It’s been a busy year for Bonobo, but the five-term GRAMMY-nominated artist shows no sign of slowing down. Despite having only two shows left on a sold-out tour that took him in front of almost a million people across four continents, Bonobo continues to delight fans everywhere by dropping new music. Today he gifts us with a surprise single, a vibrant dance track called “Defender.”
We’d be able to tell this was a Bonobo track from the opening notes, even if we didn’t know better. His signature pulses of hand-pan style synth lay the groundwork for production that gets progressively darker. A soft techno beat dances with tribal percussion to form an alluring rhythm while an undulating vocal chop cuts in over it. Once the beat drops, distorted glitches of bass complete the spellbinding dancefloor magic Bonobo casts.
This deeply textured, global-inspired rave track builds nicely off his most recent single, “ATK.” While we have no idea what comes next for Bonobo after he wraps his tour, we hope he continues to lean into this sound. You can listen to “Defender” below. Enjoy!