The Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival is celebrating the 60th anniversary of musique concrète and the pioneering work of Pierre Schaeffer by commissioning [60]Project by Mathew Adkins.

Adkins’ concept for the piece is to create a highly exciting and adventurous work that reflects the influence of Schaeffer and the ideas that musique concrète has spawned across a wide range of experimental electronic music. Essential to the project is the involvement and the contribution of sound materials by over 60 of the world’s leading electronic composers and sound artists.

Rather than celebrating Schaeffer's achievements by curating a concert of historical works, Adkins has invited over 60 sound artists and composers to each contribute one sound. Each of these sounds have then been made available to all of the participants who have created a variety of sound treatments based on this material. All of this material was then taken to the studio where Schaeffer himself worked at INA-GRM where Adkins composed the piece.

The range of sound artists and composers invited to participate has been carefully chosen to represent all of the diverse genres of music that have been influenced by Schaeffer's work from acousmatic composers, turntablists, to laptop and electronica artists. It is thanks to the generosity of those listed in the contributers section in taking time to contribute sound materials that this project has been made possible.

The work will be premiered on 28th November 2008 at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. The premiere will also mark the release of the work on CD which will be available to buy from electrocd.com.