Monkey Business

In the face of dance music's blinding rush of trends and subgenre alterations, downtempo has evolved into a self-contained art form, especially in the hands of British producer and bandleader Simon Green. In Days to Come — his latest album under the simian guise Bonobo — is a delectably orchestrated blend of bass, samples, live instrumentation, and distinctive female vocals, all rooted firmly in Green's DJ experience. What better way to dust off after the Great Hangover than blissing out to one of his turntable sets, which wrap soul, funk, nü-jazz, and Latin around a hip-hop core while occasionally detouring into freak-rock or faster breaks?