It's Music, But Not As We Know It

01 February 2002

UK indie heroes Blur are composing a track that will eventually be broadcast on the surface of Mars. The band hit the studio this week to produce a track that will be used on the next mission to Mars in 2003. The Beagle 2 lander, a British landing vehicle, will set down on the red planet next year where Blur's track will then be transmitted back to Earth. Bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree put the idea of composing a musical space message to scientist Colin Pillinger, who then petitioned next year's expedition organisers, the European Space Agency.

James says the tune was based on a mathematical sequence, though having a classic Blur feel to it. He said: 'It is kind of like a musical cave painting, a ponderous, clear tune.' Professor Pillinger provided the scientific reasoning for having the track broadcast: 'We have to announce our arrival and normally we send back some piece of computer gobbledygook and wanted to have something that was instantly recognisable' he said.