Bonobo

Taking beautiful electronic music and converting it into a live band experience isn’t an easy task, and done incorrectly can be damaging to the ears — just ask Prefuse 73. Simon Green has always wanted to take his compositions, which were already pieced together by quite a bit of live instrumentation, and take them to the next level of broadcast from that of a dull laptop show. Judging by the sounds of this little EP it seems as though the Bonobo Band have completely nailed the live experience, creating perfect renditions of Green’s productions and making them sound almost identical to those on record. These results may be considered boring to some, but having six people take different roles to give new life to songs like "Dismantling Frank” and make them sound like jazz masterpieces is quite remarkable. Along with four numbers from the Bonobo back catalogue and a rendition of a Four Tet remix of "Pick Up,” there’s a new offering called "Recurring.” This song is basically a straight-up Bonobo pattern, combining gently placed guitar plucks on top of heavy bass lines and steady drums, this cut sounds like something you may have heard before. Though hearing it for the first time with a full band makes it take on a whole new meaning as we may very well see Green permanently step away from the laptop and plant his feet firmly behind his bass guitar as he moves towards Cinematic Orchestra territory.