Variants 5 EP, High quality edition

In 2017, Richard Barbieri released his most sonically expansive work to date. Planets + Persona 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 greatly received by a dedicated and growing fan base.

Variants.5 is the final issue in a vinyl series from Richard Barbieri presenting a collection of disparate pieces of music from past and current works. It features performances from violinist Gill Morley, Luca Calabrese 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 the film 'Run Lola Run' and a live version of the 'Planets + Persona' track "Unholy".

As a member of the new-wave pioneers Japan, Barbieri was a leader in creating the ground-breaking synthesiser sound and use of electronic equipment that influenced a generation of artists. Together, the band recorded five studio albums culminating in the ground-breaking Tin Drum, which stayed in the UK Albums Chart for a year.

Following Japan, Barbieri joined Steven Wilson in the formative years of the legendary progressive outfit Porcupine Tree, playing keyboards on all the band's albums since 1993 as well as releasing three striking solo albums: 'Things Buried', 'Stranger Inside' and 'P+P'.

His ear for composing unique soundscapes and synth textures recently led to collaborations with other talented composers, such as Steve Hogarth (Marillion), Steve Jansen & Mick Karn (Japan) and Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree).

'Variants.5' is presented on 180g heavyweight vinyl in a single sleeve and features a new live photo print.