New app to give Metrolink riders a personalised soundtrack for their journey

A new musical project hopes to revolutionise Metrolink journeys by offering riders a unique soundtrack based on where they’re travelling.

TRAMBIENT was created by Fritz von Runtee — inspired by his daily journey on the tram network, the app will provide a pre-recorded personal soundtrack to suit the Metrolink route between Bury and Manchester.

Fritz is a Manchester music maker and record producer with a career of over 20 years. Known for his remixes, he’s worked with 808 State, Freebass, David Bowie, Pet Shop Boys, Leslie Winer, Dire Straits and Renegade Soundwave, to name a few.

The app will sync music created by Fritz to the tram journey, transitioning each track when the stops change, making a unique mix on every listen. Moods will shift between calming through the suburbs and energising from the city.

Fritz said: “TRAMBIENT is a love letter to North Manchester.  By weaving music into the fabric of placemaking, we create deeper connections between people and their surroundings.  In Tokyo, every train stop has a four-note melody. We’ll be having a whole track for each tram stop. TRAMBIENT is also a new music format that’s dynamic and responsive, syncing its track order and timings to the tram journeys, making every play unique.”

TRAMBIENT uses a special algorithm that makes every play a different one for the listener. The mix with the tracks for each Bury line tram stop will be done based on the travel times of the day and with an element of randomicity, providing potentially 1.7 million different versions of the ‘record’.

Fritz moved to Bury in 2021 after living most of his life in South Manchester. Talking about the move he said; “But my friends didn’t move with me. My barber, Tony from Parting of the Waves, didn’t move to Bury. My favourite coffee place, my favourite record shops, and even my dry cleaner were all still in South Manchester. So I began to use the tram quite a lot, at least twice a week, to continue these relationships. It gave me a much bigger perspective of my city and the people of Manchester.”

TRAMBIENT will launch on Fri 11 Oct in conjunction with Beyond the Music Festival. The app will launch with a preview event on the 6.05pm journey from Bury to Shudehill that day. Those wishing to join that first journey can register here.