WELLNESS
“Music is the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart….”― Pablo Casals
Today, there is an increasing number of stressors for everyone everywhere. We live in challenging times ~ pandemics, political conflicts, wars, inflation, lack of sleep, uncertainty of the future, daily stressors, increasing inundation of content with too many things to do, read and watch and so on…..All of this and more compromise our mental health and wellbeing.
We believe that music is magic and one of the highest of all art forms ~ it resonates with all people.
We know how to harness its superpowers, to reveal the emotional side of brands…… IF the music is inspired and the work is well implemented.
VISCERAL • TRANSFORMATIVE • EVOCATIVE
Music and sounds can be used as therapy or in healing. It’s impact on the brain has been proven scientifically. At the very least, it is known to calm the nerves. Neuroscientists and doctors have also shown us that music can unlock memories, bringing us back to that special moment, or create new ones.
RESET • RELAX • RECHARGE
As early as 2007, we have been in the music and wellness space, well before the genre exploded into the many versions we see today.
For our clients, we interpret who they are, or what they aspire to be, and translate this into music. We have created vast portfolios of original music and sounds, exclusively for them ~ in varying genres, with exotic instruments and musicians from all over the world ~ as art installations, also used to repurpose, revitalize or recreate a physical space, or designed as a dedicated space for relaxation and contemplation.
DEEPAK CHOPRA
We created the sonic identity and original soundtrack for Deepak Chopra’s podcast launched on April 22nd, 2019.
Within a month of launch, the podcast went to number 3 of all podcasts on Apple music, becoming extremely successful with 16 million+ downloads. The podcast went on to win the Webby Award 2020 in the category of Health & Wellness.
On “Daily Breath”, Deepak Chopra invites listeners each weekday to join him for a few short minutes (around 5 minutes) to explore impactful ideas and themes that directly relate to all our lives ~ delving into topics such as happiness, gratitude, love/empathy, the true self, physical well-being, and more. This is a space for people to build mindfulness into their daily routines, ending their weeks peacefully with a guided 10-minute meditation every Friday.
For the 5-minute and 10-minute podcast, our goal was to augment the guided meditation with complementary music & signature sounds, created to offer a moment of relaxation, by transporting the listener somewhere else, releasing their stress, and allowing them to focus inwardly. We also wanted to recharge the listener as they re-entered the “real” world when the “session” was over.
CAPITAL ONE
Capital One launched its inaugural Airport Lounge in Dallas in 2021. For this we created a holistic music program of work for the four main areas of this lounge, which includes Wellness rooms. We felt strongly about the need for dedicated Wellness spaces, more than just working out, taking a nap or having a shower.
We wanted guests to completely relax, close their eyes, nap, meditate, read or pray……where they can escape everything and everyone. In these closed spaces, we would be able to control the noise from outside, and effectively allow the guest to listen to an original and rich soundtrack, with exotic musical instruments, composed and arranged specifically for their relaxation/meditation ~ an auditory spa for the mind.
We also provided acoustic consultancy and sound design, factoring in the flow of guests, elevations of the space and proposed materiality of walls, floors, décor and soft furnishings, liaising closely with architects, interior designers, general contractors and AV integrators.
Having original music & sounds composed specifically for these wellness areas, and indeed other areas of their airport lounge, distinguished Capital One’s offer from the competition.
In 2005, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide acquired Le Méridien, a storied hotel chain of 120 properties created by Air France in 1972, to deliver a taste of French sophistication in the most important cities served by the airline. Over time, this original focus had been lost, and by the time of Starwood’s acquisition, Le Méridien had largely lost its distinctive flavor and cachet. How could the brand of Le Méridien be reinvigorated?
Wanting to differentiate Le Meridien Hotels from the other luxury hotels, and not wanting to do the typical hotel “lounge” music, in 2007, we composed a 24-hour soundtrack of original music, divided into four periods of six hours each. The guest was treated to original melodies overlaid with thousands of natural sounds over the course of 24 hours, never repeating within the 24 hours. The four periods mirrored the mood and energy of the guest ~ water in the morning, forest in the afternoon, markets and cafés in the evening, and crickets and campfires during the night.
Recognizing that Le Méridien’s properties included both urban and resorts locations with fundamentally different moods to each, we created different 24-hour soundtracks for each of these scenarios. This was implemented in 120 properties worldwide and ran for 5 years.
“The Magic & The Money”
Our music program was part of the “Unlock Art” initiative, designed to create a set of sensorial experiences that would appeal to the creative guest.
It was a spectacular success earning Starwood a vast array of press and a number of impressive industry awards.
The commercial results were as impressive ~ Le Méridien’s global average daily rate (ADR) as well as its Revenue per Available Room (RevPar) indexes in 2011 were the highest in the history of the brand.