Spinning wax while cruising in a Lexus? Dig it!
Merriam-Webster defines AUDIOPHILE as:
a person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction
Lexus IS - Wax Edition
Vinyl records and automotive technology join forces.
Lexus sought to connect to this unique demographic, normally not considered for a typical luxury automotive campaign.
They worked with online music publication, Pitchfork, and producers, Madlib and Kaytranada (fresh off a Grammy win!) to celebrate the world of music and automotive technology.
They asked us to handle the creative tech aspect of this collaboration by finding a way to integrate a functional turntable into a Lexus IS 350.
Yes, a record player in a car!
Historically speaking, this was not the first attempt – it’s just never been done successfully.
There’s more to consider than just bumpy roads and skipping needles. When a vehicle changes direction and speed, multiple forces push and pull on the needle of a record player, slowing the music, lowering the tone, and making it sound warped.
From our research, we developed the technology to instantly counterbalance these forces using a stepper motor and micro-adjustable tone arm, maintaining pitch-perfect sound without needle skips.
Next came the matter of design and where to house the turntable. We considered housing it vertically in the center console, vertically within the passenger foot well, and horizontally under the passenger seat . Ultimately, we designed and engineered it to slide in and out horizontally from the glove compartment area, with a power button seamlessly embedded into the center console.
While we were prepping the vehicle’s interior, fabricating and installing the turntable, integrating the tech, and finalizing the custom upholstery, badging, and black vinyl-like wrap, Madlib and Kaytranada were creating a double-single record, laid out with multiple vinyl samplings.
Their collaboration was filmed in a two-part documentary depicting their passion and influence of vinyl music, along with our work in creating the Lexus Wax Edition IS.
Our contribution to the series went beyond the vehicle work itself, including our own behind the scenes and time lapse footage, written content used by several media outlets, and use of our studio space for a large portion of the documentary set.
If you need an innovation and fabrication partner to boost your marketing campaigns, drop us a line and let’s see what we can produce together.
To learn more about this project, check out the two-part documentary Driven By Sound found below.
Part One
See the prelude to this dynamic collaboration
Part Two
See the result of these forces coming together
To learn more about this Lexus campaign, click on some of the many articles written about it below.
Our Longstanding Relationship with Lexus
Lexus Gamers’ IS 350
This Lexus project scored high on the leaderboard.
Lexus LIT IS
This is another successful Lexus project from the past.
Lexus Visceral Reality
This project captured all the senses.
