Maison Mercury Jones

“As cliched as it may sound, music was never something I chose, it very much chose me,” says ILĀ. “I’ve felt deeply affected by music, and naturally wanted to experiment with it. Even though I read Physics and Philosophy at the University of Bristol, for me music (and creativity in general) was never separate to that - rather all of these pursuits were intrinsically connected." Our first blog post is up! ✨ Meet the team: Creative Director & Co-Founder ilā Kamalagharan. Ilā's creative endeavours transcend conventional boundaries encompassing co-founding and leading 2 professional choirs, collaborations with diverse partners including Grammy-winning artists, robots and the European Space Agency, as well as pioneering composing with quantum computing. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ef-PMqUx #branding #sonicbranding #DEI #representationmatters #creativity #musicindustry #musictech

The "Sound of Success?"... Our creative director, ilā Kamalagharan spoke to Digital Frontier about the importance of sound in branding for the financial services industry. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eDPqerKc #sonicbranding #financialservices #DEI #representationmatters #inclusivity #branding #creativity #technology #finance

HAAi shares her thoughts with Clash Magazine on her first onstage experiences, her creative practice and her collaboration with ARK/8 and artists Cherif Hashizume , ilā Kamalagharan and ZE'EV during our recent 360 brand partnership. "It was a pleasure to work on this track. I met Cherif years ago through Jon Hopkins so was a great surprise to learn he was one of the collaborators on the project. I loved meeting Ilā and we’ve since worked on some big projects together. I really wanted to bring out some of Ilā’s vocal parts and created a really textured, hypnotic rolling track for the floor. There were so many amazing parts to work with." Read full interview here: https://lnkd.in/eA3xyhEE Photo by Sophia Stefellé #SonicBranding #CreativeAgency #RepresentationMatters #DEI #inclusion #MusicBranding #branding #collaboration

Can the Cultural Sector shape AI for good? Cooperation over competition for artists and the potential for public participation, governance and ownership. MMJ co-founder & Creative Director ilā Kamalagharan was thrilled to be part of a special choir session alongside members of London Contemporary Voices and Trans Voices working with Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst, recording and filming to train a specially (and ethically) curated AI model which will be part of an exhibition at Serpentine Gallery later this year. The Serpentine’s exhibition with Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst (Autumn 2024) will present to the public a possible new model for licensing data to A.I. developers utilising “a networked version of I.P. rights.” Read more about Serpentine's Future Art Ecosystems (FAE): https://lnkd.in/d6FYaiS #AI #musictech #innovation #DEI

🔊 OUT NOW - ARK/8 (Techno Remix) by producer Cherif Hashizume with additional production from Jon Hopkins premiered in Clash Magazine: https://lnkd.in/efaPKgU9 ARK/8's brand track undergoes its final remix by the innovative Producer, DJ, and songwriter Cherif Hashizume, alongside renowned electronic Producer & Musician Jon Hopkins. Following on from remixes by London-based emerging Producer/DJ Amaliah and internationally acclaimed Producer/DJ HAAi bringing the track full circle; having originally been conceived by Cherif, in collaboration with Maison Mercury Jones’ Creative Director, ilā Kamalagharan. Inspiration for the remix came from Cherif “wanting to make the remix work as a DJ tool; something that works really well in a club, making it much more minimalistic from the original track to give enough space to each sound so that when it is played in a big sound system, it will have that punch”. Jon Hopkins, renowned electronic Producer, Musician and long-term collaborator of Cherif’s added his “magical touches with chops and fills that bring a sense of new life into the song and pushing it way over the finish line”. >> Listen now on all streaming platforms and @ark8net Youtube channel. Huge thank you to Dimitri van Eetvelde, Marina Koh, Alexandrine JUBLOT, Naomi Williams (nee Downie) for your consistent support and full embrace of inclusion and diversity and a special mention to Juliet Cromwell & the team at Clash Music Group, Rufus Abbott, Sophia Leigh & the team at The Goods Agency London and Megan Dorian 🍊, Saskia Foxton & Amelia Bolton and the team at Orange PR and Marketing. This release is supported by a music video by Eliott Duckers and digital artist SCRPN. Cover art by Katie V. Photo by Sophia Stefellé #Artistcollab #MusicProducer #Sonicbranding #creativeagency #representationmatters #DEI #inclusion #Diversity #Musicbranding #branding

The Trans+ History Lesson We Never Had - Now open! Check out QueerAF's fantastic launchpad project at Outernet Venues in London, 17-30 June. This audiovisual journey through time and space celebrates the millenia old history of Trans+ people dispelling current damaging and dismissive narratives around Trans+ people as a “modern fashion” or “trend”. Our co-founder ilā Kamalagharan is proud to have contributed to the immersive choral soundtrack with the UK’s first professional trans+ choir, Trans Voices. Read more about the installation here: https://lnkd.in/e_xic25s #PrideMonth #TransVisibility #Representation

"There’s more to Pride than a rainbow flag slapped behind a logo for a month." As a POC/LGBTQIA+ led agency, authentic representation and equity for marginalised voices sits at the heart of MMJ's decision making [all year round]. We encourage all brands to take Pride Month as an opportunity to consider the real issues the LGBTQIA+ community face and exchange stereotypes and profiteering for meaningful inclusive conversation - for all. Pride is a protest! Thank you WMH&I for including us in your list of creative trailblazers: https://lnkd.in/e2-Dj3tN #Pride #PrideMonth #RainbowWashing #Authenticity #representationmatters #DEI #inclusion #Diversity

Our Co-founder and Creative Director ilā Kamalagharan had the incredible honour of being a judge on the branding category at this year’s D&AD awards. It has been truly Incredible to judge this category along with such a diverse and highly accomplished jury – Sue Daun Michael Johnson Alessio Galdi Yah-Leng Yu Aporva Baxi Liu Zhao and Brian Collins our jury president for his drive, insight and sharp sense of humour. Huge thanks also Paul Drake and Will Vine for your patience in holding the space for us to make such difficult decisions - and for keeping us on track so marvellously. After three days of intensive live judging we awarded entries that had heart yet were inventive. Huge congratulations to all those who won pencils. From over 900 entries in our category, we awarded 5 yellow pencils for work that is nothing short of remarkable. The ones that expanded the space in which we all work in - created daring work with flare that we wish we had made ourselves. Who better to guide us all through that process that Jack Renwick as this year’s D&AD President.

Proud to share that our co-founder and Creative Director ilā Kamalagharan will be part of the Branding jury panel at the D&AD Awards 2024! One of the world's most prestigious awards, D&AD is also an education charity promoting and celebrating global commercial creativity with a focus on creative excellence in design and advertising. More information at dandad.org. #representation #sonicbranding #branding #design #dandad #creativity #creativeexcellence #inclusivity

Did you know the first known AI composed piece was ILLIAC 1 part of Lejaren Hiller’s incredibly sophisticated Illiac Suite composed in 1956?... Check out this 'Guide to AI' written by composer and MMJ co-founder ilā Kamalagharan for The Ivors Academy ahead of speaking at The Ivors Academy Global Creators Summit on AI and Music last Autumn. Building on our research partnership with The University of Sheffield's computer science and music departments, Maison Mercury Jones are proud to be a leading voice in the future of music technology within sonic branding. #throwback #ai #aimusic #sonicbranding #composer #aiethics #ivorsacademy #music #marketing #dei https://lnkd.in/edvv46ng