- With a sound somewhere between a beach club and a midnight acid trip, Studio Barnhus releases some of the richest house music around. The Stockholm-based label, run by Kornél Kovács, Petter Nordkvist and Axel Boman, often supports upcoming Swedish producers, having released early records from artists like HNNY, Baba Stiltz and Shakarchi & Stranéus. Bella Boo, a producer who splits her time between Stockholm and London, is the latest to debut on the label, stepping up with the five-track Fire EP. Lean and satisfyingly weird, it bundles bleeps, sampled keys and chants into a charming mix that feels like it could only come from Studio Barnhus.
A mixture of soft tracks for the club and mellow downtempo beats, Fire operates in a hazy zone. There's "Magnolia," where the sampled spoken word, perhaps from a UK news interview, is kept at the back of the mix, eventually overtaken by the humming ambience that floods the track. Then there's "Keep Me Warm," which is the EP at its jazziest, bundling gospel-style vocals, shakers and strings into seven minutes of positivity. One track, "Homesick, Where's Home," from the digital EP didn't make it onto the vinyl, which is a shame. It's a loopy groover perfect for late-hour situations, with just the right amount of cheer in its keys and bassline to liven up a dazed crowd. Fire is full of character, another magical transmission from a new producer on one of dance music's most distinctive labels.
TracklistA1 Fire Fire
A2 Is It Rude To Wear My Shades
A3 LA Confidential
B1 Keep Me Warm
B2 Magnolia
Digital: Homesick, Where's Home