No Space³

Root and Vine

I'm iron pot, she's sleek steel pan
Both forged in fire to feed a man
She hisses bright with golden gleam
I cradle broth that warms the dream

He flings his words like shattered glass
She hurls her doubt with every pass
He brands her quiet with bitter slights
She scorches him with ancient spite

We bear the scorch to forge the feast
We light the blaze though nights are ceased

Pots and kettles, we're all charred,
Seared by flames we can't discard
We mock the soot upon your guard
Still guard the smolder deep and hard

Two armies clash in ashen fields
Their banners bleed where fury yields
One cries for glory, one for right
Yet both march black beneath the same smite

We forge our steel in bellows' heat
Confront the ashes at our feet
In battered pot and tarnished pan
We lose the key to what we've planned

Pots and kettles, we're all charred
Seared by flames we can't discard
We mock the soot upon your guard
Still guard the smolder deep and hard

Ash on me!
Ash on you!
We're all black
That much is true!

Pots and Kettles

the piece  is almost polyrhythmic 
uses as a riff a 7-note rhythmic pattern x-x-xx-x-x-x taken from african drums
this gives 3 bars of 4 which seems assymetric when repeated
deep in the mix there is also the pulse of 4 bars of 3

seven on twelve

Shoot a rocket into space
Try and find a new place
For humans to ruin
Cuz its the end of Rome
Time to find a new home

Its a fact free universe ruled by the clueless
Wielding their influence over the thoughtless
Yeah yeah yeah
And every hundred years
Its brand new people 

Its the everyman vs the money
Who you gonna bet on?
What are the odds?
Now the we burned down Rome
Good luck finding a home

We got ghosted by god
Elvis left the building
I guess they saw it coming years ago
That its the end of Rome
And now you have no home

Its a fact free universe ruled by the heartless
Wielding their influence over the brainless
Yeah yeah yeah
If we can last a  hundred years
It’ll be brand new people 

The key to survival
Is to evolve beyond tribal
But some people won’t do it
So its the end of Rome 
Now we’ve burnt down Rome 

Its a fact free universe ruled by the clueless
Wielding their influence over the thoughtless
Yeah yeah yeah
If we can last a hundred years
It’ll be all new people

We got ghosted by god
Elvis left the building
I guess they saw it coming long ago
That its the end of Rome
That means you have no home

Shoot a rocket into space
Try and find a new place
For humans to ruin
Cuz its the end of Rome
Time to find a new home

The End of Rome

The End of Rome - Defiantbutterfly

Title track from our title track from our debut album out now!

NEW ALBUM OUT NOW! LISTEN HERE!

SPOTIFY - https://open.spotify.com/album/1kb6C7OYXgbehQhJ9sOZOo?highlight=spotify:track:7b2Gsa6jg7gHWIj0Hnc29A

APPLEMUSIC - https://music.apple.com/gb/album/too-broke-for-money/1843961534

YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/@Slash66Music

SOUNDCLOUD - https://soundcloud.com/slash66

Lyrics - 

Too broke, too broke

Wallet’s empty, tank on E
But who needs cash when we’re wild and free
Skip the rent, burn the mail
Turn this night into a fairy tale

We don’t need your validation
We’re the broke-ass generation

I’m too broke for money, but I’m rich in friends
Living off pizza crusts and weekend plans
Laugh at the bills we’ll never pay
Who cares anyway

Too broke but still alive
Rowdy as hell, we’ll survive

Too Broke For Money

"Ersetzt" is an upbeat German pop song that critically examines the future of work. What happens when machines, robots, and AIs take over all jobs? From cashiers and cleaning ladies to doctors and artists—no one seems to be needed anymore.

The song combines catchy pop melodies with a dark vision and energetic instrumentation. A soundtrack for the question: Are we abolishing ourselves?

-----------------GERMAN----------------------

„Ersetzt“ ist ein schneller deutscher Popsong, der sich kritisch mit der Zukunft der Arbeit auseinandersetzt. Was passiert, wenn Maschinen, Roboter und KIs alle Berufe übernehmen? Von der Kassiererin über die Putzfrau bis hin zum Arzt und Künstler – niemand scheint mehr gebraucht zu werden.

