Ecstatic Computation


Ecstatic Computation is a studio album by Italian composer Caterina Barbieri. It was released on 3 May 2019 through Editions Mego. It received universal acclaim from critics.

Background

Caterina Barbieri is an Italian composer. She released Vertical, Patterns of Consciousness, and Born Again in the Voltage. Ecstatic Computation is her debut studio album for Editions Mego. It was released on 3 May 2019.
Barbieri later released Fantas Variations. It contains reinterpretations of the album's song "Fantas" by Evelyn Saylor, Bendik Giske, Kali Malone, Walter Zanetti, Jay Mitta, Baseck, Carlo Maria, and Kara-Lis Coverdale.
Ecstatic Computation was reissued in 2023 through Barbieri's record label Light-Years, with "Perennial Fantas" added as a CD-only bonus track.

Critical reception

Paul Simpson of AllMusic commented that "the album is deeper, darker, and trippier than any of her previous releases." He added, "Intense, emotional, and often revelatory, Ecstatic Computation further establishes Barbieri as a truly visionary artist." Layla Fassa of Resident Advisor stated, "Stylistic influences and sonic textures are varied, yet they're cohesive." She added, "The result is an album that's both provocative and blissful." Joseph Burnett of The Quietus stated, "Even in its most unsettling moments, such as the silent gaps that punctuate the synth notes on closer 'Bow of Perception', Ecstatic Computation retains a sense of expanding horizons and joyful experiments."

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.