STORE MIX 119: BABYMOROCCO

Babymorocco is a singular voice in experimental pop and club music, weaving hyper-emotional songwriting with influences ranging from early 2000s dance to French electro, 2-step and hardcore. His debut album Amour, a 16-track journey executive produced by Frost Children, explores the edges of pure pop and club intensity, mixing big feelings with blown-out speakers and feral energy. Known for his magnetic live shows and boundary-pushing artistry, Babymorocco continues to evolve with Amour The Jean Paul Deluxe, a four-track extension that introduces a new persona at the core of his work.

As he prepares to create a store mix for LN-CC, offering a unique soundtrack for the space, we spoke to Babymorocco about his artistic identity, the duality of his Jean Paul alias, the creative depths of Amour and the new directions ahead.

To begin, how would you describe your artistic identity and the journey that has shaped you into the musician you are today?

My work is an ongoing study of transformation, to be honest. I realised that recently. I’m properly interested in distortion, how identity fractures under attention. My journey as someone who performs as parts of me has been less about development and more about excavation: stripping things away until something sharp and HD emerges. Really specifically an image of me, kind of like those Russian dolls where there’s the biggest one and it goes down to the tiniest one.

You’ve recently introduced a new alias, Jean Paul, alongside your work as Babymorocco. What inspired this duality, and how do these identities complement or challenge each other creatively?

Jean Paul is dying soon. He was the main character throughout the album Amour and my deluxe. The duality between us allowed me to be healthier, leaner. I bettered myself for a bit. I need to now get back to Babymorocco though. I need to find him again.

Turning to your album Amour, the record resonates with a deeply intimate and atmospheric quality. How did your personal experiences and emotions influence its creation?

It’s interesting that you say intimate. I feel it’s the opposite. I feel it’s loud and abrasive and sometimes garish. I think you can hear anger. In the deluxe, it’s quite—maybe I would say those four tracks are more intimate. For sure, actually. But the original Amour is angry from being broke. I had no money while making it, even though I had a label. I was angry at my family, myself, and my label. When I was making it, it felt like I wanted to worsen myself. I think that’s why people love it so much, because it’s high rage.

The soundscape of Amour is notable for its seamless blend of genres and moods. How did you approach the sonic palette and storytelling throughout the album?

From the conception of Amour, I wanted to make it a classic. I feel right now it’s a very underrated album. But I have no fear that it will grow to be huge. That’s good about this era, an album can take like four years to get its real audience. I want that for Amour. I think genres don’t ever come into my head, apart from pop. Pop is god to me. But sounds come into my head. The main words for the sound descriptions for Amour were texture and like “Bop it.” The children’s game where there was a handle on which you had to spin. That was in my head. It looks like a neon orange cog.

With the recent release of the Amour deluxe edition under your Jean Paul alias, what motivated you to revisit and expand this body of work?

It was an opportunity to reframe Amour with more honesty, though a character built on lies.

How does the deluxe edition reflect your growth as an artist and producer since the original album’s release?

I’m striving to be a better artist. I want to write and sing better. I don’t know if there’s growth. You would probably have to ask a fan. I see it from such a biased perspective.

Could you walk us through your general creative process, how do ideas transform from initial inspiration to fully realised tracks?

I name the track before anything. Then I ask whichever producer I think most suits the direction I want to go in. I sit with it. Write gibberish over it, like hum the title of the track. Then a story comes to me. Then I send it to everyone, who tells me if they like it or don’t. Often I end up hating the track after four hours. If I still like it, then I keep it.

Collaboration seems to be a key part of your artistry. How have other musicians and producers influenced your sound and creative evolution?

If I’m obsessed with your music, it makes me want to be part of your world. Collaboration is world access, in a creative globe. I want to travel to it. Love music.

How do you maintain a balance between exploring new directions and preserving the core of your artistic voice?

I don’t really believe in preservation. The “core” of who I am is only exciting if there’s one true version of me. I also feel that would be lying to myself. In a way, the real me is like 100 people.

You’ve created a store mix for LN-CC, what can listeners expect from this mix, and how do you approach crafting a set for a space like that?

I just want people to dance.