Under Construction Journal Issue 6.1 UNDER CONSTRUCTION JOURNAL 6.1 | Page 12

music. It was the nagging idea that it could be done another way [...] and yet alternative
ways of doing things were actively discouraged.” 5
The following paper demonstrates just one of the many ways Gabriel Prokofiev's compositional practice
has actively railed against this stayed environment.
Conceptualising 'Classical Turntablism'
In 2006, Gabriel Prokofiev received a commission to compose a concerto for turntables and orchestra.
Despite having already composed a classical work incorporating turntables, 6 Gabriel's initial reaction to
this new assignment was unfavourable. To Prokofiev, the idea of a large-scale hip-hop concerto sounded
grandiose and gimmicky, worrying that 'it would seem like another [public relation] exercise attempting
to make modern classical music 'cool' and 'trendy''. 7 For the commissioning body, however, Prokofiev's
ongoing career producing electronic dance music (EDM) and Grime, along with his deeply-rooted classical
heritage, and a postgraduate degree in electroacoustic music proved just the right credentials for a project
marrying two culturally discrete genres, each with their own tenacious and predetermined expectations
of form, structure and style. Where Two Dances (2004) had treated the scratch DJ as a limited one-person
percussion section supporting a sextet from the rear of the stage, accepting this concerto commission
would not only allow Prokofiev to position the DJ front-and-centre, the accompanying symphonic
orchestra would provide him with a rich sonic pallet, ripe for experimentation.
Suitably convinced, three questions promptly arose. Given that a DJ does not blow
through, bow across or strike the turntables to produce music, and performs only by manipulating existing
sounds, what 'music' would the turntablist play? What shape or structure would such an innovative
composition assume? What type of notation should be employed? To resolve the 'music' conundrum,
Gabriel concluded that the turntablist should sample and remix the orchestrally generated melodies,
harmonies and rhythms, transmuting and relaying them back to the ensemble. The turntablist's
synthesised and 'scratched' retorts could then be countered and developed further by the orchestra. This
presentation/re-presentation, remixing and rejoining of material between two forces satisfies both the
5
Thom Andrewes and Dimitri Djuric, We Break Strings, The Alternative Classical Scene in London (London: Hackney
Classical Press, 2014), 6.
6
Two Dances (2004)
7
"Programme Note," Gabriel Prokofiev, Concerto for Turntables No. 1, Version for Expanded Orchestra (London:
Faber Music Ltd, 2011).
3