Lamborghini x Spotify: Engine Songs

On Spotify, Lamborghini presents three playlists celebrating the music of the naturally-aspirated V12, V10, and twin-turbo V8, including artwork done by graphic designer Vasjen Katro. Music Producer Alex Trecarichi created The Engine Songs with Lamborghini's sound engineer, Mario Mautone, to deliver psychoacoustics and sensory immersion in the most comprehensive and all-encompassing driving experience.

Each playlist pairs emotive, unleashed engine sounds with songs tuned to its roar and vibrations. For The Engine Songs, Trecarichi applied the Fourier Transform formula to the engine's music: a mathematical function the brain uses instinctively to break down sounds into their subcomponents. By using artificial intelligence, Trecarichi recreated the brain's natural abilities in the studio: “This procedure enabled me to find the basic frequencies of the engine coinciding with the three precise phases of its expressiveness: ignition (idling), the 4,000-rpm speed, and at top speeds of 7,000-rpm or higher, depending if it’s a V8, V10 or V12.

The song compilations was developed with psychoacoustics in mind: the science of sound and pure emotion, which Lamborghini applies to all engines during concept stages. Tests are conducted on engine noise, using prototypes built inside a futuristic semi-anechoic chamber in Sant'Agata Bolognese, to ensure the engine's inimitable symphonies stir the driver's body, heart, and mind.

V12 Engine - Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae

The unique experiment began with the artistic transposition of the V12 from the Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae: the last descendent of twelve-cylinder sports cars that have powered Lamborghini models for nearly 60 years. At its lowest revs, the engine sings in F-sharp (92.50 Hz). This is the same key as the soundtrack Canone Infinito by Lorenzo Senni, also on the V12 playlist. It tunes to G (98 Hz) at 4,000 rpm, so you can cruise along listening to Run Away by Ben Böhmer. At its peak speed of 8,000 rpm, the V12 reaches the G-sharp (103.83 Hz) of Sam Collins' We Can All Dance.

In The Engine Songs: Let’s Talk V12 video, Trecarichi chats with Song’s Co-Creator, Lamborghini’s NVH Whole Vehicle Coordinator, Mario Mautone, an aerospace and sound engineer. 

One of the aspects I pay attention to is the harshness of sound that sets Lamborghini apart,” explains Mautone, “It’s that raw, metallic echo which is then embodied in the psychoacoustic experience, the chemical and emotional response to the sound wave that our brains transform into positive emotions and memories. This is why I associate the sound of the V12 with that of a violin: the instrument par excellence of high notes, capable of a crescendo from loudness to sharpness, and quite similar to what is generated by the Lamborghini V12.”

V10 Engine - Huracán Tecnica

This Lamborghini V10 engine song comes from the Huracán Tecnica.  While going through the gears, the engine produces musical crescendos and tangible vibrations that influence driving perceptions and engagement.

“Studies show the sound experience behind the wheel of a Huracán Tecnica is immersive and enhances the fun-to-drive sensations,” explained Mario Mautone, Lamborghini NVH whole vehicle coordinator. “Even though it’s a coupe, the sensation is akin to driving a spyder with the roof down, while still being totally protected inside its passenger compartment.”

“Feelings of relaxation and light-heartedness is the inspiration for the music selection,” Trecarichi explained in the second episode of The Engine Songs: Let’s talk V10 video interviews. “It is mostly a compilation of electronic music that calls to mind friends, weekends, fun and that sensation you experience when you get into the car to go dancing.”

“The V10 tunes up, starting from the engine to then reach the exhaust system and the intake manifold, just like a musical instrument,” Mautone explained further. “Even more poignantly, in the case of the V10 the range of sounds and frequencies is like a female voice, delivering a beautiful high intensity.”

Idling, the Huracán Tecnica engine sings in E (41.2 hertz), the same tone as Hot Cause I'm Fly by Moodrich. Those vibrations tune up to F-sharp (92.5 hertz) at 4,500 rpm, setting off Arrival and Departure's syncopated hip hop. At 8,000 rpm, Corey Taylor's Black Eyes Blue's matches the Tecnica's E (164.81 hertz). Amazing!

V8 Engine – Lamborghini Urus

Urus Performante hits 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds. With just 2300 rpm, it can unleash 850 Nm. A simple click on the sound system tunes the pounding sound of Lamborghini's Super SUV with twenty-four new songs from The Engine Songs, the compilation that puts engine vibrations to music.

This V8 chapter is dedicated to the Urus Performante’s eight-cylinder engine’s “deep and rhythmic” sound, as defined by music producer Alex Trecarichi and Mauro Mautone.

“To create the playlist, I started from an analysis of the essential frequency of the engine,” explains Trecarichi. “In the case of the Urus, the parameter that registered was 50 hertz, corresponding to the fundamental vibrations of a drum kit. As an important part of the playlist, it had to be represented by the rhythm.”

Urus Performante's engine sings in C at its lowest rpm, the same key as Gabriel Dominguez's Afro mix "Un gypsy lost". The vibrations tune to G at 4000 rpm, and the soul of "Boogie Fever" comes out. 7000 rpm brings the syncopated C-sharp of White Lies' song "Is My Love Enough".

“Driving the Urus Performante with our music playing in the background makes you want to set off and head north, with no specific destination,” fantasizes Trecarichi. 

“I, on the other hand, imagined a rally track deep in the United States. Having fun behind the wheel with my best friends,” echoes Mautone.

Click here to listen to the playlist The Engine Songs: V8.

Click here to listen to the playlist The Engine Songs: V10.

 Click here to listen to the playlist The Engine Songs: V12.

 Click here to watch the discussion of the creation of the Engine Songs


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Ray Chang