Improvisations by
Chris Prosser – violin, baritone violin, voice
Simon O'Rorke - software synthesizers, virtual double bass
Recorded in Wellington, New Zealand, 2020.
Artwork: Wellington City Council https://data-wcc.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/3d-wellington
The titles of tracks are names of streets in Wellington which separate the two musicians' homes. Navigation of these streets is required to bring the two together to play and record music.

Chris Prosser, Simon O'Rorke - Streets

Improvisations by
Chris Prosser - violin
Simon O'Rorke - software synthesizers

Chris Prosser, Simon O'Rorke

Improvisation by
Chris Prosser – baritone violin, voice
Simon O'Rorke - Massive X software synthesizer
Recorded on 12th March 2020 at O'Rorke Towers, Wellington, New Zealand.
Recorded and mixed by Simon O'Rorke.
Artwork: Wellington City Council https://data-wcc.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/3d-wellington

Streets

Chris Prosser, Simon O'Rorke - Yule

Chris Prosser, Simon O'Rorke - Rongotai

Chris Prosser – violin, voice
Simon O'Rorke - Razor software synthesizer
Recorded on 19th February 2020 at O'Rorke Towers, Wellington, New Zealand.
Recorded and mixed by Simon O'Rorke.
Artwork: Wellington City Council https://data-wcc.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/3d-wellington

Chris Prosser, Simon O'Rorke - Troy

Improvisation by
Chris Prosser – violin, voice
Simon O'Rorke - SWAM Double Bass virtual instrument
Recorded on 19th February 2020 at O'Rorke Towers, Wellington, New Zealand.
Recorded and mixed by Simon O'Rorke.
Artwork: Wellington City Council https://data-wcc.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/3d-wellington

Chris Prosser, Simon O'Rorke - Cobham

Improvisation by
Chris Prosser – violin
Simon O'Rorke - Massive X software synthesizer
Recorded on 19th February 2020 at O'Rorke Towers, Wellington, New Zealand.
Recorded and mixed by Simon O'Rorke.
Artwork: Wellington City Council https://data-wcc.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/3d-wellington

Chris Prosser, Simon O'Rorke - Ruahine

Improvisation by
Chris Prosser – violin, voice
Simon O'Rorke - SWAM Double Bass virtual instrument
Recorded on 6th February 2020 at O'Rorke Towers, Wellington, New Zealand.
Recorded and mixed by Simon O'Rorke.
Artwork: Wellington City Council https://data-wcc.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/3d-wellington

Chris Prosser, Simon O'Rorke - Vivian

Chris Prosser – violin, voice
Simon O'Rorke - Massive X software synthesizer
Recorded on 6th February 2020 at O'Rorke Towers, Wellington, New Zealand.
Recorded and mixed by Simon O'Rorke.
Artwork: Wellington City Council https://data-wcc.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/3d-wellington

Chris Prosser, Simon O'Rorke - Willis

Improvisation by
Chris Prosser – violin
Simon O'Rorke - Massive X software synthesizer
Recorded on 23rd January 2020 at O'Rorke Towers, Wellington, New Zealand.
Recorded and mixed by Simon O'Rorke.
Artwork: Wellington City Council https://data-wcc.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/3d-wellington

Chris Prosser, Simon O'Rorke - Aro

Improvisation by
Chris Prosser – baritone violin
Simon O'Rorke - Massive X software synthesizer
Recorded on 18th January 2020 at O'Rorke Towers, Wellington, New Zealand.
Recorded and mixed by Simon O'Rorke.
Artwork: Wellington City Council https://data-wcc.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/3d-wellington

Chris Prosser, Simon O'Rorke - Entrance

Ever since I started developing this work, a polyrhythm of 3, 7 and 11 has persisted throughout.  Yet, when I listened to early iterations of the work, I often found myself hearing a phantom 4 time.  I have sometimes noticed this when listening to other music I know to be polyrhythmic.  My brain evidently has a tendency to perceive that rhythm, which is so dominant in my musical heritage, in its drive to find patterns in the unfamiliar.  I understand this tendency to be a cultural construct – I heard somewhere that people of the Balkans, when absent-mindedly drumming their fingers, are likely to do so in an asymmetric rhythm such as 11.  I have adjusted the work so that I no longer hear the 4.  Or perhaps I have merely become more accustomed to the polyrhythm.  Either way, the meaning of the work’s title should now be apparent:  Against The Tyranny of 4!

It is not necessary to be consciously aware of the specific polyrhythm in order to appreciate the music.  However, for those who may be interested, here are some pointers for identifying the three cross rhythms.  For reference, I should first explain that the work is a trio for three virtual instruments:  a sampled drum kit; a monophonic plucked synth part that I shall call the ‘bass’, though its higher registers perhaps sound more like a guitar; and a monophonic ‘lead’ synth part whose timbre varies between a brass instrument approximation and a bowed stringed instrument approximation.

The number of underlying pulses in a bar is 231, being the least common multiple of the cross rhythms 3, 7 and 11.  The total bar length is just under 3.7 seconds.  Because the cross rhythms are all prime numbers, the only beat they have in common is the first pulse of the bar.  When the drum kit plays that beat, it is with a kick drum only.  Other beats of the 3 rhythm are played by the snare drum;  other beats of the 7 rhythm are played by cymbals; and other beats of the 11 rhythm are played by toms.

The bass mostly picks its notes from the 3 and 7 rhythms only.  However, in its ‘solo’ and in the ‘dual solo’ with the lead just before the end, the bass picks notes from all three rhythms.  Similarly, the lead mostly picks its notes from the 11 rhythm only. However, in the lead’s two ‘solos’ and in the ‘dual solo’, it too picks notes from all three rhythms.  (The lead solo before the bass solo has bass accompaniment; the later one does not.)

