Lexus concert broadcast from the audio systems of twelve LS 460s

(12/12/2007)

Last summer, one of Britain's finest historic buildings, Castle Howard near York, and London's Crystal Palace both debuted specially commissioned Lexus music, broadcast from the sophisticated audio systems of twelve LS 460s. An extraordinary 'performance' which impressed the intrigued audiences in both venues.

The original idea to demonstrate the power and quality of the LS 460's Mark Levinson System in such a spectacular manner came from Lexus GB's CRM and Database Marketing Manager, Matt Button and a number of agency partners. Described by Matt as, 'An enormous, but worthwhile challenge,' the team knew, from the outset, that achieving this world first would involve an impressive amount of very tight planning.

The first task was to see if the idea was possible. Several days of tests and experiments were carried out on an LS 460 to see how best to split the audio signal and feed it directly into the car's system without using the CD player.

The music itself was the next challenge: what music? Performed by whom? Where would it be recorded? And then, of course, the venue, the production, the number of cars required and all the logistical considerations.

The music was commissioned specifically for these concerts - the first piece, called 'Summon the Hero' was designed to showcase the dynamic and upbeat capabilities of the LS 460's sound system. The second, 'Karma Nirvana', was a gentler, more emotive and harmonious piece produced to show the soft side of the Mark Levinson system.

Both pieces were composed, orchestrated and produced by Chesney Hawkes (of 'The One And Only' fame), Chris Nicolaides (whose credits include music for the 2000 film of The Importance of Being Earnest) and Alastair King (whose previous work includes Harry Potter, Shrek and Pirates of the Caribbean).

Alistair King, the conductor, explained to the orchestra at AIR Studios that the music was being played through ultra-high quality car stereos before they began to play the pieces. 'They played the pieces in full and perfectly at the first attempt,' explains Matt. 'It sent shivers up and down your spine. It was an incredible experience to be part of.'

The commissioned pieces were recorded in two takes and then recordings of a Ravel piece and a Satie piece followed - these were used at the events to explain the concept to the audiences. Once in post-production, the music tracks were split so that the carefully positioned cars could emulate the different sections of the orchestra.

At each event the front half of the stage area was at ground level with eight cars carefully positioned to maximise the effect of their audio systems. Behind that, another four LS 460s were craned onto a covered stage area together with a lighting rig. All the wiring for the computer-controlled rig was hidden around and beneath the cars.

Such a pioneering project took a great deal of planning: arriving on site on Wednesday, the crew prepared for the arrival of the cars the following day. Then, a full day of rehearsals before the Saturday night performances. The shows went faultlessly despite a couple of summer downpours. Each was experienced by several hundred intrigued audience members who gave Matt and his team tremendously positive feedback.

When asked if he would do it again Matt replied, 'Yes. Absolutely. At the drop of a hat. We would love to do it again. The whole event really suits being outdoors so we are looking towards doing it all again at some events next spring.'

Although there will not be any fundamental changes next time around, Lexus may experiment with some different cars, different music and other kinds of events. The concept, however, will not change. 'No-one has ever done this before and we have proved that it works,' says Matt. 'All we would do differently next time is make it even bigger.'

Related categories:  Lexus 

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