Seeking a Sense of Belonging

Seeking a Sense of Belonging

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Seeking a Sense of Belonging

The UK producer's new album is a sonically rich experience exploring migratory themes.

Bonobo/ Migration

British DJ/producer Simon Green came on to the music scene as Bonobo back in 2000 when he put out his debut LP, Animal Magic. Built on downtempo and trip-hop influences, it was the sort of album you would expect to hear playing at a beach bar on a tropical island alongside Café del Mar compilations.

His subsequent records, Dial 'M' for Monkey and Days To Come, saw him continuing to operate within the confines of comedown music, providing the soothing soundtrack to the partied-out and the hungover.

But before Green got forever lost in the realm of perpetual Balearic sunset, a sea change happened. His fourth studio outing, 2010's Black Sands, arrived on the horizon with a newfound sense of playful experimentalism as it drew inspiration from jazz, soul and hip hop.

This, together with a focus on percussive patterns, live instrumentation and guest vocalists (Grey Reverend, Erykah Badu, Cornelia), extended to its follow-up, The North Borders, an album that essentially catapulted Green into the upper echelons of electronic producers.

Now, after years of intense DJ-ing and touring around the world, he's returned with his latest output, Migration, exploring the themes of relocation and personal identities. With it, he asks: "Is home where you are or where you are from, when you move around?"

The title-track opens with pensive piano chords. As it gradually builds, the drums grow more dominant as if they were trying to outshine the piano.

As evidenced by his past releases, Green has quite a discerning taste when it comes to choosing which guest vocalists to work with. Nothing's changed here, except that the choice of collaborators this time around reflects the record's global theme.

On one hand, we have New York–based Moroccan band Innov Gnawa on the house-leaning Bambro Koyo Ganda.

On the other, we have LA-based Canadian crooner Rhye's Michael Milosh whose sublimely androgynous vocals are paired with a sampled harp, horns and a subtle hip-hop flow on Break Apart; and Australian Nick Murphy (whom some of you might know as Chet Faker) on No Reason.

Elsewhere, Green also demonstrates his unique taste in sampling by incorporating Brandy's '90s R&B hit Baby and a vocal excerpt of veteran folk singer Pete Seeger into tracks like Kerala and Grains.

At its core, Migration is a natural extension of Green's previous two records. All the familiar components are present: wistful atmospherics, percussive rhythms, captivating vocals.

What makes this album that much more exceptional, though, is how it represents the inner workings of the artist's mind and his sense of dislocation.

Through fascinating found-sound and guest spots of diverse backgrounds, we're taken on a journey that not only feels deeply personal but ultimately makes us think about our own relationship with the space we find ourselves in. Is home a state of mind or is it mere geography?

THE PLAYLIST

Jelly Rocket/ Geb Wai

Homegrown all-female indie trio Jelly Rocket have been releasing a handful of dreamy singles since 2014. So far we've heard Luem (Forgotten), Chao Meow, Imjai and English-language This Is Real. Arriving just before the release of their debut album Lucid Dream, their latest, Geb Wai, sees Pak, Pun and Mo operating with a jangly guitar sound and wistful keyboard. As for the lyrics, they don't really deviate too far from the lovelorn teenage girl narrative the band has regularly deployed over the years. Watch this space for a review of their full-length debut next week.

Gabriel Garzón-Montano/ Crawl

For a newcomer like Brooklyn's Gabriel Garzón-Montano, it's hard to fathom how accomplished he already is. Apart from touring with Lenny Kravitz and Glass Animals, one of his tracks, 6 8, has also been sampled on Drake's mixtape album, If You're Reading This, It's Too Late. Here, we're treated to a lead cut from his debut LP Jardín titled Crawl, which finds Garzón-Montano blending cool '90s R&B groove with his own soulful flair. "A cactus, full bloom/Work gloves for you/I'm a big red balloon, I love you," he sings in what appears to be a kooky love haiku.

Slowdive/ Star Roving

Slowdive make a welcome return with their first new material in more than two decades since the release of their 1995 album Pygmalion. Having recently reunited after a breakup, the legendary UK quintet offer up a dose of nostalgia with Star Roving, a swirling shoegaze number built on layers of fuzzy guitars and frontman's Neil Halstead trademark somnolent vocals. A return to form, the song is a perfect teaser to the group's long-awaited comeback LP.

Ace Tee (feat Kwam.e)/ Bist Du Down?

Speaking of '90s R&B grooves, Ace Tee's Bist Du Down? will give you a serious flashback to the era where R&B songstresses reigned supreme. Hailing from Hamburg, Ace Tee has recently gone viral thanks to her single Bist Du Down? (Are you down?) which pays homage to the sonic stylings of Vogue, TLC and countless other girl groups in the same vein. The track, whose title seems to be inspired by Brandy's sultry jam I Wanna Be Down, features smooth vocals from Ace Tee and a rap verse courtesy of hip-hop artist Kwam.e.

Sampha/ (No One Knows Me) Like the Piano

Following last year's excellent first cut Blood On Me, British singer-songwriter Sampha unveils a new ballad (No One Knows Me) Like the Piano. Accompanied by nothing more than the titular instrument and subtle synths, he croons: "No one knows me like the piano in my mother's home/You would show me I have something, some people call a soul." Not unlike Ed Sheeran's new single Castle On the Hill, the song goes on to address the feelings of homesickness ("And you know I won't be long/And in my chest you know me best/And you know I'll be back home).

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