He’s been creating experimental sounds for five decades, but on his latest album, Under A Spell, Richard Barbieri has pushed the boundaries with a truly innovative collection of new songs. The synth wizard talks to Prog about capturing the unsettling feeling of being trapped in a dreamlike state, the latest Japan reissue and the possibility of a Porcupine Tree reunion.

Words: Chris Roberts Images: Carl Glover

Richard Barbieri: spellcaster.

Asked if he considers he’s been prolific or not since the long Porcupine Tree hiatus began in 2010, Richard Barbieri answers in the affirmative. “In the last five years or so, sure. In truth it all began when I tore the cruciate ligament in my knee playing tennis, which ended my tennis career! So I was there at home, and only then got into social media, and started seeing there were a lot of people out there still very interested in my music. So I began working on what became Planets + Persona, finishing that in 2017. That album was a real step forward for me.

“Porcupine Tree haven’t split up as such. I know  it might be one of the longest hiatuses ever, but  I wouldn’t rule a reunion out, let’s put it that way.”

I was so pleased with it I felt I could follow it up, so I came up with the Variants sessions, a series of EPs over about a year and a half culminating in a box set. Then came this new album, so…” Barbieri’s engaging with multiple other projects too, to which Prog will loop back. “So yes – I’ve been very busy!” he insists.

And let’s get the inevitable progcentric question out there: for all Steven Wilson’s solo successes, can Porcupine Tree fans ever dream of a reunion for the band?

“Possibly,” he nods, offering hope to the hardy. “We haven’t split up as such. I know it might be one of the longest hiatuses ever, but I wouldn’t rule it out, let’s put it that way. It was nice opening for Steven and performing Buying New Soul together at the Albert Hall in 2018, yes. I think the last album we made, The Incident, wasn’t one of the strongest, and I’m not sure the other guys would want that to be the last album either, to be honest. So… you never know.”