{"title":"Richard Barbieri","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"stranger-inside-2","title":"Stranger Inside","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom the pioneering days of Japan to the progressive soundscapes of \u003cstrong\u003ePorcupine Tree\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eRichard Barbieri\u003c\/strong\u003e has continually redefined the boundaries of electronic music. With this new 2024 edition of \u003cem\u003eStranger Inside\u003c\/em\u003e, Barbieri revisits a unique and fascinating chapter in his career, showcasing his groundbreaking synthesiser work and mastery of composition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing the success of his 2005 debut album \u003cem\u003eThings Buried\u003c\/em\u003e, Barbieri delved deeper into a world of intricate textures, harmonic complexity, and rhythmic innovation with 2008's \u003cem\u003eStranger Inside\u003c\/em\u003e. Entirely self-written and produced, this album is a testament to Barbieri's visionary approach to sound design.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt features a stellar lineup of collaborators, including longtime partners \u003cstrong\u003eSteve Jansen\u003c\/strong\u003e (mixing\/co-arranging), \u003cstrong\u003eSteven Wilson\u003c\/strong\u003e (mastering), \u003cstrong\u003eGavin Harrison\u003c\/strong\u003e (drums), and the iconic double bassist \u003cstrong\u003eDanny Thompson\u003c\/strong\u003e. The album also introduces radical and atmospheric manipulations of sampled voices, namely \u003cstrong\u003eTim Bowness\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eSuzanne Barbieri\u003c\/strong\u003e's, to provide an ethereal dimension to its primarily instrumental core.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRichard Barbieri\u003c\/strong\u003e's illustrious career began as a founding member of the influential new-wave band Japan, where his revolutionary synth work helped shape the sound of an era. The success of albums like \u003cem\u003eTin Drum\u003c\/em\u003e in 1981, which remained in the UK charts for an entire year, solidified Japan's place in music history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAfter Japan disbanded at the height of their fame in 1983, Barbieri continued to break new ground, creating the Medium record label in 1993 with fellow ex-Japan members \u003cstrong\u003eSteve Jansen\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eMick Karn\u003c\/strong\u003e before taking his place in \u003cstrong\u003eSteven Wilson\u003c\/strong\u003e's legendary progressive outfit \u003cstrong\u003ePorcupine Tree\u003c\/strong\u003e shortly after. \u003cstrong\u003ePorcupine Tree\u003c\/strong\u003e garnered multiple Grammy nominations and achieved worldwide acclaim, cementing their status as one of rock's most revered bands with landmark albums such as \u003cem\u003eIn Absentia\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eDeadwing\u003c\/em\u003e, and most recently, 2022's \u003cem\u003eClosure\/Continuation\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis 2024 edition of \u003cem\u003eStranger Inside\u003c\/em\u003e is presented on black vinyl as part of a double LP package.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kscope","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50454816194891,"sku":"2224033","price":37.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_4158fa4c_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727186455"},{"product_id":"variants-1-and-2","title":"Variants 1 and 2","description":"\u003cp\u003eV\u003ci\u003eariants 1 and 2 \u003c\/i\u003eis the first 2LP released in a series presenting a collection of disparate pieces of music from past and current works. It features live performances with guest musicians, new compositions, improvisations and reworkings of older material including a 2009 instrumental version of the Japan B-Side \u003ci\u003eThe Experience Of Swimming\u003c\/i\u003e. In 2017, Richard Barbieri released his most sonically expansive work to date. \u003ci\u003ePlanets and Persona\u003c\/i\u003e is his third solo album, but the first to feature such a wide pallet of instrumentation. Vintage analogue synthesisers combined with acoustic performances and jazz elements, including some stark and memorable improvisations from a personally hand-picked group of musicians, a release that has been well received by a dedicated and growing fan base. As an ex-founder of the new-wave pioneers Japan, Barbieri was a leader in creating the ground-breaking synthesiser sound that defined the band and influenced the likes of The Human League, Duran Duran, Gary Numan, Talk Talk and a whole raft of artists to follow. Together, the band recorded five studio albums culminating in the ground-breaking \u003ci\u003eTin Drum\u003c\/i\u003e, which stayed in the UK Albums Chart for a year.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kscope","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50472017789259,"sku":"1053201","price":37.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/6b5cf49b-3d1b-4e2d-9418-1457b6b659df_thumbnail_4096.png?v=1727415404"},{"product_id":"under-a-spell","title":"Under a Spell","description":"\u003cp\u003eRichard Barbieri (Japan, Rain Tree Crow, Porcupine Tree) returns with his new album \u003ci\u003eUnder A Spell.