Black Sands

The tension between lush instrumental arrangements and digital trickery energises every iota of Bonobo’s fourth album, in which broken beats and sampler-assisted jazz frequently blossom into flickering electronic futurism. The Eastern-tinged melody of the opening “Prelude” shows how far the UK downtempo producer’s horizons have expanded here, as he delves into Latin grooves on “We Could Forever” and turns the hip-hop beats of “Kong” into a dynamic play of electro-acoustic textures. Andreya Triana shines on “Eyesdown”, transforming Bonobo’s moody collage work into full-fledged modern soul.