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I was reading Grayson Schaffer’s, “A Healthy Dose,” when I remembered Bonobo’s new album, Migration, had just been released. Grayson is a senior editor at Outside Magazine and his article is a confessional about experimentation with ayahuasca, a potent drug that gives users hallucinatory revelations. For Grayson, it was the catalyst for a spiritual and physical metamorphosis. He dropped ten pounds, lost interest in booze, and shed a heavy, more burdened version of himself.

Despite a lingering skepticism of drugs, I like reading about psychedelics. It’s fun to think about a spiritual realm where Hells Angels befriend Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters, to flirt with the idea of interconnectedness and build a greater architecture of being that reveals a burning curiosity for life. It’s trippy shit, but basically water cooler talk for ayahuasca disciples.

As I read, I flipped on Bonobo’s new album, Migration. An experienced DJ and producer, Migration is Bonobo’s sixth album. With guest appearances from Nick Murphy (formerly Chet Faker) and indie white unicorn, Rhye, anticipation was high.

By pairing Bonobo’s downtempo, electronica with Grayson Schaffer’s fervid transformation from Patagonia bro to Dean Potter reincarnated, I was intentionally creating my own concoction. I wanted to slip into the subconscious. Find that sweet spot where reading and understanding coalesce.

It takes concentration. Often we’re yanked out by something discordant or we simply lack the attention span. But Bonobo’s new album Migrations (and his music in general) is designed to be played front to back. To pluck and pick at individual songs doesn’t do justice to Bonobo’s uncanny ability to link music into a cohesive journey. He’s a modern composer, using strings and percussion to orchestrate an out of body experience and lead the listener into a hyper focused state.

I became blissfully unaware that there was work to be done and lay the magazine across my keyboard, bobbing my head up and down to Bonobo’s Migrations.

Since the North Borders, the majority of my time has been spent in transit. For a year living unrooted between cities whilst touring. A large part of this record was conceived during that time in unfamiliar spaces and within the constraints of temporary workspaces and the lack of a permanent home or base, something I feel contributed to the process and ultimately made this record something I’m immensely proud of.” – Bonobo