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Rory is an Irish double bass and electric bass player living and working in London since 2004.

Working as a bass player for the last 16 years has given him a wealth of experience in a wide range of styles including jazz, classical, tango and rock.

Rory has recorded at all the major London studios and also records high quality remote sessions for TV, film, and library music composers from his home studio in SE London. His playing can be heard on tv shows such as Better Call Saul (Netflix), Staged (BBC), Marvel Agents of SHIELD (Disney), Us (BBC), Breeders (Sky/FX) and Rockfield - The Studio On The Farm (BBC).

Please see Remote Sessions for more details and get in touch through the Contact page to discuss your project.

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As well as performing Rory is also a composer and writes library music with composer/percussionist Dom Sales as ToyGlass Music.

His compositions and bass playing can be heard on television in many countries. He has released production music albums through EMI, BMG, Altitude Music, Evolution Media Music, Wrong Planet, Muchas Music and others.

He plays in The Heritage Orchestra which has led to work with John Cale, Tim Minchin, UNKLE and Aphex Twin among others. He has also performed with The Who - Live at Wembley.

Rory has worked extensively in theatre and has played in the orchestra for the West End productions of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, An American in Paris, The King and I, Miss Saigon, Mary Poppins, Spamalot, Top Hat and The Prince of Egypt (including playing on the Grammy nominated cast album).

 
 

Pop / Sessions

•    Hilary Skewes

•    LMO (Andy Brown)

•    Isobel Griffiths Ltd

•    Sylvia Addison

•    Heritage Orchestra

•    The Who (Live at Wembley)

•    alt - J

•    UNKLE

•    Aphex Twin

•    Goldie

•    James Blunt

•    Tom Chaplin (Keane)

•    John Cale

•    Strictly Come Dancing

•    Tim Minchin 

•    Jamie Cullum

•    Cathal Smyth (Madness)

•    Nitin Sawhney

Jazz / Rhythm Section

•    Matthew Herbert Brexit Big Band 

•    BBC Big Band

•    BBC National Orchestra of Wales

•    Ulster Orchestra

•    The Hot Club of Jupiter

•    King Candy and the Sugar Push

•    Syd Lawrence Orchestra

•    Len Phillips Orchestra

•    Skelton/Skinner Allstars

•    Stephen Triffitt’s Sinatra

•    RTE Concert Orchestra

•    Guildford Philharmonic

•    Tango Siempre

•    London Tango Quintet



 

Orchestral

• Orchestre National de Toulouse

•    Philharmonia Orchestra

•    Opera North

•    Heritage Orchestra 

•    RTE Concert Orchestra

•    London Concert Orchestra

•    Brandenburg Sinfonia

•    National Symphony Orchestra

•    Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra

•    Mozart Symphony Orchestra

•    Belmont Ensemble

•    Wexford Opera Festival Orchestra

 

West end Shows

• The Prince of Egypt

•    The King & I

•    An American in Paris

•    Wind In The Willows 

•    Charlie & the Chocolate Factory

•    Top Hat 

•    Midnight Tango

•    Stravinsky’s ‘The Soldier’s Tale’

•    The American Clock (Dep)

•    Aladdin (Dep)

•    42nd St (Dep)

•    Miss Saigon (Dep)

•    Love Story (Dep)

•    Spamalot (Dep)

•    Mary Poppins (Dep)

•    Fiddler On The Roof (Dep)

•    Carousel (Dep)

 
 
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remote sessions

I am based in SE London and I am available for remote sessions. Over the years I have invested in some high-end equipment so you don’t have to.

I have instruments to cover most styles and a great signal chain that makes sure my recordings are clean and to a professional standard of audio quality. I am equipped to record both double bass and bass guitar.

I have a wide range of experience from working as a London bass player over the last 16 years in studios, theatres, clubs and concert halls. I studied classical music to post-grad level but I also work in jazz so I am equally comfortable playing arco or pizz.

