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Sonos is a leading American audio technology company that is best known for pioneering wireless multi-room audio systems, which make it easy for listeners to stream music and other content throughout their homes. The company continues to innovate, creating wireless speakers, home cinema systems, headphones, architectural components, and integrated home audio solutions that revolutionise how people listen and connect to sound.

Global Head of Editorial

Lightsabres clashing. The roar of a TIE Fighter. Darth Vader’s breathing. Sound has been a crucial element of the 

 landed on screens in 1977. In this interview, production sound mixer Shawn Holden and supervising sound editor Matthew Wood share how the sound team behind 

 brought executive producer Jon Favreau’s unique vision for the series to life, whilst simultaneously rising to the level of quality expected from the beloved franchise. They also reveal what went into giving voice to 

First off, how would you describe your role to someone who isn’t familiar with sound production?

 Well, as a production sound mixer, you're the one that's on the set recording dialogue and various effects. My main goal is to preserve the actors' performances and get the cleanest dialogue recordings that I possibly can. Also, various effects and sounds that need to be captured whilst shooting—be it Stormtroopers marching along or anything that can help post-production build on those effects that we give them and give them an idea of what it sounded like on set. But really, my main goal is to get the cleanest dialogue tracks I possibly can, to record and preserve those performances.

 As the supervising sound editor, I work in post-production. I start pretty early on the project by reading the scripts and coming up with ideas for what will work for sound effects, creating things for these futuristic sci-fi worlds of 

. I take all of Shawn's amazing, crafted, brilliant work and tracks, and we bring them into post. Her tracks are one element of what we do, which is making it so you can hear the performances. Our characters have processing that has to happen. You know, there’re actors wearing masks, various aliens and dialects—all things that we change in post. And then we add in all the sound effects. We have a sound designer, and we build the show's soundscape around what Shawn has provided us. Then we build a soundscape around that. So I work with the showrunner and the series’ directors to ensure that all the beats in the script and what's been desired to be generated emotionally for the story is being pushed forward with the soundtrack. Then we bring all that material to our re-recording next stage, where we mix it all to make it sound as it should on your home system.

 It's our goal as a sound team to drive the story forward with what the director wants to convey, and we're a tool in the arsenal to make that happen. Sound has the ability to do that in a sort of subconscious and more emotional way. So that's what we're always striving to do. Perhaps the only thing different, being a 

 property, we will want everything to sound somewhat familiar. So we can take an episode of the original 

 video game, and a fan can pop in any one of those and there's going to be a consistent, high-quality mark across the board.

 compare to other films and shows within the 

How did you prepare to work on such a beloved property?

 There's a certain level of quality expected. This is 

 and it's iconic. And you're coming at it from this rich history. For me, a lot of my prep work was looking at costumes, seeing what would be animatronic and how we could possibly work from inside the helmets and masks. How do we get ahead of all of that? So when it comes down to shoot day, we are well prepared for whatever might get thrown our way, always able to get what we need in terms of clear, clean dialogue. I mean, the pressure was on, for sure, because we knew we had to bring the quality up to this level. That was my main concern. So we just did everything in prep that we possibly could. I went out to Legacy Effects where they do a lot of the practical creature work and costumes and figured out how we could put packs in the actors’ costumes and where we would hide mics and how we could build them in. We also designed an intricate communication system between actors that are in masks and helmets, and in animatronics earpieces—we call them earwigs—so that they could clearly hear the other actors speak. We have what we call the “voice of God” mic for the director to give direction to people in masks and helmets, which they can hear through their earwigs. We also set up speakers for the director or the assistant director to give direction to the crew and cast. There's a lot of groundwork, a lot of prep to be done. In the first season we didn't, at first, quite realise just how much we needed to do before we got started, but we made it all happen.

 The original films were so instrumental and I never expected to be working for the company that made these things. So it's still kind of a dream. The love for 

 is always there. Then the thing that always gives me new vitality on every project is all the new directors coming in and the new voices, including Jon Favreau and all that he's brought into the show. Also, being able to work with all the new picture editors and post teams that are working on 

 for the first time—you get to see how excited they are to be part of it. Star Wars still has that special feeling, so it’s wonderful to be around that energy with people feeling they want to put their best foot forward and do something that's going to be part of this legacy. I always try to bring new crew members to my team so I get to see their reactions, harness some of that energy, and then put it into the show. So that's always the new and exciting part. But we tried to work from that same aesthetic I had from George back when I was a kid, when I first started. And we're still at Skywalker Ranch and working every day in the very same locations that we did the original films, so that's pretty inspiring, as well.

