Bonobo’s Distance In Static is out now via Ninja Tune, marking a fresh chapter in the evolving sound of British producer and musician Simon Green. The new album brings together an impressive international cast of collaborators while continuing Bonobo’s long-standing balance between electronic production, live instrumentation and immersive composition.
Across 14 tracks, Distance In Static explores a spacious and richly detailed side of Bonobo’s music. The record moves through ambient textures, jazz-influenced passages, organic instrumentation and carefully programmed rhythms, creating an album designed as much for deep listening as it is for electronic music audiences.
Bonobo’s Distance In Static Expands His Musical Palette
Distance In Static builds on the musical identity Bonobo has developed throughout his career while introducing new voices and influences.
The album features collaborations with Arooj Aftab, Joy Crookes, Nilüfer Yanya, Ichiko Aoba, Nicole Miglis of Hundred Waters and Aanya Martin. Each collaborator brings a distinctive character to the project, giving the album a varied vocal and instrumental palette.
Rather than treating those contributions as separate features, Bonobo incorporates them into the broader atmosphere of the record. The result is cohesive without feeling overly uniform.
The album also incorporates lyrics in English, Urdu and Japanese, alongside Iranian samples and guzheng recordings. These details add another dimension to Green’s production, creating a sound that feels global without losing the unmistakable Bonobo identity.
Distance In Static Connects Electronic And Organic Sound
One of the defining qualities of Distance In Static is the relationship between electronic production and organic musicianship.
Bonobo has spent much of his career exploring that space. Programmed beats sit alongside acoustic instruments, layered melodies and intricate sound design. On the new album, however, there is a particularly strong emphasis on atmosphere and space.
The music does not always chase the immediate energy of a club track. Instead, many of the arrangements unfold gradually, allowing individual sounds and textures to occupy more room.
That approach makes Distance In Static an album that can work in different environments. It can accompany a late-night listening session just as easily as it can find a place within a wider electronic music set.
A Global Recording Process
The album’s international character is also reflected in its production.
Distance In Static was recorded across locations including Los Angeles, Tokyo and London. A significant portion of the album also came together during a period at Neil Young’s Broken Arrow Ranch in California, where Bonobo spent several weeks working on the project.
Those different environments contributed to an album that feels expansive rather than confined to a single production aesthetic.
For an artist known for detailed studio work, the recording process became another opportunity to explore how different instruments, locations and collaborators could influence the final sound.
The finished album moves through a carefully constructed sequence of tracks, including “Dawn,” “Cycles,” “Fire on the Water,” “Drift,” “Talk to Me,” “Always on Your Side,” “Youth’s Fountain,” “Shokoufeh,” “Can’t You See,” “ID700,” “Me and You,” “Equinoctial” and “Mercury.”
Together, the tracks create a complete listening experience rather than simply functioning as a collection of disconnected singles.
From Fragments To A New Bonobo Era
Distance In Static follows Bonobo’s previous album, Fragments, and continues an artistic direction that has increasingly embraced collaboration and long-form musical ideas.
Over the years, Simon Green has established himself as one of the most recognizable names in contemporary electronic music. His catalogue has moved between downtempo, electronica, ambient music, jazz influences and club-oriented production, often connecting those styles within the same project.
That flexibility remains central to Bonobo’s appeal.
Distance In Static does not attempt to recreate the sound of earlier records. Instead, it develops familiar elements while allowing new influences to take the lead.
The emphasis on collaboration is particularly noticeable. Rather than simply adding guest appearances to an established formula, Green creates space for the personalities of his collaborators to shape the music.
That gives the album a sense of movement. It sounds connected to Bonobo’s history while still looking forward.
Bonobo Announces A New Live Show
The arrival of Distance In Static also introduces a new Bonobo Live production.
The show has been designed by Pierre Claude, whose previous visual work includes projects connected with artists such as Air, Gesaffelstein, Phoenix and Caroline Polachek.
For Bonobo, the visual side of live performance has become an important extension of the music. His concerts have traditionally combined electronic production with live musicianship and immersive visuals, turning the songs into a larger audiovisual experience.
The new show is expected to bring that approach into the Distance In Static era.
Bonobo has announced UK and European dates following the earlier North American tour announcement. The European run begins on 3 February 2027 at O2 City Hall in Newcastle before continuing through multiple cities and concluding on 26 March 2027 at Salle Pleyel in Paris.
The new production gives fans an opportunity to experience the album in a completely different setting, with Claude’s visual design complementing the record’s atmospheric character.
Why Distance In Static Stands Out
Distance In Static arrives at a time when the boundaries between electronic genres continue to become increasingly fluid.
Bonobo has always operated comfortably between those boundaries. His music can draw from club culture while maintaining the detail and patience of an album built for attentive listening.
The new record takes that balance further.
Ambient passages sit alongside rhythmic production. Acoustic instruments appear within electronic arrangements. International musical influences coexist with contemporary studio techniques. Meanwhile, the guest vocalists introduce additional emotional and melodic dimensions.
This combination gives Distance In Static a distinctive sense of scale.
It is not simply an electronic album built around beats. It is a carefully layered work where rhythm, melody, voice and texture all play an important role.
Bonobo’s Distance In Static Is Out Now
For longtime Bonobo listeners, Distance In Static represents another stage in Simon Green’s continuing evolution.
For new listeners, it offers an accessible introduction to an artist who has spent decades exploring the space between electronic production and organic musicianship.
With its international collaborators, multilingual vocals, acoustic elements and atmospheric arrangements, the album expands the Bonobo sound without abandoning the characteristics that made his music distinctive in the first place.
Bonobo’s Distance In Static is out now via Ninja Tune, opening a new era that will continue on stage with an ambitious live production and an international run of shows.
As Bonobo moves into the next phase of his career, Distance In Static demonstrates that electronic music can remain deeply rhythmic while also leaving plenty of room to breathe.
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