jeffrey koepper: Press

Analog lovers will find plenty to enjoy in Jeffrey Koepper's 2008 and 2009 releases, Sequentaria and Luminosity. Seated in the cockpit behind his refurbished old-school synths, Koepper takes listeners on deep journeys that alternately cruise at warp speed and drift through quiet nebulae. Jeffrey has a way of bringing a very organic touch to the cybernetic precision of sequencer-based music. The punchy “Blue Sector” kicks off Sequentaria by pulling gently awaty from the dock on long pads and then jamming the engines wide open in classic space-funk style. It docks neatly into “Astral Projection,” a trippy bit of knob-adjusting pleasure wherein wet, mutant sounds evolve into lush, falling pads and shivering synth-spirals under the watch of a slow-but-vigilant bass tremble. “Timeline” hypnotizes the listener with balanced sequencer lines in both ears that build to a dense cluster of sound and an invasive beat that Koepper builds with an invisible hand. It fades nicely into the broad washes and twiddle of the start of "Near Machinery"--another instance of Koepper lulling the listener for a few minutes before kicking it into overdrive. The wave-form drift, delayed-echo melodies and spacey twiddle of “Interphase” follows, a nice mid-speed cruiser. With the clockwork-precise weaving of sequencer lines in "Synchronous" Koepper returns to his dense-layering ways, one subtle enhancement at a time. “Parallel Being” follows, moving from a dramatic drone-based beginning to an easy-flowing piece with a subtle Asian flair as woodwind-synths trade melodic lines. "One Hundred Memories" is another exercise in layering paired with spacey chord runs. And then...

"Creation," the last track on Sequentaria, is Koepper at his funky finest, opening with a long drone that begins to morph under a rising beat before the whole thing just breaks loose, layer upon high-octane layer, for 10 glorious minutes of full-out spacegroove.

"Luminosity" seems, to these ears, to be a bit more hands-on, and certainly softer than Koepper's earlier works. Soft woodwind sounds abound. This one eases into the background more readily than other outings. There are, obviously, similarities--"Reflection" opens sounding very much like "Between Dreams" from the Etherea CD, "Transmission" will readily remind you of "Creation" once it gets cooking around the 4-minute mark, and "Dusk Til Dawn" is a close cousin to "Astral Projection."

But altogether, both disks are an excellent additon to the Koepper canon and go a long way toward keeping the analog torch lit. Koepper's getting better with every new release and has become, for me, an artist I look forward to hearing more from. Find his work at his web site or at the Steve Roach site.

On the threshold of the new year, I received the fourth album of “AnalogueJeff” Koepper which is due for mid-January 2009. With “Luminosity”, Jeffrey Koepper wanted to explore ambient emotional places. To achieve this, he made each track a unique atmospheric landscape on which he wanted the electronic textures to engulf the listener's mind and take them to another place and time. In this process, Jeffrey used a combination of sequencer rhythms, ambient textures and different moods to create these emotional sonic worlds. These worlds itself were comprised of many analogue elements that combined and formed into lush structures.
As such, the goal was to create a very organic, flowing feel on this sonic journey, getting access to different moods, ranging from sombre peacefulness to ecstatic and hopeful. The nine tracks on the album (again excellently mastered by Steve Roach) continue to breath the honest, warm and immersive atmosphere of analogue gear as we know it from his former releases. But this time I have the impression Jeffrey has given his music more time and space to evolve, which is nicely shown by the opening piece “Reflection” and the slow morphing soundscapes of “Light and Truth”. The slow pace of things is also found in “Winter Space” and “Life Clock”, both soft glowing and flowing tracks with immersive, melancholic undercurrents. More sequenced, rhythmic outings are found in the second part of the album with the tracks “Emitter” and “Transmission” (of which the latter especially feels like a smoothly evolving voyage) before things slow down again with the free form textural “Dusk Till Dawn”, which is the only piece which sounds a bit light-weight compared to the others. Fortunately, the happy sequencings of “Rising Sun” return to the aforementioned quality.
Bert Strolenberg
www.sonicimmersion.org

Third time is indeed a charm in Jeffrey Koepper’s case—Sequentaria demonstrates a guy who can’t be stopped, and no one should try. A man so in love with electronic sound and its capabilities that he proudly lists the equipment used for each track (though granted this is practically de rigueur amongst synth aficionados), Koepper possesses some extraordinary compositional dexterity and a flair for the dramatic that enable his roaring electrifications to deflect whatever cursory TD glances are thrown at them. And those referents exist in abundance: “Blue Sector” dodges bullets shot out from Hyperborea and Tangram; “Astral Projection” and “Near Machinery” feloniously challenge Thief’s similarly sleek, fleet, streamlined assaults; “Synchronous” is simply pure sequencer dazzle, informed by a supine grace underpinned with stealthy ferocity. Comparisons, influences, quotation marks aside, Koepper’s creations dare you to holler “foul!”—svelte and savvy, a smooth operator twisting knobs in a display of balletic razzledazzle, it’s apparent to anyone well-schooled in, well, Berlin school techniques, that Koepper’s malleability, his honest embracement of the Teutonic birthright, oozing the right stuff, neuters any charges of “retro” that might be levied. Once sent spiraling across the ten-minute breadth of “Creation”, as Koepper’s sequencers Prophet-ize a simultaneous second coming of Richard Pinhas’ own fevered (tangerine) dreams, the only necessary choice is one of total submission to its onslaught. Smashing. DARREN BERGSTEIN •

JEFFREY KOEPPER: Sequentaria (CD on Air Space Records)

This release from 2008 offers 71 minutes of masterful electronic music.