What sort of challenges did you encounter during filming?

 In one of our shooting environments—what we call “The Volume”—the cast is enveloped and surrounded by massive LED screens. The minute I walked in the space for the first time, I was blown away. It was daunting. The structure of that space poses some challenges, with severe reverberance inherent in the space. But we came up with the solution. We called in an acoustical engineer that had developed a product, ZR Acoustics. They are specially-designed screens that didn't absorb or reflect the sound. Rather, it took the air that the sound travels in, and the screens would break it apart. Hence, breaking apart the sound reflections that we had in The Volume. Provided we could get the screens in the right position, they worked very well and saved our hide. It was pretty remarkable. But in the end, that is one of the things I'm actually most proud of on the show; considering the incredible environmental challenges that we faced in that space, we still managed to capture the cleanest tracks possible.

What sort of decisions did you make about how you would approach this particular series?

 I'd worked with Dave Filoni for 10-plus years on the 

 animated projects. So I knew his sound aesthetic, and I wanted to make sure that our crew members were people that would have worked with him before. I wanted to make sure we had a 

-heavy crew. So our wonderful recording mixers, Bonnie Wild and Stephen Urata, are both longtime Skywalker employees. I wanted to have them for sure, along with David Acord, our supervising sound designer. I'd worked with Jon Favreau as an actor a couple of times, but I had not worked with him as a director. He really embraced 

. And I could tell he loves using Skywalker sound as one of the components to make this track as 

. He really enjoys sound and has a lot of great ideas, and he came at it wanting realism in what we were doing. On some of it, he wanted an almost documentary-like feel. And so that's another reason why we're relying heavily upon the production sound. We want to create. We go to a lot of new worlds. We see a lot of new spaceships and creatures and hear alien dialects, so 

 is one of the core components of the soundscapes. I wanted to have a lean and mean team that had known 

 before and would be able to serve what Jon and Dave wanted, on the schedule that production had presented to us. Luckily, both Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are very much into sound, so we got to have a lot of back-and-forth detailed collaboration about what's required and what feels good as an artist. Some other people might look at sound as more of a technical thing and they don't really give it quite as much. Then you’re kind of working in a little bit of a vacuum. But Jon and Dave are very engaged, and we do many playbacks and spotting sessions with them, which is always fun for the crew.

 is known for iconic sounds. What’s the process for creating or capturing those sounds and, in your opinion, what do they add in the series?

 I've been at Skywalker sound for about 30 years and we've been fortunate to keep the 

-only projects. So when you hear a TIE fighter, or a stormtrooper blaster—something iconic like that—it's going to be representative of our show. It's not like these sounds have been used elsewhere and given to many people, such that they don't feel special anymore. Some of the sounds were created by my mentor Ben Burtt some 40 plus years ago. George Lucas originally used to consider himself a sound person, as well. So he really gave a lot of time and energy towards the sound during the post process. We would have, sometimes, a year or more to start building libraries of sounds. I supervised all the 

 prequels with Ben Burtt, and we were given months to amass a library of all kinds of sounds—animals, creatures, machines, vehicles, atmospheres—to build soundscapes similar to what Ben had in the 70s and 80s. So that's one thing that I think that we have that's unique here at Skywalker, and we've carried through on 

. Likewise, our sound designer David Acord recorded a whole bunch of new material and brought it into this new show.

With all the time and attention you’ve put into the show, what advice would you give a fan who wants to experience 

 From my standpoint, having a multi-channel system with some kind of discrete output—so that you can put your dialogue in the centre channel—will give you the best experience. Then everything will sort of fall along in that you've got the dialogue in the centre and your music and sound effects in your left and right channels (or your surrounds, if you have them). That, to me, is number one. If you have that ability and luxury to have that type of system, I'd say go for it.

What of your work on the show are you most proud of?

 I'm most proud of being able to get clean dialogue tracks inside The Volume. It was not simple to do. But I'm proud that we got that. Also, our exterior backlot location had many environmental and acoustic challenges, as well. The main objective for me is to get the dialogue and preserve those performances, which is really what I love to do. That way, the actors won't have to go back and revisit a performance because of a sound issue. They won’t need to bring back the emotions and get back into that space in their head.

 on Atmos? How would you describe that experience?

 since the beginning, in different forms. I mean, sometimes we've done it as an afterthought. But we knew we were going to do it from the beginning with 

. So we really got to take advantage of that extra height and spread of everything. And we worked in that environment natively. Whilst Jon Favreau was working on 

 system for him that duplicated our mix room at Skywalker sound. So we were able to mix 

 at Skywalker and then have it in real-time for him at Playa. It was lovely. It was great. I mean, hearing it in that full amazing fidelity…everyone really enjoyed that process.

