The Artful Fare Dodgers

It's taken me a while, but thanks to recent reviewing for musicOMH.com and DMC Update I've finally come around to the idea that, in electronic music at least, dubstep represents a big part of the future.

Initially I was tempted to write it off as a bit of a one hit wonder, like 'two step' (or 'UK garage', 'speed garage', or - cringe - 'raggage', as it was briefly known in the late '90s). But then it occurred to me that particular style, whatever you call it, hasn't really died out either. If anything, dubstep takes its lead from the likes of Tuff Jam, Double 99 and 187 Lockdown, all prominent names in 1998 or thereabouts.

Few styles evoke the empty streets of night time South London so vividly. I remember falling asleep once on the night bus, missing my stop and waking up in Penge (don't ask!). The Bug's 'London Zoo' album was still on the headphones – and it seemed totally appropriate to be listening to that, if not a tad scary once the lights were off and the bus empty. Caspa, too, had quite an effect, and so did the recent album from Scuba that I finished reviewing last night. This record, his third if you include a recent DJ mix, shows that dubstep is actually a really flexible musical form. Along with the likes of D-Bridge and Instra:mental, whose Fabric compilation I recently reviewed for DMC Update, Scuba has brought it into focus alongside house and drum 'n' bass, reminding me a bit of the music of Photek in the late 1990s. When done at its best like this, dubstep might have a pretty basic set of elements, but it creates a mean and moody atmosphere.

The pinnacle of the genre remains Burial, and that wonderful pair of albums, thickly layered with fog and not a little paranoid. His approach is among the darkest, with little upward movement through either record, but the music is deeply emotive. Skream and Benga more club friendly, and we await their second albums with interest. But proof that dubstep is here to stay comes with the fact most of its main producers have now made and released successful second albums, carrying them off to better effect than their first. Very few areas of dance music can claim that as an achievement – big beat certainly couldn't, nor drum 'n' bass, and definitely not UK garage, as none were really suited to the long playing format.

Dubstep's next move, then, will be well worth watching. While some of it might be a touch on the bleak side, this is understated but very powerful music, especially when powered up on headphones late at night, whatever night bus you're on...

Oversteps and step overs

Recently I've been listening a lot to the music of Autechre, marvelling at their way with sound, colour and structure. Their new album 'Oversteps' is out next week, and a few weeks ago I interviewed the band's Rob Brown about their music.

For a duo who profess to having no musical education, the instincts for musical motifs and their development is uncanny – and just goes to prove that while musical schooling can be incredibly useful, a sixth sense when writing it is as important, if not more so. The band are far from alone in this – many of today's top pop / electronic artists don't have any musical education, surviving on raw talent, instinct and experience. It's like football I guess – some of the world's best players don't need to train, while others, David Beckham for instance, got to an even higher level through relentless practice.

It's one of the areas where pop and classical differ most. Classical music is taught thoroughly, and opera singers especially are advised not to approach the music of certain composers – Wagner for instance – until they have built up a solid experience and allowed their voices to develop fully. It explains why many of the leading singers are in their fifties at least.

But back to Autechre. In the interview with Rob Brown, he confirmed my sentiments. The pair are at their happiest in the studio, trying out ideas, moulding them together, seeing what works and what doesn't, drawing on their influences and imagination to bring something totally unique.

If I heard their music without knowing their background, I would suspect them of having a classical past, and when reviewing previous album 'Quaristice' two years back, suggested a similarity in approach to the music of Anton Webern, due to the way they use small pockets of sound and melody as part of a bigger whole. No Autechre album proceeds without a challenge to the listener, but this is music that rewards those prepared to take up the baton.

Ultimately, though, their music proves a great thing – that to be successful, you don't necessarily need to train first. A little instinct goes an incredibly long way.

The sea is calm tonight

What do William Orbit, Ferry Corsten, Escala, Leonard Bernstein and the Emerson String Quartet have in common?

This isn't about a bizarrely conceived talent show or a fantasy musical program. No - all have recorded Samuel Barber's 'Adagio For Strings', in one way or another. Orbit made an especially effective arrangement for synthesizers as part of his 'Pieces In A Modern Style' album in 2000, while Ferry Corsten took the baton and ran with it to create a trance monster, pulverising dancefloors later that same year. Escala - well, the less said about their post 'Britain’s Got Talent' mutilation the better. Bernstein, of course, wrought maximum feeling from the piece in its beefed-up, emotionally wrenching arrangement for full string orchestra. That's the arrangement that appears in the film 'Platoon', where it was really made famous, unfolding in a seemingly endless phrase as the soldiers lost their lives.

