Passengers preparing to fly from Heathrow this summer can listen to a new piece of music created entirely using sounds of the airport. The unique composition transforms the everyday noises of travel into an ambient soundtrack designed to enhance the pre-flight experience.
Musician and producer Jordan Rakei recorded more than 50 sounds including travellers' footsteps, passports being stamped, public address announcements and the hum of aircraft engines before take-off. The Grammy award nominee spent time in every part of the airport to capture the authentic atmosphere of air travel.
Tribute to ambient music pioneer
The track serves as a tribute to Brian Eno's 1979 album Music For Airports, which is credited with launching the ambient music genre. Rakei's composition is designed to loop continuously and is being played inside Heathrow's four terminals whilst also being available to download.
"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," Rakei said. "So, getting the chance to turn Heathrow's many sounds into music was an honour."
Capturing the pre-flight atmosphere
The musician explained his creative process involved recording everything from baggage belts to boarding calls to create something that reflects the pre-flight atmosphere. "It's all about building suspense and setting the mood for wherever you're headed on your summer holiday," he added.
Heathrow expects this summer will be its busiest on record, with a quarter of a million passengers boarding outbound flights each day. The airport's director of services, Lee Boyle, said the new soundtrack perfectly captures the excitement of stepping foot in the airport for the start of a summer holiday.
Perfect start to summer breaks
"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," Boyle said. "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."
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
