Octave Records Ancient Rhythms by Bill Kopper is Timeless Music With a Modern Flavor
Guitarist Bill Kopper and his band offer a stunning musical tapestry combining Brazilian, African, jazz, and other influences, in state-of-the-art DSD sound.
Boulder, Colorado, June 13, 2023 – Octave Records continues to expand its musical horizons with the release of Ancient Rhythms by guitarist Bill Kopper, a diverse album that blends Brazilian, African, jazz, and other musical influences into a compelling new sound that’s contemporary, yet timeless.
Ancient Rhythms features Bill Kopper on electric, classical, and seven-string nylon-string guitars, in a set of all-original compositions recorded using Octave Records’ latest Pure DSD high-resolution audio system to deliver an extraordinary listening experience.
The songs are the result of pure inspiration. “Most of my music tends to come to me fully formed,” noted Bill. “A melody will come to me and then the chords will come and it just kind of happens. It’s like me being a radio, as best as I can describe.”
Bill Kopper is joined by world-class pianist Erik Deutsch, who also co-produced the album, along with Bijoux Barbosa on bass, Paa Kow playing drums and percussion, and John Gunther on flute. Ancient Rhythms was recorded using PS Audio’s latest Pure DSD 256 process, featuring the Merging Technologies Pyramix recording system.
As a result, the music can be heard with remarkable clarity and presence, where every instrument is conveyed with richly detailed tonality and dynamic shadings, from powerful to subtly nuanced. Bill’s guitars are simply a delight to hear, and the seven-string adds a depth and rhythmic drive not usually heard from nylon-stringed instruments. “It’s almost not a guitar,” Bill pointed out since it adds a lower string to the guitar’s range.
Ancient Rhythms was recorded by Steven Vidaic, recorded and mixed by Jay Elliott, and mastered by Gus Skinas. The album features Octave’s premium gold disc formulation, and the disc is playable on any SACD, CD, DVD, or Blu-ray player. It also has a high-resolution DSD layer that is accessible by using any SACD player or a PS Audio SACD transport. In addition, the master DSD and PCM files are available for purchase and download, including DSD 256, DSD 128, DSD 64, and DSDDirect Mastered 352.8 kHz/24-bit, 176.2 kHz/24-bit, 88.2 kHz/24-bit, and 44.1 kHz/24-bit PCM. (SRP: $19 – $39, depending on the format.)
The up-tempo leadoff track “From the Outside” sets the pace from the first burst of drums, percussion, and electric bass to the sinuous interplay between guitar, piano, and flute. The energy picks up with “Stars Rain,” featuring Bill playing electric guitar with understated elegance and melodic invention.
The rest of the album flows through a variety of moods, tempos, and musical textures, from the heartfelt “Elegia,” written in tribute to an old friend, to the haunting melody of “The Cup in Front of Us,” and the closing track, “Samba du Soleil,” capturing the mood of a warm summer day with its harmonic inventiveness and irresistible polyrhythmic bounce.
On “Elegia,” because of a happy accident, percussionist Paa Kow even used items found in the forest instead of drumsticks, to achieve a unique sound and musical resonance.
Please contact Frank Doris at frank@psaudio.com or 631-645-5668.
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