This time, Koepper did it all, with final mastering by Steve Roach.

A masterful confidence permeates the electronics on this album. Tonal foundations are fairly buried beneath layers of enthralling lead riffs that intertwine to produce a lavish tapestry of delightfully compelling tunes.

Sparkling loops and gurgling textures provide ample ambience, but Koepper’s manner of nudging these aspects into the forefront of the mix enlivens the music. This luscious dominance results in a constant state of blossoming brilliance These songs exude an immensely appealing sophistication bursting with electronic vitality and bewitching melodies.

Keyboards introduce even more threads to that crowded tapestry, resulting in melodies that are dense but not ponderous. Cycles are established, then embellished slowly, hiding their evolution in the thick mix, only to pop forth ripe with entrancing splendor. Stunning pinnacles abound in these tunes.

E-perc serves to boost a few tunes with bouncy rhythms. Other tracks rely upon strident keyboard patterns to establish a rhythmic presence; these low-impact tempos often possess more oomph than any percussion could produce.

Koepper’s ability to imbue simple riffs with lofty eminence is astounding. His tendency to combine numerous minimal elements into lavish structures of pulsating puissance is guaranteed to be an ultimate satisfaction to EM enthusiasts seeking music that bridles with energized vigor while retaining a mesmerizing edge.

The compositions flourish with a rich sense of regal command. These soothing melodies generate a pronounced invigoration, gradually accruing power with each subsequent passage until an impressive stage of epicurean grandeur is achieved.

Jeffrey Koepper’s third release Sequentaria finds him fully in retro mode, with catchy melodic EM in the style of Tangerine Dream from the early 1980s, perhaps my favorite era of theirs, with the trio of Froese, Franke and Schmoelling. For example, “Blue Sector” sounds like it could have fit comfortably on Exit. The simple pulsing rhythm, the cool vintage sounds from the PPG Wave, the stutter-step sequencing, it all plays out perfectly for a warm and inviting beginning. “Astral Projection” starts out all bubbly and spacey, taking its sweet time before hypnotic sequencing again envelops you. The pacing on “Timeline” is particularly effective, chugging along just so. Classic synth lead lines will have Teutonic enthusiasts in heaven. “Near Machinery” is one of my favorites, a perfect blend of soft, rapid sequencing, adept synth solos, and warm pads. “Interphase” gives a nod to Jean-Michel Jarre with its tinkling crisp percussion that harkens back to the days of Oxygene. Each selection is allowed just the right amount of time to develop and set the mood before moving on to the next juncture. And to the delight of gearheads, Koepper gives the complete run-down of the synths and sequencers used on each and every track. Required listening for Berlin school fans.

Jeffrey Koepper

July 2008



For more background on this month’s interview subject, solo American synth artist Jeffrey Koepper, please read his bio page on his website. Thanks Jeff for the interview, I really appreciate it!



In April you performed at The Gatherings concert series. How did that go?




The Gatherings concert went great. Chuck Van Zyl and his crew are great guys to work with and everything went off without a hitch. I think that is the best venue to play live electronic music - being an old stone church the sound is incredible and it is visually very inspiring. I have become spoiled playing there. It doesn't get much better than that for atmosphere.

How does playing this sort of music live compare to being in the studio?

Playing live is like nothing else, it is an incredible feeling. For me it is very different from the studio. The studio is a more controlled intimate solo experience, where it is just you and the machines creating. Live has the energy of the room and the audience which can really build an intense feeling. This feeling in turn will take you into new directions for the compositions.

Your music has a very "composed" feel to it. How much does improvisation play a part in your creative process, versus carefully planning things out?

Well, I would say my music is mostly improvised and done in the moment, inspired by the feeling of the moment. I rarely plan and compose music before I go into the studio. In the studio I work with the machines and the different interfaces they offer, these interfaces in turn influence the music and how I make music. I try to get as much of the composition going as possible and then capture it live to a two track mix. I feel that captures the life and energy of a piece. I may then add some textures and sounds during a final mix. That way the feeling of the composition is captured and there is still room at the end to fine tune and finalize a piece.

On your website, at the end of a long list of familiar musical influences in EM and synth-pop, you go on to mention "Arp, Oberheim, Moog, Sequential Circuits and many others." So how important is the technology in making good electronic music? And how is it an "influence"?

The technology I use to make music is very important. I feel the type of musical equipment you use directly influences the style and direction the music will take. I list companies such as Arp, Oberheim, Moog, Sequential Circuits and others as influences because the sound and interface they offer directly influences how I work on a composition. I also feel that most of the music I like and that I was influenced by was done in the past using that type of equipment; that is proof enough for me. I could be called a Luddite in the fact that I don't use a computer at all in the studio. Everything I use is hardware, down to an analog mixing board and recorder. I could never work in the "mouse controlled" world of computer recording and soft synths. I just can't connect to that world.

Your list of gear is impressive. How were you able to amass such an impressive collection for your studio?



The gear and old technology has always been important for me from day one. When I first got into music and bought my first synthesizer in 1985, it was analog. The funny thing was analog was on its way out of fashion but I just knew from day one I loved analog synths. People would say to me back then "why do you want that old junk" but I didn't care, I knew what I wanted. During that period the prices of analog synths dropped very low because there was little or no interest in them from most musicians. So you were able to buy them reasonably priced. But little by little people started to realize that analog synths were incredible machines and not outdated, so now the prices are back up to where they should be in my opinion for such wonderful machines.



