By Tom Mulhern
Has the turntable "arrived" as a legitimate instrument? It may not be the new cello or oboe, but it has made it to the classical concert hall. On Wednesday, March 7th, 2001, at Arizona State University’s Gammage Auditorium, turntablist Dj Radar (Jason Belmont) performed the first movement of Raul Yanez’ "Concerto For Turntable" with the 65-piece Arizona State University Symphony Orchestra to an audience of more than 3,000. (Info about his technique and notation can be found at his web site, http://www.djradar.com.) While this may not be quite the "big bang," it’s an important step because it signals that the vocabulary of turntablism is being codified as a written notation and the turntable can be integrated with an orchestra as well as any other traditional instrument. To aficionados of the synthesizer, Theremin, and electric guitar, you might find this a bit like deja vu. The electric guitar needed its own notation to express the sonic nuances of feedback, tremolo-bar bends, changing the volume controls, and so forth. (It hasn’t been very long since the electric guitar’s notation met orchestral score: It was less than 25 years ago that jazz guitarist Howard Roberts premiered composer Duane Tatro’s "Dialogue For Amplified Guitar And Chamber Orchestra.")
For the performance of "Concerto For Turntable," DJ Radar used a single Vestax PDX-2000 turntable and 07 Pro ISP mixer. The music was written in a format based on the classical staff system, although it had to reflect the unique techniques employed in getting sounds from a turntable. DJ Radar is currently at work with composer Yanez, completing the second and third movements of the concerto. He’s also lining up a tour with different orchestras in various cities around the world. The world premiere of the entire piece will be in Arizona at Gammage Auditorium on March 6th, 2002. A multi-city tour will follow this premiere.