LCD Soundsystem Frontman Wants To Soundtrack NYC Subway System ::LCD Soundsystem News ::antiMusic.com

LCD Soundsystem Frontman Wants To Soundtrack NYC Subway System

02/25/2014
. (Radio.com) New York, James Murphy loves you, but the current sounds of the city's subway system are bringing him down. The former LCD Soundsystem frontman is petitioning New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority to let him create a "subway symphony" so when you swipe your MetroCard through the turnstile you get a little jingle instead of an annoying little beep.

Murphy, who refers to himself as a "musician and long time NYC subway rider," writes on the petition website: "Every time you swipe your MetroCard, the turnstile emits a flat, unpleasant 'beep.' Each turnstile emits its own beep, all of which are slightly out of tune with one another, creating a dissonant rubbing-styrofoam-on-glass squeak in stations all around New York City. It's kind of horrible."

But his symphony idea would allow each subway station to get their own little jingle, that the producer, who recently worked with Arcade Fire, hopes will make riders happier and maybe a little reflective.

"What I propose to do is to create a series of 3 to 5 note sequences, all unique, one for each station in the subway system," Murphy writes. "These sequences will be part of an intersecting larger piece of music, which would run from station to station, and cross one another as, say, the 4, 5, 6 line (one musical piece) intersects with the L, N, R, Q and W (another musical piece) at Union Square. At each turnstile in Union Square, as you tap your new tap and ride card, a pleasant bell tone will sound, in one of a set of possible notes, all related to that station's note sequence. The effect would be that at the busiest times, like rush hour, what was once cacophony would now be music." more on this story

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