Getting to know... Bonzai

If you’ve been listening to delightful electronica over the past 12 months, chances are you will of heard the sounds of Bonzai. Alongside Mura Musa, they’ve been crafting their own path, beats and story - and are doing bloody well for themselves if we say so.

Dipping across glitchy flourishes, reverberating bass and a ping-pong sense of drops and corners - the music Bonzai makes is the sort that’ll terrify your parents but be the anthems kids will be blaring out as they head into the night each and every weekend. And that sounds great to us.

2016 has been a year that Bonzai well and truly made her stamp on things and got some heads a-turning. From Radio 1 airplay, to worldwide tours and soundtracking Mura Masa’s bonafide summer jammer ‘What If I Go?’ - there’s only one direction Bonzai is heading in (and spoiler - it ain’t down).

That’s why Bonzai is one of many kicking off the new year with a slot at the revered new music showcase Eurosonic Noorderslag - taking over the city of Gronigen in The Netherlands between January 11th and January 14th with enough new bands (see Declan McKenna, Fickle Friends and The Magic Gang amongst others) to chuck any January blues right out of the picture. You can find out more on that here.

Before then, we caught up with Bonzai for a quick chat to, y’know, get to know a phenomenon before she takes off.

Hello Hello, Bonzai - where on earth are you in the world right now and how are things going?

I'm in Brockley, London making music with my good friend John Calvert and all is good.

This music thing, how did you end up getting involved with it all? Is it something you were pretty set on from a early age?

Yeah, it was always around me growing up, I've always loved music, singing, performing, and couldn't imagine doing anything else.

2016 has been a huge year for yourself - really laying the groundwork for a mammoth 2017. If you could pick out 3 highlights that you’d keep coming back to on repeat on a like bumper DVD - what would they be?

Playing Glastonbury, playing Alexandra Palace and the Santa Ana show I did with Nao and Mura Masa on our American Tour.

Is it fair to say you’re best buds with ol’ Mura Masa? How did you guys meet?

Haha yeah I suppose so. We met on a rooftop in Dalston 2 summers ago!

What’s it like being signed to his label (Anchor Point)? We can imagine his boardroom has a big table in it...

It's fun, it's a great group of people and we all love each others music. No big table yet though.. Soon.

As someone who’s jumped from Dublin to London, how do you think each city has influence you when it comes to making music? Travelling round the world must of left a mark too eh?!

I don't think the cities influence me as much as the people in them do and the people I've met in London so far have definitely influenced me as a person and the music I make.

We can imagine your parties are bloody great nights - would you fancy yourself as an ultimate Christmas-night party-starter?

Haha not really, Christmas time I'm at home beside a fireplace drinking mulled wine or hot chocolate .. New Years is where the party is!

On a track like ‘I Did’, it really seems to flow with the sort of energy you’d find in a proper underground dance party. How important has being able to experience the various corners of club culture been to the way your music comes together?

I don't think I’d make the music I do if it wasn't for all the clubbing I did. I had my first fake ID when I was 14, from then I went out as much as I possibly could and I loved it!

What can all of us here expect from your debut album?

A strange but thrilling, ravey electronic journey

We need to check, how are you going to see in the new year? Because we can imagine that a Bonzai new years party is one we definitely need to be at.

It's gunna be a vibe .. I can't wait to be home and party with an Irish crowd again!

And - thinking in advance - how are we going to solve that hangover?

My tip is a full Irish breakfast and a cuppa tea!

Any plans for the rest of the day?

I’m going to make some music, mind my godbaby Royah for a few hours, make dinner and chill.