Earlier in the month, Mori Mori—real name: Gleb Pridbailo—released BBV (Deluxe), a recharged version of the artist’s 2024 album BB Void, which, keeping in line with Mori Mori’s larger body of work, synthesized a variety of contemporary internet-native styles in a way that is both emotive and elusive. This new drop seemed to us to be as good of an occasion as any to shoot off a few questions to the artist, who made BB Void during a relocation to Berlin but is now based in Paris. We asked Mori Mori about these locations, cloud rap, their work with the label Xpone, and a whole lot more. Read the piece, and listen to BBV (Deluxe), below.

I read that BB Void was recorded during a relocation to Berlin. Did moving while working on the EP impact the songs, musically or lyrically?

Mori Mori: It definitely did. I’ve been moving around a lot since my teenage years, so I’m quite used to it, but this time was tough. I was constantly moving between short-term sublets, changing apartments every couple of months. I didn’t have many tools or equipment with me either, so the whole project naturally became very minimal in terms of production.

My vocals ended up sounding quite restrained too, mostly because I had to record late at night and didn’t want to wake up my flatmates ha ha. “Hashed Out” is one of the few songs where I could sing a little louder. I recorded it on Christmas day, when my flatmate went home to visit his family, and I had the place to myself. I even got to borrow his guitar for it. It was actually a wonderful Christmas.

What were the best and worst parts about living in Berlin?

Berlin is incredibly chill. It’s a peaceful, laid-back city where no one expects anything from you. You can dress how you want, act how you want, and so on. That’s both a plus and a minus for me. I noticed how easy it is to slip into a kind of inertia there; people can become a bit unmotivated, and I felt that in myself too. That said, Berlin in summer is just like heaven on earth. I still go back regularly to run shows and visit friends.

How are you liking living in Paris now in comparison?

I’m really enjoying it so far. I visited Paris often as a kid, and surprisingly, it hasn’t changed much—so walking around here now feels quite nostalgic. It’s such a beautiful city; I find little bits of beauty everywhere, especially the hilly areas. There’s definitely less happening in music compared to Berlin, but I feel like that’s starting to shift. There’s a growing interest in contemporary music, and Paris seems to have the right climate for something new to take shape. Also, people here have been incredibly kind and welcoming!

Do you have any favorite cloud rappers?

It’s hard for me to picture cloud rap as a cohesive genre. So many different scenes and generations of artists have been labeled that way, even when they don’t really share much in common. That being said, I love some old Goth Money; CartierGod is definitely one of my favorites. I’d separate the Swedish scene, obviously, but if we’re speaking more broadly, the peak of that whole era, for me, is Stranger by Yung Lean. I come back to that album often. The production is on another level, and I love how effortlessly he balances vulnerability with flexing on it.

How did you get involved with Xpone?

My best friend Mark Dartau founded Xpone back in 2022. He ran events and released a compilation under the platform before I jumped in. Initially, he asked me to do design work for the label. Later on, when I moved to Berlin, where he was already based, we decided to manage Xpone together. I find working on it so fascinating, because there is an endless variety of formats and mediums we can explore through the platform. And I love that everything related to developing a label has a collaborative aspect to it. After all, it’s all about forming connections and building sort of creative alliances with like-minded people. We did a great job this year, and there's more exciting projects on the way!

Can you talk about some key differences in approach and process between your 2023 album Birds & I and BB Void? The latter seems to tap significantly more into that moody, isolating sound.

Process-wise, every song on Birds was in the works for months, so the whole project ended up being quite dense—very layered in terms of production. The idea behind Birds was to create a dystopian pop record, but in the end, it didn’t turn out as concise or polished as a pop record is supposed to be. And I like it that way, it has a certain fleur. Sometimes it’s quite harsh; sometimes it leans into dream-pop sensibilities. Every song on Birds has a horizontal, continual quality, with roots in the ambient music I used to produce before.

On BB Void, the songs were made in just two-three hours each. I honestly prefer when a track comes together quickly—it leaves that fresh feeling when you re-listen. The arrangements are sharper because you don’t give yourself extra time to overthink or revise. BB Void is built on impulses. It’s bouncy, the transitions are clear, and layers are arranged much more strictly. It’s also way darker in tone, probably because I was dealing with a lot of uncertainties while recording it. So, form-wise, it ended up like a pop project, but quite an unsettling one.

“Only (Deer Park Mix)” goes hard. Have you guys worked together besides that?

Not yet, but we’ve been discussing the possibility of doing something together soon. I recently saw Andy in Paris while he was on tour with the Deleted guys. It's a shame that he couldn’t stay for longer, because honestly, I prefer working in-person. This always gives the result, you would never achieve on your own. Collaborating online seems too detached.

What music is exciting you most these days?

I really like the format of experimental ensemble/chaotic collective currently, especially when musicians are gathered from contrasting fields and genres. 20_14 Assembly is the most recent one I’ve been into, loved their last album. Also, Princ€ss from last year was just a perfect record. Today, when everyone is developing their own isolated ethos, it is so refreshing to mix them up, discovering differences and similarities in sonics up close.