Caterina Barbieri / Bendik Giske: At Source

"The Italian modular savant and the Norwegian reed player have both situated their sounds to the left of center, thriving at the edges of their respective instruments and conservatory educations. Giske uses his classical training to translate his experiences on Berlin's queer techno circuit into gymnastic transmutations of breath."

"Their first joint EP, At Source, gathers four hypnotic improvisations that move like drill bits, spiraling towards a creative core that's classicist in execution and primal in nature. At Source puts seven years of joint practice and mutual magnetism to tape without dulling the dynamic buzz of their live sets."

"His playing is both muscular and multifaceted; to record his last solo LP, 2021's , he and producer Amund Ulvestad rigged miniscule microphones across his sax, his body, and his studio. Giske wanted to communicate the experience " of being inside " his horn."

Caterina Barbieri, an Italian modular synthesist and newly appointed artistic director of Venice Biennale's music department, and Bendik Giske, a Norwegian saxophonist trained in classical music, unite their avant-garde sensibilities on the EP At Source. Both artists have built careers at the margins of their respective fields, with Giske translating his experiences from Berlin's queer techno scene into saxophone innovations, while Barbieri has faced institutional resistance for her experimental approach. Their collaboration began in 2019 at a Swiss gallery and evolved through multiple projects, including Giske's remix of Barbieri's track "Fantas." The EP captures seven years of creative partnership, featuring four hypnotic improvisations that balance classicist execution with primal energy. Giske's saxophone technique involves intimate microphone placement to capture the physical experience of playing his instrument.

Read at Pitchfork