The sounds of the Silentnight factory

Earlier this year, renowned musician Martyn Ware, came to the Silentnight factory to create a contemporary soundtrack and video, showcasing the unusual and innovative sounds made within the factory walls.

Martyn has had a colourful music career, touring the world with Human League and Heaven 17, while also having a huge career in music production, working alongside the likes of Tina Turner and Chaka Khan.

The idea for the collaboration originated from Silentnight and Martyn’s role in the National Festival of Making in Lancashire in May 2017. The theme ‘industry’ was of particular interest to Martyn, after growing up in the steel capital, Sheffield.

He said: “The project with Silentnight is fascinating and I’m thrilled to be involved in producing the soundtrack. I’ve always been passionate about the manufacturing industry and there is something extremely profound about bringing sounds together to create a niche piece of music”.

Martyn visited the Silentnight factory, which is a hub of sounds including; the embroidery machine, the beeping noise of the vehicles, the headboard construction machinery and conveyor belts – creating an amazing musical piece from these sounds.

Nick Booth, marketing director at Silentnight added: “Martyn’s musical expertise aligned with our manufacturing expertise, allowed us to create a unique and modern soundtrack, which brings to life, what we do here in the factory, and celebrates how we work in rhythm.

“We’re incredibly pleased with the outcome and are looking forward to working closely with Martyn on developing further sounds to aid people to sleep.”

The soundtrack has been compiled and developed by Martyn and his music production company Illustrious, to emphasise the rhythmic and interesting noises of a working, industrial factory.

If you’d like to listen to the track you can listen here: