5x GRAMMY-nominated musician, producer and DJ Bonobo has surprise-released a new single called “Defender” that was built for the dancefloor, and is out now via his label OUTLIER in partnership with Ninja Tune.
“Defender” features a thumb piano riff over a thumping, 4-on-the-floor beat, sprinkled with synths. Last month, Bonobo released “ATK” which features a sample of Ghanaian musician Atakora Manu and was described by This Song Is Sick as “a dancefloor number shaking with worldly, kinetic energy.”
The new music and tour come on the heels of ‘Fragments’, Bonobo’s first full album since 2017, which came out in January on Ninja Tune. Fragments hit #3 on Billboard’s Top Dance / Electronic Albums chart and #5 on the Official UK Albums Chart this year. The album features Jamila Woods, Joji, Kadhja Bonet, Jordan Rakei, O’Flynn and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and was covered by The Fader, Mixmag and print cover stories at DJ Mag and Electronic Musician. The Observer deemed it a “brilliant, wondrous work,” giving it 5 out of 5 stars. He also made his NPR Tiny Desk debut in March and earned two nominations for the 64th GRAMMY Awards, making him a five-time nominee.
One of the biggest names in dance music, Bonobo is also a favourite main stage performer at music festivals across the globe including Sónar Hong Kong, Laneway Festival Singapore, Glastonbury Festival and Coachella. He has also worked with a wide range of artists including Erykah Badu and Jon Hopkins and remixes for Gorillaz and Michael Kiwanuka.
