Studio Spotlight: The Sounds of Soccer

Abuzz with World Cup Fever

With the infamous buzz of the vuvuzelas mercifully fading from our memories, the passion and excitement shown earlier in the summer for the world's largest sporting event still lingers. Everybody is caught up in soccer fever, and Tapeworks is no exception. We have been producing television and radio spots for the Philadelphia Union soccer team's agency of record, the Silverman Group, throughout the Union's inaugural season.

We were thrilled to compose, record and mix the Philadelphia Union chant that accompanies each of the Union television and radio spots. The story behind this chant's creation is an interesting one.

The Story: PHI-LA-DEL-PHIA UUUUUUUUU-NION!!!

Long before the Philadelphia Union made its Major league Soccer (MLS) debut, the Sons of Ben were already the major Philadelphia soccer supporters' group. They led the charge for years towards an MLS franchise in Philadelphia. When the Silverman Group asked us to create a piece of music that would accompany commercials for the Philly Union, we felt that the Sons of Ben should feature prominently in our project. By patching in several of Philly's favorite rowdy super-fans and layering their chants with additional recorded voices, Chief Engineer Bill Ahearn began to build the trademark chant heard in Union ads. These chants were then layered with authentic crowd noises from a Chilean soccer match, which were programmed to individual keys on a sampler. These combined "stadium crowd" chants were then mixed with some loud, deep percussion and an appropriately raucous bass line - creating an auditory sensation similar to an actual Philadelphia Union game experience. The process was challenging, but definitely rewarding!

Between the dazzling offensive prowess of Union forward Sebastien le Toux (the club's first-ever MLS all star selection), and the ongoing bid for Rookie of the Year by 19-year-old forward Danny Mwanda, it certainly has been an exciting first season for the Philadelphia Union. From promoting their first games to the grand opening of their new soccer stadium, PPL Park, we've been an integral part of Philly Union advertising.

Click here to see some of the exciting work we've done with Philadelphia Union, as well as many other projects we have recently completed!