Unheard music to be broadcast for 24 hours in remote forest

[Cupe]

If a 24-hour radio broadcast happens in a Scottish forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

At the end of August, an FM transmitter will be set up in the middle of the Galloway Forest to broadcast music from dozens of artists over the course of 24 hours. Those who want to hear it will have to head to the forest. There will be no repeats, and the files will be deleted after they are played.

The installation is the brainchild of "noise terrorist" Stuart McLean (aka Frenchbloke) and artists in residence at Galloway Forest Robbie Coleman and Jo Hodges. Galloway Forest is the UK's first "dark sky park," recognized by the Dark Sky Association. This is an award given for places with low levels of light pollution that are well-suited for stargazing.

The team first collaborated in 2012 on a piece commemorating the Voyager Golden Records—phonograph records carried aboard the Voyager spacecraft. They took the gospel-blues song Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground, performed by Blind Willie Johnson (which was one of the Golden Record tracks) and reworked it into a new piece called Blues for the Heliosheath. This was broadcast over the Dark Skies Park using an FM transmitter and led to the first ever 24-hour transmission of unheard soundwork in the forest, which took place in October 2012. The tagline was: "Music you've never heard before, broadcast in a place where no one is listening."

"It's humbling to think that you have a silly idea about playing music in a forest that no one will listen to and that won't really do anyone's career any good, but it strikes a chord with people. People like the idea that there's music playing in a forest but they don't know if anyone's listening to it. There's a romance to it," McLean tells Wired.co.uk.

This year's 24-hour broadcast takes place from noon on August 31 to noon on September 1. The transmitter, along with solar-powered batteries and an MP3 player (as well as a few backups), will be carried to the top of a hill in the middle of the forest and set up alongside a huge obelisk called Murray's Monument. Radio receivers will be able to pick up the broadcast from as far as 5 kilometres away, depending on the direction the listener is coming from.

The location has been chosen for its remoteness. "It's telephone unfriendly… modern technology unfriendly. You can't get any signal at all for anything. There's lots of granite in the hills [which can block phone signals]. There are certain parts where if you get stranded, good luck. It's very easy to get lost, and that's another part of the charm," he says.

McLean only had three weeks notice for the last broadcast but still managed to get some big names involved, including Severed Heads, The Herbaliser, Scanner and Stephen Vitiello, Dave Clark, Imogen Heap, and Richard X.

This year, he already has around eight hours of music but is looking for more. As for the stipulation that the music hasn't been heard before, he's "trying to trust them." He explains that it's hard to tell with Soundcloud links whether a single person has listened to the same track 50 times or whether multiple people have listened to the track.

When he receives music, he divides it into one of three folders: evening, dark, and day. This will help inform his playlist on the day. "We have lots of dark ambient soundscapes which work really well at night but tend not to work in a sunny, happy environment. When it gets dark, it gets really dark. It's so dark you can't see your hand in front of your face."

So far, people who have said yes to submitting work for the 2013 broadcast include Clint Mansell, Mogwai, Eccentronic Research Council, and Factory Floor.

"There are lots of things being composed specially for the broadcast; several contain field recordings in the forest," he adds.

When August 31 comes round, the aim is to place a load of old radios—solicited from charity shops—tuned into 87.7FM (the standard temporary broadcast license) along the path up to the obelisk. There will also be a small sound system at the top of the hill. "We don't want it too loud, but loud enough for people to wonder what the noise is."

The plan is also to buy some "credit card-sized" personal radios with headphones to hand out to people. The path will also be lit by solar lights, gently signalling to visitors where to head to listen to the broadcast. For evening visitors, there will also be a live gig.

"We are looking to get people to travel out of their comfort zones to listen to a radio. Radio has a unique charm about it… the receivers add to the sound… maybe you'll get the odd weird click and pop. I just hope people will come to the forest to listen to it."

After the 24 hours are up, everything gets deleted with "government-strength deletion programs."

The transmitter

[russell]

Ha, I used to go to Loch Doon in the Galloway forest with my mates and take mushrooms.

Fuckin amazing. Middle of fucking no-where, pitch black when you walk through the trees, moonlit in the open. Stars look fantastic (even before the shrooms kick in) Many a good night down there.

[yizzle]

^ was going to say. this will end up like most doofs. shit like burning man

there will be few to attend for for purpose. but in the end, just a great atmosphere to take psychedelics.

[yizzle]

and there aint nothing wrong with that.

[russell]

If you were up there trippin' and, didn't know this was going on, stumbled across a trail of old radio's and lights leading up a hill you'd probably freak the fuck out.

Would be very surreal

[Cupe]

Won't people wreck the forest?

[russell]

I doubt many people are going to turn up

[DJSocialApp]

This sounds awesome......

[Tomy]

cool PR stunt.

[russell]

cool PR stunt.

A PR stunt for what though?

All they mention is this forest idea, which they have already done once. Nothing else.

I don't see that as much of a stunt.

[overit]

Won't people wreck the forest?

two things that wrecks forests

1) is lots and lots of idiots who drop litter and shit everywhere - this is not likely at this event

2) fire - pretty hard in Scotland blud

[AlexJ]

I think this sounds like a dope idea. I would attend one if in Australia.

[Kodiak]

Sounds like a lot of pretentious hipster wankery to me.

[BeatLeSS]

Sounds awesome, bet your ass there'd be a doof either side of it, with that 24hours in between Who wouldn't wanna tear up a forest dance floor for 24hours.