Planet Notion - Cassius discuss their Nike+ workout project!

Following in the footsteps of Crystal Method, Aesop Rock, and LCD Soundsystem, French house/electronica duo Cassius have recorded the latest Nike+ Original Sport Music track. In collaboration with the sporting brand, Philippe Zdar and Boom Bass took on the challenge of recording a 45-minute continuous downloadable track with the specific goal for people to workout to.

Zdar and Boom Bass, real-names Philippe Cerboneschi and Hubert Blanc-Francard, are two of the most highly respected producers to come out of the French electronic scene. Collaborations with Wu-Tang Clan, Leroy Burgess, Jocelyn Brown and Ghostface Killah, as well as production for hip hop artist MC Solaar and electo-pop/dance trio Cut Copy, are just a few examples of the pair’s credentials.

The Cassius duo are also renowned as perfectionists of their art, their attention to detail highlighted in the fact that single tracks alone have taken them years to finalise. These are just a few reasons why, when discussing the Nike+ 'CASSIUSPLAY' track with the duo, Boom Bass is quick to point out that Nike approached them as first option for the project.

The limited time given to record CASSIUSPLAY, and the structure of a seven-minute warm-up period, a thirty-minute workout, and a seven-minute cool down, created quite a challenge for the band. Furthermore, both Zdar and Boom Bass set themselves the added objective of recording a piece that wouldn’t just appeal to runners, but their long-established fanbase too.

“It was challenging because it was new to us,” commented Zdar. “We had the guide that it was for runners, and so you need a ten minute slow-track at the start and a ten minute slow-track at the end. But the biggest challenge for us was to do it not just for runners, but also for Cassius fans that prefer to their running on the dancefloor.”

Whereas previous exponents of the Nike+ series have recorded the track as a single-entity, Cassius decided to combine a number of individual tracks and meld them together to create the flow necessary for a continuous workout. “We had a lot of tracks and a lot of ideas,” explains Boom Bass, “we didn’t want to do just one track. So we tried a lot of things, put a lot of things together, and ran to them to see how they worked.” Of course, that’s all very well and good, but what are the components necessary for a project as specific as a workout track?

“In fact, that’s what we asked ourselves,” laughs Zdar. “We realised by asking friends and by checking what each of us listen to whilst working out. When I was running I was running with a walkman, listening to The Clash, and then I’d have forty-five minutes of mainly disco, disc-funk, and Italo-disco. We realised that you can run to anything.”

Boom Bass is quick to agree. “There are no rules,” he adds with a smile. Trying out the warm-up section, the workout section, and the cool down period firsthand, was an essential element of perfecting the track. “At the start we said let’s do everything really fast,” recalls Zdar. “And then we tried it and said ‘Oh, it’s too purposey [sic]’, so we turned-down some beats and took-out some kicks.

“Then we made a little beat with some reggae, tried it, and it worked. It didn’t take me off the running, so I knew it was going to work. Some people might say ‘I can’t work with this because it’s changing too much.’ Whatever, I don’t know. But with me, if I’m running I like the music to change every few minutes.”

This approach will come as no surprise to those familiar with Cassius’ sound. The pair have dabbled in a range of genres; blending rock and blues with their synonymous house and electro sound is just one example of their limitless scope. As a result, the final 45-minute-track offers a diverse blend of influences. The opening seven-minute warm-up, the reggae section that Zdar refers to, was a particular highlight of the recording process.

“The first song we knew would be perfect, the one with the reggae,” Zdar beams. “We had it finished maybe two months before Nike called us and we knew: ‘This one’s going to be perfect for the starting warm-up!’”

Despite having the opening section already at their disposal, Zdar points out that it still presented a problem in context with their goal. “The problem was that it was twenty-five minutes and we knew we’d have to make it nine; otherwise it’s building very slow and then going nowhere.” Something far from ideal when the warm-up period’s over and you’re waiting for a 30-minute intense workout to kick-in.

As for the ten-minute cool down period, this was another section that Zdar instantly fell for whilst experimenting with their objective. “I remember I was walking to the beat - ‘dmm, dmm, dmm’ - after listening to it; and I said ‘this is just too perfect for the last track!’ You can just cool down to it; get home, sit down and say ‘Ah, I just ran like a man!’”

Zdar and Boom Bass, who both contribute vocals alongside French artiste Gladys, also decided to include the theme of running in their lyrics, an approach in stark contrast to bands that have collaborated with Nike+ in the past. Gladys is no stranger to the Cassius set-up; as well as being Boom Bass’ wife, she has collaborated with the duo on a number of occasions and, according to the pair, will soon be a long-term addition to the band.

“She’s been singing with us for some time and now she’s really part of Cassius,” Zdar explains. “She has two sections of the track where she sings; I have one and he [Boom Bass] has one. We’re a team with Gladys; we write fantastic melodies, we write lyrics… I think the next album will be very good because there’s going to be the three of us as a vocal group.”

CASSIUSPLAY is available for download via i-Tunes. For further information visit the Nike+ website: www.nikeplus.com