It never fails to amaze how swiftly a moment of fortune can so easily become a noose round the neck. In the case of Bonobo the moment, or perhaps the year, of fortune came when he released his debut album ANIMAL MAGIC. A young Simon Green (for it is he who is the monkey king) refused to be dragged and set about taking things to the next level. It's all about the levels with Bonobo. Not in a techy, studio kinda way, but in the levels of involvement with his music. On the surface there are the organic, pastoral atmospheres, the catchy melodies, the elements that caught people from his first album. But it's the deeper, slightly hidden levels that you should investigate, for they bring the greatest prize. It's these elements that he explored most on DIAL M FOR MONKEY, as a greater focus on live instruments, the intricacies of rhythm, the darker shades of the soul, and almost a sleight of hand, that meant that you could be in one mood one minute, and the next you would somewhere different. A DJ of international repute, Bonobo has played all over the world, including playing to huge audiences in the USA and Canada with Amon Tobin, a progress culminating in Ninja Tune asking him to put together a Solid Steel mix album. Bugger the lounge, lets dance.