Boundless are an electronic music duo based in Praia da Luz, made up of Ivan Pereira, a Portuguese electronic music producer, and Bárbara Starling, a Brazilian singer, instrumentalist and composer. Their debut album, 100 seconds to Midnight, will be released on 18 January 2023. I caught up with them to find out more.
Congratulations on the album! Could you tell me a bit about the process?
Ivan: Thanks, we’re super excited to share the album with you! Every track we produce comes from a conceptual approach, a feeling, a thought or a specific subject we wish to transmit through music. We then seek inspiration, digging deep into various cultures, scales and rhythms. We look for textures to apply and explore a lot of sound design so that people can feel each element in the music.
Bárbara: We mainly produce during the night, as we feel that quietness in the universe and a vast space to explore creativity, which is what inspired the album title.
Do you both come from a musical background?
Ivan: Music has always played an essential part in our lives. I devoted a lot of time learning electronic music composition, studied at Etic in Lisbon and took countless workshops with great technicians worldwide. I have been involved in recognised electronic music projects such as Yestermorrow, Atomizers, Techyon, Ankh, Holophonik and Holographic Brain!
Bárbara: I studied music and grew up around Brazilian musicians who founded Clube da Esquina, a cultural movement from the ‘60s that blends bossa nova, jazz, samba and chorinho, composed by artists such as Milton Nascimento, Toninho Horta, Paulinho Pedra Azul and many others. I witnessed priceless music sessions at my parents’ house and I even recorded an entire album at the same studio as Seu Jorge.
Have you had any notable performances and can we see you perform anytime soon?
Ivan: Performing at Boom Festival 2022 for its 25th anniversary was one of the most memorable moments for us and a very notable gig. You can check the full video on our YouTube channel. Over the next few months, we have performances in Portugal, France, Morocco, Brazil, Hungary and the United States.
When and where will we be able to listen to the album?
Bárbara: 100 seconds to Midnight, our debut album, will be released on all major platforms on 18 January 2023, by a Danish label, Ibogatech Records.
What brought you to the Algarve?
Bárbara: In the middle of 2020, I was invited to manage Kozii Shop in Lagos, a sustainable fashion brand based in the Algarve, so we decided to move from central Portugal to the south. We were also searching for peace of mind and a more “in-tune” environment to release the tension of the pandemic. This region combines some important aspects for us: pleasant weather, an open-minded community of people from all corners of the earth, beautiful landscapes and a mix of cultures. The Algarve is a boundless place and we feel at home here.
Ivan: The Algarve is a very inspiring place for us, as its streets breathe cosmopolitan culture. You can appreciate talented musicians on the streets daily, experience great food and find natural sanctuaries with distinct landscapes. Many interesting activities are hosted by the local and foreign communities that enhance our lives.
What are your hopes for Boundless and what plans do you have for the coming year?
Ivan: We hope Boundless can touch people’s hearts through the groovy beats produced with love. In 2023, we plan to launch a party concept, called B-sharp, that connects high-quality music with other cultural spheres to provide unique experiences in partnership with Xana Freitas and the creative entrepreneur João Pedro a.k.a Prof Panik.
Bárbara: We have also just launched Midwaystation Prod, a hub dedicated to developing creative content for the electronic music scene, in partnership with the video artist Vitinho Matias.
Ivan: We will also be releasing new material on Ibogatech and the Canadian Alpaka Records.
Photos © Rui Pedro Lamy
Spotify: spoti.fi/3JbyKvV
