After Being a Leading Force in Dance for Decades, Bonobo’s Switching Things Up for His New Album: ‘I Don’t

British producer Simon Green talks about his stunning new LP Distance in Static, turning 50, and how he’s considering a major change for the project.

• Rick Springfield Says He Killed a Man in Vietnam While Performing for Troops as a Teen: ‘It’s Hard for Me to Face’.
• Dolly Parton’s Sister Reveals Late Country Icon Last Request, Reason Why She Thinks Singer Got Sick: ‘She Was Definitely Prepared’.
• Dolly Parton’s Travel Stop Releases Videos That Include a New Jingle & Star Talking Stop’s Importance.

Green is hopeful that listeners take time to absorb the record as a whole, a tough task in an age when attention-spans are dwindling and short-form social content is king.

Little surprise, then, to learn that Green feels that the Bonobo project in its current cyclical format – record an LP, promote it heavily, embark on a lengthy global live tour – is coming to an end.

What does that look like in practical terms? “I love playing live, making music and DJing, but I want to do it in a way that’s a bit more comfortable and sustainable for myself.

I don’t want to just do this every three years where we have this big album moment, and then tour ourselves into oblivion.”.

He hopes that the cycle break will allow him opportunities to record different types of music, potentially something more lowkey. Perhaps a “lo-fi folk record,” or a project that can exist as a studio venture and not have to be translated into a live performance.

He wants to build on his work for movies and TV following his score for Adult Swim’s 2025 anime series Lazarus, which he says was one of the most rewarding challenges of his career.

Before all that, there is a large world tour kicking off in Austin, Texas (Nov. 5), and including dates at Los Angeles’ The Wiltern, the Brooklyn Paramount, and London’s Alexandra Palace.

He’s collaborating with Pierre Claude, who has worked closely with Air, Phoenix and Gesafflestein to bring to life the “most visually immersive” show he’s ever done.

This doesn’t necessarily mean employing a bigger LED screen and more musicians, but instead crafting a visual narrative that favors maximising lighting tricks and the architectural effects of the stage build.

Green recently attended a gig by Underworld at a festival which featured a practical light sequence with a handheld torch that he found “quite simple, but really effective.” These kinds of practical tricks were “better than any kind of programmed effect I’ve ever seen.” Green continues, “A lot of it comes from practicality as well.

The expense of touring is getting insane now, especially in places like North America, so a lot of the innovation comes from, what can we get away with? Like, how can we make things look cool with very little?”.

Distance in Static isn’t a farewell record — however, there’s certainly a feeling that a new path is emerging for Green. It incorporates all of the sounds and emotions he’s tapped into throughout his career and at peace with what comes next.

Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *.

Want to know what everyone in the music business is talking about.

Visit Billboard Pro for music business news Trending The Daily A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry.