Soon after starting as Music Coordinator at St Anne’s School (Gibraltar) I was approached by the head teacher who asked me if I could write a piece of music for a dance for World Environment Day 2011. I gave it a thought and decided to write a dance piece and a song for the choir to sing. I saw this as an opportunity to involve as many kids as possible. 5 years later (2015) a CD was released with 5 years’ worth of work which has resulted in 5 pieces which include music for dance choreographies and a song sung by the choir with occasional guests. This piece is the first of the 5 and is titled Forest Lands. The dance is divided into 2 main sections, 'Mother's Earth' and 'Father's Business' and the song is called 'Breath of Life'. The CD has been released in aid of the Gibraltar Multiple Sclerosis Society and all money collected with be donated to this worthy cause.

Forest Lands (2011)

The root of the 2015 dance piece, ‘Domino Effect’ lies in stomp samples.  This dates back to a Friday afternoon during the summer term of 2012. Whilst some year 7 pupils were waiting for documents to print outside the head teacher’s office they started to toy around with creating percussion parts by hitting different surfaces to creates a rhythmic background to support the singing of Adele’s ‘Rolling in the Deep’. A pupil came over to the music room to tell me the headteacher wanted me to listen to the pupils’ performance. The idea was to make this performance part of the summer concert. The question was how to go about recreating the atmosphere in a live situation in the playground. The most feasible option was to record samples of individual hits and strikes on different surfaces including a wooden banister, transparent plastic and furniture in an empty classroom. Each of these samples would be assigned to different keys on 3 keyboards so that the patterns could be performed by the 3 pupils who created them. The samples provided a whole array of textures with varying volumes. These recordings were used as a basis for different sections for ‘… Domino Effect’, the dance piece.

The song, ‘Tablet’, touches upon the subject of global warming and the melting ice and the excessive use and dependence of tablets for posting on social media where, in some cases, the aim is to seek attention. It is based on a character who goes on a skiing trip and whose main priorities are to keep in touch with friends and post pictures of the snow and how much fun they are having. However, when they reach their destiny they see that the effects of global warming has caused the snow to melt and this has an impact on them. This experience raises an awareness of the need to take greater care of the planet and so tablets could be put to better use by posting to spread the message so ‘others understand’ the situation. This song features Tyrene Gomila and Bella Montegriffo singing the middle 8 section who deliver the message from a mother’s point of view with excellent performances.

The song ends by exposing the mentality that a young child would have: when they are ill they have some medicine and they are cured, so it would be logical for doctors and rich companies to get together to ‘make a brand new medicine or ‘tablet’ to cure the world. For this section 2 pupils were chosen to imitate voices of small children plus a 6 year-old child (my son) to end with ‘goodnight’.


The Global Consequence (2015)

A blast from the past for me, this takes me back to 1987, so yeh – another 80’s song! This is the first ‘love’ song I wrote that I actually liked. A 3-chord sequence (all throughout!) and that’s something I wouldn’t be able to do these days! This version was recorded sometime between 2002 and 2003 but I did play this on the piano at home countless times during the 80’s (possibly annoying neighbours and definitely those at home!). It all started during break time at school when I was 12, round about 1987. I saw a girl (a year below me that I hadn’t noticed before) with a smile that conquered me. As with ‘The Legend’ I had a clear idea in my mind of how it would sound like. I was heavily inspired by Europe’s The Final Countdown album (which I fell in love with) and Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet. I used to improvise solo bits forever until someone would come in the room to stop me! 
When this version was recorded a faithful friend, a very talented Jorge Luis Gonzalez Bermudez who was (and still is) crazy enough to attempt to translate what was in my mind (when it came to guitar parts) recorded lots of improvised phrases that I scattered across the different sections throughout the song. In the end he surpassed my expectations and recorded one of my favourite guitar solos that feature in one of my compositions to this day. I’m still pretty satisfied with the results in relation to how I wanted it to sound back in the day. Last, but not least, vocals were recorded. I’ve not the best of voices (admittedly) but I decided to play the role of the extremely naïve and innocent 12-year old that fell for the smile! Jorge also recorded some of the backing vocals. Listening to this recording never fails to take me back to my very innocent and even naïve childhood with a smile. If only one could go back to those carefree days! Dream on …


