Man that brings back great memories, a time when there was no smartphone or streaming services, I listened to this album on repeat on my USB MP3 player and Bonobo sounded very impressive, detailed, unique and new to me back then.
Ever since I heard "Flutter" and "Pick Up" playing SSX: On Tour during winter break in 2005, this guy has been the artist I share with everyone I know. It's cool to finally see how the magic happens.
He’s a living example of creativity = 10% inspiration + 90% perspiration. A wonderful chap and musician. Saw him at Forward Fest with Aphex Twin last weekend here in Bristol U.K.
He sure is! I saw them both at Field Day last month! Such a crazy day. AFX at forward was mental too! I do prefer Simons older albums though. His housey vibes since Migration are not my cup of tea.
I've been looking for something like this for years! This is so cool... just the inspiration I needed. Here I was thinking that this album was all random jazz and world music samples... he did all these parts in the studio! That is epic. I don't know how he does it. He's one of the few artists that I can just listen to endlessly and I never get tired of it.
Thank you so much for posting this! Theres another old video of Bonobo demonstrating how he composed the track "Kiara" - its online ,albiet low quality, but I still watch it often to catch a bit of inspiration. I'm just a huge fan of Bonobo's work.
around 11:30 he takes off the top of a wurli and shows the crazy stereo sounds you can get out of micing the top. effortless musical genius, what an ear for delightful sounds.
Thank you so much for uploading this. Simon is a major inspiration to me and it was great to peer into his mind. I would love to see his creative process now.
I have loved his music for so many years! Finally saw him live last year in Bristol (Aphex Twin was the other reason why I went there). He’s a brilliant guy.
There's huge inspiration from Arthur Verocai's 'Sylvia' track opening. He states that he would typically sample, but was moving away from doing so with new recordings. The different parts make an amazing, different whole. Bajkas lines and vocals elevate it, right up there, in the clouds.
I was hoping he'd explain how he came up with that "squeaking" sound at 16:50. Probably rubbed finger on a window or asked one of the string players to hit something like a harmonic and map it. Alas we'll never know!