Europe’s busiest airport has teamed up with a Grammy-nominated artist on a music project like no other.
Jordan Rakei was given access to all areas … well, maybe not the runway when a plane was coming in … at the U.K.’s Heathrow Airport to record numerous audio clips and soundscapes that he then incorporated into an ambient music track for travelers — and anyone for that matter — to enjoy.
It’s the first-ever track created entirely with the sounds of an airport, and is “designed to reflect the excitement and anticipation at the start of a summer holiday,” the airport said. It was inspired by Brian Eno’s seminal 1979 album, Music for Airports, a collection of ambient tracks that travelers could relax to at the start of their journey.
Rakei’s unique track features 50 sounds sampled from across Heathrow Airport. The musician, multi-instrumentalist and producer — known for tracks such as Borderline and Midnight Mischief — was allowed to take his recording equipment pretty much anywhere in the airport facility to capture an array of sounds.
Percussion sounds, for example, were drawn from the sounds of passports being stamped and bags hitting the belt, while a water fountain provided ambience and ASMR effects. A jet taking off (maybe he did make it to the runway after all) and a baggage control siren were also used by transforming them into synthesizer sounds.
“Also included are sounds from famous movie scenes, such as the tapping of passengers’ feet as they wait at a gate in Terminal 2 (featured in Bend It Like Beckham), the beeps of Terminal 3’s security scanner that Sam runs through to catch Joanna in Love Actually, and the engines whirling on the tarmac where Die Another Day was filmed,” the airport said.
The finished piece loops seamlessly and will be played throughout the terminals over the summer months, with the track aiming to “complement passenger journeys, stir up excitement, and diffuse any pre-holiday jitters, letting people tune into their trip before the plane even leaves the ground.”
Rakei commented: “Having traveled all over the world for my music and spent a huge amount of time in airports, I’ve always loved that buzz that comes with the excitement and anticipation of travel. So, getting the chance to turn Heathrow’s many sounds into music was an honor.
“I spent time in every part of the airport, recording so many sounds from baggage belts to boarding calls, and used them to create something that reflects that whole pre-flight vibe. It’s all about building suspense and setting the mood for wherever you’re headed on your summer holiday.”
If you’ve no travel plans that involve Heathrow over the next few months, you can hear the track playing in the video at the top, though for the best experience check it out on Soundcloud.