 I have a group of actors that I use for what we call the Loop Group, which is all the background players—aliens, Jawas, stormtroopers. It's a group of actors that are all big 

 fans, so we try to put in as many little quirky cameos as we can.

Can you share any fun facts about the sound production process?

 Our sound designer David Acord has certainly put his time into recording all kinds of new vehicles and machinery to make the soundscapes that you hear. He's also enlisted the sounds of his pets and even his voice to make some of the versions of The Child that you hear. For The Child’s dialogue, we've got the sound of a Kinkajou, which is this really interesting animal. It's a mammal that he recorded that has this great sort of trill sound. We wanted that character to have a sound that didn't just sound like a baby. You know, obviously it's like 50 years old, but we wanted to have a non-verbal personality. So Dave had to come up with that using samples. We use baby samples from a member of our picture editorial team along with these animal sounds that Dave put together. Also, Dave is an actor, as well, so he used his own voice to create some of that. So all those various components fused together to become the dialogue of The Child.

Matt, you started at Lucasfilm some 30 years ago. What surprises you most about the 

 Thirty years in…I love that George Lucas hired me as a teenager. I had some really crazy ideas about sound and how to integrate computers and nonlinear editing, and all that stuff. And he really backed me and some of my crazy stuff. He wasn't saying, “You can only do this one job. And that's what you do. And that's who you are.” He was always open to new ideas and experimentation and so those prequel movies were really fun for me as far as all the different technology we put in place. And the fans are super passionate all the time. I love that there are all these different generations of fans. I don't even know how many there are at this point…four generations? But people that have seen 

 get to show their kids and grandkids and everyone has opinions on what their favourite part of it is. I've worked across many of the different genres of 

, so I have dipped my toe in all the different fan experiences. I've also acted in some of the movies, so I've had the experience of meeting fans directly and seeing that energy, how it affects people. I love the fact that people are always talking about 

 and they always have opinions. And, as I said before, the one thing that really keeps me engaged is all the new faces coming in. I'm trying to hire as many new people as I can, so they can see it and have an opportunity to work with it. I got great opportunities at Lucasfilm, and I want to pass that forward now to younger generations.

. With dialogue isolated to the central channel, you’ll have enough space to appreciate the rich soundscape created by Shawn, Matt, and the rest of the sound production team on the show. A new season of 

The Sound of The Mandalorian: Rising to the Star Wars Standard

Guest Writer

2020 might be the strangest year in recent memory, but we’ve seen first-hand how powerful music can be in helping us get through adversity. As New Year’s Eve approaches, new research by our teams across Europe shows that even if our party plans might have changed this year, there’s still plenty to celebrate.

Whoever you are and wherever you live, 2020 has undoubtedly been a year defined by upheaval and uncertainty. But it hasn’t all been doom and gloom. As this year ends, it’s vital to celebrate the collective resilience, creativity, and optimism which has flourished despite the challenges we’ve faced.

When the clock counts down on New Year’s Eve and we consign 2020 to the past, how will we feel when those complicated emotions rush to the surface? The answers offered by scientific experts and new Europe-wide research suggest a brighter and more optimistic picture than you might expect, underpinned by the collective energy and connection that music can generate.

Research commissioned by Sonos teams across Europe shows that half of all European adults are planning some form of celebration to see in the New Year, ranging from 69% of people in party-mad Denmark to a somewhat less enthusiastic 33% in the UK. 47% of people say that it’s more important than ever to celebrate the New Year after surviving this torturous year, rising to 57% of 18 to 24 year olds across the continent.

In a year where our social relationships have been especially constricted, it’s unsurprising to see that we’re desperate for interpersonal connection. While three-quarters of people tell us that they’ll be seeing in 2021 at home, interesting guests and a good party atmosphere remain central to their NYE plans.

Of course, what we listen to while we celebrate is just as important, and 68% of people say that music will be an integral part of their celebrations, with more than half believing that the right playlist can make or break a house party.

Pop music reigns supreme on 62% of playlists, with particularly devoted fans in Austria and Denmark. Dance music is the go-to soundtrack in Poland, while Italians opt for hip hop. If you’re ringing in the New Year in France or Spain, odds are you’ll be listening to R&B or indie respectively. More rarefied listeners in Austria display a taste for classical, while the Dutch are least likely to listen to music at all this New Year.

And what about the songs we’re planning to play when the clock strikes midnight? It seems that the old classics win out here, with 41% of people going for “I Want To Break Free” by Queen—its lyrics perhaps a reflection of the pressures we’ve all faced this year. The similarly optimistic “Happy New Year” by Abba and “Freedom” by George Michael round out our Top 3, followed by uplifting classics from U2, Ray Charles, and Journey. The newest entry on our NYE chart is Ariana Grande with “Thank U, Next” - another song about accepting the past and focusing on the positive.

Intriguingly, just under 50% of people across Europe think that a good playlist can make someone more attractive, and over a quarter admit to hooking up with someone at a party based on shared musical taste, crucial information if you’re hoping to end up under the mistletoe with that special someone this year. Although you might be better off trying in Poland or Spain, where two-thirds of people say kissing someone at midnight is important, compared to Italy where barely a third agree. (So much for that romantic reputation…)

How sound brings us together: “Being connected is everything.”

But music’s importance isn’t just about partying or snogging. Professor Hauke Egermann, who researches the psychological effects of music at the University of York, says that music has been a crucial social tool for withstanding the mess 2020 has thrown at us.

“Music creates experiences that are appropriate to the current situation but that are linked back to our past experiences, our experience of other times which we might miss at the moment. We've done a bit of research during the first British lockdown in the spring into how listening to nostalgic music is associated with increased well-being: using music as a tool helps people to feel well and cope with their situation.”

Our research mirrors these findings, with four out of five people agreeing that listening to music lifts their spirits. The specific detail varies across countries though: 49% of Poles plan to listen to more positive tunes in 2021, while for 36% of Spaniards singing along with friends is the key factor in their enjoyment.

For Harry Gay and his housemates, the pressures of lockdown helped inspire new digital forms of musical connection. Streamed live from their New Cross flat every Friday night, Queer House Party aims to bring solidarity and release to the LGBTQ+ community.

“The thing about music is that it brings us this really basic human feeling of just… being,” he says. “Just dancing and not caring, listening to the same song and having the same experience. If you play a song that you know everyone loves, you'll have 50 little squares on your laptop with everyone absolutely going for it. The people can see that, and it’s like they're dancing together. It just makes people feel more connected.”

“Especially for the LGBTQ+ community, being connected is everything,” Harry continues. “It's so important to be able to see yourself in others and be surrounded by like-minded people. I think the parties and music are definitely a way to rebuild that sense of community.”

That need for collective experience isn’t surprising in a year like 2020. Athina Karatzogianni, whose research focuses on the social impact of technological transformations, defines the last 12 months with a single word: rupture. “This year has been a rupture in the way we live, relate, how we exist in the world. How we socialise, how we entertain ourselves, how we work, or form relationships with our family and friends”.

Athina locates that general sense of rupture, and the impact of COVID, alongside the waves of political protest that have continued to ripple across the globe this year, from anti-mask protesters to Extinction Rebellion’s environmental activism, and Black Lives Matter challenging systemic racism. “With all this civil disobedience, direct action and so on taking place, there’s been a real question around how citizenship works, bringing discussions about what it means to be a good citizen into the mainstream”.

Again, music plays a huge role in resolving these questions and offering us a way forward, through its vital role at the heart of our rituals and celebrations.

“It’s human nature to produce memories which signify an important moment. If every day is the same, people lose their impetus to want to live for the next occasion. Part of human experience is about rewarding yourself, celebrating achievements.” says Athina. “I think this New Year will be about surviving the year more than anything else. You won't have these bigger parties, concerts and things that we used to have, but music will become an even more important element than it was before”.

The destabilising forces Athina’s research focuses on don’t only operate at the macro level, with global political movements and changes of governments, but at the micro level in our personal relationships and interactions.

Bella DePaulo is a social psychologist based at the University of California, and the author of How We Live Now. Her research suggests that 2020’s wider disruptions can have even a deeper emotional impact when our personal lives are so disjointed.

“This year has created issues around how to communicate. Relationships that were just starting don't get off the ground, relationships get fraught over things that weren’t an issue before, like getting left out of support bubbles.”

But DePaulo also suggests reasons for optimism. “There's all the good stuff too, some of which is surprising. There are people who talk about becoming closer to their family members, for example. They might have set up a recurring meeting on Zoom or some other way of being in touch, even if it’s just a discussion of what's going on in their lives.”

