Chill with the funky monkey

"What do you want to do?"

"Nothing man, let's just chill."

"Alright, I got the ideal music for that."

Welcome to the land of Bonobo, the funky monkey. The land of the ideal chill-out music. And yes, it really is the ideal chill-out music. It’s the kind of music, where you're talking to your friend but still moving to the music. The lull in the conversation is when you become aware of the music. And that lull becomes infinite. No words escape your mouth as you absorb in the bassy tones of Bonobo.

Simon Green, better known for his stage name of Bonobo, is a contemporary in this type of sound. Having been in the music scene for the past 12 years, he has released 4 studio albums and various singles. Collaborating with various singers, every song has its own unique feel. While playing live, he is accompanied by full band with him on bass.

The songs are characteristic of heavy baselines, blues - jazz tones, and fluidic movement on percussions. We move, we flow and we become funky monkeys. Welcome to the land of Bonobo.

Cage the music

It starts with a slight tap of your foot. Then a slight bob of the head. Then both in unison. Then the electricity connects your head and your feet, and your body jumps. It’s the kind of music that brings a frenzy upon your body. You cannot hear this music and stay still. The feverish intensity with which the music hits you, makes you want to bounce like a maniac.

Remember the 90's. America’s hearts were opening up to a different sound. Those were the years when the US started spawning garage rock bands. Blokes coming together in their neighbourhood to belt out some tunes which they could play at the local pub, and get laid if they were lucky. That particular sound was dynamic, scruffy, and full of an "I don't give a shit" attitude. It was fresh and something that the youth connected with. Alas it was a sound that slowly disappeared, as is the case with many.

Fast-forward to 2006 and you have a band that captures that vanishing sound. Cage the Elephant hails from Kentucky, USA. A group of 5, led by Matt Shultz, call the US and the UK their home. Known for their high-energy live performances, the rock band has garnered a large fan following in a particularly short period of time.

Vocals that hit extreme highs and lows in each song, guitars that have a grungy taste, and drums that kick the ear-drum in. Mad, chunky and crunchy sounds reminiscent of a decade gone, Cage the Elephant bring back the times of trashing your garage.

Power of Music

I'm listening to Oliver Shanti. Amazing musician. Music of the orient in my ear. A peaceful mind. My player is in my pocket and it plays a track by him. Short and sweet.

But those 2 minutes, stir something within me. Its a feeling. Its just there and will not go away. I had my book and my charcoal pencil with me. I needed to sketch out what I felt. The soft tap of the keys in the song brought out a visual, piece by piece. I kept hitting repeat until I had finished putting on paper, what I had in my mind.

The visual is to your right (not good, but I am not a sketch artist). The visual in my head, was in front of me. It was that of a man playing the piano on a cliff, overlooking the sea. Forlorn, just as he is in his heart. The clouds form the shape of his lover, lost to the heavens. A love lost. Lovers separated. It was what I felt when I heard this track..

... and then I decided to check the name of the song.

'Remembrance in separation.'

Music is powerful. It is not just sounds. It carries with it, thoughts. Music reveals colours of life to us, the dark and the bright. It can stir memories of our past, it can also show us the way ahead. It's about letting the sounds seep in, and that is what truly matters..