For the lead and bass parts, the selection of the pitches and, when a part is ‘soloing’, the lengths of the notes is stochastic (i.e. controlled by time-dependant probabilities).  The determination of which drum kit instrument articulation plays when is merely probabilistic, as there’s a fixed pattern throughout, except right at the end.  The same is true of lead and bass note lengths when not ‘soloing’.

Against The Tyranny of 4 is the first work created with a software sequencer I have been developing myself.  I used a Superior Drummer sampled drum kit.  The lead and bass parts were made with the software synthesizer Massive.  Because the work is stochastic, it is different every time I run the software.  So I may release multiple versions.

This particular version was recorded on 26th October 2022 at O'Rorke Towers, Wellington, New Zealand.

Simon O’Rorke

Against the Tyranny of 4

Simon O'Rorke – metal percussion
Recorded by Dan Beban live at Old St Pauls, Wellington, New Zealand on 7th May 2014.
Mixed by Simon O'Rorke.
Photo by Thomas Lambert.
Stage set by Erica Sklenars.
This was played on a rig of percussion instruments that I collected over several years.  All the instruments are bronze, except for the gong, which is nickel silver (copper/nickel/zinc alloy).
Here are the times in the improvisation when I first play instruments of each type:
00:00  UFIP 5 Ogororo Plates
03:14  UFIP 3 Bells on a Rope
03:34  UFIP 3 Burma Bells
10:18  Ancient Voices Gongchime Plate
12:04  Paiste Mega Cup Chime 13" 33 cm
12:59  Paiste 5 Cup Chimes
15:49  UFIP 2 Ice Bells (bell chimes)
17:32  Paiste Bell Chime 6"/ 15 cm
18:36  Paiste Symphonic Gong 32" / 81 cm
There are considerable overlaps and recombinations of the instrument types.  However, each instrument type is eventually 'soloed' for a while, with the ice bells and bell chime forming a 'soloed type' together.
As this is a live recording, there are a few odd sounds.  In the opening few seconds, you may just be able to hear German saxophonist Peter Brotzmann in the background.  He was warming up backstage for his following solo set, till he realised I had started.

Sound Plates, Bells, Chimes, Gong

Chris Prosser – violin
Simon O'Rorke - Razor software synthesizer
Recorded on 16th May 2019 at O'Rorke Towers, Wellington, New Zealand.
Recorded and mixed by Simon O'Rorke.
The improvisations retrospectively entitled 'Duggereesh', 'Plascirpy', 'Luhdirem', 'Hoocantaroo' and 'Teek Gurr' were recorded in that order, one Thursday between morning coffee and lunch.  They comprise our entire musical conversation for the day.  The titles consist of made-up words intended to reflect the sounds of the corresponding pieces.

Chris Prosser, Simon O'Rorke - Duggereesh

Chris Prosser – violin
Simon O'Rorke - Spark software synthesizer
Recorded on 16th May 2019 at O'Rorke Towers, Wellington, New Zealand.
Recorded and mixed by Simon O'Rorke.
The improvisations retrospectively entitled 'Duggereesh', 'Plascirpy', 'Luhdirem', 'Hoocantaroo' and 'Teek Gurr' were recorded in that order, one Thursday between morning coffee and lunch.  They comprise our entire musical conversation for the day.  The titles consist of made-up words intended to reflect the sounds of the corresponding pieces.

Chris Prosser, Simon O'Rorke - Plascirpy

Chris Prosser – violin
Simon O'Rorke - Kontour software synthesizer
Recorded on 16th May 2019 at O'Rorke Towers, Wellington, New Zealand.
Recorded and mixed by Simon O'Rorke.
The improvisations retrospectively entitled 'Duggereesh', 'Plascirpy', 'Luhdirem', 'Hoocantaroo' and 'Teek Gurr' were recorded in that order, one Thursday between morning coffee and lunch.  They comprise our entire musical conversation for the day.  The titles consist of made-up words intended to reflect the sounds of the corresponding pieces.

Chris Prosser, Simon O'Rorke - Luhdirem

Chris Prosser – violin
Simon O'Rorke - Massive software synthesizer
Recorded on 16th May 2019 at O'Rorke Towers, Wellington, New Zealand.
Recorded and mixed by Simon O'Rorke.
The improvisations retrospectively entitled 'Duggereesh', 'Plascirpy', 'Luhdirem', 'Hoocantaroo' and 'Teek Gurr' were recorded in that order, one Thursday between morning coffee and lunch.  They comprise our entire musical conversation for the day.  The titles consist of made-up words intended to reflect the sounds of the corresponding pieces.

Chris Prosser, Simon O'Rorke - Teek Gurr

Chris Prosser, Simon O'Rorke - Hoocantaroo

Simon O'Rorke - Voltage Modular software synthesizer
This is my first modular synthesis work that I've deemed worthy of  publication.  It consists of two generative patches, which means that each patch evolves without manual intervention.  I first worked the four-voice slow legato patch, as shown in the image, to near-completion.  Then I started on the two-voice lead patch to go on top of the first patch.

Euclidean Tasks

Simon O'Rorke discovered improvised music while a student in London.  After emigrating to New Zealand, from 1992 he formed free improv ensembles in Wellington, at a time when activity in the genre appeared to be otherwise non-existent in the city.  Since the improv scene took off in 1997, O'Rorke has collaborated with many of New Zealand’s leading improvisors.  Originally a bass guitarist, he has specialised in percussion since 1997 and then, from 2010, synthesizers and software instruments.  In addition to his ongoing participation in collaborative improvisation, O’Rorke has very recently started to develop software electronic works.

Simon O'Rorke

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