Simón García writes: 'The Origins is the second part of my Californian Duett, both works inspired by rock music but in very different ways, and I thought about the origins of rock music as I composed it.

The introduction describes how the slaves are brought to the New World from Africa in enormous galleys, with many dying during the journey. The sound of the traditional slave meetings, playing drums in ancestral rituals, will eventually be mixed with the sounds and music of Old Europe.

I tried to write a piece for two double basses that is not like a conventional duo. In the first part of Californian Duett I wrote a melody, bass line and harmony-rhythm parts in two voices, using the entire range of the instruments.

The Origins is dedicated to Andrés Martín and Jeremy Kurtz-Harris who gave the premiere on 26 August 2013 in Mexico, at a workshop organised by Contrabajos de Bajo California.

The Origins received its UK premiere on 29 September 2013 at Wells Cathedral School (Wells, Somerset) by David Heyes and Ben Groenevelt.

Bassist and composer Simon Garcia was born in Mugardos (Spain) in 1977 and graduated in double bass from the Conservatorio Superior of Salamanca. He has worked as a double bassist in the Royal Orchestra of Galicia, having also performed in many orchestras throughout Spain, and is the bassist in the Symphony Wind Orchestra of A. Coruna. He has collaborated with many musicians and ensembles, particularly in the field of contemporary music, and has recorded and performed on many commercial recordings and for television and radio broadcasts.

Simon Garcia has composed more than twenty works for double bass, ranging from two to six players, alongside transcriptions of these pieces for various chamber ensembles. His music has been performed in Mexico, Venezuela, Uruguay, Denmark, Spain, Japan, Italy, Austria, Germany, Canada, USA and UK by The Bass Gang, Bass Instinct and Il Quint-etto amongst others, and some of his music was used as teaching material in the 2011 ISB Year of Collaborative Music.

Simon Garcia's music is livly, jazzy and rhythmic with great forward momentum and drive. Accessible for players and audiences alike, he writes colourful music of distinction and energy, employing the entire range of the double bass.