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Review: "Luminosity" by Jeffrey Koepper
On his latest release "Luminosity" Jeffrey Koepper continues his exploration of analog inspired soundscapes and sequenced environments. Using a wide arrange of technology and hard synths, Jeffrey has created an impressive collection of music that strikes me as his best work yet.
"Reflection" opens the disc with rich tones playing a simple melody that gains in strength over the course of it's length. As the track progresses sounds are added, filling out the soundscape to creating a lush musical space. There's a really simple beauty to this piece, something fragile and delicate that particularly appeals to me as a listener.
"Light and Truth" follows, featuring drawn out pads and a collection of mournful tones that grow as time passes, slowly gaining complexity. There's an ebb and flow to these sounds that suggests a heartbeat or pulse, a natural feeling that suggests something living within the music. It's a simple and sparse track, but one that is effective and very beautiful, a wonderful display of the organic quality of analog synths.
Track three, "Artifacts", introduces a subtle percussive element to a steady drone paired with a melody played in the upper register. The elements in this track all combine nicely to create an effective piece that I quite enjoyed.
"Winter Space" utilizes a steady repeating tone as a base and then weaves pad elements around it to create a rather haunting track. String elements and percolating synth sounds play lightly along the main part of the song, adding a certain dark circus charm to the song. As it continues, delicate arpeggios take shape, all sounding very delicate and precious. Probably my favorite piece on the disc.
"Life Clock" features a building analog sequence over a swirling bed of pads. Quiet synth stabs build in strength, gaining volume and form, eventually becoming more sophisticated, almost melodic. As the track progresses additional sounds are added, filling in the sound space and creating a more dense environment. This track is a great example of the development of a piece from start to finish, using the cycle of life from birth through to death as an analogy for what is being done musically.
"Emitter" is swirly from the start, a bit of a big sound that circles around the soundscape. It grows and grows, adding bits and pieces and sounds and swirls during it's length and before you know it, the track has become a brilliant bit of sequenced analog magic. I really like the way it rolls around the soundfield in a playful way, suggesting something almost celebratory.
Immediately following, "Transmission" heads in a completely different direction, a spiraling hypnotic pattern that roils and boils around the senses until such time that it sees fit to break itself down and then build back up again from a single tone modulating itself and adding tones and textures. "Transmission" very nicely creates a sense of atmosphere and tension that I'm quite impressed with.
"Dusk Till Dawn" presents a forest environment through watery sounds, crickets, and other natural elements. It's a long piece, something epic in scope, almost cinematic. The sound of water continues throughout the track, with other sounds being added in, some melodic, some textural, some creepy and alien to this new space. Yet despite all of this, the track never really strays from it's basic elements, it maintains the feeling of the created environment through the use of a series of small elements and tones that continue throughout, always providing the listener with something new to hear that interests and intrigues.
"Rising Sun" closes the disc with a real sense of analog beauty and wonder, a shorter piece that revels in the sounds of technology rather than artificially created environments. A very nice way to end the disc.
As a collection of music, I think that "Luminosity" really shines as great work from a very talented artist. I've enjoyed Jeffrey's work to date and I've held his name in high regard for some time. With the release of "Luminosity" I'm reminded of what has attracted his music to me in the past, and I'm impressed with what he has done to develop and improve upon his already substantial talents. An excellent release well worth investigating further.
rik - ping things
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"Reflection" opens the disc with rich tones playing a simple melody that gains in strength over the course of it's length. As the track progresses sounds are added, filling out the soundscape to creating a lush musical space. There's a really simple beauty to this piece, something fragile and delicate that particularly appeals to me as a listener.
"Light and Truth" follows, featuring drawn out pads and a collection of mournful tones that grow as time passes, slowly gaining complexity. There's an ebb and flow to these sounds that suggests a heartbeat or pulse, a natural feeling that suggests something living within the music. It's a simple and sparse track, but one that is effective and very beautiful, a wonderful display of the organic quality of analog synths.
Track three, "Artifacts", introduces a subtle percussive element to a steady drone paired with a melody played in the upper register. The elements in this track all combine nicely to create an effective piece that I quite enjoyed.
"Winter Space" utilizes a steady repeating tone as a base and then weaves pad elements around it to create a rather haunting track. String elements and percolating synth sounds play lightly along the main part of the song, adding a certain dark circus charm to the song. As it continues, delicate arpeggios take shape, all sounding very delicate and precious. Probably my favorite piece on the disc.
"Life Clock" features a building analog sequence over a swirling bed of pads. Quiet synth stabs build in strength, gaining volume and form, eventually becoming more sophisticated, almost melodic. As the track progresses additional sounds are added, filling in the sound space and creating a more dense environment. This track is a great example of the development of a piece from start to finish, using the cycle of life from birth through to death as an analogy for what is being done musically.
"Emitter" is swirly from the start, a bit of a big sound that circles around the soundscape. It grows and grows, adding bits and pieces and sounds and swirls during it's length and before you know it, the track has become a brilliant bit of sequenced analog magic. I really like the way it rolls around the soundfield in a playful way, suggesting something almost celebratory.
Immediately following, "Transmission" heads in a completely different direction, a spiraling hypnotic pattern that roils and boils around the senses until such time that it sees fit to break itself down and then build back up again from a single tone modulating itself and adding tones and textures. "Transmission" very nicely creates a sense of atmosphere and tension that I'm quite impressed with.
"Dusk Till Dawn" presents a forest environment through watery sounds, crickets, and other natural elements. It's a long piece, something epic in scope, almost cinematic. The sound of water continues throughout the track, with other sounds being added in, some melodic, some textural, some creepy and alien to this new space. Yet despite all of this, the track never really strays from it's basic elements, it maintains the feeling of the created environment through the use of a series of small elements and tones that continue throughout, always providing the listener with something new to hear that interests and intrigues.
"Rising Sun" closes the disc with a real sense of analog beauty and wonder, a shorter piece that revels in the sounds of technology rather than artificially created environments. A very nice way to end the disc.
As a collection of music, I think that "Luminosity" really shines as great work from a very talented artist. I've enjoyed Jeffrey's work to date and I've held his name in high regard for some time. With the release of "Luminosity" I'm reminded of what has attracted his music to me in the past, and I'm impressed with what he has done to develop and improve upon his already substantial talents. An excellent release well worth investigating further.
rik - ping things
Keep up to date with ping things through
the ping things twitter feed
the ping things facebook group
and the ping things ning group!
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Free disc by mara's torment with every purchase!
So I found a cache of hidden discs from my own musical project mara's torment the other day and I thought they'd be much better off with you then sitting collecting dust in my apartment. Sooooo, while supplies last, I'll be including a copy of "mt96061" with every order sold through ping things. AND if you order two or more discs from the ping things catalog, I'll also throw in a copy of "the barrier of skin"!Certainly December is a month for giving!
Remember, this offer is only valid while supplies last, so act soon to avoid disappointment...
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