- Hailing from a scene where weirdos thrive, Stockholm's Baba Stiltz stands out for his remarkably skewed approach. Though he's released a lot of music over the past half-decade, the variation in his productions, as well as his work with the likes of Yung Lean, makes it difficult to pin down where he's coming from. (A video feature following the young producer around Stockholm did little to clear things up.) But the highlights in his catalog—like 2014's "Palats" and 2015's "Intr Stellr"—reveal his knack for cubist house romps. His latest record, Keep It Lit, lands on Will Bankhead's The Trilogy Tapes and is built around a couple of alien filter-house cuts.
These three tunes feel like a gradual descent into madness, kicked off by the title track. It's essentially an edit, with a disco diva who isn't Gwen McCrae singing the chorus, "Keep the fire burning," while the band plays behind her. Stiltz seems to have a full understanding of the tension and release needed to succeed in this format, as he spends three minutes letting the vocals emerge from a murky zone, but then the tune rides on for another five minutes. It's a clever tool, but you likely won't hear the full track being played out.
"BB 1-2" is also built around a stompy disco sample. This time, he not only rides the filters, he balances the funk with atonal, B-movie bleeps. The best track on Keep It Lit is the bizarre closer, "We Both Know It's The Last Game We Play." It's initially reminiscent of the kind of pumping minimal house cut Villalobos might reach for at the witching hour. But Stiltz works in reggae toasting, spoken word and an ominous, barely perceptible piano line. This kind of dubby, haphazard house track fits with the SUED/Sex Tags/Acido axis, ample proof that the odd young man from Stockholm should go as far out of orbit as he wants.
TracklistA1 Keep It Lit
B1 BB 1-2
B2 We Both Know It's The Last Game We Play