Listen to a playlist inspired by this year’s Biennale Musica curated by Caterina Barbieri

Welcome back to Selections, a series of artist-curated playlists from those in the know.

Berlin-based Italian musician and composer Caterina Barbieri uses repetition, modular synths, and voice to create sonics that feel both mechanical and deeply human. From her breakthrough album Patterns of Consciousness to the expansive Spirit Exit, Barbieri’s music turns trance states into a compositional method. 

Now, Caterina Barbieri is bringing her vision to Biennale Musica. As the new Artistic Director of the Music Department of La Biennale di Venezia, she has entitled this year’s edition of the festival, which runs 11 – 25 October, La Stella Dentro (The Star Within), with a programme that treats Venice itself as an instrument. The festival will explore the theme of cosmic music, “not referring to a specific genre or tradition, but to the generative power of music to create new worlds.”

Barbieri’s Selections playlist embodies this; exploring ancient music, contemporary sounds, folk, drone music, techno, and afrofuturism.

“The playlist is conceived on the festival’s theme according to this criterion, with some of the invited artists expanding to include other names that best represent the richness, diversity and inclusiveness of contemporary music.”

Listen below.

Biennale Musica will take place in Venice from 11-25 October.