Animal Magic
Right, let’s not beat about the bush – Bonobo’s debut longplayer is, by popular consensus, ‘the business’.
An awe-inspiring showcase of a young man’s staggering musical ability, ‘Animal Magic’ was greeted with swoons of delight and sycophantic praise upon its release in July 2000.
Its heart-meltingly lysergic melodies – all bellchimes, backwards vocals and haunting keys – weave an impenetrable gauze of sound that astounded practically everyone who heard it.
Bucking the late-90s reliance on sampling, Simon Green (the man behind the monkey) wrote, played, recorded and produced the entire record himself.
The result is an album with such depth and breadth of emotional and melodic content that every track is a potential favourite. Little wonder, then, that ‘Animal Magic’ numbers among Tru Thoughts’ all-time bestsellers.
The Observer “Anyone in search of the ultimate chill-out album should buy this debut”
DJ Magazine “Wonderfully subtle and easy on the ear. This is chill out music with balls – not a cliché in sight”
