Caterina Barbieri is readying the release of Fantas Variations via Editions Mego on April 2nd. The upcoming effort features eight reimagined versions of her track “Fantas” by a diverse range of artists, including Lyra Pramuk, Kara-Lis Coverdale, Stine Janvin, A. G. Cook, as well as this initial variation from Bendik Giske. “Fantas” first appeared on Barbieri’s excellent 2019 album for Editions Mego, Ecstatic Computation, one of our favorite albums from that year.
On Bendik Giske’s “Fantas for Saxophone and Voice,” Barbieri’s glittering arpeggios take on distinctly acidic tones. Like with the original, the track opens to cosmic dimensions as a wind seems to stir-up the first inklings of melody. The arpeggio here begins by gently rippling through the reverberating space, but as it gains complexity, it seems to howl and grind against the space/time restraints of its sonic continuum.
