In conversation with genre bending musician Bonobo

Bonobo's music transcends genres. The Brighton-born, New York-based producer and DJ has a discography spanning jazz, garage, soul, deep house and trip-hop. No wonder then that the 'downtempo' tag (or any tag for that matter) often gets his goat.

With his 2010 album Black Sands, Bonobo revolutionised the face of electronic music. His soundscapes — the masterful use of beats, textures and refinement of everyday sounds like train doors opening, coins falling in water, or the scrunching of plastic bottles — gave the digital generation the organic, uplifting music it was looking for. This is electronic music with both heart and intellect.

Fresh off concluding his sold-out The North Borders tour in London's Alexandra Palace, Bonobo preps for his Mumbai visit and gives an exhaustive interview:

175 shows in 30 countries, and still counting. What took you so long to decide to come to India?

I don't know really. It's crazy because I have loved India all my life. I wanted to take a year off from college and travel to India. So India was on the top of my list, somewhere I always wanted to go. It's just that we've been going non-stop with the live show since last April. We've pretty much gone twice around the world. I'm just glad we are finally making it to India. It's going to be exciting.

I heard you gave up your apartment in NYC and are technically homeless since you've been on the road for so long.

You've heard right! We've been going non-stop with the live show since last April. Out of six months, I've only lived in my apartment for two weeks. So I did give up my apartment because it made no sense to have one. I filled my suitcase, have been living off it and on the road. In January, I am going to rest a bit and head to California.

Any horror stories from your tour other from that time you got robbed in Ukraine?

In terms of horror stories, nothing beats the Ukraine story. It was the worst experience on tour. It was such a powerless situation cause the hotel denied that anything happened, that anything was missing. I kind of felt they were behind it. Even the police didn't help much because there were no leads. However, I think it was still brilliant that we played our show and with half our instruments.

The North Borders (TNB) has a distinctive London feel. So was it a conscious decision to conclude your two-year TNB tour at Alexandra Palace?

Yes it was. I loved the idea of coming full circle. The idea was to finish in London, which is a really great place to perform at. Everyone in the band is from London and we wanted to come home, do something special for the finale show. We decided upon Alexandra Palace because it's so beautiful. It's got this vibe that is undeniably prominent.

Do your roots in rural Brighton have much to do with the emotions your music invoke?

As I grew up, I was listening to different kinds of music and then I realised I was interested in electronic music. My parents came from the British folk scene. Especially my dad. He was involved in that whole Cecil Sharpe House scene in the '70s and '80s, so I grew up with a lot of people jamming around me. In the '90s, I was in a band, and from then on I've always been exposed to electronic music. I listened to jazz more than hip-hop in the early '90s and just wanted to explore it more and more. I started sculpturing with jazz music. It was such a huge universe to explore and I always look back into that area even today for inspiration.

Transcending genres is something you do well. It's also the kind of legacy you want to leave behind. That said, is there any genre – whether as creator/producer or listener – you dislike?

I straddle between various genres. I don't want to be a part of anything or be defined by anything. I just like to make things on my own. When you're dealing with genres, it can get quite tricky. In terms of a legacy, I'm not trying to form one at all. I think it's completely on my fans, and I'm going to let the people decide what my music made them feel. I think there's time to decide on that when I'm gone.

You've spoken about the positives of the present-day music scene: a DIY culture, easy availability, a level playing field, blurring of genres. But is there anything that makes you hark back to the analog days?

You know, the one thing I've learnt or value from back in the day is the restraint and discipline you get when you're limited by technology and equipment. Today you have a MacBook or a laptop and you have a whole band ready in front of you. You are not limited by your equipment, and I understood that especially when I worked on my first album. I learnt a lot about being focused, handling my equipment and of course, sticking to deadlines.

Which city/country has the most thriving electronic music scene at present?

Call me biased, but the UK. London, to be more specific. It is such an exciting place. It always has been and always will be. It's got a real culture with people who understand what's happening. They understand what I do. There's an energy and high concentration of people with a real appreciation for experimentation and depth. I've played in America and it's a fun place to perform in, but I think it's London and Europe in general that really know and understand the trending music scene.

