for the scene’s recorded ambitions. Does Green agree that Distance in Static feels like a belated, quasi-sequel, even if he’s stumbled into it by accident? “I think that’s a good point,” he says. Tapping into these previous moments was fruitful, but he was wary that nostalgia can be an obstacle to innovation. “ Black Sands takes me back to a specific time in my life, and it’s the same for everyone,” he says. “A lot of people talk about [ Black Sands ] like it’s the one record that I made. But when people say, ‘Oh, I want you to make Black Sands again,’ I think what they really mean is: ‘Can you give me that part of my life back?’” Distance in Static began much the same as all his records have: Green finding moments o