Contributing WriterArtist: Be Svendsen Title: Scarecrow
Release Date: Friday 14th August
Tracklist:
1) Scarecrow (3D Binaural Mix)
Binaural mix breathes new life into Be Svendsen’s “Scarecrow”
It comes as no surprise that Be Svendsen would be interested in a project like this. A self-proclaimed borrower, inventor and art chemist, the Danish DJ was immediately drawn to collaborating with 3D audio pioneers Polygon to mix one of his tracks binaurally. And with good reason.
Polygon’s binaural mix of Svendsen’s “Scarecrow” brilliantly combines the latter’s musical artistry with the former’s technical genius. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever heard before – bold, elegant and completely immersive – and it’s coming to a set of headphones near you on Friday 14th August.
Lose yourself
For most listeners, binaural mixes are still relatively new, but for Polygon, they’re the extension of a long-standing passion for 3D sound. “We’ve been creating immersive, 360-degree live events for years,” says Polygon CEO Nico Elliott. “We believe that the listening experience is so much more profound when the sound is coming at you from multiple directions. It allows you to lose yourself in the music completely.”
With the Covid-induced closure of large events, Polygon has taken advantage of the opportunity to recreate their live experiences on headphones. “The technology our engineers are using is cutting edge,” explains Adam Nicholas, Polygon’s marketing director, “and gives us the power to make home listening infinitely richer.” Polygon has already released Photay’s “The People” binaurally (you can check it out on SoundCloud), and Svendsen’s “Scarecrow” is just as impressive.
Over 70 elements
“‘Scarecrow’ is an older track of mine that we decided to use because there are so many different elements that would be interesting to place,” Svendsen says. Many different elements, there certainly are, and listeners will be moved by the shimmer and swirl of over 70 unique sounds that range from the orchestral to the electronic and the abstract, as well as the track’s spine-tingling vocals. The final product is as cavernous and atmospheric as it is immediate and intimate.
The reworked version of “Scarecrow” is notable not only for its binaural elements, but also for its brand-new intro, in which Svendsen tips his hat to Ennio Morricone. A renowned Italian composer, Morricone wrote over 400 cinema and television scores, including the iconic score for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. He passed away on 6 July 2020 and Svendsen’s moody, sweeping introductory soundscape is reminiscent of the kind of work that made Morricone famous.
“I feel that we are only just scratching the surface of the possibilities of this technology, and I can imagine myself composing a track differently if I knew it would be used exclusively for a binaural mix,” Svendsen adds. “But I have new tracks coming and will be keeping the potential of binaural mixes in mind as I work. One thing’s for sure: we’ve only just begun.”
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