Sónar Festival celebrates 25 years by sending music into space

To celebrate 25 years of its festival, Sónar has launched the initiative Sónar Calling GJ273b in collaboration with the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia.

The project aims to communicate with extraterrestrial life by sending music out beyond the limits of our solar system. A radio message, comprised of 33 ten-second pieces of music, has been sent on 16, 17 and 18 October to the Luyten Star. It’s been speculated that a response could take up to 25 years to be received. The exoplanet is 12.4 light-years away from Earth.

Artists participating in the project include Fatima Al Qadiri, Nina Kraviz, The Black Madonna, Laurel Halo, Holly Herndon, Richie Hawtin, Modeselektor, Kode 9, Soichi Terada and more. Each artist has produced a unique response, with Nina Kraviz ruminating on the Russian word ‘Mir’ which translates to ‘peace’ and ‘world’. According to the press release, Laurel Halo has created a “poetic lament” that is also a plea for help, and The Black Madonna has produced an ironic message on how to make a hit record.

A second batch of transmissions is due to be sent in April 2018, and it’ll include messages from the likes of Lorenzo Senni, Zora Jones and Squarepusher amongst others.

Sónar are also opening the project out to the public. Their open call has asked for the public to submit musical compositions for an extraterrestrial audience in mind. Three will be selected as part of their transmissions for April 2018. Winners will also be invited to Sónar in Barcelona next year in June.

Head here for more info.

The Black Madonna features on Crack’s list of The 50 Most Exciting DJs in the World (Right Now).

Revisit Crack’s in-depth interviews with Nina Kraviz and Laurel Halo.