Airports Sounds Symphony Debuts at Heathrow Terminals
Jordan Rakei, a Grammy-nominated musician, has created a unique and immersive ambient soundtrack titled "Music for Heathrow." The project is a collaboration with Heathrow Airport, designed as a homage to Brian Eno's 1979 album "Music For Airports," which is credited with launching the ambient music genre.
As one of the best-connected airports in the world, where countless summer holidays begin, Heathrow Airport provided Rakei with full access to its terminals, runways, and baggage systems. He recorded over 50 unique sound elements from the airport environment, including travellers' footsteps, passport stamps, public address announcements, and aircraft engine hums.
"Music for Heathrow" is structured in four parts, mirroring the typical traveler's journey through the airport. Key elements of the composition include rhythmic percussion created from passport stamps and passengers’ footsteps, synth lines derived from transformed jet engine roars, soft pads made from sampled baggage-control sirens, ASMR-style soundscapes using water fountain ambience, and integrations of iconic movie sound snippets recorded at various airport terminals.
The piece is designed as a seamless, mood-setting loop to play throughout Heathrow’s terminals, aiming to enhance the travel experience by easing nerves and capturing the joyful anticipation of summer holidays. Heathrow expects this summer to be its busiest on record, with a quarter of a million passengers boarding outbound flights each day.
Lee Boyle, the airport's director of services, stated that the soundtrack perfectly encapsulates the feelings associated with the start of a summer holiday. The track is being played inside Heathrow's four terminals during the summer travel season of 2025. It is also available for download, allowing passengers and the general public to enjoy the unique airport soundscape tribute beyond the airport itself.
Jordan Rakei, who has spent a significant amount of time in airports due to his extensive travels for music, expressed his excitement and honour at being part of this project. The soundtrack is intended to be the perfect start to passengers' well-deserved summer breaks. Heathrow is excited to have Rakei on board for creating this unique soundtrack, featuring real-life sounds from the passenger experience at Heathrow. Complementary live performances inspired by the project are scheduled every Friday in July.
Passengers at Heathrow Airport can enjoy a unique ambient soundtrack titled "Music for Heathrow," created by Grammy-nominated musician Jordan Rakei as they start their summer holidays. The soundtrack, inspired by Brian Eno's 1979 album "Music For Airports," has been designed to capture the anticipation and emotions associated with travel and features sound elements recorded within the airport, such as travellers' footsteps, passport stamps, aircraft engine hums, and baggage-control sirens.
