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The last time we came across Gabriel Prokofiev (aka Medasyn) was on the production of Lady Sovereign’s Jigsaw album earlier in the year but he’s also the head honcho of the Nonclassical label and leader of The Elysian Quartet, involved with John Matthias and Nick Ryan’s Cortical Songs) and yes, he is related to the Prokofiev!

Of course, our association with The Heritage Orchestra goes back to the start with their appearance at Jazz Britannia (see HERE) and since then they’ve gone from strength to strength with a live version of Vangelis’ Blade Runner soundtrack for Massive Attack’s Meltdown Festival last year, appearing at BBC Electric Proms with The Streets, the Cinematic Orchestra concert at the Royal Albert Hall (see HERE), UNKLE’s End Titles…Redux, working with Amon Tobin, Deodato, Airto Moreira, Plaid, Stan Sulzmann and not forgetting their (also, watch out for their collaboration with “the next big thing”, singer-songwriter Jonathan Jeremiah).

So, that’s the orchestra sorted and “for Turntables”, there’s no better choice than former winner of the DMC Scratch DJ category, DJ Yoda (aka Duncan Beiny). After the DMC win, he went on to make his name with How To Cut & Paste CDs that not only showed off his technical skills but also his keen sense of humour (this year he’s released How To Cut And Paste (Country & Western Edition)!)

The concept for ‘Concerto for Turntables & Orchestra’ started nearly 7 years ago by pianist and independent producer Will Dutta (Chimera Productions) in the age old tradition, he says “of cross-pollination of sound between art music and folk/dance idioms; be it in the Partitas and Suites of J S Bach or Bartók’s in-depth study of folk song”. Dutta brought together Gabriel Prokofiev and DJ Yoda to collaborate on the piece in 2005 and each movement features different DJ skills from ‘Scribbling’ and ‘Crabbing’, simple cutting and scratchin’, to actually beat juggling with the Orchestra and virtuosic solos; apparently they’ve scored all this!

Premiered by DJ Yoda and the Heritage Orchestra live at London’s Scala as part of Audi’s TT Remastered campaign in summer 2007, it received critical acclaim and now the album version features the five-movement concerto followed by 11 remixes.

The trouble for me with this type of project is that I always think of Herbie Hancock. And I’m afraid as much as we love all his jazz classics and ‘Rockit’, for such a visionary, the turn of the millenniums’ Future 2 Future was a bit of a dud - he didn’t seem convinced by the scratches of Rob “one of the best” Swift when I saw the tour anyway. So if I say, at times you can’t hear DJ Yoda, I don’t mean you don’t hear him, more that he’s fully absorbed into the sound of the Orchestra (particularly on the Allegro Largo ‘Malmo’).

That said, it’s not an easy listen, very classical and cinematic but in a knifes out Psycho sense. Any easier with the remixes? Well you might have thought Prokoviev would have got his high profile mate Tom Yorke to have a go but no, the remixers include Heavy Deviance, Monster Bobby (from The Pipettes), Li’ll Bo Tweak (50% of which is Trevor Loveys; was this his inspiration for his current monster hit, ‘Organ Grinder’?), Cerebral Productions, Kreepa, Medasyn and Prokofiev himself.

Most of the remixes are very much in the a la Matthew Herbert school of Big Band cut up. That ‘s fine but it gets a little repetitive; thankfully there are some notable exceptions.

Kreepa started out as electronic experimentalists and got more experimental and here there are very minimal with bleeps are extended ‘drive pasts’.

David Schweitzer, who contributed a remix to the Gabriel Prokofiev String Quartet No. 1 by The Elysian Quartet, does the cut-up thing with style and another is Prokofiev (as Medasyn) that reminds me a tad of Peter & The Wolf at the start before it goes on the Hunt For The Red October (and whilst on the subject, Caine fans should check out Jah Wobble’s latest, ‘Get Carter’).

The surprising one is the Monster Bobby that takes some time to get going before the “typewriter” taps out the beat before it goes ambient drone and the highlights are Li’ll Bo Tweak (being Chris Belsey and Trevor Loveys) as they take it up-tempo with proper breaks and scratchin’ (makes me think what Radio Slave could have done) and the almost jazzy dub cinematography of the Tivannagh L’Abbé Overturemix.

Inevitably it’s a bit of a mixed by this one but one to stick with as it’s a future classic?

Reviewed: DJ Yoda & The Heritage Orchestra - G. Prokofiev Concerto For Turntables & Orchestra (Nonclassical) Cat. No. NONCLSS005 Release date: 9th November 2009
Tracklist
1 Introduction ‘Grim Eye’ (1:17)
2 Adagietto ‘Irreguluv’ (4:21)
3 Largo Peasante Allegro Largo ‘Malmo’ (5:57)
4 Andante ‘Meditnow’ (5:28)
5 Allegro Gavotte ‘Snow Time’ (3:55
Remixes
6 Heavy Deviance ‘Marsui Lui Neacsu RIP’ Rmx (4:31)
7 G. Prokofiev ‘Creat Diggin’ Remix (3:59)
8 David Schweitzer ‘5th Movement’ Remix (3:35)
9 Medasyn ‘Non’ Step Remix (4:22)
10 Monster Bobby Remix (4:26)
11 Li’ll Bo Tweak’s Voodoo Drums Mix (3:23)
12 Cerebral Productions Remix (3:58)
13 Radioproof X (II) Remix (3:45)
14 Kath! Heath! Remix (5:09)
15 Kreepa Remix (3:58)
16 Tivannagh L’Abbé Overturemix (6:02)

Links:
djyoda.co.uk
www.myspace.com/djyodauk
theheritageorchestra.com
www.myspace.com/theheritageorchestra
heavydeviance.com
www.myspace.com/trevorloveysofficial
kreepa.com
elysianquartet.com
www.nonclasical.co.uk
MUSIC Issue December 2009, Number: 212 bbcmusicmagazine.com Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2 - Hear a 1936 recording of a performance by the work’s dedicatee, Robert Soëtens - on Sale Date: 27/10/2009
Prokofiev - Violin Concert No. 1 (London Symphony Orchestra)