Caterina BarbieriIT
(Picture: Camille Blake)
Caterina Barbieri's music rewires time and space, creating a unique experience since her 2017 breakthrough ‘Patterns of Consciousness’. Her 2019 album ‘Ecstatic Computation’ and its lead single "Fantas" pushed this further, evoking the life and death of a star with its intense, haunting melodies. Far beyond new age or synth trends, Barbieri's work is known for its ecstatic intensity and profound emotional impact. While she’s acclaimed for her futuristic vision on ‘Ecstatic Computation’, Barbieri's work also deeply engages with historical elements, blending experimental, dance, and pop music. Her use of modular synthesizers examines their effects on human perception and the potential for psychedelic experiences.
Her debut, ‘Vertical’ (2014), merged different sonic eras, while ‘Spirit Exit’ (2022) expanded this concept into a broader soundscape, praised by NPR for its psychedelic and subversive qualities. Her live performances, described as "living organisms," showcase her compositions in real-time, creating immersive experiences. Barbieri has performed at major festivals and prestigious venues worldwide. In 2022, her artistic vision for ‘Spirit Exit’ was realized through collaborations with visual artist Ruben Spini and lighting designer Marcel Weber, creating a captivating, immersive journey. In 2023, she released ‘Myuthafoo’, a suite recorded alongside ‘Ecstatic Computation’, exploring the intersection of technology and biology. This album, released on her light-years label, continues her exploration of radical immanence—a philosophy connecting the physical and metaphysical through sound.
In each of her pieces, Caterina Barbieri presents a singular identity in part of a bigger picture, a simple pattern, taken in about as many directions as it can go as it finds a way into a whole universe of mind-altering layers that build and repeat to a grand crescendo.
Presented with the support of the Italian Institute of Culture in Montreal
