Where Artistry Meet Advertising: How SOUTH Music is Driving Sonic Innovation
SOUTH Music & Sound occupy the space in the centre of a Venn diagram depicting music production and commercial production. Treading the fine line between the two, they remain authentic to music artistry while catering to commercial needs. Keen to avoid fitting into the “advertising box” with cliché industry tropes, the team straddles both worlds expertly, taking a hands-on approach to every creative brief – including their latest work for luxury automotive brand, Genesis.
Given the task of curating a sonic identity akin to popular music you’d hear out in the world, SOUTH began ideating subtle ways to incorporate car sound effects into the spot. Leveraging their invaluable collaborative experiences with brands, artists and advertising agencies, the team embedded advertising elements - the beeping unlocking of car doors; the chiming of the seatbelt sound; the revving of the car’s engine - into the music, working with artists outside of adland to bring an authentic musicality to the project.
Facilitating the creative process on the SOUTH side was Matt Drenik, creative director; Dan Pritikin, creative director and partner; and Jon Darling, ECD and partner. Extracting the key elements from the client’s brief, the trio crafted an infectious commercial soundtrack with cultural pulling power. Here, LBB's April Summers speaks to Matt about the killer spot.
LBB> This project was brought to SOUTH Music because they wanted to work with true artists as opposed to more traditional commercial composers. Can you tell us how your artist-driven approach aligns more closely with music production as opposed to commercial production?
Matt> Since Dan, Jon, and I all come from a recording artist background, we naturally gravitate towards artists that are working as record producers. There’s a certain POV they possess that gives their compositions a uniqueness that is hard to come by if you’re not fully entrenched in the wider musical community. That said, it’s this mindset that attracts certain composers to us, and us to them. When you’ve been on both sides of the coin like we have, you have an understanding of what they’re going through as creatives - album production; television cues; touring schedules - it’s a hustle, and you have to maintain artistic credibility while also balancing your bank account. We’re trying to be a good home for them when they’re on break from an often hectic schedule.
LBB> The track in this spot could quite easily pass as contemporary new music – can you tell us about the process of crafting an original song with “advertising” elements embedded in it?
Matt> Our dream scenario when getting briefed is exactly this – we want this to sound like it came off a record! Whenever we hear those words, it allows everyone, including us, to flex creatively. We can take more chances, explore different territories, and in the end have a batch of great songs that were made specifically for an ad. One of the best ways for a brand to get the most out of a song like this is to find ways to incorporate their identity into the bed of the track — allowing them to become one in the same. How could we take specific sounds of a car and use them to help move the sonic playground of this song? Could the revving of an engine turn into something rhythmic and add another dimension? YES, they could! So, when the Genesis team asked us to capture some of the car sounds (with the help of Lime) and use them strategically throughout the score, we were buzzing with ideas. And strategically, it’s one more thing that can further cement the relationship between brand and music — and one that we truly believe in.
LBB> What influence does the sound have on the effectiveness of this spot?
Matt> In this particular instance, we believe a lot! The agency knew that this ad would be driven by the visuals and music working together. There’s very little VO sans the ending. This allowed the music to play a much bigger part in the storytelling than typical underscore that heavily supports a dialogue driven spot. Because of this, the music inevitably falls under an intense microscope and we have to quickly identify the tracks that have the vibe, movement, and shifts that best work with the visuals. I believe we landed on a great one.
LBB> What has been your favourite thing about this collaboration with Genesis?
Matt> They’re excellent collaborators. They trusted us to come in and do what we do, permitting us the freedom to be bold and creative, while also having a strong vision of where they wanted to be and how we could all get there together. They’re great with feedback, always talking through their ideas until we get to a place of excitement and understanding. And best of all, they’re musically smart. I love that — I mean, who doesn’t?
