The Music & Bicycle

Eight different artists. Eight totally different sonic landscapes. Yet they are all united by sound and ride. the perfect balance between speed and sound actually exists. The rhythm never stops. Every time you push the pedal down, you are essentially dropping the needle into the groove.

Look at how drastically different these sonic interpretations are. Kraftwerk completely geeked out on the physical endurance of the sport. Their track Tour de France is a masterclass in sampling actual human breath and bicycle chains to build a hypnotic electronic pulse. They treated the bike like a synthesizer. 

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Marcos Valle brought a heavy dose of tropical Brazilian funk with Bicicleta. His groove feels exactly like a warm, effortless sunset ride along the coast of Rio. Then you have Queen completely breaking all the rules. Freddie Mercury wrote Bicycle Race as a massive, unapologetic anthem of freedom and rebellion, wrapping a simple joyride in huge stadium rock theatricality. 

Syd Barrett penned Bike during Pink Floyd's early psychedelic era, and the song sounds like a chaotic, whimsical trip through a childhood memory. The Mixtures gave us The Pushbike Song, delivering that sunny, carefree 1970s pop energy where riding a bike feels like floating on air. Shonen Knife took that exact same naive joy and cranked up the distortion for their punk pop banger Cycling Is Fun.

Yves Montand captured the classic, cinematic beauty of French cycling culture in La Bicyclette. Meanwhile, The Clientele slows everything down, turning the simple act of riding into a moody, atmospheric trip through wet leaves and autumn rain in their beautiful track Bicycles.