Jaguar has partnered with 4th Floor Creative – Sony Music Entertainment UK’s creative and strategy team – to bring together the worlds of music and design in a unique celebration of the arts. Repurposing facilities ordinarily dedicated to the design and engineering of Jaguar’s cars, the Sound Design collaboration sees a series of one-off performances by Sony Music UK-signed artists Disciples and Pip Millett.
Sound Design is the latest music collaboration from Jaguar following its work with DJ and Producer MK on the ‘Hard to Forget’ campaign for the Jaguar F-PACE performance SUV. Curated with 4th Floor Creative, Sound Design captures the thrill of live music as audiences eagerly return to concerts and festivals as the world comes out of lockdown. Tasked with bringing the exhilarating performances to life was visionary director Silence Aitken-Till.
Jaguar’s anechoic chamber at the Gaydon Product Creation Centre – a soundproof room normally used to develop and test the refinement and sound quality of Jaguar’s vehicles – played host to Disciples. This world-class facility was chosen as the venue for the Commercial House production trio’s performance of their new single ‘Solid Gold’ featuring vocalist bshp – their first outing together since the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic.
Disciples said: “The creation of music as art is for the enjoyment and interpretation of your audience. Performing and recording is a massive part of that. Over the last year and a half, restrictions have meant that hasn’t been possible. It’s good to be back, especially in such a uniquely creative location.”
Sophie Ellis, Jaguar’s Senior Creative Detail Designer, had the opportunity to discuss creative inspiration with Disciples and said: “I was surprised at just how similar the processes of designing a car and writing music are. We are both using our lived experiences to communicate an emotion and are asking the end user to feel something. Creatives of all kinds are professional empaths in their own fields. You feel what a Jaguar is when you get into one, and you hear the creativity of Disciples when you listen to their music.”
The second performance in the series will feature Pip Millett with her release ‘Braid it Back’, taken from her new EP ‘Motion Sick’. Filmed in the creative epicentre of the Jaguar Design studio, the fresh and inspiring space perfectly complimented her cool yet dynamic tone with a simple set design focusing on the beauty of both the artist’s voice and lyrics.
After her performance, Pip Millett was joined by Louise Thorburn, Jaguar’s Senior Colour and Materials Designer, to discuss how it feels to deliver a project after a long period of development – something that both musicians and car designers are accustomed to.
Louise Thorburn said: “It’s our job as designers to push the boundaries of creativity for the benefit of our respective audiences. Sharing that experience with another creative is hugely important. We both celebrate the process, but revel in the end result.”
Pip Millett said: “Experimental creativity is massively important to me when writing new music, that way each song released gets better and better. Performing against such a different backdrop was extremely exciting after a long time of not having any audience, and broadened how I think about creativity”.
Sound Design can be viewed across Jaguar’s social media channels. Disciples’ performance and interview will be available to view here.
