Since 2018 five ‘Variants’ eps by Richard Barbieri appear regularly. They are eps with mostly solo work, but there are also contributions of a.o. Percy Jones (fretless double bass), Lisen Rylander Löve (vocals), Luca Calabrese (trumpet), Sophie Worten (vocals), Gill Morley (violin), Fredrik Hermansson (piano) and Barbieri’s own wife Suzanne (vocals). In this Free Radicals we pay attention to ‘Variants’.
Richard Barbieri was the keyboard and synthesizer player in the band Japan. After it was dissolved, he worked among others with David Sylvian and his brother Steve Jansen. With Jansen he formed a duo for a long time, sometimes as Jansen & Barbieri, sometimes as The Dolphin Brothers. Since 1993 he plays in Porcupine Tree; the band with Steve Wilson.
In 1998 Barbieri produces an album together with his wife Suzanne: Indigo Falls.
His first solo album, ‘Things Buried’ is released in 2005. Four years later follows ‘Stranger Inside’. After that it remains quiet for a long time. Only in 2017, a third album appears surprisingly: ‘Planets+Persona’.
In the intermediate years Barbieri works with Steve Hogarth on two other albums.
Since 2018, five ‘Variants’ eps appear regularly. These are released in personal management. On those ‘Variants’ releases is a rich scala of work to be found. Old, new, edited or live.
1. Richard Barbieri ‘Hybrid’ (Barbieri) 6:00 V1
2. Richard Barbieri ‘Rime’ (Barbieri) 6:31 V2
3. Richard Barbieri ‘Night of the Hunter part 2’ (Barbieri) 6:57 V2
4. Richard Barbieri ‘Hypnotek’ (Barbieri) 9:31 V2
5. Richard Barbieri ‘Ballerina’ (Barbieri) 7:27 V3
6. Richard Barbieri ‘Vibra’ (Barbieri) 6:54 V3
7. Richard Barbieri ‘Snow Bed’ (Barbieri) 5:10 V4
8. Richard Barbieri ‘Showered in Light’ (Barbieri) 7:14 V5
9. Richard Barbieri ‘New Soul 2018’ (Barbieri) 5:29 V5
Sources:
1-9: CD: Variants.(box containing Variants 1-5) – Orange Asylum Records – personal publication.
