- Royal Albert Hall sell-out Jordan Rakei was given unprecedented access to the airport to create the seminal new summer soundtrack
- From the rhythm of baggage belts to the hum of escalators, the track is designed to give passengers a mood-matching mix to kick start their holidays
- It is an ode to Brian Eno’s iconic Music for Airports, credited with launching the ambient music genre
- Heathrow is prepared for the prospect of its busiest summer on record, with 250k passengers predicted to take off daily
Heathrow has partnered with Grammy nominee Jordan Rakei – musician, multi-instrumentalist and producer – to make the first ever track created entirely with the sounds of an airport, designed to reflect the excitement and anticipation at the start of a summer holiday.
‘Music for Heathrow’ is an ode to Brian Eno’s seminal 1979 album, Music for Airports, credited with launching the entire genre of ambient music, which was also designed to be listened to ahead of a flight. Rakei created it with over 50 sounds sampled from Heathrow after he was given unprecedented access to its airfield, baggage handling system, departures, arrivals and everything in between.
The track is designed to loop seamlessly and will be played throughout the terminals this summer, available for anyone travelling through Heathrow to enjoy.
Critically acclaimed Jordan Rakei, famed for hits including Borderline and Midnight Mischief, recently became the first artist in residence at Abbey Road Studios. Having now been given the keys to Europe’s largest airport, Rakei’s latest track follows a passenger’s journey from check-in to take-off – with highlight sounds including passenger footsteps and tannoy announcements, blended with the hum of engines preparing for flight.
London local Rakei’s new track aims 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.
It is split into four compositions to reflect the airport journey, just as Eno’s is. 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 synthesiser.
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.
Heathrow is prepared for the prospect of its busiest summer on record, with 250,000 passengers due to walk through the departure doors every day. Flying to over 230 destinations, as well as the ever-popular destinations like New York and Dubai, the most popular summer holiday spots this year include Barbados, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Italy, Greece, Slovenia and Florida.
Speaking on the new track, Jordan Rakei comments: “Having travelled 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 honour.
“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.”
Lee Boyle, Head of Terminals (Services) at Heathrow, comments: “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.”
Jordan’s track is just the start of a summer of music at Heathrow, with live music performances taking place across the airport, including artists like The Cash Cows and the Urban Cellist. Passengers can enjoy these performances every Friday throughout July.
The sounds used in Music for Heathrow are:
- Siren from baggage control, made into a soft synthesiser
- Tannoy announcement ‘ding dong’
- A plane taking off, which was sampled and turned into an arpeggiated synth
- Low rumble from a plane starting up its engine, sampled and turned into a bass instrument
- Ambient background noise from announcements, chatter and more
- Lift ding
- Footsteps walking through Arrivals
- Water fountain for ambience and ASMR
- Radio chatter, from traffic control to pilots
- Bag clanks and hits from the baggage belt for percussion
- Passport stamps for percussion
- Baggage handlers’ pressure devices
- A plane landing
Jordan Rakei’s Music for Heathrow is available on Soundcloud and in Heathrow terminals now. https://soundcloud.com/jordan-rakei/music-for-heathrow/s-bVoMIOV1mQV?si=32c2e03624ef41f394033b372fd4e5c5&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Watch the film on Heathrow's YouTube: https://youtu.be/t4GlqNKLzUg
