Bonobo - Fragments

Released in 2022 via Ninja Tune, Fragments is the seventh studio album from Simon Green, better known as Bonobo. Hailed as his most "emotionally intense" work to date, the record was born from a "restive creative energy" during the global shutdown, eventually fusing together through "unfettered collaboration" and Green's solo escapes into the California desert. It is a "monolithic and visceral" series of 12 sonic affirmations that bridge the gap between "meditative mountain peaks" and the "pulsating energy" of the dancefloor.

The album features a "soulful and realized" cast of collaborators, including Jamila Woods, Joji, Jordan Rakei, and Kadhja Bonet. From the "haunting and orchestral" opener "Polyghost" to the "heavy, rave-influenced" drive of "Otomo" (co-produced by O’Flynn), Fragments explores the "natural resonance" of modular synthesis and live instrumentation. This double-vinyl edition captures the "physical weight and high-fidelity grit" of Green's production, housed in "stunning and unique" artwork by Neil Krug, making it an "essential and foundational" document of modern electronic music.