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe man whose illustrious career began in the late 70s with synth-pop visionaries Japan and more recently as a member of influential art-rock band Porcupine Tree follows up 2017's \u003ci\u003ePlanets + Persona\u003c\/i\u003e with new album \u003ci\u003eUnder A Spell.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e2017's \u003ci\u003ePlanets + Persona\u003c\/i\u003e was adventurous and bold, showcasing Barbieri's endlessly inventive song writing and mastery of electronic music. \u003ci\u003eUnder A Spell\u003c\/i\u003e picks up where that left off, journeying further into the expansive terrain he had sonically mapped out. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, everything changed. \"I wrote and recorded it in my studio at home, with all this strangeness going on outside,\" says Barbieri of \u003ci\u003eUnder A Spell\u003c\/i\u003e. \"It became something completely different: this weird, self-contained dream-state album.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn \u003ci\u003eUnder A Spell\u003c\/i\u003e, Barbieri was intent on capturing the atmospheres and moods that his disconnected brain was conjuring rather than slaving over arrangements and melodies. Songs such as 'Flare', 'Serpentine', 'Sleep Will Find You' and its companion piece-of-sorts 'Darkness Will Find You' are sharply defined despite their dream-inspired genesis.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe album's title perfectly encapsulates the haunting, evocative world Barbieri has created. Songs such as the skittering, billowing 'Clockwork' and 'Sketch 6's dub-inspired soundscape hang suspended in that strange half-world between sleep and waking – a subconscious reflection of the surreal state the planet has found itself in over recent months.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere are voices but no vocals, collaborators include Marillion frontman Steve Hogarth and Swedish singer Lisen Rylander Love (who co-wrote 'A Star Light').\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs ex-founder of Japan, the new-wave pioneers and one of the most ground-breaking bands of their era, Richard Barbieri helped spark the electronic music revolution that followed, his synthesiser sound not only defined the band but influenced the likes of The Human League, Duran Duran, Gary Numan and Talk Talk. Following Japan's split, Barbieri joined Steven Wilson to form the legendary progressive outfit Porcupine Tree, that saw him play on nine of the band's albums, including 1999's Stupid Dream, 2002's In Absentia and 2007's acclaimed \u003ci\u003eFear Of A Blank Planet\u003c\/i\u003e. Following PT's hiatus Barbieri has pursued a solo career, releasing albums that include 2005's Things Buried, 2008's Stranger Inside and 2017's \u003ci\u003ePlanets + Persona\u003c\/i\u003e, as well as his recent EP series, \u003ci\u003eVariant.1-5\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBarbieri's willingness to constantly redefine his own musical boundaries are never more evident than on the brilliant, hypnotic \u003ci\u003eUnder A Spell\u003c\/i\u003e – the latest milestone on this utterly unique journey.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kscope","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50473610084683,"sku":"1111185","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50473611723083,"sku":"1111186","price":37.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/5da09d62-8595-4385-8281-1e23e4aadbbb_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727430069"},{"product_id":"things-buried-stranger-inside","title":"Things Buried \/ Stranger Inside","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBarbieri's first two solo albums as a mid-price double album CD collection and as separate vinyl releases. 'Things Buried' is Barbieri's debut solo album; an instrumental work that highlights Barbieri's unique approach to sound and mood, ranging from textural atmospherics to dynamic rhythmic passages. The album also features the distinctive styles of Percy Jones (Brian Eno, Brand X) on fretless bass guitar and Andy Gangadeen (The Bays, Massive Attack) on Drums. The second solo album, 'Stranger Inside', followed the artistic and critical success 'Things Buried', further developing Barbieri's unique sound. Writing and producing the album himself, the album includes contributions from long-term creative partners Steve Jansen (mixing\/co-arranging), Steven Wilson (mastering), Gavin Harrison (drums) and the legendary double bass player, Danny Thompson (Pentangle). Although instrumental in nature, most tracks feature radical and atmospheric manipulations of the sampled voices of Tim Bowness and Suzanne Barbieri. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kscope","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50483608486219,"sku":"1060565","price":37.