Der Song verbindet eingängige Pop-Melodien mit einer düsteren Vision und energiegeladener Instrumentierung. Ein Soundtrack für die Frage: Schaffen wir uns selbst ab?

Ersetzt - Jetzt schaffen wir uns ab

Through Twisted Lands

Wound Up/Unwind - Wound Up for String Quartet and Cajón
Written: 2025
Total Duration: 10'
for string quartet and percussion (cajón with pedal and handpan—D Kurd 10: D) A, B-flat, C, D, E, F, G, A, C )
Commissioned by FAB5 quintet with support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
World Premiere: FAB5, Mostly Modern Festival | The Netherlands, Oostkerk, Middelburg, Middelburg, Zeeland, The Netherlands, May 2, 2025
US Premiere: Mostly Modern Festival. FAB5, Mostly Modern Festival, Arthur Zankel Music Center, Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY, June 18, 2026
Publisher: Bill Holab Music
For More Information: https://robertpaterson.com/wound-up-unwind
VIdeo: https://youtu.be/RPyXPYx-nuo


PROGRAM NOTE
For many years, my wife Victoria and her FAB5 quintet (string quartet and percussion), have entertained thousands of people at numerous performance spaces and travel hubs in New York City, including Moynihan Train Hall, Oculus World Trade Center, Javits Center, and Chelsea Market. Having seen many of their shows, especially those at travel hubs, there's a certain tension and release you experience watching people wait anxiously for their trains, and then the release they feel when they are finally on their way. I've had these experiences myself, so I wanted to create two pieces that emulate these feelings.

Wound Up/Unwind consists of two contrasting pieces for string quartet and percussion. The first, Wound Up, for string quartet and cajón, imitates the feeling of being worried, anxious, and frustrated, especially while waiting to board a train. The second, Unwind, for string quartet and handpan, is calm and soothing, perhaps emulating the satisfying feeling of relaxing in a quiet seat as the train leaves the station. Both pieces can be performed independently and in any order.

Wound Up/Unwind is written for and commissioned by the FAB5 quintet with support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Wound Up for String Quartet and Cajón

L'hiver à Loconville évoque un fait divers qui rappelle que se fier aux apparences n'est pas judicieux.

L'hiver à Loconville

Lyrics:  
Enveloped in the gentle waves
Evening air, a little taste
Sweet scent, getting to the flower in me
Don't misinterpret, there's no wrong intent
I'm just inhaling the incense of desire

Melted gold, murky lighting, enhancing beauty
Senses alert, don't let it stop, sensuous lips
Don't condemn me, there's no bad intent
I'm just inhaling the incense of lust

My solitude when night sets in
Enflames my mind
Comforting blaze
Don't ever change
Time standing still
I'm just inhaling the incense of love 


2025 LB

Incense (first version)

American composer Robert Paterson is a true New Yorker—born and bred in Buffalo, he lived in Rochester and Ithaca for over ten years, in New York City for over twenty years, and now lives in Saratoga Springs, near the Adirondacks. Paterson’s colorful music embraces a wide variety of themes, everything from goddesses and online dating to mathematics and the environment. His music is filled with emotion and fierce rhythmic energy, marked by elegance, wit, and meticulous craftsmanship. Named Composer of The Year by the Classical Recording Foundation at Carnegie Hall, Paterson is the winner of the Alfred I. DuPont Award, and his opera Three Way won the Grammy® under Best Classical Producer of the Year. His music is often a Best of the Year pick on National Public Radio. His orchestral tone poem, Dark Mountains, regularly airs on NPR’s Performance Today. Three Way premiered with Nashville Opera, then BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), and across the United States. Minnesota Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, The Oratorio Society of New York, Buffalo Philharmonic, Albany Pro Musica, Albany Symphony, Musica Sacra, Austin Symphony, Vermont Symphony, and ensembles worldwide perform his works. Paterson gives masterclasses at the Curtis Institute of Music, New York University, the Aspen Music Festival, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and more. He is the Artistic Director and house composer for Mostly Modern Projects. Robert is a lifelong vegan and advocates for animals and the environment, celebrating the natural world with ground-breaking works such as his Triple Concerto, A New Eaarth, Listen, and I Go Among Trees.

Wound Up for String Quartet and Cajón

Robert Paterson Composer