Do you have a personal favorite in your synth collection?



I really can't say I have one favorite synth, they are all so different and good at different things. I love the aspects of the synths that give them their unique personality. For example ARP instruments are very different in tone to the Oberheim synths but I like both just as well...they all have their applications. So I guess I love them all equally. But I do really love everything Arp has done. :)



Your discs have a very professional look and sound, from the packaging to the music. How do you manage to do it all yourself?



Wow thanks for that. I try really hard to bring the best product I can to my audience. I put alot of time and effort into creating and recording the music. I want it to sound beautiful and lush. Steve Roach has been great with mastering my records. He's a great guy and I appreciate what he does. Also the packaging and art is important to me, I grew up with records and incredible 12 X 12 album jackets. I miss that format alot. So with my releases, I try to make them like mini album covers with the digipak format.



Will you remain strictly a solo act, or have you considered collaborating with others? If so, who would you like to work with and why?



I am always open to collaborations, given the members both have something unique to offer. I have collaborated with others in the past and there have been some great musical moments. I really enjoy the feeling of creating new pieces in a group situation. Working with others can lead you in directions you would have never ventured to on your own. As far as people I'd like to work with in the future, I'd love to do a project with Steve Roach, I think that would be very cool.



What is your favorite part about making music?



Well, there are so many aspects I love about making music, it’s hard to pin it down to one. I guess one thing that I really love is the creative spark that happens when composing and a piece starts coming together and coming alive. It is a feeling like no other. This feeling can give me the chills and make you very high and that feeling is also addictive, once you experience it you want it more and more. Another aspect I love about making music is using the older technology to create and bring that to the world. I like to show what is possible using just vintage hardware synths and sequencers. I feel that there is still a lot of good work to be done with this technology and many new directions to explore.



With all the time spent creating music, do you get much of a chance to listen to others? Who are some of your favorites, EM or otherwise?

I do listen to music all the time. I tend to listen to a lot of music that was recorded in the mid seventies to the early to mid eighties. I like the sound and production style of this period. I like the classic EM artists as well as the early eighties electropop artists.



In fact, in addition to the ambient music scene, I do early eighties influenced analog electropop music under the name Wire Service.


Do you listen to your own CDs after you are done with them, or do you tend to move on to the next thing?



I tend not to listen to my CDs for a while after I release them. During and production and mix down you can really over listen to a piece. I will usually go back after about a month and listen to the CD after it is fresh to my ears again and check it out.

Who is your "trusty assistant" in the photos section of your site?



My trusty assistant is my dog Kali, she is a chuiabull, which is a chuiahuia/pit bull mix. She is a great assistant and helps me with inspiration and with all my compositions.

When you aren't making music, what else do you like to do?



When I am not making music I like to restore, build and repair analog synths, this is good for me because I can keep up the studio in great working condition and is necessary. I like to hike and camp and get out into nature whenever possible. I also like to restore and play around with old Volkswagens so I keep pretty busy.♫

Thanks again Jeff for the great interview - we hope to hear from you again soon! Check out Jeff's latest CD Sequentaria, which was reviewed in the June 2008 issue of EAS.

Jeffrey Koepper's latest release "Sequentaria" is a wonderful selection of brilliant analog tracks incorporating a wide variety of synths that create a very organic and traditional space-y electronic sound. The result is a fascinating and engaging sonic journey to the stars and back with Koepper as your guide.

"Blue Sector" opens the disc with a beat-driven sequenced track that establishes the space imagery, the sounds of a trip deep into the stars. Deep pads and sequenced tones play around eachother, blending and feeding off of one another resulting in a dense yet accessible piece that evokes images of stars and nebulae passing by, the inky black depths of space the only constant in an otherwise shifting landscape.

"Astral Projection" blends in seemlessly from the preceeding track. Fluid tones ooze up from a molten opening, building in volume and strength, ultimately leading into a bubbling bed of sounds that flow and ooze through the soundscape. A great track to be sure.

"Timeline" has an alien quality to it, elongated tones that suggests decaying civilizations and lost cultures. It's a haunting piece, a track filled with ghosts and long forgotten memories, sounds rising up from a slowly churning bed of pads, eventually gaining clarity and form in the shape of a sequenced line that accompanies a very nice analog melody.

Track four, "Near Machinery", opens with the sound of flowing pads and tide-like tones, eventually leading into a fast and frenzied sequencer line that dominates the track. High pitched synths play an oblique melody overtop the sequencer work and small melodies come and go as the track continues. Very nicely done.

"Interphase" is a return to familiar spaces. A nice highhat driven rhythm moves the track along, while shifting pads flow and circle around eachother. Occasional tones pass through the soundscape, adding a nice colour to the track, some celestial seasoning as it were. It's a nicely executed track, one that very effectively suggests the idea of space travel.

"Synchronus" is a fine example of sequenced synth work, repeated patterns looping around eachother to create a wall of sound that grows and develops as the track goes on. As time passes more elements are added, often subtle at first, but becoming more noticeable as the track continues. A very nice demonstration of how a track can be built up and developed.

"Parallel Being" follows directly out of the order of the previous track, opening with a more free form sound grounded by a steady drone. As the track continues steady synthlines weave their way into the soundscape, along with light percussive elements paired with some nice melodic work. It's a playful track, one that incorporates a variety of styles and sounds to great effect, and surely one of my favorites on the disc.