Home listening: Why sound (and sound quality) has become more personal this year

The concept of home recurs repeatedly in DePaulo and other experts’ work. In a year where many of us have been working from home for months on end, it’s increasingly important that our domestic spaces are comforting, enjoyable, and reinvigorating. Finding the right soundtrack is a key part of that, she says

“If you're spending more time working on your own, you can do things that you couldn't do in a shared office space, like play the music that you love. You can really create a comforting space in all the senses of the word, not just visually, but also the sounds.”

Professor Hauke Egermann agrees that sound is an increasingly fundamental part of how we understand our homes, and by extension ourselves, and that how we listen has shifted this year. “The overall functionality of music changed in 2020,” he says. “If you think about typical music listening scenarios, some of them don’t really apply anymore: the commute to work, social listening in larger contexts at parties. So, it will be a different kind of listening that's more personal.”

This is borne out by our research across Europe: 89% of people say they’d rather listen to music at home than in a club, while more than three quarters are planning to do precisely that for New Year’s Eve, staying at home to celebrate rather than going out. 45% of 18 to 24 year olds have said that they don’t care if they annoy their neighbours while stuck at home, which suggests that the early hours of 2021 might be soundtracked not only by the latest club beats, but also by a few noise complaints.

If how we listen has become more important, then so has what we’re listening on, with 52% of people saying that they value sound quality. “Music is just so much more a part of your everyday life now,” says DePaulo. “So if you can do it, it's worth investing in a higher quality experience. Because it's not just something that you try to fit in in between running to the office and back, it's there all the time. It's your home.”

Those themes continue into 2021. While our research shows that a third of Europeans are planning to spend less money than in the past, they’re still optimistic about being healthier and happier in the coming year. Just over half are planning to listen to more relaxing music, and a similar number list entertaining at home, with music of course, as a priority for the year ahead.

Reassuringly, one infamous aspect of every good house party remains stubbornly unaffected by the upheavals of 2020: 46% of people say that the next time they’re celebrating, they still expect to end up chatting in the kitchen. Even in a year defined by instability and uncertainty, it seems some things never change.

The Sound of 2020: How Listening Has Given Us Hope In A Year Of Upheaval

Corporate Social Responsibility Lead

Our Corporate Social Responsibility lead Deji Olukotun shares how Sonos is adjusting our philanthropy efforts to address a rapidly-evolving landscape for not-for-profit entities, whose work is simultaneously at risk and more in need than ever, and how you can help make an impact this Giving Tuesday.

At Sonos, listening better includes making adjustments to our giving strategy based on what we hear from the communities where we live and work. In 2018, we decided to concentrate our philanthropic efforts on supporting youth music education around the world through a programme called 

. Over the past two years, the initiative has provided children in need with opportunities to think creatively, raise academic achievement, develop social skills, and prepare for successful futures. We are thrilled with the results of the initiative and are proud of the work we’ve done with these incredible organisations.

The past year has been marked by unprecedented social, environmental, and economic upheaval in every community. It’s affected all of us. Over 40% of US adults reported adverse mental health issues in June—more than double the number for 2018

—with Black, Latinx, and Indigenous groups disproportionately affected. At the same time, we’ve been deeply inspired by acts of bravery, resilience, and hope as people have confronted difficult situations and helped heal their families and neighbours.

The world has changed, and we need to, as well. We need to do more. We responded to the racial justice crisis by matching employee donations to the Emergency Fund for Racial Justice, and to COVID-19 by producing over 30,000 face shields and giving to artistic organisations in need.

And we continue to believe in the power of music to effect positive change. So, we’ve decided to expand Soundwaves to include causes that use 

. We are excited to welcome nine new not-for-profit entities to the Soundwaves family. These organisations all have one thing in common—they create positive change and build strength in communities through the power of music.

To kick things off, we are donating 10% of our revenue from Giving Tuesday

 to these new organisations. (And speakers, too, of course.) Additionally, through 

, our free-to-use streaming music service, we’re donating ad space to not-for-profit entities to raise awareness about the amazing work they do.

40.9% of US adults polled by the CDC in June reported at least one adverse mental or behavioural health condition, up from 19.1% in 2018—a 114% increase in adverse mental or behavioural health conditions in the general public.

Musicians battle mental health conditions at a 4 times the rate of the general population. 45% of Jazz Foundation of America clients live below the poverty line.

