Animal Magic

Bonobo’s 2000 album debut arrived in the same year as classic ‘chill out’ albums The Avalanches Since I Left You and St Germain’s Tourist, and was equally as distinct among the many laidback, downtempo electronic/sampling albums of the time. Bonobo’s original USP was to fuse hip hop beat science with acoustic instrumentation/sampling and folk and jazz musical references to create an overall aesthetic that was simultaneously electronic and acoustic, streetwise yet rural, phat yet pastoral.

There are a few occasions where the combination of a lethal snare and kick combo and some deft sampling conjure up an atmosphere that cleverly recalls multiple musical reference points, from Wu Tang to a lost late-70s cop show theme. At other points, he uses strings, vibes, woodwind and orchestral sounds to produce that particular 1970s, polyester, brown and orange, lounge/library music/easy listening nostalgia. Excellent debut.