2014 Winners & Shortlists

Brief Explanation

In a young city, disparate and sparse, a city ruled by cars and taxis, there is little connection with the streets. Somehow, along the line we have become estranged with where we live. Fishtail Rides has been born out of this feeling and a need to reconnect with the streets of our city again. So what are Fishtail Rides? They are a series of fixed gear bicycle rides where every ride is unique, providing a platform where a community of like-minded people from different backgrounds can come together and ride. Each one will show a different side to our city. There’s the chance of some pit stops with activities along the way and a party for the riders at the end. It’s not a race, or a fancy fitness group, it’s as complicated as people + fixies = good times.

Creative Execution

'Chase the Sun’ is wholly original work for the Fishtail Rides project. Rather than license the usual library music as a soundtrack, we brought together renowned local musicians, soul singer Hamdan Al Abri and producer Mostyn Rischmueller (aka Megadon Betamax) to create a brand new song for the campaign. The track's musical direction and the overall inspiration; ended up being not so much any one genre or sound, but much more a reflection of summery and organic vibe. A track that encapsulates the mood and movement of the ride and a 'feel good', vibe our fixie riders/community resonate well with. Key throughout the creative process was that the final track should have the opportunity to receive a proper commercial release at a later stage, post the film release and take on a life of its own. Hamdan and Mostyn gelled incredibly well in the studio, with the song's elements coming together very organically. The lyrics 'Chase The Sun Away’ reflected feelings of Dubai summers (and in particular the heat on the weekend of the actual video shoot) and were, we thought, a perfect match for the film. All parts of the track were initially played, sequenced and recorded by Mostyn on analog keyboards and a sampling drum machine and recorded into Logic Pro. The bassline was then replayed by Dubai base musician Elie Afif, with horn parts performed by Cuban (and also Dubai based) performer Joaquin Sosa. Track arrangement was perhaps the most collaborative part of the process, so the song would fit perfectly with the edit. The track was broken into three key sections - the introduction (of cast/riders), the coastline ride and then the post ride party. A progressive rhythm and beat was our vision from early on and therefore the song was written to suit these different parts; especially important was the transition from riding in the day time, to partying at night. Several versions of the track were mixed, including a radio length version and an extended friendly version. Response on both the campaign and the music has been quite overwhelming. Happily, UK record label Tribe Records has recently signed the track and arranging remixes, with an expected international release date of April 2014.