In the most unexpected news you’ll see today, David Attenborough is looking for someone to remix an old – and we mean old – field recording of his.
The recording in question was done all the way back in 1956, and was taken while he was in Bali for Zoo Quest. The recording is of ‘Gender Wayang’, a style of Gamelan music that, according to Songlines, uses two metallophones and one pair of drums.
“The villagers will sit down while the leader of the gamelan orchestra will convey his composition, teaching them, one at a time how to play,” the legend explained in a recent interview with Songlines.
“They then play this concerted music with extraordinary precision and real zest. So it is haunting music that you hear every night – or you did in those days, in the villages of Bali.”
All remixes entered will be judged by a panel of experts, who will narrow the pool down to a shortlist of just six. Those six entries will then be submitted to public vote between July 19 and September 15. Then, the winner will be announced on November 1 and will receive an award at this year’s Songlines Music Awards ceremony in London later that month.
Hear the original ‘Gender Wayang’ below, and check out all competition details here.
