Simon Green, aka Bonobo, first established his rep as a sample-based beat whizkid in Brighton in the late '90s. His spacious, meditative tunes initially — if slightly misleadingly — colliding with the utilitarian 'down-tempo' music of acts like Air, Kid Loco and Kruder & Dorfmeister. Unlike those artists, however, Bonobo's roots were firmly grounded in sample-heavy hip hop — as soon became clear on his increasingly sophisticated records on the beatmaster indie label, Ninja Tune.

Bonobo's dazzling fourth album,Black Sands, delivers a whole different blend of luxury for the ears. It's consummate, classy, intricately woven, both funky and jazzy, and more vital than his previous three outings thanks to the use of 'real' instrumentation (for one: tons of brass), and by the sultry voicings of Andreya Triana. From the uplifting, looping, MoWax-y groove of 'Kong,' and the spaced-out early-Massive Attack swing of 'Eyesdown' and 'The Keeper,' to 'Animals'' jazzy hypnosis, it's a world every bit as lush and irresistible as the landscape depicted on its cover.