TRANSMISSION: MUSIC FOR ALIEN CIVILIZATIONS

Håkan Lidbo asked 12 fellow electronic music producers to make "Music for Alien Civilizations" to be sent out in space next month. The transmission will be made from Esrange, the Swedish space station in the very north of Sweden on the 4th of June. We made a post about this project last week (read it here) but Håkan has a lot more to say. Find his answers to our questions below.

You are absorbed not only by music but also by thoughts of space and possible life on other planets. Can you tell a bit more about why and how you started this project?

"I have a radio show on Swedish national radio and every year we do a music project with a theme. Last year we asked artists to make 'Alternative Music for National Grief' - that is the kind of amazingly sad and boring music played on the radio if something terrible happens. Like when our prime minister Olof Palme was murdered in the 80s, or when the ship Estonia went down with almost 1000 Swedish people on board. The music we got from that project was stunning.

"This year I wanted to do something even more impressive. I like the idea of giving 'Techno' or 'Electronica' a very big mission. Electronic music is not widely regarded as 'Fine Art' because it is made with computers and because people dance to it. It is still regarded as 'simple' music compared to Classical or Contemporary music.

"Computers are not regarded as real musical instruments, but to me a computer is the most magnificent musical instrument in history. Is there a better reason to give the greatest task you can come up with - making music to represent the planet - to give that mission to electronica?

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