"One Hundred Memories" returns to a more sequence driven sound, tones growing organically as the track progresses. It's a nice blend of sequenced and live work, looping patterns facing off nicely against melodic elements.

"Creation" closes the disc, building up the track from a single oscilating tone, adding both melodic and percussive elements as the track continues until it eventually becomes a brilliant wall of sound, tones and melodies mixing and wrapping around eachother in an engaging way until the track peaks and then drifts away. A very impressive track and a lovely way to close the disc.

I've often speculated on what it is that makes analog recordings so spacey to me, what it is that conjures such cosmic imagery. I've never been able to come up with an answer that satisfies, but listening a disc like "Sequentaria" I can totally hear that spacey sound that I'm so fond of, and an answer to my question seems far less important to me than being able to wander through the stars. An excellent disc for wandering, listening and just imagining, "Sequentaria" comes highly recommended by this reviewer.

rik - ping things

This is American Jeffrey Koepper’s third album and his music just keeps getting more impressive with each release. The 9 tracks on SEQUENTARIA as the title implies are a mix of heavily sequential and an almost neo-classic mix of musical layers combining melody, rhythmic syncopation and polyrhythmic arrangements. Not just a TD clone, instead Koepper has created a very modern, kinetic hybrid of melody and motion that’s ever changing and ever more intoxicating as one track flows into the next.

JEFFREY KOEPPER: Momentium (CD on Air Space Records)

This release from 2006 offers 67 minutes of engaging electronic music.

Synthesist Koepper is joined by Kelvin Russell (on additional synthesizers on one track) and Steve Roach (on Xpander textures on three tracks, plus final mastering and enhancements).

Rich textures and demonstrative electronics combine to achieve masterful tuneage. While background tones formulate an engaging ambience, lead electronics provide this music’s real allure. Commanding riffs are created and layered until a lush density is accomplished. That richness communicates an urgency that is gentle but captivating.

Deep notes and crisp timbres conspire to round out the music’s substance. The result is a fusion of airy and gutsy moods, tuneage that is simultaneously grounded and ascendant. This balance is expertly crafted to embody the best of both directions.

Keyboards flourish, littering the flowing music with nimble-fingered riffs that inject luscious attraction to the compositions, whether with gurgling pools or bouncy loops or gripping cosmic sequences.

E-perc is employed in some tracks to lend additional locomotion to the fertile tuneage. These rhythms are fancifully seasoned with auxiliary electronics which serve to cocoon the tempos in surging embellishments, transforming the beats into lush expressions of honeyed resonance.

These compositions are outstanding in their union of expansive power and introspective character. The melodies move from drifting sections to commanding passages, doing so effortlessly, sometimes combining both aspects to achieve a dazzling astral authority. This sense of power remains undiminished even when Koepper turns his attention to dreamy passages, propagating atmospheric textures that throb with the promise of imminent escalation.

SEQUENTARIA New 2008 digi-pack cd from electronic keyboard master JEFFREY KOEPPER! This is his 3rd and best release so far! The cd is full of beautiful electronic sound scapes in the classic 70's Tangerine Dream style! Nice long pieces drift and take you on amazing journeys with electronic rhythms and sequences. Fans of Radio Massacre International, Ark, Tangerine Dream, Pink Floyd, Ashra, and Klause Schultz, will love this. GRADE A

Jeffrey Koepper cannot be accused of rushing Sequentaria (70'56") to the marketplace; it sounds as though he has been working on it for over 30 years. His third CD is a robust tour of 1970s and '80s sequencer music - falling somewhere between the venerable Poland, Oxygene and Equinoxe. Although inspired by the first era in electronic music we recognize as our own, Koepper is unafraid to be unfaithful. The originals disappear into this artist's core and the music becomes his alone. Using classic analogue instruments alongside modern hybrids, intertwining sequencer patterns head for the horizon while churning synth pads and buzzing keyboard melodies rise skyward. Electro-percussion approximates a samba rhythm section and ambles through a synthetic landscape rife with heady lead lines. Robo-drums march beneath swelling harmonies, chirping alien-choir and fat tunes spun on vintage gear. From brave anthems and galloping arpeggios all the way down to the introspective phasing of two oscillators, Sequentaria shines brightly in the Spacemusic continuum.

- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END Ambient Radio 9 April 2008

Jeffrey Koepper - Sequentaria

CD, Air Space Records, 2008
As the title suggests, the listener undergoes a sequencer-ride through vintage electronic music, for which skilled hands combined a whole bunch analogue gear with some modern instruments of today.
While recording the music of his third album “Sequentaria” (of which Steve Roach again did the final mastering), Jeffrey remembered he really became one with the compositions on an organic-emotional level, as a lot of feeling and emotion flowed through him into the music, bringing his essence to the forefront and thus tying it all together.
This time, Koepper focussed on a more organic approach, by playing, performing and improvising a lot of the parts in real time along with the analogue sequences. The result gave lots of the melodic improvisations, as more old analogue machines were used that had neither midi or cv/gate interfacing, so they had to be performed in real time. In addition, some vintage drum boxes were applied that had no sync capability, which gave a free flowing organic feel when playing along with their clocks in real time.
Well, the outcome are nine beautiful tracks, ranging between six and ten minutes, offering a nice range of beautiful atmospheric sound pads, retro choir textures and rhythms, all matching nicely together.
The use of the PPG Wave unmistakably makes you think of TD, while the sound of a piece like “Interphase” slightly wanders into Jarre territory. In addition, the beautifully matching sequencing on the sixth “Synchronous” is also nicely done. But for the biggest part, all tracks bear the distinct signatures and profound musical skills of Mr Koepper, of which I’m sure it will please all those who love the fat, classic soundings of 70’s electronic music.
No doubt “Sequentaria” will create a vibe of its own!
4 stars- bert strolenberg

