Alicia Keys is a titan of the industry. Her list of achievements supersede likelihood; a 15 time Grammy Award-winner, Keys has sold 65 million records since her iconic ’01 debut album Songs In A Minor, and has established herself as one of the most successful singer-songwriters of her generation. Also boasting success as the founder of Keys Soul Care, as a New York Times best-selling author, a producer, actress and activist, the legacy of Keys is monumental, and just keeps growing.
Last night, Wonderland were invited to witness an incredible event at the historic, world famous Abbey Road Studios. The intimate evening saw Keys offer exclusive listening to reworked iconic tracks, such as “No One”, “Girl On Fire” and “If I Ain’t Got You“ through the sonic lens of Spatial Audio. Keys has reimagined her iconic bodies of work using Dolby Atmos technology, augmenting the iconic original recordings, giving them a fresh and modern edge whilst remaining firmly planted in the bed of beauty and sophistication that the originals accumulated.
During the special evening, it became clear that – despite her meteoric popularity – no one loves Alicia’s music as much as Alicia. She talks her guests through the original process of writing and recording each of the tracks that are played, from the Jupiter keyboard on “No One” to the influence of Radiohead on “101”, standing aside whilst the music serenades the room, swaying decisively with the beat, at one with the sonics that have defined her past and now define her present.
Speaking on the process and occasion, Keys said: “I would definitely say the most special thing about this experience is that Ann Mincieli and the engineers I worked with on this were able to take the raw files from the very, very beginning and reimagine every single mix. So there’s no template going on here, there’s no like ‘take the two track and just spread ‘em however’. It’s real reimagining of all the songs: all the music, all the tones, all the vocals, all the instruments – all of it. So, it really, really is special. Plus, to be able to be here and listen in this magnificently historical room of Abbey Road”, adding. “It’s inspiring being in this room. I feel like this is adding to the fabric of the timelessness music has created in these walls. I’m grateful for y’all to be here.”
The event celebrated the news that Alicia will be releasing eight of her albums on Apple Music on 28th April using the revolutionary Spatial Audio technology. To find out more about Spatial Audio head here!
