Heathrow has partnered with Grammy-nominated musician, multi-instrumentalist and producer Jordan Rakei to make what it says is the first-ever track created entirely with the sounds of an airport.
Musical context
Rakei, who created the songs Borderline and Midnight Mischief, recently became the first artist in residence at Abbey Road Studios. According to Rakei, Music for Heathrow is an ode to Brian Eno’s 1979 album, Music for Airports, which was also designed to be listened to ahead of a flight. It is split into four compositions to reflect the airport journey, just like Eno’s album.
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.”
Heathrow access
Rakei’s latest track follows a passenger’s journey from check-in to take-off. Now available on Soundcloud and in Heathrow terminals, Rakei’s Music for Heathrow was designed to loop seamlessly.
He created the song with over 50 sounds sampled from Heathrow after he was given access to its airfield, baggage handling system, departures, arrivals and everything in between. Sound highlights include passenger footsteps and tannoy announcements, blended with the hum of engines preparing for flight. Percussion was made from the sounds of passports being stamped and bags hitting the belt, a water fountain provided ambience and ASMR, a jet taking off was transformed into a synth and a baggage control siren was transformed into a soft synthesizer.
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.
Other sounds used in Music for Heathrow include: a lift ding; radio chatter, from traffic control to pilots; baggage handlers’ pressure devices; and a plane landing.
Lee Boyle, head of terminals (services) at Heathrow, commented, “Nothing compares to the excitement of stepping foot in the airport for the start of a summer holiday, and this new soundtrack perfectly captures those feelings. We’re excited to have Jordan on board to create this one-of-a-kind soundtrack, sampling so many real life sounds from everything that passengers experience during their time at Heathrow. As the best-connected airport in the world, Heathrow is where countless summer holidays begin, and we hope tuning in will be the perfect start to our passengers’ well-deserved summer breaks.”
In related news, Heathrow recently partnered with music community Sofar Sounds to curate a line-up of talent to play on the Terminal 5 stage throughout the summer of 2024. Read the full story here