News

Bluedot Announces Radiophonic Workshop 60th Anniversary

• 27th Apr 2018

A festival experience like no other, bluedot is a weekend of discovery, science and music. Already featuring headliners The Chemical Brothers, The Flaming Lips, Future Islands and The Blue Planet In Concert with The Hallé set against a backdrop like no other alongside a series of talks from renowned thinkers including Richard Dawkins, Professor Jim Al Khalili and Alice Roberts, the festival continues to expand this year’s out of this world lineup.

The Radiophonic Workshop are delighted to be celebrating their 60th anniversary with audiences and artists at bluedot 2018. In addition to playing a live set featuring iconic sounds and visuals from across their 60 year career the Workshop will also be ‘artists in residence’ at the festival. Using everything from the latest binaural recording techniques to the humble iPhone they will be collecting sounds from around the festival site across the the 3 day and working them into compositions that embody the spirit of curiosity, creativity and collaboration at the heart of the Blue Dot experience.

Paddy Kingsland, Peter Howell, Roger Limb, Dick Mills (who joined the Workshop back in 1958 and worked with Delia Derbyshire on ‘that’ famous sci-fi theme tune) and Mark Ayres will be joined by Kieron Pepper (formerly of The Prodigy) and members of the current BBC Research & Development team who will help create a contemporary version of the Radiophonic Workshop in the Operations Room in the Star Pavilion beneath the big dish at Jodrell Bank. Over the course of the festival visitors, fellow artists, authors, DJs, scientists and festival-goers will be welcomed to participate in their sound world with a live, in-situ, demonstration of radiophonic composition. The equipment on hand will include everything from early tape machines, synths and oscillators used on pioneering works such as the Doctor Who theme, through to the latest in synthesis and digital processing heard on the group’s current releases.

Mark Ayres, Workshop member and curator of their extensive back catalogue says:

“It is a very exciting prospect to be recreating the workshop in a site-specific way. We are thrilled to be celebrating our 60th in such an exciting way. We played Bluedot last year with our friends Orbital and had a wonderful time. This year we are back with something different, creating new work in the moment in the shadow of the great telescope. How? We don’t exactly know yet but that has always been part of the fun…and all very radiophonic.”

Professor Tim O’Brien, Associate Director of Jodrell Bank says:

“It wouldn’t be right unless we also included some sounds from space. The Radiophonic team will work with resident astronomers to access Jodrell Bank’s archive of weird and wonderful signals to help create a truly cosmic soundscape.”

The recordings made will be edited into a master suite that will be made available later in the year. The Workshop will also be re-issuing many of their classic recordings this year along with a 60th anniversary box set that will include iconic radiophonic recordings many of which have been unavailable since their original broadcast

The group’s Iive set on the main stage will feature music and visuals from across the Workshop’s 60 year career including excerpts from Douglas Adams’ HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, classic Doctor Who and some of the BBC radio and TV’s most iconic output.

Elsewhere the festival’s incredible electronic music lineup expands to include Mission Control area takeovers. Joy Orbison, Not Waving, Lemmy Ashton and Holly Lester join the line up as part of Bugged Out’s takeover and inner city electronic will host Helena Hauff, Ralph Lawson and Kerouac.

In the shadow of the Lovell Telescope, one of the world’s most iconic research instruments, bluedot will explore the latest scientific discoveries from outer space and our planet. There will be talks from world-class scientists and thinkers, discussion of key issues such as climate change and the exploration of space, combined with an opportunity to ask the Big Questions of leading researchers. All backed up by a full family-friendly programme of hands-on science experiments and interactive shows.

Full weekend camping tickets are now on sale and start from £169 outright cost or a £43.50 payment plan. Our boutique camping offers a vast and varied selection of luxury accommodation options for those who prefer an extra touch of comfort.

Getting to bluedot festival is easy. Just 30 minutes by car from Manchester City Centre, or 20 minutes by train from Manchester Piccadilly to Macclesfield Station. Or 10 minutes from Manchester Airport. Trains from London are direct to Macclesfield taking just 2 hours.