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50483609108811,"sku":"1010366","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/ad0b2a1a-6444-45c3-a05a-cc1177417f56_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727570304"},{"product_id":"planets-and-persona","title":"Planets and Persona","description":"\u003cp\u003eAs an ex-founder of the new-wave pioneers Japan, Barbieri was a leader in creating the ground-breaking synthesiser sound that defined the band and influenced the likes of The Human League, Duran Duran, Gary Numan, Talk Talk and a whole raft of artists to follow. Together, the band record five studio albums culminating in the groundbreaking 'Tin Drum', which stayed in the UK Albums Chart for a year. Following Japan, Barbieri joined Steven Wilson to form the legendary progressive outfit Porcupine Tree, playing keyboards on all the band's albums since 1993 as well as releasing two striking solo albums: \u003ci\u003eThings Buried\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eStranger Inside\u003c\/i\u003e. In 2017, Barbieri releases his most sonically expansive work to date. \u003ci\u003ePlanets and Persona\u003c\/i\u003e is his third solo album, but the first to feature such a wide pallet of instrumentation. Vintage analogue synthesisers combine with acoustic performances and jazz elements, including some stark and memorable improvisations from a personally hand-picked group of musicians. Twisted voices are always present, though not in a language we can recognise.\u003cbr\u003e Recorded across Europe in studios in London, Italy and Sweden, Barbieri has succeeded in creating his most ambitious solo release with a central theme of duality that runs through the album. The album is complimented with the stunning Icelandic ice cave scene on the cover of the gatefold sleeve, and the double LP is pressed on to 180 Gram heavyweight vinyl.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kscope","offers":[{"title":"LP | x2","offer_id":50526360731979,"sku":"1007459","price":37.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/747b2c20-e8a6-4a80-b384-88eb14272925_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728042283"},{"product_id":"variants-5","title":"Variants.5","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Variants 5 EP is the final instalment in a series of releases by Richard Barbieri that collects disparate pieces of music from past and current works that don't fit in with new album plans or concepts, but that Richard feels deserve to be heard.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFeatures performances from violinist Gill Morley, Luca Calbrese and Lisen Rylander Löve, and contains two new studio works, a variation on a theme written for Porcupine Tree’s New Soul, Richard’s opening theme for Run Lola Run and a live version of Unholy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA beautiful and expansive package will be available (in which to house the CDs and better display the details of Samantha Keely Smith's art across the releases).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kscope","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50526607278411,"sku":"1061968","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/d20a379f-4841-49ca-b88f-2ff43748dfae_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728045746"},{"product_id":"hauntings","title":"Hauntings","description":"\u003cp\u003eRichard Barbieri remains one of contemporary music's most distinctive voices.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEmerging as a key architect of the late '70s\/'80s synthesiser revolution with David Sylvian's art-rock ensemble \"Japan\", his visionary synthesiser programming expanded the horizons of electronic music and left a lasting mark on artists from The Human League and Duran Duran to Gary Numan and Talk Talk. His subsequent and ongoing tenure with Steven Wilson's legendary progressive outfit Porcupine Tree across albums such as In Absentia (2002), \u003cem\u003eFear Of A Blank Planet\u003c\/em\u003e (2007) and most recently, \u003cem\u003eClosure\/Continuation \u003c\/em\u003e(2022) further affirmed his status as one of the most intuitive and unique musicians of his generation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHauntings\u003c\/em\u003e is Barbieri's first studio album since 2021's \u003cem\u003eUnder A Spell,\u003c\/em\u003e deepening the pensive, dark instrumental aesthetic of its predecessor. A diverse collection of immersive sound worlds, both dark and uplifting in equal measure, \u003cem\u003eHauntings\u003c\/em\u003e is influenced by a nostalgia for the past and future and for things that didn't happen yet still manage to haunt the mind and soul. What is real and what is simulation?\u003cbr\u003eThe album finds Barbieri at the height of his powers, his deft keyboard and sonic architecture conjuring a shadowy, creeping Lovecraftian atmosphere. The music wanders through the streets of a gloomy lamp-lit Victorian London and drifts into grain-speckled snapshots of Belle Epoque Paris. These journeys into the past are contrasted with nihilistic but euphoric forays into the future, \"Traveler\" and \"A New Simulation\" bristling with the itchy modern anxiety that often runs through his best work. Contrasting the sound designs and electronics of Barbieri, the album features performances from renowned musicians Morgan Agren (drums and percussion), Percy Jones (bass guitar) and Luca Calabrese (trumpet).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kscope","offers":[{"title":"2LP - Red","offer_id":56694010380619,"sku":"R1113-7576","price":37.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"2LP - Black","offer_id":56571195588939,"sku":"R1113-9052","price":37.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD and Bluray","offer_id":56571195621707,"sku":"R1113-4540","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":56571195654475,"sku":"R1113-7983","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/0802644806525.jpg?v=1771520773"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/richard-barbieri.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}