Media Release
Mangaluru, Nov 21: In the rich world of Konkani music, one name keeps glittering brightly, Konkan Kogull Wilfy Rebimbus. It has been more than a decade since he passed away, and yet, he stands as an unmatched icon in the world of Konkani music, his influence vividly etched in the consciousness of music lovers. With a record of more than 50 released albums, the propensity to gobble up his sweet creations is insatiable.
The Birth of a Musical Revival
Among the 50 albums available in Rebimbus' collection, volumes 1 and 4 have marked his artistic career as landmarks. Recorded in Manipal in the 1970s, the records contain some of his popular works. However, the artiste himself, fondly known as Wilfyaab, showed a certain degree of dissatisfaction at the recording quality of the records. The limitations of equipment, expertise, and resources of that era left an indelible mark on the final product, a fact Wilfyaab often pondered aloud, desiring to go back and revisit these treasures to improve them.
For many years, that dream of reviving these old recordings seemed impossible. Music enthusiasts and sound engineers alike knew that until recent years, it was nearly impossible to extract vocals or specific instruments from a master recording separately and with precise accuracy. The audio processing landscape has, however, shifted paradigm over the years.
Today, with cutting-edge convoluted neural network algorithms and advanced techniques of spectral processing, what once seemed impossible has now come true. Unprecedentedly high-quality and precise vocals can be isolated from the source music itself with the help of these newly emerging technologies.
Two passionate souls literally clutched hold of this technological revolution and took up an ambitious project to breathe new life into Rebimbus' golden works.
Kishoo Barkur, a die-hard fan of Wilfy Rebimbus and his son, Anirudh Sean Gonsalves, a US-based mastering engineer, the father-son duo conceived a once-unthinkable plan to restore the songs from volumes 1 and 4 of Rebimbus' discography. Their vision quickly gained traction, receiving enthusiastic support from Meena, Veena, Vishwas, and Charlene Rebimbus, who eagerly embraced this unique endeavor.
To take it even further, the project Stephen Frank, a famous musician and composer roped in for his work in music. He would, through his profound knowledge of composition and arrangement, pay homage to the instrumental aspects of the music that Rebimbus had created.
The Restoration Process
For several months, the restoration process of very meticulous passion worked out over 24 songs from two albums. The procedure involved several steps:
Vocals Production: The original vocals were carefully excised from the masters using cutting-edge new age algorithms.
Repositioning: Stephen Frank oversaw the production, re-programming compositions through modern sequencing and arrangement forms. This includes re-recording and recording expressive instruments like piano riffs, licks from a Stratocaster guitar and flutes and recreation of Wilfy Rebimbus signature quartet, with French horns, trumpets, violas and violins.
Layered Complexity: The production saw added layers of vintage drum machines, percussions, and retro analog synths. Both physical modeling-based and virtual sampling-based instruments were used.
Mixing and Mastering: All of the steps in production were taken care of by Sean Gonsalves with mixing and mastering. This included modern recordings combined with analog modeling and processing to closely capture the retro textures of the 1970s.
Final mastering done at Hacienda Studios in Orlando, Florida, was oriented towards getting an optimum playback in any environment, as utmost care to retain the lyrical beauty as well as the retro texture of the songs.
A Timeless Treasure
These two re-mastered volumes will be the crowning glory in the soon-to-be-released ‘Wilfy Rebimbus Legacy Collection’. Pre-bookings on the buzz, this is the chance of a lifetime for Wilfy Rebimbus' fans to possess a piece of music history.
This ambitious project is going to preserve and rejuvenate the timeless artistry of Wilfy Rebimbus for new generations of listeners so that they can enjoy the fullest breadth and depth of his musical genius. It's a testament to eternal power of music, and the extraordinary possibility offered by technology, if handled with passion and respect for artistic legacy.
This time capsule of Konkani musical genius, the Wilfy Rebimbus Legacy Collection stands as a testament to the artist's prolific career, featuring:
- An astounding 662+ songs spanning five decades of musical brilliance
- 59 volumes of recorded songs in pristine, lossless audio format
- Two classic albums reimagined with contemporary musical arrangements
- All content conveniently stored on a high-capacity, custom-designed pen drive
Do not miss this opportunity to own the most complete collection of Wilfy Rebimbus' works ever assembled. For more information on the Wilfy Rebimbus Legacy Collection: www.wilfyrebimbus.com
This product can be booked at:
• Jerosa Company,
• Gem & Co,
• Allwyn Sequeira ( Melody master) +91 99013 19646
• Rebimbus Creations
• Wilfred R Pangla Roviza Shop, Shankarpura. +91 9740844879
• Nirmala Dais, Kallianpur +91 98802 50900.
• Alwyn Andrade, Brahmavara +91 94482 52468
• Praveen Carvalho, Jae’s Wheel Masters, Udupi +91 94483 52405
• Kishoo, Barkur +91 94485 47571, +971 50 6821842
• Bengaluru, Anita Gomes, +91 94483 64918
• Bengaluru, Savitha Furtado, Bengaluru +91 99459 39527
• Toronto, Flavian Pinto +1 (647) 285-3500
• Dubai, Allwyn Pinto +971 50 458 3930
• Bahrain, Simon Machado +973 3369 4860
• Bahrain, Janet D’Souza +973 3617 7909
• Qatar, Amith Mathias +974 3094 2022