Nike Air Max: Listening Room

The background

Nike wanted people to experience the inspiration behind the Nike Air Max Pulse: the underground music scene in London. So we created an immersive listening room with eye-catching audio–reactive visuals that synced with the music.

The execution

The Air Max Listening Room, located on the ground floor of NikeTown London, gave shoppers the opportunity to explore and discover young talents of the London music scene. We collaborated with four “max”imalist music artists, each representing a different genre and a unique style: Nia Archives, Jeshi, Chi Virgo, and Jaden Thompson.

After completing a quick personality test through an app, consumers were matched with one of the artists and the persona they represent: energetic, free, rebellious, or edgy. Then, they were invited to enter the listening room to enjoy a mix of the artist’s music and take in stunning audio–reactive visuals.

The listening room itself was a 16 square-metre enclosed space with three LED walls, a mirrored ceiling, and a reflective floor, conveying the sense of an infinity space. Each artist had their own 10-minute mix and their own distinct visuals, which reacted to the frequencies of the music to create a stunning show. For example, Jeshi’s art direction included 3D scans of various locations around London, forming a single cohesive journey across different neighborhoods of the city.

The results

The Air Max Listening Room was a treat for both the eyes and the ears. With four visceral music styles and four distinct art directions, we enjoyed immersing ourselves in this project’s edgy assets. It’s not every day you get to dig into the underground music scene and call it work!