The fast up and coming Brazilian DJ & producer Bárbara Boeing steps up for our latest Phonica mix dedicated to the gates of heaven.
If you have not heard of Bárbara yet, fear not, you will; Having just dropped her killer debut release on Toy Tonics in May and already having smashed sets out for the likes of Dekmantel Selectors, Boiler Room and Permanent Vacation we can clearly see this is nothing but an up hill trajectory for the talent. For this set Bárbara is bringing us to the day party, the closing of the Summer set if you will. Perfectly built up with a a solid mixture of taste and fun. This is one to get on before you go out but also one for a couple of wines in the park bidding fairwell to the Sun for another year. We chat to Bárbara about the mix, her approach to DJing and what she has coming up next:
Hey Barbara, thanks for joining us! Can you tell us about your mix and what the idea behind it was?
This mixed is called ”Gates of Heaven” because every time I listened to some music which was peaceful and brought me joy I added them in a specific folder and going a bit more personal, this mix was recorded in the same week Sinèad O’Connor passed away and she was my idol when I was a teenager (still is), so this is my humble musical contribution to more peaceful moments she might have now that she is on the other side. Not trying to be religious here, it is more about a heavenly mood than anything else. More to the end, the mix takes its own format and almost as if one track asks for another, I added a few edits I have been working on and enjoyed this new path it went on musically.
Can you tell us a bit about how you usually approach recording a mix or a set?
For my mixes, I usually like to start from somewhere I briefly plan and then let the music take me into other places. For this one, I began with a selection of records I have encountered in the past few months from places I have been to alongside some promos I received and put it all together with a tag I called: ”Gates of Heaven”. Consequently, this mix was a bit more free in its own essence, it was not completely planned and I enjoyed where it got me to.
What are your preferred methods for finding new music—do you still enjoy digging around in dusty crates, or do you prefer to buy online?
It may sound antagonic but I believe new music usually comes from old records that never became well known enough in order to be uploaded digitally. So yes, all my music comes either from crates I have dug at or from music I traded with other people that also digged to find them. Other than that, to enrich my selection, I try to trade music with people from all over the world so I can find harmonies created from different sources, backgrounds and cultures.
Of course there is always new stuff being released but my taste tends to prefer old stuff that mirrors a time when music was still completely new. New genres were being presented, new ways of dancing and new niches that were created around it. Nowadays, even though there are some really creative people that do it, the genre itself tends to be a rearranged repetition.
What advice would you give to any DJ’s or Produces just starting out?
Listen to your mother/father’s records…
What is your dream setting for a DJ set?
Daylight slot in an island filled with Brazilians (the best dancers) and crystalline water to jump to.
What do you have up your sleeve for 2023?
I will be doing a tour in Australia and also my debut in Asia in December with 9 shows in some interesting places like Tokyo and Bali.
Thanks Bárbara