Where do you think electronica is headed in the near future?

Firstly, I just think the whole electronic dance music (EDM) scene is terrible. It's commercial and I'm hoping things change. I do believe it's going to crash soon, everything is breaking out into sub-genres. All the young kids listening to EDM, they're going to grow up, get a bit mature on their tastes and start listening to different things. Probably go back to the roots, the warehouses, independent artistes.

Who, in your opinion, is the most underrated musician in recent times?
Dorian Concept. He's probably the best producer in the last 10 years. Everyone who knows about him will agree. Sadly, not enough people know about him, and I hope they do learn about him in time.

TNB was your idea of "the last outpost of human endeavor". What ideas drove your other albums? You once said that Black Sands was dark...

Each album is a documentary of various times in my life. Black Sands was a dark time. I lost a lot of people at that time. The record reflected that. There are certain events in your life that demand a certain a perspective and give you a certain clarity on life itself. So yeah, each album marks a time.

Kiara was your personal pick off Black Sands because the end result was exactly how you wanted the track to shape up. Do you have favorites off your other albums as well?

Probably, Sarah Mclachlan. It was the first thing I did in my studio in New York. It was beautiful because I didn't have to think much when making it and of course it was enjoyable.

And what's the most difficult track you've composed in terms of getting it to sound like you wanted to? Do you feel there's an album or EP you could've done better?

I think it would be Animals from Black Sands. It took me two years to put it all together. The coordination of the whole thing was also quite difficult. I mean, you had the drums in London, the saxophones from Barcelona, and they were recorded in different countries. The challenge was to bring it all together in my studio using these multiple tracks and making it sound like people were playing in place. All I had was my laptop and of course, my software to make this work.

What's the farthest you've gone when it comes to pushing the boundaries of instrumentation?

I just use a lot field recording. Things like dropping keys into water, using my voice, a lot of follie sounds. Other than that I'm just looking for new sounds. My sampler's a definite tool to help with that.

DJing is your default, something you're most comfortable with. In your years of performing DJ sets, which cities have you enjoyed the most and why?

It definitely depends on the city and crowd. The more I trust a city, the more progressive and deeper I'll go. If it's a crowd I think is not up for new music, I'll just stick to a safer playlist. I love Montreal, there is a strong connection with the crowd. There used to be a Ninja Tune (his record label) office based there back in the day, so it always felt like a second home. Tours always start and end there. I've spent a lot of time in Montreal, it's one of my favorite cities in the world. But London for the crowd! They just get what you are doing.

You once said that you'd like to score for a movie someday. Anyone in particular you're keen to work with, and any soundtrack you really like?

Yeah, I'd definitely love to do some scores someday. I particularly love Hans Zimmer's work. Inception was brilliant.

Any EPs or singles on the horizon? What are your plans for the near future?

The big plan is Rest! I have been working two years straight, and it would be great to just relax a bit. I'm planning to build a studio in California, go surfing, get a bit of rest and of course, collect some interesting sounds at the beach.

Lastly, off the top of your head: what are your favorite albums of all time?

Dummy by Portishead, Endtroducing by DJ Shadow, Astral Weeks by Van Morrison and really, there are seriously too many to name!

Bonobo will perform in Mehboob Studios, Bandra on December 13 as part of the Johnnie Walker The Journey festival


Discography
Hostile (1998)
Animal Magic (2001)
Dial 'M' for Monkey (2003)
Days to Come (2006)
Black Sands (2010)
The North Borders (2013)


Aperitif
Starting from his 2006 album Days to Come, Bonobo has collaborated with a host of singers — Bajka, Fink, Andreya Triana, Grey Reverend, Cornelia, Szjerdene and 'Queen of Neo-Soul', Erykah Badu.
For his live performances, he usually plays bass guitar, leading a band comprising of a singer, drummer, string section, keyboardist, saxophonist and guitarist. Bonobo released two EPs (extended plays) this year: Ten Tigers and Flashlight.