, creating calming music for children's hospitals and other stressful environments, and theatre plays that provoke conversations about health care

, providing free bedside concerts to hospitalised COVID-19 patients

, using music therapy to promote healing in the Netherlands

, empowering diverse young people to express their creativity through music and multimedia

*, teaching youth sound design and beat making on a double-decker bus in distressed neighbourhoods in London

, providing medical care and mental wellness support to Seattle area musicians

, offering social services and medical care to indigent jazz musicians

, an organisation teaching music to youth and using technology to build innovative and accessible new instruments for people with disabilities

, providing free guitars and music lessons to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder

*United Borders is a previous Sonos Soundwaves grantee.

We remain steadfastly committed to our focus on music education, which remains a central part of our social impact work. And, I hope you’ll join me in welcoming this new group of not-for-profit entities dedicated to creating healing and resilience through the power of music. I encourage you to visit their websites or follow them on social media to learn more about their work and how you can help.

Why We Are Making Changes to Our Social Impact Efforts

Explore the local music scenes of Germany, France, the Netherlands, and the UK through six new Sonos Radio stations curated by resident experts, and see what else you can discover on Sonos Radio HD, the ultimate radio experience.

When you visit another country, you get to meet it.
When you live in another country, you get to know it.
And when you listen to its music, you get to love it.

 to be a way for listeners to explore not just music culture, but radio culture too,” said Joe Dawson, Head of Sonos Radio. “You can learn so much about a place by listening to its music. And how that music is presented on a radio station can deepen your understanding of a culture even further.” With this in mind, Dawson and the rest of the Sonos Radio team sought out local collaborators in a handful of key countries to create six new stations exclusively for Sonos Radio. “We worked with our local partners to understand things like when people listened to the radio and what sort of music curation would either fill a gap or complement existing stations. Ultimately, we wanted to create stations that spoke to the music of the country in a unique way.”

The results of these collaborations span both genres and geography. To introduce you to the new stations, we’ve asked each local curator to share a bit about how they approached programming and what you can expect when you listen.

"The opportunity to curate a station for Sonos, solely based on British Beats & Bars, is honestly a dream come true. The whole reason why I walked down my career path was really due to my love of finding new, exciting music and sharing that with people. I feel part of my purpose is to do my best in representing black music and its culture, specifically from the UK. It's a privilege to be collaborating with Sonos on this new genre station, giving a platform to a whole host of artists representing the United Kingdom right now, and the wide breadth of exciting genres that are galvanising people, including grime, drill, Afrobeats, hip hop, and everything in between. I hope that with this, Sonos can play a part in introducing some of the UK’s best, whether underground or mainstream, to a global audience, and show the world what Britain is about. It's an exciting time for the Black diaspora around the world, and music is one of the things that can connect us. I just hope everyone enjoys tuning in!"
—Scully

British Beats & Bars. The best of UK grime, rap, hip hop, and Afrobeats from breakthrough artists and producers.

“German Zeitgeist is a loving reflection of German pop culture. From Marlene Dietrich to Majan, Ton Steine Scherben to Nena. German Zeitgeist offers a hand-picked, wide musical horizon with many rare pieces and surprises in store—even for the biggest nerds.”
—Sepalot

German Zeitgeist. Singer-songwriter triumphs from both celebrated artists and up-and-comers.

“French Connection is a 360° journey in the world of French song, from the twentieth century to now. A radio without pop bubblegum, it mixes legends from the past and discoveries from the today. A wide musical palette, in French language, of authors, composers, and interpreters who make up the diversity of the local scene, from the most prestigious voices recognised internationally to the young generation concerned (like its predecessors) with the quality of its texts, whether poetic, committed, absurd, lyrical, profound, or literary. This eclectic and cross-generational selection also underlines the diversity of artists drawing from classical as well as rock, jazz, electronic music, urban music and even world music. From Georges Brassens to Clara Luciani, Serge Gainsbourg to Philippe Katerine, Alain Bashung to Feu! Chatterton, French Connection highlights the influences, legacies, and links between past and present songwriters.”

French Connection. Everything from legendary chanteuses to a new wave of alternative French artists.

“Being a musician I listen to music all the time, so being able to collaborate with Sonos Radio in curating a listening journey that introduces you to all my friends and favourites popping off in the UK jazz scene has been a proper vibe. On Session Sounds, I’ve focused on really championing the artists and musicians who have become a staple part of the live music community, forming the pillars of a thriving creative scene in the UK right now. My approach in building this station was thinking about the listener, and curating it as a place of discovery for newcomers, but also a place for those already familiar who just want to hang out in a zone with their favourites. I delved into the past, present, and ones to watch, creating a listening experience that interweaves genres and scenes with live vocals, live beats, live bars, and all the bleeps and squeaks in between. I wanted to showcase the distinct styles and artists that have evolved in Britain over the last 20 years—from jazz standards to crossover sounds, from soul, rap, indie, and hip hop to instrumental music at the forefront of popular music today. I think of Session Sounds as an invitation to a vibey, guided tour throughout London and the other regions. This station is where you can connect the dots and reflect on the influence of a new UK jazz culture through compelling, experimental artists and musicians shaping the new ‘instrumentation’ scene.”
—Kwake Bass

Session Sounds. UK's thriving underground scene, featuring jazz-inspired soul, hip hop, and electronica.

