Formula 1 teamed up with The Chemical Brothers ahead of the 17 March Melbourne GP to release a special remix (the fastest remix ever) of the band’s latest track that will form the soundscape for the new season.
The initiative was created by F1 creative agency Wieden & Kennedy London and the partnership brief to The Chemical Brothers was to transform one of their new tracks into the sound of an F1 car roaring past at high speed.
Running under last year’s F1 ‘Engineered Insanity’ new brand platform (see case study), the audio initiative was teased on 7 March with the digital and social launch of the racing series’ new three second sonic logo ‘NEEEUM’
NEEEUM: The fastest remix of all time
WGTT15000BPM F1 NEEEUM MIX by @ChemBros#F1 #TheChemicalBrothers #NEEEUM pic.twitter.com/yslEhhino9
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 7, 2019
and 24 hours after the F1 audio identity release saw the longer-form ‘We’ve Got To Try’ track remix drop.
This track will serve as the sound of the F1 2019 season.
The remix is accompanied by a series of eclectic six-second films – ranging from a dog behind the wheel of an F1 car to commandeering a rocket into space – which preview the release of the full ‘We’ve Got to Try’ music video which tells a story about a heroic canine ‘Girl the Dog’ and her mission to complete the impossible.
‘We’ve Got To Try’ is taken from the duo’s ‘No Geography’ album and has been transformed to echo the sound of a high speed F1 car in what is described as ‘the fastest remix of all time’.
No Geography, the new album from @chembros will be released on April 12th!
Pre-order now at https://t.co/GYjsbDwngP #NoGeography #NewMusicFriday #GotToKeepOn #TheChemicalBrothers pic.twitter.com/tAq1BPFNUS— The Chemical Brothers (@ChemBros) February 1, 2019
The original track was broken down and then re-engineered and accelerated to 15,000 beats per minute (BPM) to reflect the 15,000 revs per minute (RPM) that this season’s F1 cars are capable of reaching.
“As pioneering sound engineers, with music to match the speed and intensity of F1, there’s nobody better for us to partner with than The Chemical Brothers,” commented F1 marketing and communications director Ellie Norman.
Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers added: “The engineering challenge of creating the fastest remix intrigued us as F1 fans and musicians. It’s exciting to hear our music in the context of F1. The speed and intensity of F1 is a nice reflection of our music and live shows.”
W&K London creative directors Dan Norris and Ray Shaughnessy added: “With F1’s big ambition to bring more people into the sport, we used 2019’s season of the 1,000th race to bring both the history and future of F1 to life. Partnering with The Chemical Brothers and launching with the world’s fastest remix brings F1’s killer combo of human endeavour and precision engineering to life. For the whole team to nerd-out so hard on this project has been a joy.”
This sound initiative is one part of a wave of work that blends entertainment and sport to drive excitement, awareness and engagement ahead of the new season: another strand of this approach was the release of the trailer for the new streaming series that saw F1 link up with Netflix for ‘Drive To Survive’.
Comment:
This partnership isn’t just another example of the trend for fusing sport and entertainment, but it also sees F1 link up with other creative and entertainment partners – from musicians to TV networks – to broaden its reach and appeal to people beyond F1’s existing core fanbase.
The Chemical Brothers, a good F1 fit as they are well known for using machines and technology in their live performances, are self-confessed F1 fans and have performed at multiple F1 parties in the past.
This music/sport collaboration continues the band’s track record of musical innovation in sport and blending the entertainment industries which began when The Chemical Brothers created the music for the Velodrome during the London 2012 Olympics.
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