Julianna Barwick

Julianna Barwick
Background information
OriginLouisiana, U.S
GenresAmbient, new age, electronic, avant-garde
OccupationMusician
Years active2006–present
LabelsDead Oceans, Asthmatic Kitty, Mistletone
Websitejuliannabarwick.com

Julianna Barwick is an American musician who composes using electronic loops. Her first album, The Magic Place, was released in 2011.

Music career

Barwick has said that her music is influenced by her participation in church choir while growing up in Louisiana. She composes with a machine to create electronic loops built around her vocalizing.[1]

She self-released her debut EP, Sanguine, in 2006. The songs are wordless with vocal overdubs, vocal percussion, and improvisation.[2] On the EP, Florine, she uses a loop station and pedals to create minimalist repetition accompanied by layers of vocals and synthesizers.[3] In 2010, Barwick was commissioned to remix "Reckoner" by Radiohead. During the next year, she released an album of improvisational music, FRKWYS Vol. 6, with Ikue Mori.[4]

She recorded her first full-length album, The Magic Place, on a rehearsal stage because it was soundproof and had a piano.[5] The title of the album refers to a tree on her family's farm that was big enough to crawl into, as though the tree contained rooms shaped by the trunk and branches.[6] In 2012, she formed the duo Ombre[7] with Helado Negro and recorded the album Believe You Me.[8]

The title of her second album, Nepenthe, was inspired by the death of a relative. The name comes from the drug of forgetfulness found in ancient Greek literature and the work of Edgar Allan Poe. The album features the string ensemble Amiina and a choir of teenage girls.[9]

In 2016, the song "Nebula", from her third album Will premiered on NPR. A music video directed by Derrick Belcham was shot at the historic Philip Johnson Glass House.[10]

On December 20, 2019, she released an EP, titled Circumstance Synthesis, and in July 2020 she released her fourth album Healing Is a Miracle.[11]

Discography

Solo studio albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions
US Heat.[12] New Age Albums[12]
The Magic Place
  • Released: February 21, 2011
  • Label: Asthmatic Kitty
  • Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming
4
Nepenthe
  • Released: August 20, 2013
  • Label: Dead Oceans
  • Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming
25 3
Will
  • Released: May 6, 2016
  • Label: Dead Oceans
  • Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming
21 3
Healing Is a Miracle
  • Released: July 11, 2020
  • Label: Ninja Tune
  • Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming

Collaborative studio albums

Title Album details
FRKWYS Vol. 6 (with Ikue Mori)
  • Released: June 14, 2011
  • Label: RVNG Intl.
  • Formats: LP, digital download, streaming
Believe You Me (with Helado Negro, as Ombre)
  • Released: August 21, 2012
  • Label: Asthmatic Kitty
  • Formats: LP, digital download, streaming

EPs

Title Details
Sanguine
  • Released: 2006
Florine
  • Released: April 27, 2009
Matrimony Remixes
  • Released: October 4, 2011
Pacing
  • Released: March 5, 2013
Rosabi
  • Released: June 3, 2014
Circumstance Synthesis
  • Released: December 20, 2019

References

  1. ^ Monger, James Christopher. "Julianna Barwick". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  2. ^ "Julianna Barwick + Discography". Juliannabarwick.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-24. Retrieved 2013-08-19.
  3. ^ Howe, Brian. "Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  4. ^ Howe, Brian. "Ikue Mori / Julianna Barwick". Pitchfork. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  5. ^ Vogl, Tamara. "Beat". Beat. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  6. ^ "The Magic Place | Asthmatic Kitty Records". Asthmatickitty.com. 2011-02-22. Retrieved 2013-08-19.
  7. ^ "Believe You Me". Asthmatic Kitty Records. 2012-06-21. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  8. ^ Cooper, Duncan. "Julianna Barwick and Helado Negro". Fader. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  9. ^ Pelly, Jenn (15 May 2013). "Listen: Julianna Barwick: "Forever", From New Album Nepenthe". Pitchfork. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  10. ^ Hilton, Robin. "First Watch: Julianna Barwick: "Nebula", From New Album Will". NPR. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  11. ^ Mackay, Emily (2020-07-12). "Julianna Barwick: Healing Is a Miracle review – balm for the soul". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  12. ^ a b "Julianna Barwick". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-02-19.