Bárbara Salazar aka Barbarelle is an experimental multidisciplinary artist from Buenos Aires, known for her conceptual work as a DJ, creative director, and curator.
In addition to her work as an artist, Barbarelle is the founder of Atlas, a platform dedicated to active listening through radio, live performances, listening sessions, and more. She is also known for her radio show of the same name on Dublab, where she shares her unique approach to sound with eclectic selections and interviews with the likes of Air, BADBADNOTGOOD, Lucrecia Dalt, Juana Molina & more.
‘Celesta’ marks her first foray into making her own music; a deeply personal masterstroke of beguiling, free-flowing ambient soundscapes and DIY electronics, revealing an enchanting sonic world that has quietly matured over time.
FACTS
1. Follow your bliss, that’s your compass
2. Alfajores, one of the greatest inventions on Earth
3. I need to learn how to play my songs
1. What is the biggest inspiration for your music?
I feel like it’s something that comes from deep within, like images or sensations that I want to translate into music. All my songs so far have been very intuitive, impulsive, without thinking much about technique or theory—none of that. And when I listen back (even to recordings from over ten years ago), I notice there’s something about creating a dreamlike, magical atmosphere. There are certain stimuli that inspire me and that I see reflected in my sound (so far)—water, softness, translucency, crystal-like textures, things connected to something beyond words.
2. How and when did you get into making music?
Since I was a child—maybe around six years old—there were always instruments at home because my parents would buy them for my sister and me to play with. A Yamaha keyboard (which I still have), small percussion instruments, a guitar. I always felt very drawn to them and instruments in general… like a magnet.
When I was 11, I studied a bit of singing and piano, but I found the lessons boring. I always played more by ear, more intuitively! I started recording in 2012 (I actually just found my first GarageBand recording today), sporadically, using whatever I had at the time and whatever I was learning. At first, I taught myself, and later, I took a few Ableton classes.
Everything I recorded stayed hidden in folders (I probably lost many of them). I felt very insecure about sharing my music because I thought it sounded too amateur, that I didn’t know enough. But my parallel journey in music—as a DJ, selector, radio host, and more—gave me more courage to share this music.
In 2022, I started secretly playing my own tracks in my sets, and finally, last year—after 12 years!—I dared to share them with the world. I sent my songs to Hidden Harmony Recordings at the end of September 2024, and three days later, I received their offer to release them! It was the end of hiding—and here we are.
3. What are 5 of your favourite albums of all time?
Well, as a DJ/Selector that is VERY difficult. I’ll throw out the ones I can think of now. They are not definitive. They can change.
AIR – Moon Safari
Alice Coltrane – Journey in Satchidananda
Broadcast – The Noise made by People
João Gilberto – Amoroso
Harold Budd – The Pavilion of Dreams
4. What do you associate with Berlin?
I’ve actually never been to Berlin! I haven’t visited many cities in Europe, but somehow I’ve always associated Berlin with the techno scene and raves, and since that’s not really my thing, I didn’t visit it during my trips to Europe. Many people have told me that the diversity of scenes is huge and that I’d love it! So yes, next time, I definitely have to go. I also know a lot of Argentine people, mostly artists, who moved there, and they’re very happy!
5. What’s your favourite place in your town?
My favorite area in Buenos Aires is around the downtown area, Microcentro. People usually don’t like it because it’s super noisy, crowded, and full of offices, but I love it because it has that vibe of old Buenos Aires: French-style buildings, old cafes with men reading the newspaper, movie theaters, record stores, pizzerias! Ah… I love it. I put on my headphones, choose some music, and go out for a walk alone there—it’s like traveling back in time.
6. If there was no music in the world, what would you do instead?
Hmm, I think I’d definitely do something related to art, like painting! But I also feel like I could pursue something that allows me to travel the world, which is one of my greatest passions… Maybe creating travel guides recommending the coolest spots in each city? Or even becoming a comedian, because even though I may come across as serious or reserved, I’m actually a funny girl—I’m always joking around. :P
7. What was the last record/music you bought or listen?
I don’t remember which was the last one I bought because it’s been a while since I bought anything here in Buenos Aires. I think the last one I bought was in Paris last year…and it was ‘Be in Two Minds’ by Pili Pili. The last album I listened to today was Bluesy Burrell by Kenny Burrell with Coleman Hawkins!
8. Who would you most like to collaborate with?
I’m a big dreamer, so if you’ll allow me to dream out loud, it could be AIR or Beach House or someone from Japan’s early ambient scene like Shiho Yabuki…or maybe someone from the jazz world. Or Rebe! who I’ve been listening to a lot lately and i love her vibe. And outside of the music world, I’d love to do something with Carlota Guerrero.
9. What was your best gig (as performer or spectator)?
As a performer, well, as a DJ since I haven’t done live sets with my own music yet, definitely opening for AIR -my fav band since years- last year at one of the most important venues in Buenos Aires: Movistar Arena. As a spectator, an intimate show Björk did with the Biophilia experience in Buenos Aires in 2012. I was literally unable to speak after that. It shifted my whole world.
10. How important is technology to your creative process?
I think it’s important because it allows me to record music! But I’m not super nerdy; I actually know quite little. I’d love to learn more about how to record better or explore different software, but that’s not really what attracts or inspires me the most.
11. Please tell us a little bit about your new album “Celesta”?
Celesta is the first time I’m sharing my music, it is my debut album after 12 years of recording for myself. The songs on this album are recordings I made, mostly improvising, and many of them are one-take layers. They’re from a period between 2022 and 2024, some of them I recorded in Los Angeles, where I stayed for five months in 2022. During that very nomadic stage of my life in the city, I stayed for two weeks at the home of a lovely couple of musicians I met (Alex Pasternak and Allie Schulz!) , who had a home studio and let me use it. They had a Yamaha DX7 and a Roland D50, and it was my first time playing them. I fell in love with those synths and was deeply inspired. I recorded some songs there, and others in Buenos Aires, at my home with a very simple setup—just a MIDI controller, an audio interface, my Casiotone, and an Omnichord that a friend lent me. These weren’t meant to be an album; they were just recordings I made when I felt inspired.
Until the moment came when I felt ready to share them, and that’s when I sent them to HH. When Valentin from the label told me they wanted to release the album, I realized that even though these songs were made at different times, they were connected. They were like portraits of a moment where I simply let things flow, like an intimate note… being a vessel for something that wanted to express itself. And now they have to be shared with the world. I’m very grateful for this new chapter.
