Under Construction Journal Issue 6.1 UNDER CONSTRUCTION JOURNAL 6.1 | Page 16

It is the turntablist who speaks next, offering a first 'cadenza ad-lib' to which there is little
orchestral response. Now, in their highest register, the turntables ask one final question to which the ever-
defiant cymbals and rotor toms respond. This time, a conspicuously quieter con sordini bass drum is heard,
accompanied by sforzando-piano strings. This muted response is immediately interrupted by the cymbals
and gong who are determined to make one final impression. A calmer, more composed turntablist
answers with a series of low-register scratching, bringing this opening conversation to a quiet and grimy
conclusion.
The duration of this dramatic first section, at just one minute and thirty seconds, is
noticeably short for the opening movement of a concerto. Yet, despite its length, I would argue it is as
evocative as the opening moments of the Rite of Spring or even Tristan and Isolde. The orchestra's pure
classical sound has been taken from them, remixed and distorted in to a grimy, earthy and harsh 'music',
performed on graffitied hardware encrusted with decades of Bronx block-party dirt. Having gate-crashed
the Proms, a DJ with turntables stands unashamedly at the front of this, the grandest classical stage of all.
How dare this 'low-art' émigré present itself as a soloist for one of our most revered 'high-art'
compositional formats. Nevertheless, throughout these seven short phrases, this cultural alien persuades,
disquiets and ultimately quietens one of our most esteemed western classical ensembles. Round one to
hip-hop!
Adagietto: 'Irreguluv'
The turntables open the second movement with an EDM inspired melodic hook in the form of 11-over-8
stepwise staccato quavers, performed using the 'play-and-stop' technique. After three successive additive
solo phrases the strings answer in kind. The orchestra then develops the opening theme, establishing an
ostinato, over which the soloist showcases a range of cross-fading techniques. 14 Not yet prepared,
however, to share such preeminent classically established practices with their guest, the orchestra erupts
with a frenzied, ritualistic dance. Fortissimo trombone slides and piercing brass stabs, together with a vast
battery of percussion drive the full orchestra forcefully forward in an episode akin to Stravinsky's Danse
Sacrale: the Chosen One, the one who must dance themselves to death, has been selected. With the sound
of the turntables now lost under the weight of this orchestral onslaught the soloist transitions onto two
14
For a comprehensive exposé of turntablist techniques, including 'play and stop', 'cross fading', and others
mentioned below see Stephen Webber, Turntable Technique: The Art of the DJ, 2nd Ed, (Boston: Berklee Press
Publications, 2009).
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