In the early hours of the morning, most likely while you were sleeping, something a little out of the ordinary hit the airwaves.
At 4.33AM (AEST) today, BBC Radio celebrated its 90th anniversary by broadcasting a three-minute worldwide simulcast across local, network, and global BBC stations. The broadcast marks the first time in history that all of the BBC radio stations joined together to broadcast the same thing at the same time.
To observe the monumental moment, British Broadcasting Corporation commissioned music extraordinaire and Blur frontman Damon Albarn to create a short piece that would represent radio’s past, present and future compiled from fan submissions.
Why did the British radio station select the Blur/Gorillaz mastermind to collate their celebratory time capsule? Probably, because he’s Damon Albarn, a restless figurehead for creativity who perfectly represents ‘British’ music as well as his roots across the globe in his various multi-cultural musical missions.
The piece went to air at 5.33PM (GMT) on November 14, commemorating exactly 90 years since the BBC’s first ever broadcast in 1922.
“I love the idea of stations across Britain and the World Service coming together, with all of our different lives and circumstances,” Albarn told the BBC, “Even if it’s only for a few minutes. It’s a powerful idea.”“The idea was people would be asked the question, what message would you give to somebody listening in 90 years’ time?”
According to Spin, the broadcast was expected to be heard by as many as 120 million people. The audio work has been described as a ‘snapshot of the airwaves’ that features throwbacks to initial BBC radio broadcasts and, perhaps most intriguingly, messages to the future from listeners around the globe. Listeners were called upon to submit a message via Twitter, text or e-mail and could include anything from “a hope, a fear or an observation to a question or piece of advice.”
“The idea was people would be asked the question, what message would you give to somebody listening in 90 years’ time?” said Albarn on BBC Today, “There were a few younger minds musing on this and they in a way were the most interesting because they were very free… the only people who will have any connection with 90 years.”
See if Albarn’s latest work lives up to his philosophical pondering by listening to the BBC broadcast here.
Albarn certainly seems to be keeping himself busy. The past few months have seen him juggling the on-again/off-again return to touring with Blur after calling it quits for cartoon band Gorillaz; and the latest rumours suggests reported plans of an extensive tour for Blur in the ucoming year that is set to hit Europe, Japan, South America and – best of all – Australia.
The iconic Britpop band have been on the reunion trail since their special, one-off Olympics Closing Ceremony Show at Hyde Park, touted to be the band’s last – before they deciding that it wasn’t. Then released two new tracks to coincide with the event in “The Puritan”, described as “a big and bouncy, up and at ‘em, sing-a-long special” and “hymn”, “Under The Westway” a “hymn.” Hopefully Australian fans will get to experience both live in the near future…