Of these performers, only the Emersons have played the piece in its totally original form, as the second movement of the composer's String Quartet. I got to see the whole piece as part of a Barber centenary concert at the Wigmore Hall on Monday, and it reminded me that Barber should be much more than a one hit wonder.

For me, his overall style is different to that of the 'Adagio'. Exploring beyond that brings you naturally to the Violin Concerto, a highly attractive, Spring-like piece with a warm heart. For a more steely edge, one of the composer's 'Essays' for orchestra - preferably the second - works extremely well.

The Wigmore concert revealed several aspects to the Barber's writing. His 'European' side is more serious, with longer structures that can be fiercely expressive, romantic even. The Cello Sonata and Piano Sonata fell into these categories, the latter exploring jazz syncopations. For a more carefree, American approach, the piano duet 'Souvenirs' did the job perfectly, telling a tale of time spent in a New York hotel listening to the house band. All sorts of dance forms played off each other, wrapped up in spicy harmonies and catchy melodies.

The hidden treasures in Barber's output are the songs. The title of this post is actually the first line from 'Dover Beach', a tragic but romantic setting of Matthew Arnold for baritone and string quartet. Early Barber songs charm with their simplicity, while the later works are sometimes elusive but ultimately more rewarding. Into this category fall the 'Hermit Songs', recorded by the soprano Barbara Bonney and pianist André Previn just over ten years back.

So while Messrs Orbit and Corsten might not find any more source material for further ambience or trance, the curious will have plenty to reward their endeavours.

Alex Ross - The Classical Concert

Enjoyable though it was, the Royal Philharmonic Society annual lecture from the author Alex Ross felt like something of a missed opportunity. That's not to say we learned nothing from his understated piece, but that the audience didn't go away feeling new resolve for classical concerts to try new methods of development.

Through his lecture entitled 'Inventing and Reinventing The Classical Concert', Ross gave us a potted history of applause. We heard how the premiere of Mozart’s 'Paris' symphony was disrupted – in a good way – by the audience clapping and enjoying the composer's pranks of orchestration. We then heard how Serge Koussevitsky rounded on his own audience for applauding between movements, part of a perceived climate where the maestro conductors looked after not just the orchestra but the audience too. We didn’t hear about 'The Rite Of Spring', whose premiere Ross sets up so compellingly in his outstanding book 'The Rest Is Noise', nor famous examples of outrage that greeted premieres by Schoenberg, Cage or Steve Reich.

There was the intriguing idea of classical music's acoustic properties versus pop’s electronics, as well as the thought that coughing, sighing and shushing are all bad things. Yet while these explorations were worthwhile, there were no solutions of substance, little suggestion as to how classical music can get round the problem.

For me the problem narrows to two things in particular – freedom of expression, and respect of other people's tastes. These vary from one venue to another and from one ensemble's concerts to another. Regular UK concert goers will expect more audience freedom for concerts by the Britten Sinfonia, for instance, than they will from the English Chamber Orchestra. The audiences are – without discriminating – very different, but there is still some overlap. Some people are flexible enough to enjoy both approaches, others prefer to stick to one approach. Both viewpoints are valid, and there must be room for both in concert going.

Where I have a real problem with classical concerts is the way they often discourage newcomers. If I was taking someone to a concert for the first time, I would choose my ensemble, repertoire and venue carefully, because before you even get to the music, and the challenges that offers, you have to acquaint yourself with some often bizarre audience etiquette. It's a bit like going to church, and having the need of a sixth sense to know when to stand up, sit down, sing, kneel or speak – and all of that while the performer leaves the stage and comes back on. Not as easy as it sounds!

So how can classical music get round it? The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment offer a sound solution – a regular concert experience in their company might now involve a pre-concert talk, the concert itself, and the 'Night Shift', where potted highlights of the concert are performed again, and elements of the music are taken outside into the bar, mingling with the audience through improvisation.

Some ensembles are using websites to their enormous advantage too. The London Philharmonic Orchestra allows you to listen to the music before the concert, which is a huge plus given the explorations their programmes promise at the moment.

Ultimately, then, the Ross lecture raised more questions than it did answers – but that of course makes it a success, as that's what this sort of event is supposed to do.