BBXO

Welcome to the Now: to an often nightmarish world where terrors freely roam. A world that increasingly estranges us from one another instead of bringing us back together. Formed in that great divide, BBXO is a duo that wants to do just that: uniting us instead of pushing us further apart. By celebrating our similarities and acknowledging our differences. And by delivering an astonishingly uplifting sound.

BBXO make a style of music they call “Future Blues”, sitting comfortably between spoken word and rap, between politics and pop. Their wondrously organic music freely meanders through pop culture history from the eighties into the beyond, a libertine purely driven by heart and instinct. They formed when Krisz Kreuzer, of urban blues sensation Brixtonboogie, met up with Musa Okwonga, a lauded London-born poet who had recently moved to Berlin. “I talk about the future and Krisz talks about the blues”, Okwonga laughs. “I am more rooted in electronic music and hip hop while Krisz is coming from a rootsy blues or dub reggae and hip hop background.” From the beginning, their aim was to make songs that speak of love, struggle and friendship in a way that is moving, often rousing, and ultimately uplifting.

“We have no borders, no boundaries”, Kreuzer states, and for once, it’s not just a PR effective slogan. BBXO have crafted a bass-heavy and accessible sound that is urgent, passionate and powerful. Their tunes effortlessly travel from Soul to Dancehall, from Blues to Grime to Pop, and are suitable for the whole range of moods; the late-afternoon euphoria of a midsummer festival, the quiet evening at home, the lonely but hopeful train journey towards a new adventure. Above all, it is a music that connects people like it links Kreuzer and Okwonga. With a message that is both optimistic and altruistic, BBXO light a torch in an age of darkness. “We live in compelling and worrying times”, Okwonga states. “With BBXO, we want to put across that yes, we understand that these times are challenging, but there is a way through it, an underlying positivity. The common theme of my writing is the turning point. Each song goes through that: It usually starts very dark and ends fairly optimistic.”

Optimism. There is possibly nothing we need more these days. BBXO deliver that, clad in thick beats, warm textures and sophisticated and eloquent words that Kreuzer calls “outstanding in contemporary music”. Political without addressing it constantly, they give a voice to the voiceless, to the rejected, oppressed and sexually targeted, at the same time being extremely personal. “My background is very dominant in my lyrics”, Okwonga says. “They are about my family’s struggles back in Uganda, escaping as refugees, about adjusting to a new society, about a black person in a mostly white world and how that can be challenging.” Kreuzer underlays Okwonga’s words with a sound which is both contemporary and accessible, yet not lacking in depth and texture. A fateful match, as one cannot fail to see. “We both like a wide range of music and know exactly what the other stands for in BBXO”, Kreuzer says of this special bond.

With Kreuzer being based in Hamburg while Okwonga lives in Berlin, both of them love the respective possibilities their hometowns offer them. “Hamburg is a music city”, Kreuzer raves. “It has a great vibe to work in plus our label is based here.” Okwonga, on the other hand, praises the energy he feeds off in Berlin. “Berlin is the ideal breeding ground for creativity. The city is incredibly intense at night, delivering that huge adrenaline rush, but during the days it is very calm, making it a great place to reflect and work.” In the end, it’s the striking blend of two artists extraordinaire and the influence of two of Germany’s most vibrant cities that’s making BBXO one of a kind. Anti racist, anti hate – and pro love, pro earth, pro hope. Trust us, we need that.