Smilie

Written at some point during 2003 to 2004, the chorus section to Shine Again came at night as I was walking home. The chorus sounded quite powerful in my head and there was a percussion loop which I tried to replicate and I guess I was partially successful, however, I was pretty content with the end result. From the very start I kept singing ‘your soul will shine again’ in my head and I decided that should stay and possibly use that as the song’s title. Once again I played some games with chord sequences with an aim to make unconventional key changes flow from one section to the other but this time the rule was different: I had to find the shortest possible route and it had to flow as smoothly as possible. I must admit I was heavily inspired by Tony Banks’ (of Genesis) solo albums. Maybe someday I’ll be able to thank him personally for the inspiration throughout the decades.
This was recorded using a Korg Triton and a Korg N364 MIDI’ed up. My partner in crime, Jorge Luis Gonzalez Bermudez, was willing and able to deal with the guitar department. Time was spent looking for a guitar arrangement to play the chord sequences. We did it in the end. I would use a Fender Strat as opposed to a steel string acoustic if I were to record this again, nevertheless, that’s just me being petty.
It was obvious that I needed someone to sing this song as it’s totally beyond what I can do (not that I consider myself a singer at all!). My first choice was a friend, Robert Perez (from Afterhours). He did a great job and gave the song character. All in all, I consider this is an unusual composition for me. Nevertheless, I feel the experiment was quite successful and the creative process was enjoyable. It does raise a smile when I listen to it.


Shine Again

This was written for a play called Bouncers around 2005 (which was based on a club in West Yorkshire). By then the traditional Calypso rhythm was starting to predominate dance music.  I had done a Calypso project as part of the Popular Music Studies course at Bretton Hall College between 1997-2000. I decided to use this rhythm as it brought good memories. Little did I know at the time that John Godber went to Bretton Hall College to train as a drama teacher! Within a year or so the traditional Calypso rhythm I had learnt predominated dance music all around! It is still pretty much alive and known as Reggeaton.
I decided to use part of a song I had written when I was around 12-13 years old titled ‘Will you Remember’ written in 1987. I spent a week creating ideas in my head and recorded the piece on my Korg Triton workstation. One of those ideas turned out to be in 13/8 time (I tried my best to put my personal stamp in this)! I was satisfied with my efforts eve despite the fact that I had (and still have) a dislike for club music. I did fill the piece with a lot of my influences and gave it an 80’s feel to it (the original version). Bouncers (for Yorkshire actors) was indeed written in 1983.
This is not the type of thing I would have written for my own pleasure but I saw it as a chance to broaden my horizons. Dance music tends to ‘date’ quickly and this would be put into the ‘old’ category by many who believe in the ‘off with the old’ and ‘on with the new’ way of thinking, however, I don’t tend to think in those lines at all. Is it a great marketing strategy to make people buy the new stuff perpetually so sales never falter? Well, I won’t budge. I’ll quote my favourite band here: ‘I Know What I Like’.


Will You Remember

This is a demo of something that was created at some point in June 2014. It was the result of a brief encounter with someone I had taught. It was pretty much a ‘catching up’ conversation, an enjoyable conversation as it was great to find out that this person was doing well and had clear aims for the future. Once the conversation was over and we carried on with our stuff I had a magical moment, an inspiration for a piece of music, perhaps a song. The idea was clear as I could hear all the sounds and how they combined. I got home and recorded the idea. I could not get the idea out of my head so more ideas came up, particularly a concept that would lead to an extended piece of work.
The lyrics were written during the summer in London, particularly during the various bus trips from Muswell Hill to Tottenham Court Road in London. Lots of happy memories there. Lyrics were finished at Chiswick Train Station in July. I plan to visit every summer!
As per usual, I always sing my own demos, even if my voice if definitely not the best option (as in this case), however, I try my best to convey the message (which I think I do, amidst some instances of screeching!). Our character, ‘Reach’ battles with life’s challenges and her greatest ambition which is to share her gift, her singing voice. She also takes on the task of supporting her mum and younger sister by combining studies with a job – singing in various venues as part of a night time job. How does the story end? Well, just listen to the whole thing ;). This goes out to Raquel.


