Bonobo's New Album "Distance in Static" Out September 11, Featuring Ichiko Aoba
British electronic producer Bonobo (Simon Green) will release his new album "Distance in Static" on Friday, September 11, 2026 via Ninja Tune. Self-produced, the record was recorded across Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, and Neil Young's Broken Arrow Ranch in California, with guest vocals from Nilüfer Yanya, Ichiko Aoba (青葉市子), and Joy Crookes, switching between English, Urdu, and Japanese.
Production and guest list
In recent promotional materials, Green described the album's core concept as an attempt to reinforce the idea that "you can be more than one thing." The multi-location, multi-language recording approach is a direct extension of that concept in the production itself.
Ichiko Aoba's contribution is one source of the album's Japanese-language material. Joy Crookes appears on "Always on Your Side," which Far Out Magazine describes as taking a detour into Philly soul textures. Nilüfer Yanya is also credited as a guest.
Album details
- Album: Distance in Static
- Artist: Bonobo (Simon Green)
- Release date: Friday, September 11, 2026
- Label: Ninja Tune
- Producer: Bonobo
- Guests: Nilüfer Yanya, Ichiko Aoba, Joy Crookes
- Recording locations: Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, Broken Arrow Ranch
What the review says
Far Out Magazine's review, which gave the album 2.5 out of 5, notes that "Drift" shows Green's familiar chill-out textures and pulsing rhythms, with vocal fragments blurring the line between a live set and the Glastonbury Shangri-La dance area. "Uncasually" is singled out for its cascades of electronic sound and heavy bass hits, and the review names "Unusually" as its Standout Track.
On the other hand, the review argues that tracks like "Talk To Me," "Shokoufeh," and "ID700" increasingly reveal a formulaic production template: clean but surface-level drums, sequencers that fail to build momentum, and strings that never quite trigger an emotional turn. Its overall conclusion is that, despite the cross-regional and multilingual ambition, the album doesn't actually venture into riskier territory.
What hasn't been announced
The source does not mention any tour dates or further release details beyond what's listed above. Readers hoping for live shows tied to this release will need to wait for further announcements.