What Are People in Soho Listening to Right Now?

(via)

Sometimes, when I’m on the bus listening to the Muppets soundtrack, or the BeeGees under-appreciated 2001 album ‘This is Where I Came In’, I imagine a world where everybody knows exactly what I’m listening to. Initially this strikes terror in my heart, but the more I consider the possibility, the more beautiful the idea becomes. In a world where we know what everyone is really listening to, we realise the common ground between us all.

Music Map is an app for iOS from the Philips campaign platform You Need To Hear This that basically makes this possible. Using the online interface you can scan across a map of the globe, collecting tracks from Burma to Burnley, creating an eclectic playlist from the bedrooms and bars of the human population. Seeing as we’ve just sent indie superstars Spector out into Soho for an episode of Lost and Found - our series where artists make a track from found-sounds - we decided to investigate exactly what sounds are being played in the center of central London.

Some good, some questionable. Here is what we found.

Juan Wauters - She Might Get Shot

This song is well nice, only the lyrics are a bit sinister. That’s ok though because you can also listen to it in Spanish and ignore the homicidal undertones (unless you speak Spanish obv).

DJ Carnage - I Like Tuh Feat. ILoveMakonnen

Someone in Soho is unimaginably TU right now.

Harmony House - Bergman Summer

This one starts of sounding like the Beach Fossils and ends up sounding like Japandroids which is a hugely effective trajectory. Good work Soho.

Jim Noir - Stone Cold Room

This one is pretty sad. I’d like to imagine whoever was listening to this was walking slowly down Carnaby street whilst the rest of the world rushed past them in sped up fast motion.

Ellie Goulding - Love me Like You Do (Remix)

This was definitely going on in the manager’s office of a cocktail bar somewhere wasn’t it? It’s from the 50 Shades of Grey soundtrack which is appropriate given that the track is pretty punishing.

R Kelly - Ignition (remix) BRASS BAND COVER

Someone was listening to a brass band covering Ignition which whilst being pretty niche, is also strangely life affirming in ways I don’t understand.

Download the You Need to Hear This app here.

For people without an Apple iOS device, there’s also a web-based version available: musicmap.youneedtohearthis.com.