Dreamy rhythmic electropop
Who they?
Gabriella Borbély is a Swedish DJ and producer who makes grooving, idiosyncratic house music under the name Bella Boo. After releasing two excellent EPs – ‘Fire’ and ‘Supervillian’ – via the Stockholm-based Studio Barnhus imprint, Borbély has again teamed up with the label to release her debut LP ‘Once Upon A Passion’.
Why Bella Boo?
According to Borbély, ‘Once Upon A Passion’ is “a love-story; all feelings on the spectrum”. Fittingly, the nine tracks here move fluidly between moods and genres, from the dreampop-tinged ‘Your Girlfriend’ (on which Borbély sounds remarkably like fellow Swede Lykke Li) to the bustling beats of opener ‘Can’t Leave You Like This’. Rather lovely too is that Borbély credits her daughter Bozi as the inspiration behind the record. “My daughter is the one giving me the focus and structure to actually finish projects,” she says. “Before I had her, it was a long period of time where I had to ‘get in the mood’ before starting. You know, make coffee, roll a spliff… now there’s now time for the fluff, I just get right into it!”
Tell us more…
Studio Barnhus is one of the most distinctive labels in dance music and Borbély’s unique, often quirky sound makes for a perfect match. A clutch of interesting collaborators appear on her new album, including the characterful Studio Barnhus co-owner Axel Boman, who contributes an acid bassline to the gorgeous downtempo track ‘Do The Right Thing’. ‘Once Upon A Passion’ also features Nils Janson on trumpet, plus vocal cameos from Gnučči and LA-based artist Def Sound (the latter appears on one of the album’s highlights, the breezy and aptly named ‘Way Chill’).
‘Once Upon A Passion’ is out on Studio Barnhus