SEQUENTARIA is Jeffrey Koepper's new solo release, and like his previous ETHEREA and MOMENTIUM, SEQUENTARIA relies completely on classic analog synths, drum machines and analog sequencers to construct an organic melodic-rythmic-sequential interweave. The overall feeling is playful and inspired, with a hint of nostalgia as the warmth of vintage analogue sounds and sequences emerge in forms that evolve from the interactive hands-on approach these instruments offer. Fans of classic Jean-Michel Jarre and Tangerine Dream will be especially interested in this release. Mastered by Steve Roach.

Sequentaria is Jeffrey Koepper's third solo release. This release features Jeffrey Koepper's exploration of analogue sequencer styles and atmospheres. Jeffrey Koepper has been releasing excellent electronic music since 1985 in various groups and collaborations. Koepper is a unique electronic composer in today's world in that he uses a wide variety of vintage synthesizers and sequencers to create his emotional evolving sound-worlds. His mission is to create "The music of tomorrow with the technology of yesterday." Instruments by Oberheim, Arp, Sequential Circuits, Moog, PPG, Emu, Roland and others were put into service in the creation of Sequentaria.The use of the instruments is evident by the smooth lush organic textures and interlocking sequencer patterns that are not possible on modern instruments. All of the songs were created through live real time sound-sculpturing with the composer interacting directly with the tactile interface of the analogue synths and sequencers to make them arise, breathe and come to life. Then the individual tracks are then mixed in real time using an analogue mixing desk and a variety of vintage effects devices. The composer melts the tracks into each other to create these beautiful soundscapes and rhythms. Steve Roach was integral in the final arrangement and finishing treatments of Sequentaria.

Sequentaria continues the exploration of Jeffrey Koepper's analog complexities with a hybrid instrumental approach. More airy than Momentium, Sequentaria truly returns to the analog playground with gravitating heavy reverberating circles, plunging astral waves in cadences, sometimes sober sometimes unbridled. Pulsating complex rhythms and animated sequences lead to random flows of synth swirls à la Jean Michel Jarre coupled to Tangerine Dream's digital sound waves era. A strange fusion that leaves a beautiful musical footprint.
Blue Sector starts this timeless musical voyage with a cosmic intro with cloths of slightly metalic vapours.
Hardly perceptible, the cymbals animate a progressive pace which wakes and layers with vocal cries and cascading sequences building a rythmic mood. Synth layers are dense and intersect in multiple ways with searing vocal effects and dark waves which sweep this stary musical background. Loud synthesized sirens, and metallic sonorities tear this cosmic universe with a chorus of angelic TD’s emanations which shine in an atmosphere filled with analog sound effects and a constant sequential pace. Astral Projection slips towards a more claustrophobic mood. Static, dark and synthetic, the synth pulsations groan in this atonal sphere wrapped in cosmic layers of old analog effects which are shelled in a lyrical pattern. An astral delirium which is melting in the opening of Timeline where sequences and synths are tying in a gallaoping rhythm before landing in the cosmic hazes of Near Machinery. Black is this silence. Dark is the introduction. Near Machinery is moving on heavy circular reverberation with guttural drones, as in a sci-fi movie where the creature is hiding between two walkways. Cadence takes shape on a nevous sequence stuffed with cosmic gases which act as odd percussion. A beautiful acoustic wave wraps this rhythmic experience. followed by fine synths creating a harmonious cosmic waltz. Melodious, the song dives in a sequenced anarchy where percussions roll in a synth storm recalling Synergy's good moments. Calm after the storm, Interphase melts as a beautiful space rumba where galactic sound effects are shaping with lyrical synths creating a sequenced hypnotic pace.
The nervous beat of Synchronous spins in a loop in a captive circular motion. A minimalist circle of heavy and whirling sequences with hypnotic curves which modulate an increasing but atonial musical spiral, matched with short synth spikes. A dark atonal track, just like One Hundred Memories, which is a slow intro/outro to the splendid Parallel Being. A beautiful cosmic ballet, shaken of fine pit viper percussion, in a boreal galactic forest with beautiful mellotron layers to enthralling flutes. Completely delicious. Creation concludes this 3rd Jeffrey Koepper opus with a pulsating intro like Vangelis Charriots of Fire. A minimalist and intense intro which leads to an undulating sequence and solitary percussion, it then reaches a titanic nervous sound paroxysm. A multitude of intersecting sequences intermingle with a bubbling synth fusion where wild sounds are building to a lyrical climax then forming a complex rhythm which defines the theme of an impetuous and dark opus from its beginning to its ending.

JEFFREY KOEPPER: Etherea (CD on Air Space Records)

This release from 2003 offers 72 minutes of dreamy electronic music.

Synthesist Koepper is accompanied on several tracks by EM pioneer Steve Roach, who also co-produced and mastered this album.

Crystalline electronics luxuriate amid fields of textural atmospherics. Keyboard chords waft on these undulant breezes like airborne strands of gemstones, twinkling and majestic in their slightly agitated serenity.