“I have very much enjoyed curating Radio à Gogo, the first original station on Sonos Radio developed with the Dutch listener in mind. The station has that perfect mix of jazz, rock 'n roll, disco, Motown, pop, R&B, and much more. To curate the station I did a deep dive into my own archives and hand-picked forgotten classics by great artists, then mixed that with modern day bands that have proven to be more than one-hit wonders. Radio à Gogo features artists who change(d) the world of music, bringing inspiration for generations to come. Every day, Radio à Gogo brings a continuous stream of influential artists and music that tells a story. Mixed with home-grown talent especially for our Dutch listeners, Radio à Gogo has plenty of hidden gems, all time favourites, and some Dutch delights to discover!”
—Sander de Heer

Radio à Gogo. Top international pop gems and under-the-radar Dutch hits from the 1960s to today.

“Hip hop and rap in Germany has long since outgrown its infancy. Never before has this genre been as diverse and present as it is today. While there have been times the genre was part of an underground youth culture, the Top 100 chart is no longer imaginable without ‘chanting’ [hip hop and rap songs] from Germany. Hip Hop Stammtisch gathers the complete musical range of 25 years of the genre.”
—DJ Buzz-T

Hip Hop Stammtisch. The evolution of Deutschrap from late 80s and early 90s to current chart-toppers.

Want to listen ad-free and in high definition? Sonos Radio HD delivers your favourite stations in lossless, CD-quality audio—the highest quality sound of any radio streaming service. Plus, you’ll get access to an expanded catalog of original stations, sounds for sleep and relaxation, and more in-depth artist content, kicking off with Songteller Radio, curated by the world’s most beloved entertainer, Dolly Parton.

"I had so much fun getting to share little stories and tidbits from the songs that have made up my life"

“I had so much fun getting to share little stories and tidbits from the songs that have made up my life and career,” Parton said. “My new radio station brings to life my favourite music and stories, similar to those that readers will explore in my first lyric book, Songteller, as well as my new Christmas album, A Holly Dolly Christmas. It always excites me to reach my fans—and hopefully new listeners too.”

Exclusively on Sonos Radio HD, Songteller Radio will continually evolve with Parton’s hits, favourite artists, and special commentary on songs and moments throughout her career.

Sonos Radio was created as a way of bringing music discovery and enjoyment to your Sonos system. And now with our internationally curated stations, an opportunity to remember what it’s like to stumble upon a music venue that’s off the beaten path, alive with the energy of a burgeoning music movement. Sonos Radio and Sonos Radio HD are now playing.

Travel Abroad With Six New Stations on Sonos Radio

Whilst the Emmy-winning score Ludwig Göransson composed for 

 is meant to evoke the lone man’s journey, his own path has been enriched by long-term friendships (Ryan Coogler, Donald Glover), fruitful collaborations (Jon Favreau, Christopher Nolan), and an eagerness to incorporate an international array of musical cultures, styles, and expressions into his life and work. From embracing organic, tactile instruments he learned to play as a child to collaborating with Sonos’s engineering team to tune Arc, Göransson is passionate about all aspects of sound. His new station on Sonos Radio, Things That Stuck, debuts today. In this interview, he shares what inspired his station, how he knew he was going to win the Academy Award moments before his name was called, and why he’s so excited for Season 2 of 

The moment he finally heard the orchestra play the score he’d written for the first season of 

 was a special one for Ludwig Göransson. “With the orchestra, it’s the first time that it comes to life,” he said. “You have 70 or 80 of the best musicians in the world playing together, breathing together, putting their efforts into their instruments. And that’s when it starts to feel human.” Up until that moment, he’d cultivated the music mostly on his own, tending to it like a caregiver. In the case of 

, he worked on the score for seven months before sessions with the orchestra began. There were lofty expectations. The music for the first live-action 

 series needed to complement Jon Favreau’s unique vision for the show, whilst also standing alongside John Williams’s revered score for the original films. So the moment when it all came together with an orchestra was significant. “I think it's the closest I will get to delivering a baby,” he said.

