Our quarterly Top Ten Tracks Chart kicks off the new year, headed by Yessian Music's work which delved into the Mercedes-Benz legacy, providing an audio complement to stunning visuals depicting the brand's lineage and how it translates into the current vehicle lineup.
The Chart also showcases the music and sound acumen of such shops as Beacon Street Studios, BANG Music, Human, JSM Music, Elias and SOUTH. So look and listen to the best in sound that Q1 has to offer.
See the story behind our number one Music Chart pick here.
1: Sehsucht, Berlin Agency antoni Team On “Stronger Than Time” For Mercedes-Benz
Client Daimler AG/Merdedes-Benz Agency antoni, Berlin Martin Pross, Tillman Gosner, creative directors; Alexander Holtz, creative director/copywriter; Matthias Bauer, art director; Mark Rota, producer. Production and VFX Sehsucht, Hamburg Ole Peters, director; Jan Tiller, exec producer; Tanya Curnow, Stephan Reinsch, producers; Bernd Wondollek, DP; Axel Brötje, Julius Brockelmann, Caroline Goehner, design; Daniel Jahnel, Timo von Wittken, Juan Pablo Brockhaus, 3D lead; Sebastian Welti, Jannes Kreyenberg, Max Zachner, Thure Koch, Ben Watts, Florian Breg, Raphael Vincente, Alexander Siquans, Hannes Gerl, Christoph Gaudl, 3D; Maurice Jochen, Ivan Vasiljevic, additional assets; Florian Zachau, compositing lead; Jona Maluck, Alexander von der Lippe, Patrick Altmeier, Christian Reimann, compositing; Mitra Navab-Pour, motion design; Artur Jagodda, Sabine Panek, editors. (Toolbox: Houdini, Maya, Arnold, Redshift, ZBrush, Yeti, Mari, Nuke, Resolve) Production Services, Spain Myway Production Tina Dobslaw, Rita Gil Music & Sound Design Yessian Music, Hamburg, Germany Brian Yessian, chief creative officer; Zacharias Adrian, composer; Ingmar Rehberg, EP/managing director; Michael Yessian, production head; Uli Witt, Lukas Lehmann, producers; Max Fritz, Michel Riecken, Robin Großkopf, sound designers Audio Post Yessian, Hamburg Max Fritz, mixer Voiceover Recording Loft Studios Berlin
2: Samsung’s “Human”
Music/Sound: Beacon Street Studios, Venice, Calif.; Andrew Feltenstein, John Nau, Danny Dunlap, composers; Leslie DiLullo, exec producer; Rommel Molina, sound designer; Vivi Rojas, mix assistant; Kate Vadnais, sr. mix producer.; Audio Post: Sound Lounge, New York
Rob Sayers, engineer; Becca Falborn, producer; Mike Gullo, exec producer. Agency: R/GA, New York; Production: Arts & Sciences, West Hollywood, Calif. Michael Spiccia, director
3: MJZ’s Nicolai Fuglsig Helps Steven Tyler “Feel Something Again” In Kia Super Bowl Spot From David&Goliath
Client Kia Agency David&Goliath, Los Angeles David Angelo, founder/chairman; Bobby Pearce, chief creative officer; Gustavo Sarkis, executive creative director; Basil Cowieson, James Cohen, John O’Hea, Courtney Pulver, creative directors; Mark Monteiro, Steven Tyler, copywriters; Paul Albanese, director of broadcast production; Curt O’Brien, executive broadcast producer; Peter Bassett, director of digital production; Justine Kleeman, digital sr. producer; Cara Nieto, sr. art producer; Wells Davis, chief strategy officer. Production MJZ Nicolai Fuglsig, director; Alwin Kuchler, DP; Christopher Glass, production designer; Emma Wilcockson, exec producer; Karen O’Brien, producer. Editorial Exile Grant Surmi, editor; Dusten Zimmerman, assistant editor; CL Weaver, exec producer; Brittany Carson, producer. VFX Pete King, exec producer; Hillary Thomas, producer; Vanessa Yee, production coordinator; Robert Sethi, shoot supervisor/creative director/art director; Tim Rudgard, shoot supervisor/2D lead artist; Jason Monroe, shoot supervisor/3D lead artist; Steve Cokonis, 2D lead artist; Daniel Thuresson, Lisa Ryan, Jeannie “Remedy” Huynh, Benoit Mannequin, Lior Weiss, Jason Bergman, Ed Black, Ashley Forbito, Chris Hunsberger, Kai Chun Tsai, Krysten Richardson, Glyn Tebbutt, Daniel Lang, Elliot Brennan, Ian Blewitt, Adrian White, Adam Lambert, Matt Dobrez, Stefan Smith, Tom Van Dop, Yukiko Ishiwata, 2D artists; Chris Bayol, Cory Cosper, Nole Murphy, Omar Taher, Brian Lee, Benjamin Chan, Danny Garcia, Freddy Parra, Jae Jun Yi, James Robinson, Jinguang Huang, Alice Panek, Elizabeth Hammer, Jeremy Ramirez, Steven Olson, Dan Warom, Michael Lori, Ed Laag, 3D artists; Rasha Shalaby, Andy Wheater, Marissa Krupen, matte painting; Jacob Bregman, animation; Adam Scott, colorist; Thatcher Peterson, EP, color; Liza Kerlin, sr. color producer. (Toolbox: Flame, Nuke Maya) Music/Sound Design Human Mike Jurasits, creative director/sound designer; Matthew O’Malley, James Leibow, Jon Hubbell, Tom Keery, Andy Bloch, composers/arrangers; Jonathan Sanford, exec producer. Audio Post Margarita Mix, Santa Monica Nathan Dubin, sound engineer; Whitney Warren, exec producer. Licensed Music “Dream On” by Steven Tyler
