W+K London

February 12, 2013

Splicing and sampling no wave debris, W+K style

Culture

The folk here at Wieden + Kennedy are a multitalented lot and strategic planner Oscar Powell is no exception. By day he's devising breakthrough strategies for clients like Nike, by night he is 'splicing rough and gritty new beats from sampled No Wave debris'. Powell is featured in the current issue of alt-music bible The Wire this month.

More Powell info, purchases and downloads (but sadly not fluorescent afro wigs) available from Diagonal Records.

Boomkat said of Powell's latest release 'Untitled' on The Death of Rave label:

"Powell's third release refines his ascetic blend of lawless New York no
wave, cold European electronics and late '90s D&B with incisive
vision and propulsive torque. The EP's standout 'A Band' emphasises a
chimeric indistinction between the "real" textures of sample-spliced
guitars and drums and the gritted tension of painstakingly processed
electronics, somehow sounding like MMM producing for MARS, whereas the
ductile, visceral wormhole of 'Acid' feels more like Bob Ostertag
mangling Phuture. At its iciest, the bruxist thump of 'Rider' is an
assured nod to Suicide, yet sliced with the precision of prime period
Digital or Dom & Optical, whilst the loosely skewed but
in-the-pocket groove of 'Oh No New York' is one of few contemporary
examples that genuinely augments post punk tropes without merely
reaffirming them. And far from stylistic tourism, these tracks are
wrought with integrity and guile, forged with awareness of their
sub-cultural history and coolly swerving its dead ends with a stoic
intelligence and discipline that's sorely lacking from the reams of
"yeah, we've got 3000 unreleased tunes on our hard-drive" set of
producers: Powell may only have a handful, but they're probably better than yours."

Below is a taster of the Body Music EP that you can stick in your ductile wormhole, described by Boomkat (again) thus:

"If Blast First's Vainio / Väisänen / Vega sessions spawned offspring,
there's every chance they would sound something like Powell. Alloying
the motorik rock efficiency of Suicide with the dryly stoic purism of
Pan Sonic, he's conceived one of the most impressive, refreshingly
potent new sounds we've encountered in ages. It's Techno for bored
rockers, or rock for jaded Techno fiends, working calloused, industrious
grooves with more swagger than a teddy boy on payday, coupled with the
kind of stiff, anti-social funk branded by Ancient Methods."

February 8, 2013

W+K champions good proper food for brand new Lurpak campaign

Clients

Lurpak®, the No.1 BSM brand by value in the UK*, is launching a new campaign to promote the importance of a good quality butter in cooking. The launch is supported by a £10M national marketing campaign spanning TV, cinema, press, OOH, digital, in-store and experiential.

Created by Wieden + Kennedy London, the campaign champions good proper food, inspiring its audience with the belief that when it comes to good food, you get out what you put in.

Amidst the recessionary maelstrom and institutional collapse it's hard to know where to turn and upon what to rely. In these circumstances, people take control where they can and reconnect with what matters most in life – they depend upon the familiar and age-old rituals. At the center of this so often sits good food. Not just any food but big, proper, hearty meals. Lurpak recognises this and through its campaign, encourages people to look again through different eyes at the dishes traditionally called ‘comfort food’. These aren’t dishes to feel guilty about tucking into; this is the stuff that's sustained us for centuries, the meals we can rely on again and again to get us through.

The 60” TV spot, directed by Vince Squibb at Gorgeous, breaks on Sunday 10th February, on ITV during Dancing on Ice. The spot is a thundering cacophony of industry – a sensory bombardment of human effort, forging three classic meals in three different kitchens; cottage pie, bread & butter pudding, macaroni cheese. This is proper food with Lurpak at the heart of each recipe. A primal drum truck accompanies the action, enforcing the strength of these dishes along with Rutger Hauer, the voice of Lurpak, lending his distinctive tones.

The print campaign, shot by Rick Guest, follows the feel of the TV spot – an industrial heat radiating out from the three hero dishes: Cottage Pie, Macaroni Cheese and Bread & Butter Pudding. Shot over 3 days, ovens on the go, each dish depicts a different sense of power. STRENGTH. MIGHT. OPTIMISM. This is a campaign to lift people’s spirits in the middle of winter. To celebrate the meals they cook at home. And inspire people to revisit some old favourites.

The 48-sheet OOH campaign, planned by Carat, goes live across the UK on the 25th February, and will also appear across premium sites such as the Holland Park Roundabout supersite in London.

Jessica Hardcastle, Senior Brand Manager for Lurpak, said:

‘‘we’re massively excited about the campaign. It aligns with our long term strategy to champion good food. It also reminds people that you get out what you put in, from the effort and endeavor to the ingredients you choose, including Lurpak of course. The campaign has also led to a really exciting integrated plan, from digital to shopper marketing, we’ll be celebrating Good Proper Food in 2013”.