In 1965 he received a science degree from Calcutta University, as well as a Licentiate Diploma in piano from Trinity College of Music in London.

[7] In 1968 Barlow relocated to Cologne, where he studied electronic music and composition at the Hochschule für Musik Köln with Herbert Eimert, Vinko Globokar, Bernd Alois Zimmermann (1968 to 1970) and Karlheinz Stockhausen (1971 to 1973).

[7] From 1990 to 1994, Barlow was the artistic director of the Institute of Sonology, at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, where he also taught in the composition department,[9][8] continuing until 2006.

[7] He was a member of the Académie Internationale de Musique Electroacoustique in Bourges from 1994 to 2010, and visiting professor of composition at the School of Music and Performing Arts ESMAE in Porto in 2005 and 2006.

[7] Barlow was the Corwin Endowed Chair and head of composition at University of California, Santa Barbara's Music Department from 2006 to 2019.

[5] Among his students were Dennis Báthory-Kitsz,[4] Marko Ciciliani,[10] Georg Hajdu,[11] Rozalie Hirs,[12] Gabriel Pareyon[13] and Kristoffer Zegers.