Even with AutoTune, there’s some godawful music out there (sorry we’re not sorry, Paris Hilton). So making soothing, atmospheric songs with only a bike is impressive. That’s what Oakland composer Johnnyrandom did on his single “Bespoken”:
Much more melodic than the screech of brakes as you try not to crash on the way to work, eh? Gizmodo explains Johnnyrandom’s process:
Some of [the sounds] are strictly the byproduct of the bike’s mechanical operation, like the sound it makes when you release a brake lever. Others are created when you play different parts of the bike with a musical accessory.
For example, Johnnyrandom records the low-pitched flutter of a pick scratching on a spinning wheel, and tunes the bicycle’s spokes so he could play them with a bow like a string instrument. After capturing the sounds with a portable recorder, the different sounds were arranged and sequenced using software.
Johnnyrandom explains that he associates the sounds of a bike with the freedom he felt riding around as a kid:
You can buy his song for a buck on iTunes, if you want to listen to it while you pedal around the city.
