British composer, bassist, DJ, and producer Simon Charles Green, known as Bonobo, was born in Brighton on March 30, 1976. He rose to prominence in 1999 with the track “Terrapin” and became one of the pioneers of the downtempo genre. Signed to the Tru Thoughts label, he released a series of EPs and the album Animal Magic (2000), which blended ambient, chillout, trip-hop, and breakbeat sounds—a style that would become his trademark. The creator of numerous EPs, remixes, and side projects, Bonobo continued his journey with the Ninja Tune label, which released the track “Flutter” and the album Dial 'M' for Monkey (2003). The musician, who featured Fink on Days to Come (2006) and Andreya Triana on his next album, Black Sands (2010), is frequently sought after for commercials and compilations such as Late Night Tales (2013). With his subsequent albums The North Borders (No. 34 in 2013), featuring Erykah Badu, and then Migration (No. 5 in 2017), featuring Rhye and Nick Murphy, among others, he continues to influence a new generation of DJs and producers. In 2022, Fragments was released, which in turn reached No. 5 on the UK charts. In 2025, Bonobo released his first soundtrack for the Japanese animated series Lazarus, featuring the track “Dark Will Fall” with Jacob Lusk. In June 2026, he unveiled “Me and You”, the first single from his eighth studio album. The double single featuring “Fire on the Water”, with Arooj Aftab, and “Drift” followed in July, followed by “Always on Your Side” with Joy Crookes and “Talk to Me” with Nicole Miglis in August. On September 11, 2026, Bonobo released Distance in Static on Ninja Tune. Recorded in California, Japan, and London, the album also features Nilüfer Yanya, Ichiko Aoba, Aanya Martin, and Kanako Yamamoto.
