The Heat Is on at Affect Music and Sound Studio
“Make it hot” is the underlying motto at Affect, the independent music house founded by composer Patrick Lawrence Zappia, and is advised by Geoff Sherr, who was the first general manager of the award winning music company, Squeak E Clean Studios.
A multidisciplinary force within the music scene, Affect offers everything from original music and remixing, to creative direction and special projects consulting. Trusted by major brands and some of the world’s most popular artists, Affect was built upon a belief in the power of music to move people, its name derived from ‘affect heuristic’, the cognitive process of making decisions based on emotions and how you feel about something.
Bolstered by Patrick’s extensive experience as a composer, the studio works collaboratively with its clients and creative partners to craft music for commercial advertising and entertainment marketing. Most recently, Affect was responsible for the music production on Gap's 2024 holiday campaign, with Patrick acting as music director.
Describing Affect’s unique positioning as ‘perspective-based work’, Patrick reflects that “clients approach us like they would a commercial artist rather than as a generic music house”, entrusting Affect to achieve their most ambitious, out-of-the-box audio ideas. And, having worked with artists such as Linkin Park, and major brands like Gap, HP and Meta Quest, it’s evident that Affect’s ‘Make it Hot’ approach is hitting just the right temperature.
“Whether it's an agency owner, a CMO, or Mike Shinoda, we're in this together” states Patrick, touching on the importance of collaboration that underscores great music and sound work, because it’s about more than one voice or idea for Affect – it’s a blend of shared expertise, be it from an agency leader, marketing mastermind, or lead vocalist of one of the biggest bands in the world.
Delving into the working relationship between Affect and its clients, when asked how he balances his knowledge of what will or won’t work, versus meeting a client’s needs or expectations, Patrick comments, “I disagree with the premise that client priorities are at odds with what's best for the project. Music is a ‘show, don't tell’ medium - we iterate quickly and only keep what's hot.”
Sharing the same love for music and upholding its importance in the creative process is key at Affect, as Patrick continues, “our clients wouldn't be working with us if they didn't prioritise music. We love them for this.”
When asked exactly how audio helps an ad to stand out amongst the chaotic nature of modern life and the volume of content we’re exposed to daily, the deciding factors at Affect are “aesthetic unity and creative ambition”, emphasising the need for bold, innovative ideas that allows room for work that moves the needle.
It’s a two way relationship consolidated by the visuals and audio components of a campaign bringing as much to the table as the other, “great audio with generic visuals won't do much, neither will the reverse.” Sharing a great example of this in practice, “SMUGGLER’s ‘The Singularity’ with Adam Driver for Squarespace, is one great example of the unity. They made a film and scored it like a film. Technically it's an ad but really it's a film.”
It’s an example of the type of work that Affect is striving to create, and is already creating – work that bridges the gap between culturally relevant art and clients of every size. Such as the studio’s work on original music, remixing and sound design for ‘The Making of: Linen Moves’, the documentary accompanying Gap’s spring campaign ‘Linen Moves’ featuring Tyla. “The music was all made as permutations and interpolations of the campaign's hero song ‘Back on 74’ by Jungle.”
When asked about the use of emerging technologies, such as AI, and how or if it impacts the studio’s workflow, it’s clear that one thing stands true - Affect will not sacrifice quality in place of technology that makes the job easier or faster; “AI mixing tools are incredible for getting 80% of the work done but 80% doesn't meet our standard of excellence so we still use people.” That’s not to say that AI is an area that’s out of the realm of interest for Patrick and the studio, as he recently spoke at SXSW Sydney about the topic, and is actively exploring the technology and the opportunities it offers.
Looking ahead, Affect hopes to continue its growth into whole-campaign music direction, taking the helm for all aspects of audio across every asset. Upholding craft, expertise and client collaboration, Patrick adds, “we don't want a million clients, we want a circle of trusted partners”. Continuing to heat things up, it’s exciting to imagine the temperatures continue to rise at Affect.
