Zachary Paul - A Meditation on Discord (2019)

On Zachary Paul's debut album for Touch, "A Meditation on Discord" compiles two live recordings from 2018 and a short film score, showcasing his expressive range and unique playing style. Both live recordings --"Premonition" and "Slow Ascent" -- were fully improvised on his violin ("The Duke," 1878), a minimal assortment of pedals (Earthquaker Afterneath, Diamond Memory Lane Jr, and Boss RC-30) and looped vocals. Zachary Paul (b. 1995) is a Los Angeles-based violinist and composer interested in perception, the transportive nature of long durations, and trance states. His work explores the contrast between stasis and movement and questions the possibility of depicting both synchronously. In live performance, he builds lush soundscapes via improvisation, representing his immediate experience & the space being performed in. His work draws from a long lineage of artists exploring sustained tones within organic performance, including Tony Conrad, Pauline Oliveros, and La Monte Young. Zachary is represented by Touch Music and currently a participant in Touch's curated mentorship program