November 15, 2012 9:34

Damon Albarn plays special composition to mark 90 years of BBC broadcasting - listen

Hear the Blur frontman's '2LO Calling' now

Photo: Press

Damon Albarn has marked 90 years of BBC broadcasting with a special composition.

'2LO Calling', a "snapshot of the airwaves", which you can hear below, featured iconic sounds from radio over the past 90 years. The broadcast, which was aired simultaneously on every BBC radio station in the UK and worldwide at 5.33 pm yesterday (November 14), was the first scheduled simultaneous broadcast since 1922, when the BBC was established.

It began with the chimes of Big Ben and featured the first ever broadcast from the 2LO transmitter and the Number One song at the time – 'Three O'Clock in the Morning'. The three-minute piece also featured messages from listeners around the world along with the sound of the blackbird and skylark, commentary from the Cameroon election and the ubiquitous BBC pips.

Albarn told the BBC:

There is a special musicality to some of the vocal messages, which I tried to preserve. Added to that, I got to do what I've always wanted – to play along with the pips.

Last month, the Blur man revealed that he's keen to write another opera following the success of last year's production of Dr Dee. Speaking at the English National Opera (ENO) in London on October 3, Albarn said: "I've got a really good idea. I'm not going to say what it is, but it’s interesting."

Video: Blur Reunited - NME Archive

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