Raech

This was my final composition project at Bretton Hall College. It was inspired by the music of Mike Oldfield, particularly the Tubular Bells Trilogy, QE2 and The Songs of Distant Earth. A lot of the material is minimalistic and some themes do reappear in different part of the overall piece, however, there are also bits that only appear once. Some bits do not appear again either.
This was all done using a Korg N364. The six different parts were subsequently passed on to a 16-track reel to reel recorder in order (1. In the Maze, 2. Etherscape, 3. Hi-Tension, 4. Eastern Sunsets, 5. First Love and 6. Let there be Light).
It was a very enjoyable project for me, even if producing the handwritten score took its time and energy – thinking back never fails to bring back great memories! The whole concept and quite a few of the ideas were composed while I walked from my place of residence to Unity House in Wakefield. Most of the ideas were totally new - the only exception is part three, ‘Hi-Tension’ which was an improvisation that was roughly recorded using a Korg O1/W sometime during the Easter of 1996 during a lonely spell of chicken pox! Well, I’m glad it happened that way after all!
This was probably the first piece of work I did that was passed on to digital format (DAT), processed on a PC (probably Windows 95, maybe 98!) using Cubase, which had the facility of recording Audio Tracks – something which was totally new to me back then.


Pacifica

This song takes me back to the early 90’s, sometime during 1992. It all started as a ‘joke’ song. I was not a great fan of 90’s music, particularly many of the songs that entered the charts. Extremely simple chord sequences, a ‘singable’ tune and a typically shallow love theme was not my cup of tea. I guess I expected more, particularly because I was into the music of bands like Genesis, Marillion (particularly the Fish era), Camel and others under the Progressive Rock ‘label’. So, I decided to write a simple song using a typical 50’s-60’s chord sequence similar to songs such as Earth Angel (The Penguins, 1954) and the Unchained Melody (1955), known as the I, VI, IV, V progression.  That process did not really take much longer than 10 minutes.
This is the second version of the song and it was recorded during the end of my first year of my degree course at Bretton Hall College, Wakefield (Around June 1998). In fact, it was all recorded at Manygates, in my room (Bennett 4 – for those who studied with me!)
Due to miscalculations I had some money left over – just enough for me to get a train to Newcastle and buy myself a new keyboard, a Korg N364. I really liked the Saxophone sound and so I decided to experiment with it and so this version was born. By the following day the arrangement was complete. It sounded BIG.
I recorded the arrangement on a 4-Track cassette recorder and I started with the vocals. The shower cubicle provided the characteristic sound and so did my accent! The whole process was a lot of fun. It wouldn’t have been possible without one of my mates, Ed Gibson Thomas who recorded the vocals and provided me with a Reverb unit for the vocal track (and possible the 4-Track Cassette recorder). All in all, very good memories!


What Must I Do?

This piece was written for a play by the same name. It was written sometime during 2008. The theme was murder mystery so I decided to challenge myself and just briefly pop my head into the world of Jazz. Admittedly, I had never attempted to get close to the style as I’m not that familiar with the style nor am I a big fan of Jazz. I thought it was time to walk into uncharted territory and composed for a Fender Rhodes, a double bass and a small jazz kit (all software except for the guitar that carries the main melody throughout). Once the track was recorded I decided to include a melodic line into the equation and called my friend Jamis Mifsud to contribute to the piece with the missing ingredient by using his guitar skills. I made the right choice - he did a stunning job. He chose the correct guitar sound, played with the right feel and the right type of melodic lines to match my vision. Without too much consultation I just let him do what he does best. All in all, this was a great adventure and it was quite a bit of fun to create and learn at the same time. 