Layered tonalities ripple with dreamy elegance, merging to generate more regal harmonies, then separating to pursue their own individual sonic destinies. Flowing melodies instill a pacific calm as they explore astral paths of gracious distinction deep into the listener’s cerebellum.

Amiable keyboards introduce fluid riffs into the ethereal mix, flavoring the drifting flux with a tantalizing melodic deportment. Engaging loops establish a succulent medium for those riffs as they twirl and spiral in soporific patterns. Chords are sustained to create threads of grace running throughout the tuneage. Their complacent presence enhances the music’s overall soothing character.

Delicate e-perc swims through one track, describing languid rhythms that sparkle gently rather than provide any urgent momentum.

These compositions blend ambient soundscapes and sinuous melodies to produce structures of stately beauty. While the emphasis is generally on tranquil soundscapes, some of the tunes exhibit tasteful touches of utopian substance with gentle euphonies rising from the mellifluous pools.
decorative rule

Jeffrey Koepper and Jason Sloan - 19 April 2008

Renowned for his technical abilities and restorative powers, Jeffrey Koepper is distinguished for his work in maintaining and reviving vintage electronic music equipment. His music is realized through a mastery beyond the technical side of his craft. The works alternate between analogue bubbles and digital ice, and bright, smooth, spacious tonal landscapes. Applying his vast technical knowledge of music making equipment towards programming evocative ethereal sounds and strong rhythmic designs, Koepper produces music of impressive depth and rare intelligence. Koepper's third CD Sequentaria was released at his concert at The Gatherings.

His third CD is an ambitious tour of 1970s and '80s sequencer music - falling somewhere between classics like Poland, Oxygene and Equinoxe. Although inspired by the first era in electronic music we recognize as our own, Koepper is certainly willing to be unfaithful. The originals disappear into this artist's core and the music becomes his alone, continuing the audible thread established on his fine earlier CDs. Using classic analogue instruments, intertwining sequencer patterns head for the horizon while churning synth pads and buzzing keyboard melodies rise skyward. Electro-percussion approximates a samba rhythm section and ambles through a synthetic landscape rife with heady lead lines. Robo-drums march beneath swelling harmonies, chirping alien-choir and broad tunes spun on vintage gear. From brave anthems and galloping arpeggios all the way down to the introspective phasing of dual oscillators, Sequentaria shines brightly in the Spacemusic continuum.

I'd first seen Jeffery Koepper when he was playing in the duo Pure Gamma. It was at a rave in DC during the mid-1990s. Their music was an interesting mix of the current modern chillout scene and old school spacemusic. It wasn't long before Pure Gamma played a few concerts at The Gatherings (09.28.96 and 05.02.97). Koepper's set lasted about an hour and traversed much of the same territory as his last two outings (on STAR'S END and opening for Steve Roach). With an emphasis on works from his new CD "Sequentaria" (released at The Gatherings this night), the set began with some vintage phase shifted synth pads, heroic E-drums and dancing arpeggio scales. Drawing on the digital music era that spawned such albums as "Poland", "Logos" and "White Eagle"; Koepper ran through a fascinating range of sequencer based pieces - his full-throated lead lines soaring above. His stage set-up included several keyboards, among them vintage museum grade synhs right alongside the latest retro analogue technology. Between each of the rhythmic sections Koepper used these instruments to lull the audience with deep drones and airy synthetic harmonies and effects. To close out the night, Jeff played lovely chord progressions on the Prophet-8 over a simple run of tones from the arpeggiator on the Jupiter-6. Looking back, this was the most honest and intimate part of his performance.

JEFFREY KOEPPER Momentium (Air Space) • The sequencer. For many a synthesist worldwide, the ideal tool of choice whether in modes of composition, improvisation, or simply the right thing to strike up when the iron’s hot. Streams of repetitive, pre-programmed notes, endlessly undulating, seething, vibrating; 30 years ago, an entire reference point and "movement" within electronic music’s mainframe was built on the dull-black fascia of this piece of hardware, making instant percussionists and futuristic synth warriors out of way too large a segment of the population to be counted here. Post-70s, “traditional sequencer-based” music (that is, of the Schulze/Tangerine Dream argot) became cliché real fast—in lesser hands, the sequencer has been singlehandedly responsible for some of the most dreadfully mindless lathes ever cut. Relatively effortless programmability being the machine’s stock-in-trade has often run counter to the resultant sonic input; the casual knob twiddler sitting astride the module has tarnished so much of the sequencer’s reputation that what’s left of its value has been essentially rendered moot in many quarters. So the question is begged: what of Jeffrey Koepper, who splashes his equipment inventory across Momentium’s digipak backside loudly and proudly, working a tech-geek’s ardent fetish objects into maximum overdrive, the seqs enthusiastically sharing living space with a whole herd of Oberheims, Rolands, Arps, etc. Koepper’s new on the scene, record-wise—Momentium is only his second release, but it’s a whopper. Koepper wears his admiration (and obvious musicianly skill) for his sundry devices like a badge of honor. Unlike his European contemporaries, he’s neck-deep in love with his electronics and wants to take them places they’ve never gone before, using the principles of the past to catapult what the machines can do to shock the new. In other words, this is unabashed synth-sequencer music plain and simple, created sans pretension but keenly aware of history—and don’t forget the old maxim that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. Koepper’s keen to foment what his analogue wizards are capable of. You might very well recognize motifs and languages spat out from a dozen nameless albums across the decades, but if a grindhouse guitar band can work the same tired riff ad infinitum, why can’t the able-bodied synthesist? Koepper does one better: he frees his mind so his ass can follow. The rhythmic thwack and pull of his duelling waveforms (cutting like scythes right from the opening “Byzantine Machine”) stimulate the pelvic as much as the parietal. Abetted both literally and philosophically by Steve Roach (who mastered the final product and provides some discrete textures and enhancements), Koepper knows how to make his machines rock: “Sequential Meditation,” all eleven minutes of it, is pure synthcore, the tense, slowly perambulating metallic patterns achieving an Escher-like fluidity that deftly mimics old-world fundamentalist trance music with equally hypnotic gravitas. Lock, load, and blast off. (DB)

