7/10

Throughout the last two decades, producer Simon Green aka Bonobo has been one of the most inventive and adventurous names working right now. His incredibly dense and expressive approach to electronic music has allowed him to build a strong and devout fanbase, and deliver some truly unique and era-defining music in the process. Now after a five-year break since his last studio effort 'Migration', he returns with his collaboration-heavy seventh studio album 'Fragments', a record that sees him continue his fresh and exciting aesthetic throughout.

In the lead up to this new collection, we were greeted with a flurry of preview singles, most of which featured an artist that perfectly suited Bonobo's progressive direction. While he has never been one to shy away from a collaboration in the past, there has been a reserved effort throughout 'Fragments' for this new release to have a broader and more diverse quality to it. While his smooth and driven beats remain the hallmark of this new record, it is the guest features that allow him to explore new directions and textures, continuing that signature Bonobo sound even further.

It may not have the same instant ear-grabbing nature of some of his older work, but 'Fragments' still stands up as a bold and impressive return from start to finish. The atmosphere created here is wonderfully infectious, and showcases an artist still at the top of his game more than twenty years since he first made his mark.