Caterina Barbieri - (2019) Ecstatic Computation LP

 

Editions Mego ‎– eMEGO259

 Barbieri opens Ecstatic Computation with its longest and most definitive statement, the 10-minute “Fantas.” Though that might be shorter than her earliest tracks, it condenses an arc worthy of an entire album. She’s grown so skilled at programming hypnotic webs of sound that listeners are already put under by the halfway point, but Barbieri doesn’t stop there. After building the tense melodic progression to its logical peak, the track softens and stretches but never stops gaining momentum. It’s a warp-speed jump where everything seems to move slower and faster all at once. The brilliance of “Fantas” is hearing her use that sensory state not as an end, but a foundation to build even further. After Barbieri weaves the central theme back in near the end, it feels as if she could take us anywhere. Instead she shatters everything, distorting the sequence into a crashing electrical storm that’s all the more bracing for how methodically she’s set it up. It’s a breathtaking moment, one that cements her mastery of entrancing listeners by virtue of how dramatically she takes it away.