Biography

Keyboard player with successful British band Japan 1974 - 1982. Fellow members: David Slyvian, Mick Karn & Steve Jansen

Last name pronounced bahr-bee-air-ee.

He regularly guests with The Bays, an electronic improvisational group. Recent highlights for the band include two Radio One sessions for the late John Peel and concerts at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Brighton Dome.

Despite his emphasis on sonic experimentation, he is also an accomplished keyboard player who has become more overtly traditional in his playing during his sixteen years with Porcupine Tree (and who currently plays electric and acoustic pianos and Mellotrons in addition to his analogue-styled synthesizer work).

During his time with Japan, he worked (with the assistance of lead singer/occasional keyboard player David Sylvian) on programming the band's analogue (and early digital) synthesizers to create original sounds and textures. On record, these were played by whichever member of Japan could interpret the performance best (generally drummer Steve Jansen, as "he had the best timing.") However, he performed the bulk of the keyboard playing live. His keyboard-playing role in Porcupine Tree is similarly split with frontman/producer Steven Wilson, with Barbieri processing the sound of other musicians in the band as well as playing more orthodox keyboard parts.