Mark Ronson And Katy B Present The Olympic Beat Wall

Mark Ronson Reveals Latest Olympic Public Art

When a public place is splashed with paint and covered in drawings it is usually called graffiti, deemed unsightly and swiftly removed. But a 25 metre-long art wall in the shadow of London's 2012 Olympic Stadium is an exception to the rule.

The dramatic Beat Wall in Hackney, east London, has been revealed by Grammy award-winning producer Mark Ronson as part of a campaign to inspire young people to get involved with the Olympics and express their passion for music.

The 10 metre tall urban artwork took photorealists six days to complete and will be on display until mid-March.

It tells the story of how Ronson and chart topping star Katy B created a musical anthem for the Coca-Cola's Move to the Beat campaign from sounds produced through sport.

To create the track, Ronson travelled the world to record the sounds of young athletes engaging in a variety of sports before teaming up with Katy B to provide the vocals.

The song, Anywhere In The World, will be released as a single worldwide in May and will provide the soundtrack for TV commercials and Coca-Cola events during the Olympic Games.

Ronson, a producer on the late Amy Winehouse's album Back to Black, said: "This was a chance to make a song and represent London and the 2012 Olympic Games and I got to work with Katy B who I am a big fan of.

"I liked the idea of the challenge of making a single by travelling around the world and getting to meet so many different athletes.

"All the different athletes you see on the wall are actually the athletes I worked with to get the sounds for the song.

"The Olympics is one of those global events that brings everyone together. While you're watching those classic events you can imagine the whole world sitting round glued to their television sets and everyone sharing this communal experience.

"Going into a field in the middle of Singapore to record the sounds of archery is very different to your regular recording experience and as a producer and someone who is always looking for different sounds and inspiration it was a really exciting way to try something new and then have it, I think, sound good.

"It's a heavy track and it's a song for London."

The unveiling of the Beat Wall marks the launch of the Move to the Beat TV commercial which features Ronson's anthem and will be broadcast globally.

The advert was filmed in front of a live festival-style audience of London teens and sees Ronson and Katy B performing alongside some of the international athletes whose sporting sounds have been used to provide the beat of the track.

Mercury Music Prize winner Katy B said: "Move to the Beat is all about capturing the essence of people coming together for an event such as sport and the Olympics and finding the links between sport and music and just getting everyone to get up and get involved.

"The single is definitely a collaboration between me and Mark.

"He's into a lot of electronic music so it's got that vibe to it but it's also sampling all the athletes that Mark went to go and visit throughout the world and using the sounds as beats."

Five young Olympic hopefuls have chosen to be ambassadors for the Move to the Beat campaign including British table tennis player Darius Knight and American hurdler David Oliver.

Beat Wall artist Neil Edward said: "We've heard the song and the ideas behind it all and I like the idea of bringing sport together with music and tying it in with the Olympics.

"Sport is a great thing for everyone, so getting the Olympics hyped up and having something bright among all this grey is nice."

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