Bella Boo - Fire

April 20, 2018 - Studio Barnhus

The humble Studio Barnhus on Barnhusgatan street in Stockholm, Sweden, has been behind some of the thickest, thought provoking, and true dance music to be released in recent years. The studio sees itself as a “blob of colour splashed right onto the gray scales of modern dance music,” and newcomer Bella Boo is the latest colour blob to splash. As of writing, Bella Boo doesn’t seem to have a large social media presence or interview backlog, but it’s been said that the producer in question is a practiced world traveling DJ who splits her time between studios in Ladbroke Grove, London, and Hornstull, Sweden. For her debut on Studio Barnhus, Bella Boo has compiled six tracks, five of which are available as a digital download. The sixth track, ‘Fire, Fire’ is a vinyl exclusive that replaces ‘Homesick, Where’s Home’ from the digital release. I will be reviewing the digital album’s contents here, but I will say it only took 10 seconds of the 30 second preview of ‘Fire, Fire’ before I had two copies of the vinyl shipped to me using the fastest method possible.

Bella Boo opens the digital EP with ‘La Confidential,’ a sultry lo-fi dance number dripping with static pops, winking vocals, and some strong Baba Stiltz undertones. It’s a dreamy track that sets the mood for the project. None of the elements are elevated any higher than those surrounding it; it’s a smooth experience with just the right amount of seasoning. The next track, ’Is It Rude to Wear My Shades’ tightens up the production, introducing some spoken vocals, plinky drip synths, and an acid bass line that almost crosses into the realm of satire. The track has a lot of versatility, filling the roles of club slapper as well as pleasant home listener. 

The middle track, ‘Magnolia’ is a fitting anchor. The production occupies a lot of space, the low frequencies filling the room seemingly without any reverb. More spoken word comes through around the halfway mark, touching on the dance scene, religion, and the divine. ‘Magnolia’ opens back up with an eerie choir tone that sounds both synthetic and organic at once, like a synthesized human/violin combination. This feeling plateaus through till the outro, giving the listener some space for what’s to come. 

‘Keep Me Warm’ lifts the energy level in waves, building layers of sampled happiness on top of one another, releasing, and then rebuilding. The track, like the rest of the EP, appears almost self aware; as soon as it feels overtly within a “style” of dance music, it steps back just a little, giving the track more room for itself to exist on its own. The digital exclusive ‘Homesick, Where’s Home’ rounds out the experience. Chopped samples rotate around the listener as a chugging bass and percussive loop set the tone. The synth elements seem straight out of an 80’s educational science video about the human body or how photosynthesis works. It’s a fleshy track with a full body and robust taste. 

With Fire, newcomer Bella Boo has filled a gallery with strong, distinct works painted with a similar palate of sounds and interests. The tracks feel medium-rare and not over seasoned; the sources, the raw ideas themselves, seem intact, which is a thing few and far between these days. Studio Barnhus has long been on our watchlist, but Bella Boo is going to need her own set of notifications turned on for future releases. 🍍

P.S.
Received my vinyl copy of the album, 'Fire, Fire' is the best thing I've heard all year. <3