Iconoclastic composer Steve Martland (1954-2013), known for crossing musical boundaries, inspired an exciting project to explore and revive his ground-breaking music and introduce local audiences to his work who may have been unfamiliar with contemporary classical music.
At the Bullingdon Club in Oxford on 14 June 2024, composer, arranger and editor, Luke Lewis, also Stipendiary Lecturer in Music at New College and Komuna Collective, an interdisciplinary group of artists, musicians and DJ’s, performed some of their favourite works by the composer along with a selection of music he inspired.
These included Steve Martland’s Danceworks. Luke comments: ” I don’t think there’s a work by any composer that quite manages to fuse pop music and minimalism. It’s music that sounds familiar, but you’ve never actually heard before.”
This was followed by Luke Lewis own composition, Gardening Tips. A new string quartet that used audio samples from Martland’s last recorded interview. You can find out more about this here.
In addition, Adam Possener, founder of the Komuna Collective, composer and violist own compositions Time4Tea and 1LOV3YOUL1GeT1 for string quartet and electronics were performed, The first was inspired by old tapes about learning English he found at his Grandmother’s house and the second is an homage to the composer George Ligeti. The evening concluded with works by Julius Eastman and Mahavishnu Orchestra.
As we mark the 11th anniversary of Martland’s passing, his innovative spirit and defiance of convention continues to resonate, making his work as relevant today as it was during his lifetime.
Breaking boundaries in music
Steve Martland was not content with the conventional confines of classical music. His compositions were a unique blend of the classical tradition mixed with the unconventional. He is the only composer signed to the now legendary Factory Records. With them he performed alongside DJs at infamous Haçienda nightclub and released albums under their ‘Factory Classical’ imprint. Factory’s aim here resonated with Martland’s in that it sought to cross boundaries, this time in marketing classical music to their regular post-punk/alternative audience.
Unconventional and informal performances
One of Martland’s most significant contributions was his mission to perform classical music outside the traditional concert hall environment. He wanted his music to be accessible to all and often staged his performances in less formal, more dynamic settings such as clubs, pubs and local arts centres, bringing his powerful compositions to new and diverse audiences.
Inspiring research
The project has developed into a series of concerts in collaboration with the Komuna Collective – a group of young artists, musicians, DJs, and composers committed to an interdisciplinary approach to the arts – bringing Martland’s compositions for string quartet and the Steve Martland Band to bars and clubs in Oxford and London alongside newly commissioned works. Inspired by his experimental approach the performances will see local DJs work in and around the classical works performed.
Newly commissioned works
Whilst Martland wrote a series of works for the ensemble line-up of the Steve Martland Band, with his death in 2013 these works are rarely heard together and few composers have written for this instrumentation which is a great shame given that it crosses many genre and audience borders. You can expect rarely heard performances of these works and newly commissioned pieces inspired by Martland’s approach. The upcoming concert will be a fitting tribute to his lasting influence and a celebration of his enduring legacy.
Steve Martland Hits the Club, Friday 14 June, The Bullingdon, Oxford
