HI-LO pays tribute to Bonzai Records with his new single ‘BONZAI’: Listen

“I made this track during the pandemic in 2020, partly inspired by the sounds of the iconic Belgium label Bonzai Records,” says HI-LO about this trance-infused techno tune.

Dutch prodigy Oliver Heldens dons his techno alias once again to deliver pure uplifting energy. ‘BONZAI‘ is the name of his latest single, already available for streaming and download via his imprint HILOMATIK. This release is the successor to many other big hits that topped the charts this year, such as the two-track EP ‘Nirvana‘ with Reinier Zonneveld, his EP ‘Pura Vida‘, the single ‘Arpeggio‘ with Space 92 and most recently ‘BRAZIL‘. It’s a rhythm that never ends, to everyone’s delight.

Electronic music is like a complex tapestry in which the threads of various genres are woven together to give life to combined sounds. We’ve seen a resurgence of trance and that 90s vibe in many tracks, especially in techno. It’s a combination that works really well on the dancefloor because of the way it gives techno an uplifting energy and creates a profound nostalgia. HI-LO knows this very well and has been cooking up something like this for a long time, as he explains when talking about the process of creating ‘BONZAI’:

“I made this track during the pandemic in 2020, partly inspired by the sounds of the iconic Belgium label Bonzai Records and by Age Of Love – Age Of Love that also has a distinctive sine-synth lead melody like this track. I named the track BONZAI as a little tribute to the Bonzai label, but also because of the atmospheric Japanese vocal samples in the 2nd break of the track. Back in 2020 it felt a bit too trancy for HI-LO, so I kind of focused on finishing other tracks instead, but this year felt like the perfect time to give this track a fresh makeover and take it to the next level. It’s become a 135bpm melodic peak time techno anthem that blends Techno and Trance very nicely in my opinion, and that also works very well at much higher BPMs.”

The Japanese expression bonzai means long life and also the cheer of enthusiasts. It seems that both dualities come to life in this new single from HI-LO. It’s impossible not to be captivated by the trance-like melody, which is both hypnotic and delirious. The intermittent percussion that makes the song an incredible climax complements the airy elements and dreamy synths beautifully. This single has received great support and it’s easy to see why. Take a listen below:

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