Migration

2017’s Migration is a gorgeous, sweeping, shifting album of future-jazz-neo-classical-arcadian-electronics. Musically, Bonobo here continues to refine certain aspects of his sound — his intricate, introspective soundscapes, live instrumentation and orchestration, incorporating jazz and classical influences — while moving further away from others like sampled hip hop-style drum breaks and sixties spy show theme melodies. Migration is a rich, at times opulent-sounding production, but it feels more direct than some of his previous work, with less sonic layering, as though each musical element has more space to shine rather than being mashed together via the sampler. Several tunes are based around house/garage beats, moving Bonobo’s sound from headphones at home directly to the dance floor, while Migration also features plenty of moments of tranquil, blissed-out, musical intensity too.