In For The Kill

This song was written on Christmas day 1991 in Bedford (UK). I spent the holidays with family that year and it was a very peaceful week and very inspiring indeed. It was quite a special week for me as my favourite band, Genesis, had released the We Can’t Dance Album and stood at number 1 in the charts. That, combined with Phil Collins’ own collection of ballads were also pretty much in my mind. My passion for Genesis music is still there and always will be. 
There’s absolutely no way of determining when one gets inspired and in this case it was inevitable. We went to some relatives’ house for lunch and there was an upright piano there. I asked if I could use the piano and that’s where the music to this song came. Part of the reason for the inspiration was a particular pretty young lady who conquered my heart at the time. The chord sequences came naturally and a couple of hours were spent experimenting with melodic ideas until I was satisfied. For me, it was a magical moment. There was also time to start writing lyrics and I’m pretty sure the title came to me that day.
Upon my return home I recorded the song using a 4-track cassette recorder and a Yamaha DX7II, a Roland Juno 106 and a Casio CZ-1. As per usual, I decided to record the vocals myself – a disastrous performance indeed. However, it always brings back good memories when I listen to this version – I kind of relive the whole experience.
This version was recorded in the summer of 2010. It’s just a piano and vocal track. Lyrics were revised in the peaceful setting of a summer afternoon in a quiet area of Jimena de la Frontera.


Is There Any Other Way 2010

This song was written sometime during the summer of 1992. It was part of a musical based on the parable of the Prodigal Son (biblical). At the time I was involved in a prayer group (Christian, Catholic) and in the ‘Music Ministry’. The musical was to be performed at a Christian Youth Festival in Gibraltar in February 1993.
We spent a weekend somewhere in the countryside close to the small town of San Martin del Tesorillo,  a place known as Camp Emmanuel, and attempted to write music and lyrics. We shared our ideas and the whole structure was completed. This song was pretty much written within an hour or so. It was an inspirational trip and both myself and my friend Paul came up with the music and lyrics. This song was originally titled ‘What Have I Done?’
Years later (1997) I decided to record this song in order to include it as part of one of my university interviews. I also decided to extend the length of the song and included an instrumental passage meant to be used for an acoustic guitar lead and an extra chorus at the end to expand on the narrative. The guitar part was created and recorded by Jamis Mifsud. I also asked another friend, John Victor, to record vocals and he really did an amazing job. In fact, all those involved did an amazing job. 


What Have I Done 2014

The music to this song was a result of an improvisation using my brother’s Korg O1/W. This keyboard opened quite a lot of doors as it enabled me to compose the way I had always wanted to. The summer of 1992 was quite a productive summer and it was a significant period for my love for composing as my modus operandi was pretty much dictated by the possibilities the O1/W had to offer. Quite a few improvisations were recorded overnight that summer. This included the creation of the verse and chorus to what eventually became ‘Why?’ (which was named ‘Easy Times’. This improvisation was obviously (and admittedly) inspired by the music of Phil Collins and Genesis (particularly the ‘We Can’t Dance’ album released towards the end of 1991).
When the time came to put ideas forward for the Prodigal Son musical I put forward the ‘Easy Times’ impro. In the end it was used for the part where the Prodigal Son’s brother protests about their father’s decision to accept his other son back. I also decided to use this track as part of my list of tracks for my interview at Bretton Hall College in 1997. This version was remixed and remastered in 2015 (along with ‘What have I Done?’) where all guitar tracks were separated and mixed individually. Guitars were recorded by Jamis Mifsud and the song was sung by William Finlayson.


Why 2015

I'm a composer from Gibraltar. my favourite genre is labelled as 'Progressive Rock', however, I rely on my ideas when composing and anything can happen as I don't restrict myself at all. I also have a YouTube account under the same name.


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