Animal Magic

Bonobo | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 24, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Tru Thoughts
• ASIN: B00004VWWG
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,328 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #83 in Music > Dance & DJ > Ambient

Editorial Reviews

Another fantastic Chill Out record to file along side your Bent, Dusted & Groove Armada records. Getting heaps of praisein the UK dance magazine's. 10 tracks in all including the 12 inch only singles, 'Terrapin' & 'The Plug'. Essential late night listening. 2000 release.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tasty, Noirish Blend of Beats and Jazz, October 18, 2000

By 

BKS "mojobrojo" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Animal Magic (Audio CD)

For better or worse, the Internet has made it easy to satisfy a jones. No matter how exotic one's taste is, a couple of clicks will have your yen bubble-wrapped at your door. Unfortunately for me, my jones for Amon Tobin was satisfied too quickly. I needed more. With the release of the "4 Ton Mantis" single I got more. (Excuse me? Just what does Amon Tobin have to do with Bonobo? Just a moment. I'm getting there.) The "4 Ton Mantis" single featured a very tasty remix by Bonobo, a remix that triggered the jones. After too many search engines coughed up pages listing scientific papers on Australian pygmy monkeys (that's what a bonobo is), I bought the CD sound unheard, and now I have a new monkey on my back.

The Amon Tobin vibe is definitely there, especially on "Dinosaurs," "Shadowtricks," and "Sugar Rhyme." Both artists groove hard and share a fondness for muted horns (I think they may even share samples of muted horns) that make for fine nocturnal listenings. Mr. Tobin even gets a thanks in the liner notes. But where Amon Tobin is all about beats, Bonobo has a keen ear for melody and a lighter touch programming drum and percussion tracks, making him a little easier to listen to. Still, it's a fine line and I can see time adding layers of rhythmic complexity to Bonobo's compositions. In any case, if you jones for a tasty, noirish blend of beats and jazz, "Animal Magic" is a fine fix.

Addendum: The "Album Details" makes reference to "Some Sitar." "Some" is a recurring bit on a single track ("Terrapin"). I suppose it qualifies, but if you're looking for a heavy Indian influence, look elsewhere.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An awsome chill out album, July 13, 2001

By 

James P C Hearson (Leicester, Leicestershire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Animal Magic (Audio CD)

This is a fantastic album. All you have to do is put it in and play. If you are in a bad mood it will relax you. The songs start nice and mellow and gradually get a little bit harder. I bought this album without listening to any of Bonobos music before. I playedd it to a group of my friends and they all wanted to buy a copy. Whether this record is played at the lowest or highest setting on your volume control, it will allways sound like a cold strong beer on a hot sunny day. Even if you dont like dance music this is an essetial C.D to have in your collection.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Genuinely Amazing Record, May 20, 2001

By 

"vickaz" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Animal Magic (Audio CD)

This is such a great morning record, perfect for a quite Sunday of coffee and contemplation. Sad that the record has such a cheesy title (sounds like a bad metal album). It's all pretty mellow, certainly not a record for the dancefloors. Beautiful melodies and gorgeous sounds drift throughout, creating a sound that is ambient at some moments and cinematic in others. There are some 'noirish' moments, as the other reviewer mentioned, but it's not that way in the same way as, say, the Troublemakers album 'Doubts & Convictions'. On the whole, the atmosphere is pretty lush and dreamy, the emphasis on strings and piano plus the welcome addition of some understated and quiet organic guitar playing adding up to give the whole record a very coherent sound. Check out the aforementioned track 'Terrapin' with it's gentle sitar riff and bobbing beats, as beautiful a downtempo track as you're likely to hear.