Various Artists – Late Night Tales: Bonobo – Late Night Tales
DMC World Magazine
The long running ‘Late Night Tales’ series continues to make some excellent choices on its curators, and the latest – Simon Green, aka Bonobo – steps up to deliver a carefully thought out mix for the small hours. He has explained that to do this a change of approach was needed, so what we get is less of a DJ mix and more of a compilation. To be honest the tracks blend so well they could have been planned that way anyway, as we set out on a very relaxed path that starts by taking in Khruang Bin’s serene ‘A Calf Is Born In Winter’ and Bonobo’s own contribution, a lovely cover of Donovan’s ‘Get Thy Bearings’. There are subtle bits of humour (Hypnotic Brass Ensemble), soul (the mighty Darondo), visits to slightly funkier climbs (Andrew Ashong, BadBadNotGood), some nice diversions to atmospheric and very listenable jazz (Matthew Bourne, Bill Evans) and the obligatory short story at the close, read by none other than Benedict Cumberbatch. The best compilations, to my mind at least, offer a bit of familiar but a number of new names and tracks for the listener to enjoy and explore further. This ticks all of those boxes, as well as providing a mix that is a joy to behold as its wonders gradually unfold. One of the very best this series has offered to date.
