Scored for an open group of musicians. The ensemble performing this version consists of piano; two accordions, clarinet, violin, electric guitar, soprano; baritone sax, trombone, double bass, baritone.

Spindled

This is not a piece of UK Bass Music; it is a literalistic take on that blankly descriptive term.

That said, its material is taken from two tunes on this list:
http://rateyourmusic.com/genre/UK+Bass/
(namely, Vessel's 'Nylon Sunset' Appleblim & Komon's 'Motion Blur')

Performed by a Decibel at Frontiers Festival 2015, with all players using the lowest instruments at their disposal, including detuned violin, baritone saxophone and contrabass recorder.

UK Bass Music

This piece is an attempt to mimic the technique of 'sidechaining', using a string quartet.

A few years back a friend of mine told me about sidechain compression, where one track 'punches a hole', as it were, in another; when something loud happens, it makes the second track quieter, for the duration of this noise. An example of a track with very audible sidechaining is Flying Lotus's 'Tea Leaf Dancers' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW1NTN5vMyY. 

This idea stuck with me, and for some time I've wanted to attempt to replicate it using acoustic instruments. When I was invited to write a string quartet, this seemed like a good fit of concept to instrumentation - bowed strings can affect dynamic changes responsively and subtly. 

In some ways this piece is a follow-up to 'UK Bass Music', in that I'm once again notating ideas from dance music. Though having said that, I've tried to acknowledge the losses suffered by transporting this music into the concert hall. Asyla it ain't

Sidechains

This piece is built from an ‘airless’ call-and-response, with the usual thinking-time removed.

Zach Dawson - Trumpet
Daniel Galbreath - Viola
Ursula Miethe - Cello
Me - Accordion

Neck Riddles (second performance, at Birmingham Post Paradise)

Most delayed airports 2016
1: Tunis (TUN)
2: Islamabad (ISM)
3: Reykjavik (KEF)
4: Karachi (KHI)
5: Lahore (LHA)
6: London Gatwick (LGW)
7: Wuxi (WUX)
8: Shenzhen (SZX)

Data taken from Online Aviation Guide's 'Punctuality Report 2016'.

Performed by Orkest de Ereprijs at the 2017 Young Composers' Meeting, Apeldoorn.
Conducted by Robert Vermeulen
Voices by Vocal Federation 6 directed by Georgi Sztojanov
Recorded by Jeroen van Dijk

Delays

Dani Blanco — Trumpet
Paul Zaba — Accordion

Music for Trumpet and Accordion

In 2014 composer Maya Verlaak invited me to participate in her house-concert project, Chambres d'Amis: on one day eight pieces were premiered in different composers' houses in Birmingham. Torture Piece was staged in Sam Leith Taylor's derelict cellar. The audience members, who came in alone or in pairs, were greeted at the door by a large gentleman playing the role of prison guard, who informed them that if they wanted to see the piece, he had to tie their hands together with cable ties (consent is key). He then led them down to the basement.

The three musicians (myself, Sara Gale and Helena Britten) were bound with rope at the legs. After the final drones, we untied ourselves and left the audience down there, turned the lights off and left them in darkness for a few minutes before releasing them.

Torture Piece

British-Polish musician. Grew up in Bristol. Studied in Oxford & Birmingham. Composition student of Andrew Hamilton.

I lived in New Delhi 2022-23 where I studied Hindustani singing with Ghulam Abbas Khan, founded a Sacred Harp singing group & performed solo in venues & art galleries in Delhi & Bangalore. Can speak enough Hindi to make taxi drivers think I speak good Hindi, until they ask a question (they don't always bother).

Now back in London, working as a freelance musician & educator. 

Paul Zaba's Accordion Songbook Vol. 4 — tour in 2024.

www.patreon.com/PaulZaba

Paul Zaba

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