Barnacle Boi: Spirit Trap, Survival Stories, and Defying Norms on the On Location Sessions at ADE 2023 10/18/23

Barnacle Boi: Spirit Trap, Survival Stories, and Defying Norms

In this adventurous Virtual Session, The DJ Sessions host Darran Bruce sits down with Barnacle Boi during Amsterdam Dance Event 2023 to dive into the producer’s whirlwind career, unique sound, and one-of-a-kind stories. Known for describing his style as “spirit, nostalgic, emotional trap music,” Barnacle Boi reflects on his recent shows in Vietnam, calling them the wildest and most memorable performances of his life.

He recounts his first international tour in 2020 across Russia, Latvia, and Poland, which began with a stressful airport detention but soon became an inspiring journey through diverse crowds and cultures. Currently based in Denver, Barnacle Boi shares insights on the challenges of growing in an oversaturated market while staying true to his unconventional vision.

The conversation highlights his track Surrender, written during a solo hike on the Appalachian Trail, where an overnight encounter with a bear became the catalyst for a deeply personal and transformative song. Barnacle Boi also teases his upcoming collaboration with Uzi on the track Venom, currently in talks with several labels for release.

From canceled flights that nearly derailed last year’s ADE performance to finally taking the stage at a legendary venue once graced by Elton John, Barnacle Boi shows his resilience and commitment to carving his own path. His message is simple yet powerful: reject the norms, embrace individuality, and always create from the heart.

Show NotesHost: Darran Bruce
Guest: Barnacle Boi
Location: ADE – Amsterdam, Netherlands

Overview:
Darran Bruce speaks with Barnacle Boi about his spirit-trap sound, international touring experiences, survival stories, and his philosophy on defying expectations in music and life.

Topics Covered:

• Recent tour in Vietnam and reflections on wild performances 
• Touring across Russia, Latvia, and Poland in early 2020 
• Current base in Denver and challenges of the local market 
• The inspiration behind Surrender and the Appalachian Trail bear encounter 
• Creating music in nature and during life-changing experiences 
• Collaboration with Uzi on Venom and upcoming release plans 
• Overcoming setbacks from canceled flights at ADE 2022 
• Performing on a historic ADE stage once played by Elton John 
• Personal philosophy: reject norms, embrace individuality, and follow passion 
• Advice for artists on staying authentic and building unique careers 

Call to Action:
Follow Barnacle Boi at barnacleboi.com and on Instagram @barnacleboiofficial.
Discover more exclusive interviews and live sessions at thedjsessions.com.

[Darran]
Welcome back to another episode of the DJ sessions presents the on-location sessions coming to you from 80 Amsterdam, you know what? This is ADE 2023 and I’m sitting here with none other than the Barnacle Boi Barnacle Boi. How’s it going this afternoon?

Well, you mean you just you’re kind of jet-setting right now you were just in here and you’re an ADE now gonna be playing Parody so tonight we’ll talk about that in a little bit, but you were also just in Vietnam.

[Barnacle Boi]
Yeah, tell us about that That was the craziest like so the best time of my life. So like about three days ago. I played a Ho Chi Minh City like Saigon, Vietnam and Yeah, no, I was it was a crazy.

It was the wildest time of my life.

[Darran]
Like I I didn’t I like I went out there by myself and The vibes wrong and if you could describe your genre of music you play in in three words What would you what you say this spirit nostalgic emotional trap music? Okay, five words Five words three words give or take it’s all good But you had also mentioned that in 2020 you were doing some touring in Russia. Yeah, I’m Pandy, you know What was that like?

[Barnacle Boi]
Um, so I landed in like March like March 5th of Yeah, March and uh, I Smoked a cigarette when I stepped out the airport and got arrested and detained or detained technically I got a store for a bribe And yeah, it was it was really stressful But uh, that was the wildest but the rest of the tour was like beautiful like we I like I played Moscow st Petersburg Thanasonia Riga Latvia Yeah, and then and then I went in like Poland like like Warsaw But like dirt but every country that I got to her and we’re trying to keep us back from like going cuz they’re like Yo, like you have like this thing the coronavirus. So like at that time like I’m like, we’re all freaking out.