Like much of Göransson’s career, what happened next is more collaborative. “One of the most fun parts of the process is being in the room with the orchestra and shaping it into something you didn't know existed, something you didn't think it could sound like,” he said. “You can take an idea and—if you work with a great orchestra—you can give them the story and tell them what the music is supposed to mean and then you hear it shape their performance.”

 universe has defined “the future” since Göransson was a kid. But when it came time for him to score for 

, he intentionally chose a more organic approach. “I wanted to connect with the feeling I had as a kid when I watched 

 for the first time,” he said. “The only way to come back to that feeling was to step away from the computer and use real instruments, instruments I could touch.” Göransson started with one familiar to many who took a music class in school—the bass woodwind recorder. “It had this really unique sound that I was instantly drawn to,” he said. “So I started improvising on that for a day and those are the very first notes you hear in 

Based on his initial conversations with Favreau, Göransson knew the series should sound evocative of a lone journeyer. So, Göransson went on a journey himself, spending hours alone in a studio filled with instruments. “I wanted the music to be very direct and intimate. And I wanted it to feel small in the beginning. After arriving at the recorder riff, I got the idea to put a heartbeat under it. So I went to the drum and added a heartbeat sound. Next I went to the piano and wrote the bassline. Then I went to my electric guitar and wrote the first melody with some distortion. I basically was closed off in my studio for a month, jumping from instrument to instrument.”

Whilst music is integral to any property in the 

 universe, it’s even more critical in context of 

. “The score is the facial expressions of the Mandalorian,” Göransson said. “You never see his face because he's always covered with a helmet. You only hear his voice and see his body language. So the score is extremely important in telling the story of what he's feeling.”

To ensure that his score blended seamlessly with the high-tech look and feel of the series, Göransson worked closely with the sound team. “To me, sound and music go hand in hand,” he said. “With today’s technology, we can manipulate sounds. We can take something that everyone's familiar with, like the clanking of the Mandalorian’s boots, for example, and we can turn that into a music element. There are so many ways to use new technology with sound and turn sounds into music, which gives the listeners and audience a new and different experience, something they’ve never heard before.”

Göransson’s own excitement for the second season of the series is palpable. “We’re going to go to so many more places,” he said. “We're going to meet so many new characters and see things we've never seen or experienced before. So you know you’re about to go on a really fun ride.”

One of Göransson’s first big jobs in Hollywood was scoring the NBC series 

. Whilst working on the show, he became close with Donald Glover, one of the stars of the series. Glover was impressed by Göransson’s classical and jazz background and they started working together on music for Glover’s alter ego, Childish Gambino. The collaboration would go on to net four Grammys for the song “This Is America” and its accompanying music video.

Besides winning him awards, the breadth of Göransson’s oeuvre has also had a major influence on his unique film scores. “I bring insights from everything I do into scoring. There are ideas in producing a record, for example, that I can bring with me into films. I like how you can blend worlds together and make it feel new.”

The partnership that would eventually result in Göransson’s Academy Award began even earlier than his collaboration with Glover. Whilst attending USC’s screen-scoring programme, Göransson connected with director and fellow USC student Ryan Coogler over a game of pool at a party. The two hit it off whilst discussing their favourite Swedish hip-hop artists and Coogler asked Göransson to score his student film, 

. Göransson would go on to score two more Coogler films that were more high-profile: 2013’s 

. Göransson said, “I've been fortunate that every project I work on, I get to learn so many new things. I’m inspired by something new each time. For example, on 

, I didn't only learn new music, but I also learned about the meaning of music in relationship to African culture. I made lifelong friends with a lot of the performers that played on the score, that I'm still talking to every week, learning what music means to them. Music has brought me so many new friendships and opened up my world in ways I never could have expected.”

The Sound of The Mandalorian: Rising to the Star Wars Standard

The Sound of 2020: How Listening Has Given Us Hope In A Year Of Upheaval

Travel Abroad With Six New Stations on Sonos Radio

Things That Stuck: The Mandalorian’s Composer on the Second Season and His New Sonos Radio Station

Lunar White Move: A Conversation with Sonos's Design Director of Colour, Material, Finish

I Got a Sonos Arc and Then Didn’t Leave My Home for Weeks. Here’s What Happened.

Full Spectrum on Sonos Radio: The Story Behind the Station

Arc’s Stealth Superpower

Sub and Five: Modern Interpretations. Original Artistry.

What Sound Means “Sonos”? Philip Glass Had the Answer.

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Travel Abroad With Six New Stations on Sonos Radio