If you take the best moments of TANGERINE DREAM, BRIAN ENO, ASHRA, KLAUSE
SCHULZE, STEVE ROACH, and MICHAEL GARRISON you would get no other
than the latest from Jeffrey Koepper. This is fantasic instrumental music of the
highest order that will take the listener on a journey full of exciting and spacious
audio adventures. If you long for a *GREAT* progressive/electronic/ instrumental cd,
this is it. One of the best in the genre to come out in a quite a long time!
Get this! It's GRADE A all the way!
jeremy morris jam records

"Momentium” is the second release of Jeffrey Koepper, who’s beautiful release “Etherea” was quite a success a couple of years ago.
Koepper’s musical adagio was and still is “to create the music of tomorrow with the technology of yesterday”, thereby referring to the bunch of vintage analogue instruments he applies for his music. As on the debut cd, the sounds on “Momentium” are lush, warm and organic, creating emotional evolving sound worlds which reach out to the listener in every track.
“Byzantine Machine” e.g is a great opener with lush vintage textures and sequencing, nicely continuing where “Etherea” left off.
Absolute highlights are found in the middle of the album by ways of “Sense of Time” (featuring tantalizing sequencing & fx’s) and the next track “Eternal Sea”. Both clearly demonstrate Jeffrey is pulling the best out of his gear. The icing on the cake of this recording comes from no other than Steve Roach, who was in charge of the final mastering and enhancements. Listening to these 67 minutes of analogue heaven is nothing but pure delight!

Bert Strolenberg

With the release of "Momentium", Jeffrey Koepper has done a wonderful job of blending analog synth stylings with contemporary ambient sensibilities. While many analog productions veer towards a more sequenced, vaguely inhuman sound, Koepper has been able to infuse his recordings with a more human feel, something a little more natural. The eight tracks on the disc show an excellent understanding of the use of sound to create environment and atmosphere, resulting in a very engaging and entertaining listening experience.
"Byzantine Machine" opens the disc, a majestic opener where thick analog pads play underneath crisp synth phrases and sequenced melodies. It's a very rich sound, very full with just the right hint of drama and strength. An excellent track to start the disc.
Track two, "Outside", starts with a more subtle beginning, a much more relaxed chill environment where slight melodies play over abstract tones and a series of sweeping pads. A wonderfully relaxed piece that makes me want to lie back in a chill out room and watch the world go by... Beautiful.
"Godspeed 2" picks up the pace with a nicely sequenced melody that dances around the soundfield while sounds drift throughout the track's space. Slight variations and volume changes build on ideas and draw the listener deeper into a web of tones and sounds. It's a wonderful piece that I've truly enjoyed exploring.
"Sense of Time" follows, a longer track than previous songs on the disc. It starts with a deep drone out of which a melodic synth phrase grows and develops, pulsing and moving like a living thing. Analog sweeps pass through the background and new melodies rise and fall to be replaced by new sounds. Certain sounds act as an anchor for the listener, sounds that remain constant throughout the piece, while changes in melody and time result in a constantly shifting soundscape. A lovely track that inspires further discovery.
"Eternal Sea" is another long form track, pairing steady synth pulses with wavelike drones. Change is more gradual in this track, more fluid and slow, with changes happening on a much more minimal level. I can't help but be drawn into this one, enveloped in its charms by the subtle ways that sound flows throughout the track.
"2600 A.D." is a very nice example of dark ambience with the suggestion of a post-apocalyptic wasteland created through a steady drone paired with repeated glitch-y sounds as if to imply a dark futurism. The darkness of this track leads directly into "Sequential Meditation" a much "brighter" track that by contrast suggests hope and possibility. Tones and phrases are more clearly defined and established in the soundfield and the listener is more able to connect with the piece as a result. The pair of tracks act as nice complements to each other, a nice study in differing but related sound environments.
"Awakening" closes the disc, a track that brings to mind an acceptance and awareness of one's surroundings, a feeling of becoming one with the environment in which we live. Pulse driven and sweep filled, it's a nice way to close the disc, a nice summation of the tracks that have come before it.
As stated earlier, on "Momentium" Jeffrey Koepper has done an excellent job of breathing life into his analog sounds resulting in a very organic and fluid disc that masterfully blends the organic and the synthetic. Without doubt "Momentium" is a fine disc well worth further investigation by both fans of analog keyboard work and mood based ambience. Highly recommended!
rik - ping things

Jeffrey obviously loves his analogue synths as he lists the ones used by each track. So for you 'gear heads' out there they include. PPGwave , loads of Arps, Rolands (including Jupiter 4, 6 and 8), Moog, Prophet 5, Oberheim, Elka etc etc etc.

