The innovation provides a new platform for in car entertainment and development of in car music. It also creates it’s own unique and exhilarating driving experience.

We connected an app to GTI’s on-board computer to capture data of the car driving, then using PD (Pure Data), we attributed certain data fields to musical motifs, resulting in your driving generating music.

The app was created specifically for Volkswagen and can only work in a car with an OBDii port. Existing PD code was modified to allow dynamic audio asset to loading without playback interruption on the iPhone.

Reactive music using PD have been done before. But never before has it been used to reinvent driving music and the relationship between driver and music.

The musicians Underworld composed an entirely new palette of musical assets that seamlessly blend together, no matter how you drive.

The app uses the iPhones accelerometer, gyroscope and GPS while retrieving MPH and RPM data from the GTI’s on-board computer. This data is then converted into music using PD (Pure Data). At any time a number of audio assets are being preloaded in the background to ensure a seamless musical experience. In total the project took 8 months of work and testing to complete. The team consisted of 2 developers, 3 musicians and a precision driver all working from inside a Golf GTI.

We’re developing deeper integration with the car via Mirrorlink, Apple CarPlay or Google Projected Mode. With a view to a Global rollout. We’re also exploring using driver biometric data from the driver.

Play the Road: an app that lets you create and control music by driving.

The app connects to the GTI’s on-board computer and converts your driving data into music. Your GPS location even changes the mood of the composition to match your surroundings.

Made in collaboration with Underworld, the app took over 8 months of coding, composing and test-driving to complete. Resulting in a raft of sharable content that documented the making of the app and a final drive/performance.

Fans and followers then entered a social competition for their chance to get behind the wheel and try it for themselves.