Ecstatic Computation is a studio album by Italian composer Caterina Barbieri.[2] It was released on 3 May 2019 through Editions Mego.[3] It received universal acclaim from critics.[4]
Background
Caterina Barbieri is an Italian composer.[2] She released Vertical (2014), Patterns of Consciousness (2017), and Born Again in the Voltage (2018).[2]Ecstatic Computation is her debut studio album for Editions Mego.[5] It was released on 3 May 2019.[3]
Barbieri later released Fantas Variations (2021).[6] 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.[7]
Ecstatic Computation was reissued in 2023 through Barbieri's record label Light-Years, with "Perennial Fantas" added as a CD-only bonus track.[8]
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Ecstatic Computation received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 from 6 critic scores.[4]
Paul Simpson of AllMusic commented that "the album is deeper, darker, and trippier than any of her previous releases."[9] He added, "Intense, emotional, and often revelatory, Ecstatic Computation further establishes Barbieri as a truly visionary artist."[9] Layla Fassa of Resident Advisor stated, "Stylistic influences and sonic textures are varied, yet they're cohesive."[12] She added, "The result is an album that's both provocative and blissful."[12] 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."[13]