Wonderful little melodic touches and twittering electronics are punctuated by dark pulses, then in enters a fantastic one hundred mile an hour sequence as the 'Byzantine Machine' explodes into life. A melodic rhythmic loop increases the oomph factor still further. 'Outside' cools things down somewhat with loads of slow atmospheric pads and strange alien noises. 'Godspeed 2' (dedicated to the memory of Michael Garrison) wastes no time is cranking up the sequences again (3 ARP ones this time!), each being deployed one after the other to create a very pleasurable wall of ever shifting pulsations. Sonic whooshes come and go over the top like spaceships flying low above our heads. 'Sense of Time' again uses cosmic 'twitters' to great effect then in come the sequences again in very 'Rubycon' fashion. Vast powerful stabs add to the excitement as yet more lines of bubbling mayhem spew forth. I'm losing count of the number of sequencer lines and yet more seem to come, all shifting around each other. A cracking lead line joins in the fray. What an awesome track. The aural equivalent of a nuclear reactor going to meltdown!

'Eternal Sea' starts with an incredibly deep bass sequence, other notes sort of fizzing from the edges. It's all brooding ominous stuff. Another sequence joins the first, itself oozing menace. Percussion is added. It's as if energy is rising like solar flares, escaping a sphere or forecfield that isn't up to containing such a pulsating mass of energy. '2600 A.D.' is a short cosmic collage of electronic whooshes, gurgles and twitters which I bet was great fun to do. It acts as an introduction to the awesome 'Sequential Meditation' which continues straight on without a break. A heavy four-note sequence is initially the main feature but before long more sequences come to join it. It all morphs wonderfully, little percussive detail and electronic effects coming and going in the background. As the track progresses things become increasingly intense. It is a track with real venom and attitude.

We follow straight through to 'Awakening' which effectively acts as the third part of an almost twenty-five minute piece. The main sequence now develops a sort of skip to its step whist melodic runs of notes playfully dart in and out of the other pulsations. Fans of seventies style sequencer music will just love this CD. (DL)

Momentium
Air Space Records (2006)

The use of older “retro” synthesizers is enjoying a comeback in electronic music right now. Everyone wants to use moogs and minimoogs and to plug into the “warm” sounds of analogue equipment (or digital pseudo-analogue). Jeffrey Koepper was ahead of the curve on this movement, as evidenced by his excellent debut CD, Etherea. Momentium, his sophomore effort, follows some of the same pathways that Etherea did, but it places more emphasis on rhythmic sequencer-type “Berlin school” music. Of course, like some other artists (e.g. fellow Americans Paul Ellis and Craig Padilla and Europeans such as Gert Emmens), Koepper is not aiming merely to copy the sounds of Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze, but to expound on the genre of music the two pioneers more or less founded. He does so with style, pizzazz and plenty of technical chops. If you’re a fan of this type of EM, Momentium will hook you immediately, starting off with the high energy percolating “Byzantine Machine” which builds from a slow sedate opening to an uptempo rapid-fire sequence fest with multiple lines all racing towards the song’s conclusion. The music reminded me of Tangerine Dream from their soundtrack era of Thief, Risky Business and Miracle Mile.

The next song “Outside,” is the only real “ambient” selection on the album (unlike Etherea which featured a number of ambient and spacemusic drifters), but it’s a beaut, comprised of shadowy washes, strange background textures and spacy effects, eerie drones and tones, and an overall sensation of undulation. On the third cut (“Godpseed 2,” which is dedicated to the late Michael Garrison), we’re right back into bouncy rhythmic EM territory, but this time the sound is bit more contemporary (to a degree) sounding somewhat like Todd Fletcher a.k.a. psychetropic blended with Jarre (but less melodic than the latter) and, of course, Garrison himself. The mood of this song is refreshingly optimistic (a rarity for this kind of music, and another nod to Garrison, whose music was frequently of a positive nature).

Of the remaining five tracks, only one is less than nine minutes long, that being the short “2600 A.D.,” an odd little number comprised of electronic bursts, weird SF/outer space noises, and little melody or musicality. The other four selections offer variations of long-form Germanic or retro-future EM. The first two of these (“Sense of Time” and “Eternal Sea”) open with synthesizer washes, textures, and chords before a sequence merges and infuses each song with its rhythmic aspect and tempo as well as some assorted solos scattered throughout each cut. “Sense of Time” is higher in energy, while “Eternal Sea” is closer to midtempo and doesn’t take as long to build up a head of steam.

“Sequential Meditation” pulses (at a midtempo pace) nicely from beginning to end of its near twelve-minute duration, as Koepper layers assorted synths on top of the bedrock sequence. However, it does get a little monotonous at times, at least I thought so. The song segues seamlessly into the album closer, “Awakening” which slowly transforms itself, going from the anchoring rhythmic sequence of the previous cut to a more active and lively collection of sparkling synths, floating chords, buzz-sawing textures, and star-shower sequences twinkling throughout the soundfield.

While I would’ve preferred more of a balance between ambient/spacemusic tracks and the rhythmic/Berlin-esque ones, Momentium is still a winner, provided you enjoy a steady dose of this type of EM. The disc was mastered and “enhanced” by Steve Roach (who did the same for Etherea), so engineering and production is virtually flawless. Momentium is a worthy addition to the field of retro/contemporary EM and if you count yourself a fan of that genre, you owe it to yourself to check this one out.

Bill Binkelman
Music reviewer for New Age Reporter
and
Producer/Host
Wind and Wire
KFAI
Minneapolis, MN