"Martian Gardens" has been inspired by the ambitious and often classically-influenced electronic concept albums of the 1970s and 80s, written by such electronic music pioneers as Jean Michel Jarre, Kraftwerk and Wendy Carlos. It is a fusion of the old and new in electronic music, featuring emulations of classic synthesizers alongside more contemporary sounds; it also mixes composer Jason Cullimore's dual interests in classical music and contemporary electronica, fusing sound of Moogs and software synthesizers with cello and choir. This eclectic mix of styles and instrumentation is used to tell the story of the crew of a fictitious mission to Mars, launched in the 1970s. The Earth-based command centre monitors the crew as they land on Mars, but suddenly communications go dead, and Earth is left to wonder about the astronauts fate. Then, forty years later, a burst of data is received from the crash site. Its contents are enigmatic, containing digital files and a final message encoded in binary, simply saying: "They are safe." Earth-bound scientists analyse the data, and discover it also contains these fifteen pieces of music, each of which turns out to express a stage in the story of the astronauts, from their flight to Mars, their descent and loss of communication, their attempts to survive the harsh environment, and their ultimate discovery of the Martian Garden and its Gardeners. These recordings are of the musical language of the Gardeners, and represent their first attempt to communicate with Earth. Composer Jason Cullimore has a diverse musical background: his music has been performed by symphony orchestras, choirs and chamber ensembles, yet he has also won awards for his electronic, jazz and instrumental music in major international song contests, such as the John Lennon, UK and USA Songwriting Competitions. He won a 2013 Western Canadian Music Award for Classical Recording of the Year for his album "Cinematic Symphony and Gamescores", inspired by his love of film and video game music. He has also scored numerous film, theatre and dance projects, and he is currently completing his Ph.D., conducting research and building systems in computer music that he hopes will soon give composers the tools to compose interactive musical scores that respond and react to their audience. Jason is based in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and enjoys taking part in the vibrant arts scene in this small city in the heart of the Canadian Prairies.