He is known for a distinct analog lo-fi sound, and for working in a diverse range of genres, beginning in folktronica and ambient and later stretching to include instrumental hip hop, indie pop, electronica, soul, funk, and alternative R&B.
A resident of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, England, Wilkinson developed a passion for experimental music during his time at Middlesex University in London from 1999 to 2003, where he studied "sonic arts".
[3] Upon graduating, Wilkinson left London and returned to Wolverhampton, setting up a recording space in the spare bedroom of his girlfriend's parents' house.
[7] Sophomore album Hand Cranked was released March 2006, and continued in a similar style, seeking to emulate the sound of mechanical music boxes using antique instruments.
[13][14] While continuing to record lo-fi guitar pieces, Wilkinson was inspired by artists like J Dilla, MF Doom, and Madlib to begin a short-lived hip hop side project named Duckula.
[3] Ambivalence Avenue was released in June 2009, four months after Ovals and Emeralds, and marked the start of a new sound and era, embracing vocals, hip-hop beats, folk and pop song structures, and funk/soul guitars.
Ambivalence Avenue was met with largely favorable reviews, with Tiny Mix Tapes describing it as his "most creative and penetrating release yet"[16] and Pitchfork ranking it as the 33rd best album of 2009,[17] stating "it's shocking how utterly and successfully he rewrites his playbook."
Some reviewers were more critical, with Drowned in Sound claiming "Bibio's tendency... to either smooth the edges of his creations into non-threatening abstraction or fail to zone in on his best ideas is frustrating.
The original tracks were described as "expert, full of electronic papier-mache layers of arpeggiated guitars, glitchy drum patterns and joyful percussive samples," by The Guardian.
It continued the sound of Ambivalence Avenue with more mixing of genres, including forays into power pop on "Take Off Your Shirt" and microhouse on "Saint Christopher".
[26] "Sycamore Silhouetting" dates back to 2007–2008 and existed in "many different versions" before being finished for Silver Wilkinson, and "You" began as part of the side projects which led to Ambivalence Avenue.
[13] Bibio next contributed "Dye the Water Green" and six original songs to the 2014 film Men, Women & Children, directed by Jason Reitman.
Wilkinson spent a day with Reitman playing unreleased tracks over film footage, and described the experience as "very perfect, like dream come true stuff".
[31] Released 1 April 2016, Bibio's seventh studio album A Mineral Love featured collaborations with Gotye, Oliver St.Louis, and Wax Stag, as well as a prominent 70s, 80s, and alternative R&B sound,[32][33] and was described by PopMatters as a "joyous yacht-psych fever dream".
[34] Wilkinson began the sessions for A Mineral Love in February 2015 by building a sound-proof home studio, which he credits with helping take the album away from the "bedroom producer approach" of his earlier records, and cited Sly and the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Prince and B.
[38] In a divergence from his work over the last decade, the album is entirely ambient, made from a set of improvised compositions consisting of processed piano, synth, and guitar loops surrounded by tape hiss and field recordings.
[43] The album marks a return to the lo-fi guitar oriented roots of his earlier career, such as on 2009's Vignetting the Compost, while retaining some of the funk and soul influences featured prominently on A Mineral Love.
stated, "With Ribbons, it is clear that Bibio is trying to take the best parts of his music over the years and bring them together into one concise, but eclectic, album, and on more than a few moments, he succeeds beautifully.
"[46] Ten track EP Sleep on the Wing was released June 12, 2020, and was an extension of the lo-fi sound of Ribbons, featuring a variety of traditional string instruments and folk inspired songwriting.
On 22 November 2024, Bibio will release his eleventh album Phantom Brickworks (LPII), a continuation of his study of abandoned locations across the Welsh countryside by way of ambient songwriting.