In celebration of the Olympic Summer Games of 2008, 8 of Ultra Records’ artists are participating in the We8 project. The We8 project was created to foster cultural and artistic exchange between musicians and artists from around the world and express the global connections embodied in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
The 8 musicians involved are Tiësto, Kaskade, Serge Devant, Benny Benassi, Jay J, JES, Lucas Prata, and Cezar, who all hail from Ultra Records, an electronic and dance-music label based in New York City. Sponsored by Coca Cola, the We8 project was host to each artist creating a song based upon a provided theme that embodies the spirit of the Olympics. Each song is available completely gratis, as a DRM-free download and ring tone, which work with all devices. The themes were also provided to 8 featured graphic artists in China including Joyn Viscom, MeWe and Wang Xu, who designed artwork for classic style Coca Cola bottles. Each artist and their design was paired with the musician who utilized the same theme.
About the We8 musicians:
Tiësto
WE8 Theme: “Global Harmony”
WE8 Bottle Designer: Xiao Xue, from China
WE8 Music: “Global Harmony,” by Tiësto, from the Netherlands
“Global Harmony” by Tiësto
Q: What role does music play in bringing people of different cultures together?
A: “Music is the universal language. Almost everybody loves music and can put their feelings in it. I travel all around the world and, during all the different performances, I meet a variety of people from different cultures. These people give me music from their home country, which is a real influence. I try to integrate these different elements in my sets worldwide.”
Benny Benassi
WE8 Theme: “Uplifting Moments”
WE8 Bottle Designer: MeWe (Liu Zhi-zhi, Guang Yu, He Jun), from China
WE8 Music: “Happiness Factory Remixed,” by Benny Benassi, from Italy
“Happiness Factory Remixed” by Benny Benassi
Q: How would you describe your WE8 song, “Happiness Factory Remixed” (the remix of the Coca-Cola “Happiness Factory” commercial music track), and its meaning?
A: “What could be more Benny Benassi than “uplifting moments”? So we wanted to take the theme we’d been asked to rework and give it that surging sensation that you get with sport and with music. It’s all about timing, rhythm, control and vision. When you have this in sport and in music, you win a gold medal or a Grammy! But both achievements have hours of hard work and sacrifice behind them.”
Cezar
WE8 Theme: “Active Optimism”
WE8 Bottle Designer: Chen Shaohua, from China
WE8 Music: “Keep On,” by Cezar, from Jamaica
“Keep On” by Cezar
Q: How would you describe your WE8 song, “Keep On,” and its meaning?
A: “Keep On” is a motivational and uplifting song about persevering through any circumstance and giving one’s best to achieve a positive result.”
Jay-J
WE8 Theme: “Happiness”
WE8 Bottle Designer: Wang Xu, from China
WE8 Music: “Happiness,” by Jay-J, from the United States
“Happiness” by Jay-J
Q: What role does music play in bringing people of different cultures together?
A: “Music unites people of different cultures. It transcends barriers and boundaries of race, color, creed and politics. Music provides the forum for diverse individuals, regardless of background, upbringing or class, to come together and share their passion, appreciation and love for music with others.”
Jes
WE8 Theme: “Individual Perseverance”
WE8 Bottle Designer: Jiang Hua, from China
WE8 Music: “Be It All,” by Jes, from the United States
“Be It All” by Jes
Q: “What elements of the WE8 bottle design most inspired you?
A: “The design looks like a maze. What inspires me is trying to find your way. That’s what’s fun about writing and producing music, too. It’s always about finding your way.”
Kaskade
WE8 Theme: “Healthy World”
WE8 Bottle Designer: Xin Jing, from China
WE8 Music: “Beautiful World,” by Kaskade, from the United States
“Beautiful World” by Kaskade
Q: What was your creative process for developing the song?
A: “When I was first contacted to write some music for this project, I thought about the Olympics and how much I enjoy watching them. I thought about the athletes and how they have to put aside the small things to be able to focus on the greater goal of performing to the best of their ability. This also holds true in life, as I tried to not be bothered by petty things and learn to focus on the real things that bring me happiness.”
Lucas Prata
WE8 Theme: “Human Collaboration”
WE8 Bottle Designer: Milkxhake (Javin Mo, Wilson Tang), from China
WE8 Music: “Just Say Yeah,” by Lucas Prata, from the United States
“Just Say Yeah” by Lucas Prata
Q: How would you describe your WE8 song, “Just Say Yeah,” and its meaning?
A: “This song is a “feel-good song.” When I wrote it with Valentin (production partner), we wanted to write something that was uplifting and positive that everyone could sing along to. We were inspired by the cultural differences that participate in the Olympic Games and wanted to lyrically bring everyone together, to feel like they all could relate to the song.”
Serge Devant
WE8 Theme: “Peace on Earth”
WE8 Bottle Designer: Joyn Viscom (Jian Jiang, Weestar, Meng Ke), from China
WE8 Music: “Peace on Earth,” by Serge Devant, from Russia
“Peace on Earth” by Serge Devant
Q: How would you describe your WE8 song, “Peace on Earth,” and its meaning?
A: “I’ve had this track on the back burner for some time, which was influenced by all these useless wars that were going on….People fighting and dying for the wrong reasons. I never really planned for this to be a club record. It was more of a vision that my friend Danny and I wrote that was inspired by numerous events that went on in the world in past years. I’ve lived in New York for some time now. We were strongly influenced by events that went on here back in 2001 and what followed after. When I was approached about working on music for the Olympic Games and the bottle that had a theme about peace on earth and unity, it was like a magical moment, and I immediately thought of my song, “Peace,” and that it was a perfect time for it to come out and serve its purpose of inspiration for all the people in this world. The message of the song is to have peace for everyone in this world, live our lives for love instead of fighting useless wars…and it goes along perfectly with the message of the Olympic Games and what they are all about.”
This project launched on June 1st and will run through the end of September 2008.
The coca-cola.com/we8 site also includes more downloads for all eight songs; profiles and photos of the graphic designers and musicians; and wallpaper.
