BO JOHNSON, Falling

Taking a deep dive into the bio of Swedish songwriter, producer, artist and Billboard charting remixer Bo Johnson, we learn that the multi-talented force in deep/progressive house, pop and EDM music had a severe leg injury as a teenager and was told he would never walk again. He not only beat the odds but also became a bodybuilding champion, winning numerous titles throughout Europe.

His determination to succeed later manifested in his emergence as an artist and remixer since 2015 – a stretch that includes over ten singles, remixes for Zedd, Selena Gomez, Kygo, X Ambassadors, Frans and Lodato, a #1 remix on Billboard, a #5 on the DJ Times chart and tracks on the Swedish Dance Chart and hundreds of thousands of Spotify streams.

Johnson’s bodybuilding background is also a powerful metaphor for the eclectic and muscular, dance floor ready grooves he brings to “Falling” and “Humming Waves,” the two opening tracks from his latest EP, also titled Falling. Duetting beautifully and emotionally with R&B singer Evan, Johnson infuses the ultra-romantic track with a lush, colorful swirl of soulful energy, sparkling and often intense synth magic and a trippy stop, reflect and start again aesthetic which captures the reality of hesitating just slightly when you’re about to give your heart to the one you’re falling for.

The all-instrumental “Humming Waves” is filled with dark synth flashes, dark and twisty low-end bass energy and breathy “exhales” as the hypnotic beats roll and intensify. With more pronounced synth breaths and haunting voicings later on, it’s a masterpiece of hypnotic intricacy. Johnson showcases his eminent skills as an ultra-melodic composer and pianist on the lush mid-tempo ballad “I Hear You Tonight,” featuring the passionate lead vocals of country singer and onetime “The Voice” contestant Brandon Chase.

Towards the end of the track, Johnson builds on the song’s heartfelt foundations with some of his trademark atmospheric synth hypnosis. The Falling EP – a teaser for Johnson’s upcoming debut full-length album The Rise – wraps with a lovely instrumental version of “I Hear You Tonight” that artfully combines new age loveliness with electronic invention.