Whether you need bass for some library tracks, several film cues, a whole album or just one song, get in touch through the contact page to discuss.

Prices vary depending on the size of the project.

Turnaround time is generally 48 hours.

Click here to hear some of my remote sessions.

I have recorded remote sessions for

Oli Julian (Catastrophe, Sex Education, Breeders, Motherland)

Ian Arber (Show Me The Picture, The Capture, BBC Proms, I Am Bolt)

Alex Parsons (Rockfield Studio doc, Grayson Perry, In Cold Blood)

Alex Baranowski (Staged, The Windermere Children)

Jay Price (Composer/Producer)

Claire Batchelor (Film/TV composer)

Thom Robson (Film/TV composer)

Pete Whitfield (String arranger)

Patrick Jonsson (The White Helmets, Virunga, Black Earth Rising)

Tristan Noon (Media composer)

Steve Lynch (Media composer)

BMG Production Music

EMI Production Music

Audio Network

Cute Music

Evolution Media Music

Muchas Music

BFI

Lightsong Production Music

Wrong Planet Music

Sky

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Listen

Double bass, bass guitar and fretless bass parts for various artists recorded remotely in my studio.

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TESTIMONIALS

Working with Rory is brilliant... he always goes the extra mile to make sure we get the right sound and performance, accommodating my crazy remote recording miking requests in the bargain. And he’s a lovely guy to boot. Can’t wait to work with him again on the next one.

Alex Baranowski (Staged, Windermere Children, National Theatre)

I’ve had the absolute pleasure of working with Rory on three of my scores, both remotely (using his top notch mics) and in my own studio. Not only is he an exceptional player and able to deliver exactly what’s needed, his knowledge of so many unusual performance styles brings so much character and experience to every performance. I can’t wait to work with him again!

Alexander Parsons (Rockfield doc, Grayson Perry, Surviving Covid)

Rory is a very versatile player and has a great ear for turning his hand to various styles.

Oli Julian (Catastrophe, Plebs, Sex Education, Motherland)


Rory is a fantastic double bass player who I was fortunate enough to work remotely with on the score for "Show Me The Picture: The Story of Jim Marshall". He not only brought his exceptional jazz chops, but also more experimental techniques which were invaluable to the tone of the score. I very much look forward to working with you again soon.

Ian Arber (The Capture, I Am Bolt, Show Me The Picture)

Reliable, fast and professional. The choice of mic was good, the sound & performance exactly what I expected. Definitively happy to recommend him to other composers in the future!

Enrica Sciandrone (Composer, Composition for Screen Professor RCM)

Rory’s bass playing always seems to breathe extra life into my music - he nails it every time. His recordings sound pristine and he gets the job done quickly and without any fuss. A real find and a pleasure to work with!

Jay Price (Composer & Producer)



Rory is a hugely talented musician who makes collaboration really straightforward. His playing always adds depth to the pieces he has recorded for me. Best of all he is always open to trying out new & creative techniques to make unique and interesting sounds.

Thom Robson (Composer)

Rory is brilliant at playing absolutely anything you throw at him, and has always brought something new and interesting to the parts on paper. He can conjure the oddest noises from the double bass, and is definitely my first choice when I need something strange for a project!

Steve Lynch (Composer)

Rory has recorded double bass on a few different tracks for me now, he’s incredibly talented, easy to work with, and always delivers what I was hoping for. His recordings sound great and make a huge difference to the quality of my mixes. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him.

Claire Batchelor (Composer)

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Some of the equipment I use:

Mics:

Neumann U87, Coles 4038, Neumann TLM 103, AKG 414, DPA 4099, SE R1

Pre: Neve 1073

Double basses:

Hawkes Concert 1913

Paul Bryant 2007

Electric basses:

a selection of Fender, MusicMan and Overwater bass guitars

Synths: Moog Sub Phatty

You can contact me at rorydempsey@me.com to discuss your project or give me a call on 0044 7916 252154

You will receive a reply within 24 hours. Thanks!