Baba Stiltz

Baba Stiltz is a producer from Stockholm, Sweden who defies categorization. Much of his output can be classified as house, ranging from reflective, somewhat melancholy tracks to disco-influenced burners. However, he also slips into downtempo electropop, and has regularly produced beats for Swedish rapper Yung Lean. Born in 1993, Stiltz began making music as a child and studied at a ballet school for several years. He began releasing music around age 15. He recorded quirky electro-folk-pop as the Bethlehem Beard Corporation, and released two albums on the Flora & Fauna label: When the Beards Met in Bethlehem (2008) and I Hate My Village (2011). He was also associated with the Scandinavian abstract electro-funk scene known as skweee, and went by the pseudonym Mrs. Qeada for his early work in this style, beginning with three digital EPs on Body to Body in 2008, followed by a 7″ on Flogsta Danshall in 2009. Beginning in 2011, he retired his monikers and released material under his own name, continuing with two more singles for Flogsta Danshall. He started releasing house music in 2013, and signed to Studio Barnhus, a Swedish label founded by Kornél Kovács, Axel Boman, and Petter Nordkvist. Several 12″s appeared on the label (as well as others such as Born Free and Under Bron), leading up the release of his debut full-length, Total, in 2014. The album displayed his wide range of styles, from shimmering, cosmic house to downbeat electropop. More singles followed, with tracks like “Cherry” and “Keep It Lit” focusing on his club-igniting side. A pair of 2017 EPs for Studio Barnhus, Is Everything and Can’t Help It, brought his vocals (however Auto-Tuned) closer to the forefront. ~ Paul Simpson