Subway have linked up with P Money and Star.One to create ‘Vegang’, a grime track made entirely from audio frequencies emitted by different plants through electrodes. The song was released to celebrate Earth Day 2021.
As part of Subway’s “Plant-Based Beats” campaign, the track seeks to champion veganism. Via PlantWave technology, the vegan artists were able to sample sounds from plants that are used as part of Subway’s plant-based menu. The campaign launch was accompanied by a video uploaded to TikTok, alongside a seven-minute YouTube documentary that depicts the recording process behind the track. Both pieces of content were directed by Jamal Edwards, founder of SB.TV.
Whilst discussing the way in which ‘Vegang’ came about in a press release, P Money said, “Before Subway invited us to the indoor farm to record the plant-based beat, I couldn’t process the fact that a plant can make a sound but it’s actually mad! The bars in this track are about my journey to becoming a vegan and I’ve tried to incorporate the whole message behind what we’re trying to do with Earth Day and raising awareness. At the end of the day this is what we’re about.”
Star.One added, “This wasn’t something we’d done before but we’ve remixed the plants melody with our own vibes, to create the first ever plant-based grime beat! You have to kind of move with the times these days because people are demanding more vegan options, and so the fact that Subway are getting involved is wicked.”
This legendary MC and sibling production duo are historical collaborators. However, the last time that they linked up was on ‘Originators’ back in 2019, a high-octane, jungle-inspired track also featuring Scrufizzer and Maxta. Respectively, these artists have a long-standing history in the UK music scene, and so were a perfect fit for this campaign.
Angie Gosal, marketing director of Subway UK & Ireland, also spoke about the track in a press release. She said, “As more people champion plant-based lifestyles, we’re excited to be involved in the release of the first-ever grime track made from plant sounds. With our ever-expanding vegan range, Earth Day felt like the perfect opportunity to celebrate Subway now having one of the biggest and tastiest plant-based menus on the high street, to offer you even more choice.”
There is certainly a growing sense in the mainstream that veganism could be play a serious part in the solution to environmental issues. Earth Day 2021 hopefully provided many people with a chance to re-consider the relationship between food, people, and the environment.
Watch the backstory of how ‘Vegang’ was created below:
