British musician, producer, and DJ Bonobo has announced Fragments, a new album.
Fragments will be released January 14, 2022 (Ninja Tune), followed by a ‘Fragments’ 2022 world tour. Along with today’s announcement, Bonobo has also shared the lead single “Rosewood.” Tickets for the ‘Fragments’ 2022 world tour go on general sale Friday 15th October at 10am at www.metropolismusic.com
The latest album is the most emotionally intense record that he – aka Simon Green – has ever had to make. It’s no surprise that it’s also his masterpiece. The album features Jamila Woods, Joji, Kadhja Bonet, Jordan Rakei, O’Flynn and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. Born first out of fragments of ideas and experimentation, the album ultimately was fused together in a burst of creativity fuelled by both collaboration and Green’s escape into the wild. The artwork for ‘Fragments” is by Neil Krug who returns after creating the art for 2017’s ‘Migration’. Krug has also made a visualiser for ‘Rosewood”.
One of the biggest names in dance music, Green’s career includes 3 Grammy nominations and 2 million tickets sold for the tour supporting his 2017 album Migration. Migration was a top ten album in multiple countries, top five at home in the UK and a Billboard dance album number one in the US. He’s also a favourite mainstage performer at the world’s greatest music festivals. As part of the tour announced today Bonobo will play three dates at the legendary Royal Albert Hall in London in addition to dates in Brighton, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Nottingham.
Fragments is a series of 12 sonic affirmations, featuring some of the hardest and most hip-shaking grooves that Green has ever created. The ballads are perfectly placed throughout; they capture a world in flux and glow with hope. Coaxing the ideas out initially took some hard work. The constantly-touring Green creates best while on the move; the global shutdown forced him to stand still.
Musical themes began to arise through Green’s exploration of modular synthesis, recordings he had made of harpist Lara Somogyi, his work with arranger and string player Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, his own playing of the Fender Rhodes and more, as the album was created, recorded and mixed by Green over the past two years. The album also came into focus as he sought refuge on solo adventures into nature, away from the shutdowns and wildfires and into the blazing California desert.
“Tides,” featuring Chicagoan singer and poet Jamila Woods, acted as a catalyst, and the album began to click into place around it. A rhythmic framework started to come together too: the structures of UK bass music and rave began to seep into beats that would become tracks like “Otomo” (eventually co-produced by O’Flynn and featuring a sample of the Bulgarian choir 100 Kaba-Gaidi), and “Sapien.”
The “old school, Detroity, Moodymann and Theo Parrish inspired” “Shadows” was recorded with friend Jordan Rakei. “Rosewood,” “Closer” and “Counterpart” each start with an ecstatic snap to them, but snake down surprisingly different paths. Somogyi’s harp and Atwood-Ferguson’s strings mingle together on the beatless “Elysian.” Two ballads flesh out the second half of the record: “Day by Day” featuring Kadhja Bonet and “From You” featuring Joji.
“FRAGMENTS” LIVE TOUR DATES – 2022
UK
03-May The Brighton Centre, Brighton, UK
04-May O2 Academy, Birmingham, UK
06-May O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester, UK
07-May O2 Academy, Leeds, UK
08-May Rock City, Nottingham, UK
16-May: Royal Albert Hall, London, UK
17-May: Royal Albert Hall, London, UK
18-May: Royal Albert Hall, London, UK
‘FRAGMENTS’ ALBUM TRACKLIST
1. Polyghost (feat. Miguel Atwood-Ferguson)
2. Shadows (feat. Jordan Rakei)
3. Rosewood
4. Otomo (feat. O’Flynn)
5. Tides (feat. Jamila Woods)
6. Elysian
7. Closer
8. Age of Phase
9. From You (feat. Joji)
10. Counterpart
11. Sapien
12. Day by Day (feat. Kadhja Bonet)