4: Stratosphere Surf Boards’ “Stratosphere”
Music/Sound: BANG New York & Prague; Timo Elliston, composer (NY); Mirek Smilauer, sound designer (BANG Europe); Brad Stratton (NY), Jakub Svejda (Prague), exec producers. Audio Post: BANG Europe Mirek Smilauer, mixer; Agency: none; Production: Creative Embassy, Prague
Tomas Franta, director
5: Budweiser’s “American Pony”
Music/Sound: JSM Music, New York Joel Simon, chief creative officer/president/co-composer; Shawn Haden, co-composer; Nathan Kil, sound design; Jeff Fiorello, executive producer; Norman Felker, producer, head engineer; Audio Post: Heard City, New York; Philip Loeb, engineer; Agency: Mosaic, Chicago; VaynerMedia, New York Production: Vayner Productions, New York; Ivan Tinoco, Jason Beauregard, directors
6: Rolex’s “Cinema”
Music/Sound: Duotone Audio, New York; Peter Nashel, Brad Fischer, composers Audio Post: Duotone Audio Post, New York; Andy Green, mixer Agency: J. Walter Thompson, New York Paul Greco, music director Production: Quad, Paris Jan Wentz, director
7: Toyota’s “Thin Ice”
Music/Sound: Metallica, “Nothing Else Matters” SOUTH Music & Sound Design, Santa Monica, Calif. (music arrangement and production) Lime Studios, Santa Monica, Calif. Michael Anastasi, sound designer Audio Post: Lime Studios, Santa Monica, Calif. Zac Fisher, mixer Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi LA, Torrance, Calif. Kristen Hosack, music supervisor Production: RadicalMedia, bicoastal Tarsem, director
8: Ford Expedition’s “We The People”
Music/Sound: Elias, bicoastal Lime Studios, Santa Monica, Calif. Rohan Young, sound designer Audio Post: Lime Studios, Santa Monica, Calif. Rohan Young, mixer Agency: Global Team Blue (GTB), Dearborn, Mich. Production: RESET, Santa Monica, Calif. Diego Contreras, director
9: BBDO NY, Director Todd Field Show Us What Matters In GE Campaign Breaking On Winter Olympics
Client GE Agency BBDO New York David Lubars, chief creative officer, worldwide; Greg Hahn, chief creative officer, NY; Michael Aimette, executive creative director; Eric Goldstein, sr. creative director; Fred Kovey, creative director; David Rolfe, head of production; George Sholley, executive producer; Jack Patrick, producer; Rani Vaz, music producer. Production Smuggler Todd Field, director; Patrick Milling Smith, Brian Carmody, Shannon Jones, exec producers; Andrew Colon, chief operating officer; Alex Waite, line producer; Justin Brown, DP. Editorial Rock Paper Scissors Adam Pertofsky, editor; Marjorie Sacks, assistant editor; Eve Kornblum, exec producer; Taylor Colbert, producer. VFX a52 Andres Barrios, VFX supervisor; Stacy Kessler-Aungst, producer. Color Company 3 Tim Masick, colorist; Kevin Breheny, producer. Music Hook & Line Audio Post Sonic Union Michael Marinelli, engineer; Justine Cortale, producer.
10: Top Spot of the Week: Director Daniel Kleinman, Framestore Team On Santander’s “Piggy” For Arnold Worldwide
Client Santander Agency Arnold Worldwide James Bray, executive creative director/copywriter; Sam Mullins, creative director, art; Justin Galvin, creative director, copy; Spring Clinton, Emily LaPierre, producers. VFX Framestore, London Helen Hughes, EP, head of advertising; Josh King, sr. VFX producer; Lara Marshall, line producer; Alex Thomas, on set supervisor (L.A.); Tim Jenkinson, VFX supervisor, CG lead; Chris Redding, VFX supervisor, compositing lead; Osman Gani, animation supervisor; Grant Walker, head of CG; Nikola Yordanov, David Lochhead, concept artists; Paola Santoro, lead modeler; Joel Best, Omar Jason, modeling; Judit Somogyvari, texturing; Andy Butler, rigging; Steffan Perry, colorist; Ross Burgess, creative director, animation; James Brown, Felice Minieri, animators; Gabriela Ruch Salmeron, groom; Rafael Rey Camacho, FX, lighting; Mathias Cadyck, Sebastian Mayer, lighting; Sam Meisels, Mike Simons, Kane Herd, Pawasut Chatmaleerat, Pedro Sabrosa, compositors; Hasan Khan, Jonathan Williams, paint & roto. (Toolbox: ZBrush, Maya, Mari, Maya, Houdini, Nuke, Photoshop, Baselight) Production Rattling Stick Daniel Kleinman, director; Joe Biggins, Jeff Shupe, exec producers; Johnnie Frankel, producer; Jack Fitch, first assistant director; Toby Irwin, DP. Editorial Whitehouse Post Rick Lawley, editor; Jennifer Mersis, producer. Sound Design 740 Sound Design Chris Pinkston, lead sound designer; Josh Reinhardt, sound designer; Scott Ganary, exec producer. Music “Home” written by Simon Steadman and Charlton Pettus; Future Perfect, vocal arrangement. Audio Post Soundtrack Boston Mike Secher, audio engineer