Nose in a phone, mind drifting toward the next destination or an encroaching deadline – we are so often caught up in our own narratives and schedules that we scarcely take the time to be present now or observant of our surroundings. Add to this the fact that the music often playing in stores, lobbies and elevators tends to be of either the Top 40 or mushy smooth jazz variety, and we are left with even less incentive to listen… until now. The Asian Arts Initiative‘s Social Practice Lab, a Knight Arts grantee, has assembled a fresh sound for the typically bland fare found drifting through public spaces with their project, “Really Good Elevator Music.”

“Really Good Elevator Music.” Design by Austin Jefferson

Produced by Yowei Shaw, this collection of tracks serves as a sampler of contemporary musical talents, an experiment in social interaction, and a community building project all in one, just by piping some interesting and locally created sounds into an otherwise unassuming elevator. The Wolf Building at 12th and Callowhill was chosen as the primary location for “Really Good Elevator Music” due to its central location in the Chinatown North/Callowhill neighborhood and its high-traffic halls, which house apartments, studios, businesses and even a basement music venue. By reaching such a broad slice of such a diverse spot in Philly, participating artists get a chance to interact with audiences that may otherwise slip through the cracks as they rush to their next appointment.

Yowei Shaw listens to an audio test in the elevator.

Elevator music has widely been shown to affect listeners on many levels, even if only in subliminal or subconscious ways, including stress reduction, combating fatigue, or even increasing sales for businesses. For many years, companies have invested in Muzak to promote certain behaviors in specific locales. Quite ambitiously, Yowei Shaw decided to harness this idea, but with completely different goals in mind. By gracing these spaces with a very different type of Muzak, residents and visitors become participants and listeners instead of merely elevator riders. Audiences are confronted with new music they may have never been exposed to and are subsequently challenged to rethink their connection to the neighborhood and each other.

The unassuming elevator.

Six artists were invited to participate in “Really Good Elevator Music”: Jeff Zeigler, Kyle Pulley, Alex Lewis, Steve Parker, Aleks Martray, and Steven Dufala. By combining the creative talents and ideas of these musicians and producers that live and work within a short walk of the elevators looping their songs, Shaw and Asian Arts Initiative seek to reinvent the somewhat dubious motives of background music from easy-listening profiteering to socially conscious, positive community engagement. Placards hanging next to the elevator doors inform waiting travelers of the pop-up installation and the various groups involved, along with an eye-catching bright pink and yellow neo-Art Deco design.

Kyle Pulley and Lee Tusman discuss the final setup for “Really Good Elevator Music.”

Through pushing our buttons in this way, we are uplifted and offered the rare opportunity to enjoy these mundane vertical journeys instead of merely going along for the ride. Sprinkled with quirky Public Service Announcements from neighborhood business owners and recordings of graduation songs by local eighth graders, the project moves beyond professional musicians to highlight groups with even less of a voice. Shaw even asked men who take shelter at the Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission about their favorite foods and included their replies in the mix.

As subversive as it is constructive, “Really Good Elevator Music” provides the community with an exciting, original score which serves to brighten days as much as enlighten attentive minds. Be sure to pop out your earbuds and head to the Wolf Building at 340 North 12th Street anytime through March to lend an ear to some of Philly’s finest sounds. There will also be a listening party with the artists on March 14 from 6-8 p.m. at the Asian Arts Initiative, including a screening of video reactions from participants who encountered the work while riding the elevator.

Asian Arts Initiative is located at 1219 Vine St., Philadelphia;  [email protected]; asianartsinitiative.org.