We’re like what what? What’s going on? Like, you know, I think the world was freaking out 7th of 2020.

So like right when that stuff happened. And um, yeah long story short like me and my like my best friend like broth, oh he goes by Marcus he’s my brother But uh, yeah, we were in like we were in London and we’re like, yeah, we should like stay here and ride this out And really think it’s made it two weeks We take the last flight out of London for like one and a half to two years like and Wow Yeah And where you where are you based out of right now right now, Denver right now.

[Darran]
Okay.

[Barnacle Boi]
Awesome. Denver’s pretty happy in market For the past two years That place just awful I’ve never recommend that to anyone ever I Mean unless they’d like that but uh, yeah Well, there you go and you’re also produced as well in addition to DJ Well, you know your latest release tell us about your latest release surrender Surrender I was uh, so I was hiking the Appalachian Trail by myself. I Something happened in my brain.

I was like, you know, I’m gonna go a hike hike the Appalachian Trail myself I did that and Is there is it actually a really crazy story? So like I was going to sleep one night and I hear these grunts and like these crunches outside my tent on the Appalachian Trail It’s a bear like I’m like I’m like, all right. So this is cool.

This is this is how I’m going like that’s actually kind of cool but I got the same time I had a machete and a like bear spray in my hand and so I stood up for like three hours while there’s this bear and his family really circling the tent while I was making this song and And like it never attacked me. But at some point I was like, you know, I’m gonna go to sleep I’d rather go to sleep in Noah bears eating me alive So like I was like, I’m just gonna pass out with this like bear like bear spray and machete in my hand and Yeah, I woke up the next morning and like I finished like the last like portion of the song and it was like I was like, you know, like I’m sir. I surrendered to that bear.

[Darran]
It was like a spiritual moment for me Like it was like I mean I could only imagine the anxiety and what was going through your head Release Let it go.

[Barnacle Boi]
I found out there’s cuz I left a Jerky open in my tent that whole time.

[Darran]
That’ll do it Pretty much do that Well, you know your next release coming out with Uzi. Can you tell us anything about that?

[Barnacle Boi]
Yeah, so I caught it venom or we go we caught a venom actually So we’ve been working on for like about a year now I stay in this idea and he took that idea and made it so much better and yeah, no, I think we’re looking at like a few different like Labels, I cannot name right now, but but uh, I think it’s gonna be a pretty successful release. There you go Best way forward now, this is not this is your first 80, but it wasn’t supposed to be your second Last year, yeah The prize like unfortunately we have to turn this plane around because we have technical malfunctions and like first off We’re like already past Iceland. I’m like, why like why are we turning it around, you know?

That yeah, I don’t know. I got I get upset cuz I was supposed to a two sets like last year But yeah, and this year you are playing where?

[Darran]
Tonight I heard that’s a pretty big stage and Elton John had played there before yeah It seems legendary Mm-hmm Awesome. Well, you know, is there anything else you want to let our DJ sessions fans know about before we let you get back to? The festival.

[Barnacle Boi]
Yeah, 100% like I think it’s like Fuck the norms do what you want to do And where can people go and watch you fuck the norms Barnacle Boi calm instagram.com slash Barnacle Boi official Alright, yeah, that’s it.

[Darran]
That’s B a r n a c l e b o I Boi folks boi Barnacle Boi coming to you from ADE in Amsterdam Don’t forget to go to our website the DJ sessions Calm find us on X find us on meta find us on Instagram find us on tik-tok out there The best place to go though is the DJ sessions comm over 600 news stories every month exclusive interviews Exclusive mixes and more at the DJ sessions.com. I’m Darran. This is Barnacle Boi coming to you from ADE for the DJ sessions presents the on location sessions and remember on the DJ sessions the music never stops