Bonobo

Simon Charles Green, known as Bonobo, is an English musician, producer and DJ whose electronic music is built around organic instrumentation as much as programmed rhythm. Born on 30 March 1976, he emerged with a trip hop aesthetic before broadening his work into more upbeat material informed by jazz and world music.

Originally from Brighton, Green has released music under the Bonobo name through Ninja Tune, alongside work connected with labels including Milan, OUTLIER and Black Book Records. His recordings move through downtempo, nu jazz, electronica, instrumental hip hop and acid-jazz-adjacent forms, with the emphasis often falling on texture, melody and carefully layered percussion rather than a single fixed style.

Bonobo’s music is also designed for performance beyond the studio. Rather than simply reproducing his electronic productions from behind a DJ booth, he recreates the material with a full live band, bringing instrumental players into arrangements that retain the detail and pacing of the recordings. He is based in Los Angeles.