Heathrow has invited a Grammy-nominated musician to sample airport sounds - from conveyor belts to the roar of take-off - and turn them into an ambient track that will be played in terminals throughout the summer. Olivia Palamountain reports

Grammy-nominated musician, Jordan Rakei, has created what's believed to be the world's first piece of music made entirely from the sounds of an airport.

Rakei, known for hits including Borderline and Midnight Mischief, was given unprecedented access to Heathrow's airfields and baggage handling systems to create Music for Heathrow - a track designed to capture the excitement and anticipation of starting a summer holiday.

Rakei spent time recording more than 50 sounds from across Europe's largest airport, from the rhythm of baggage belts to the hum of escalators, to create the composition.

An homage to Brian Eno's seminal 1978 album Music for Airports which is credited with launching the ambient music genre. Rakei's version transforms everyday airport sounds into musical elements, with passport stamps and bags hitting conveyor belts providing percussion, whilst a jet taking off was transformed into a synthesiser.

The track follows a passenger's journey from check-in to take-off and includes sounds from locations featured in famous films. These include the tapping of passengers' feet as they wait at Terminal 2's gate (featured in Bend It Like Beckham), the beeps from Terminal 3's security scanner that Sam runs through in Love Actually, and engine sounds from the tarmac where Die Another Day was filmed."Having travelled all over the world for my music and spent a huge amount of time in airports, I've always loved that buzz that comes with the excitement and anticipation of travel," Rakei says. "So, getting the chance to turn Heathrow's many sounds into music was an honour."

He adds: "I spent time in every part of the airport, recording so many sounds from baggage belts to boarding calls, and used them to create something that reflects that whole pre-flight vibe. It's all about building suspense and setting the mood for wherever you're headed on your summer holiday."The track, which is designed to loop seamlessly, will be played throughout Heathrow's terminals this summer as the airport prepares for what could be its busiest season on record, with 250,000 passengers expected daily.

Among the sounds incorporated are a baggage control siren transformed into a soft synthesiser, tannoy announcement chimes, the low rumble of plane engines starting up, and ambient chatter from throughout the terminals. A water fountain provides ambient background, whilst radio chatter between traffic control and pilots adds authentic airport atmosphere.Lee Boyle, head of terminals (services) at Heathrow, says: "Nothing compares to the excitement of stepping foot in the airport for the start of a summer holiday, and this new soundtrack perfectly captures those feelings. We're excited to have Jordan on board to create this one-of-a-kind soundtrack, sampling so many real life sounds from everything that passengers experience during their time at Heathrow."

The project represents the start of a summer of music at Heathrow, with live performances scheduled every Friday throughout July featuring artists including The Cash Cows and the Urban Cellist.

Heathrow reports that this summer is shaping up to be its busiest on record, with an estimated 250,000 predicted to take off daily.This summer's most popular destinations include Barbados, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Italy, Greece, Slovenia and Florida, alongside perennial favourites such as New York and Dubai.

Rakei, who recently became the first artist in residence at Abbey Road Studios, structured the composition into four parts to mirror Eno's original work and reflect the stages of an airport journey.

The track is available on SoundCloud and can be heard in Heathrow terminals throughout the summer.

Heathrow live music performances

July  11 - Emilija Karaliute and Michael Sebastian

July 18 - Gio Dara, Jade Thornton and Liam Mera Kai

July 25 - Omar Rios and The Cash Cows

The sounds used in Music for Heathrow include:

• Siren from baggage control, made into a soft synthesiser
• Tannoy announcement ‘ding dong’
• A plane taking off, which was sampled and turned into an arpeggiated synth
• Low rumble from a plane starting up its engine, sampled and turned into a bass instrument
• Ambient background noise from announcements, chatter and more
• Lift ding
• Footsteps walking through Arrivals
• Water fountain for ambience and ASMR
• Radio chatter, from traffic control to pilots
• Bag clanks and hits from the baggage belt for percussion
• Passport stamps for percussion
• Baggage handlers’ pressure devices
• A plane landing