By Azzam Bilal 
HangupsMusic.com – Berlin, From the windows of Riverside Studios, the gray expanse of the River Spree serves as a backdrop for the latest chapter in the life of BIIANCO. The artist, born Gabrielle Bianco and known to their peers as Gabby, has recently made the German capital their permanent residence, a move that signals more than just a change in geography. For the multi-instrumentalist, composer, and DJ, Berlin represents the culmination of a lifelong journey through sound, community, and personal transformation. BIIANCO, who utilizes they/them pronouns, is currently preparing to unveil their most ambitious body of work to date—a project that seeks to bridge the gap between the mechanical precision of electronic music and the raw, often messy reality of human emotion.
The upcoming release cycle, structured as a trilogy under the banner of Ultra Records, marks a significant departure from the artist’s previous output. While earlier tracks like "Bruv Parade" or the high-energy "Touch My Body" with Marlon Hoffstadt established BIIANCO as a formidable force in the contemporary trance and techno resurgence, the new material dives into darker, more complex waters. The first installment, an EP titled near_sight, is scheduled for release later this year, with subsequent chapters and a remix package following in 2027. This collection was born from a period of profound internal and external unrest. Writing during a time of intense social and political grief regarding the state of the United States, BIIANCO found themselves questioning the concept of "home" while watching global conflicts unfold from a distance. The resulting music is not merely designed for the dancefloor; it is a visceral response to class warfare, consumption, and the desperate need for human connection in an increasingly digital age.
The transition to this more pointed, "angry" sound is intentional. BIIANCO describes a sense of urgency that took hold in the studio, a need to move beyond the "fun" of the rave and into the "bite" of social commentary. On one particularly explosive track, they explicitly call for the dismantling of power structures with the lyric, "Eat the rich, they’re not your masters." This shift toward the political and the emotional does not come at the expense of energy. The tracks remain high-velocity, laced with acid textures and trance-inducing melodies, but they carry a weight that reflects the artist’s recent personal history.
BIIANCO’s path to this moment has been anything but linear. A classically trained pianist who began their studies at age five, the New York-born artist was immersed in the technicalities of music from childhood. By the age of 16, they were already a fixture in the New York indie scene, performing at legendary venues like Pianos and self-producing original material on primitive software. This foundational period was followed by a formal education in Music Composition at UCLA, where they explored the intersection of ethnomusicology, sound design, and the sociology of music. It was here that BIIANCO began to understand that music is inextricably linked to the environment in which it is consumed—a realization that continues to inform their approach to techno today.
Before finding their footing in the electronic underground, BIIANCO spent years touring North America in indie-electronic and electro-soul projects like TEMP3ST and Smoke Season. These years on the road provided a masterclass in live performance, teaching them how to read a room and manage the technical complexities of multi-instrumental setups. However, the world of "big-room" EDM festivals left them cold. To BIIANCO, the corporate-sponsored spectacle of mainstream dance music felt like the antithesis of the rave’s original spirit. It wasn’t until a music production retreat in Joshua Tree in 2018, surrounded by women and non-binary producers, that they realized electronic music could be a vehicle for authentic, independent expression. This epiphany birthed the BIIANCO project.
The artist’s rise to global prominence was accelerated by a viral moment in 2023, though they are quick to clarify that they are no "overnight success." For years, BIIANCO had been posting "live loops"—videos showcasing their ability to build complex tracks in real-time using synths and vocals. It was a clip of the track "Against The Wall" that finally broke through, accumulating over 35 million views and charting in 20 countries. This digital explosion created a unique paradox: while their career was being fueled by the "machine" of social media algorithms, the content itself was deeply human and improvisational.
However, just as their career was reaching a fever pitch, tragedy struck. In late 2022, a severe chemical accident resulted in a burn to BIIANCO’s right eye, causing permanent partial blindness and temporary facial disfigurement. The psychological and physical impact was staggering. For an artist whose work relied on the "V-shaped" coordination of live instruments, losing depth perception and peripheral vision necessitated a total recalibration. During this period, BIIANCO experienced what they describe as an "ego death." Forced to wear an eyepatch and confront a changed reflection, they retreated from the traditional live stage and leaned heavily into the art of DJing.
This period of recovery birthed a new style they refer to as "athletic mixing." Utilizing four decks simultaneously, BIIANCO treats the CDJs as an extension of the percussion, cutting faders with the intensity of a drummer. The loss of sight in one eye also made them acutely aware of the lack of accessibility within the nightlife industry. From poorly lit booths to venues that are inaccessible to the disabled community, BIIANCO has become a vocal advocate for more inclusive rave spaces. Their disability hasn’t slowed their technical evolution; if anything, it has sharpened their focus. Their sets are now characterized by high-pressure improvisation and "production digging"—creating bespoke edits and stems specifically to fill gaps in their four-deck blends.
Beyond their solo career, BIIANCO is deeply invested in fostering community through GAIA, a FLINTA-led event series co-founded with their close friend KTK. The concept for GAIA was born from a shared B2B set at ADE in 2025, where the two artists experienced a level of non-verbal, intuitive communication usually reserved for members of a long-standing band. GAIA seeks to revolutionize the often-awkward "changeover" between DJs. Each transition in a GAIA event is a timed, six-minute and 33-second micro-B2B, turning a logistical necessity into a centerpiece of the night. The timing is a nod to numerology—33 being the "Master Teacher" number representing community and human touch.
As BIIANCO prepares for a packed summer schedule across Europe and the United States, they remain focused on the "human versus machine" tension that defines their work. Their current philosophy is perhaps best summarized by a lyric from an unreleased track: "Fuck the DJ, where the drummer at?" It is a metaphorical rejection of the "polished" and the "cool" in favor of something that feels alive and raw. In Berlin, the city of shadows and industrial rhythms, BIIANCO has found the perfect environment to score their own life—a life that has been marked by trauma, but ultimately defined by an unbreakable connection to the source of the sound. For BIIANCO, the music is no longer just a career; it is a survival mechanism, a film score for a reality that is as beautiful as it is brutal.
