Into The Bright Kyoto

In collaboration with Saffron Brand Consultants, Sonic Minds created an atmospheric audio identity for Into the Bright Kyoto, a four-day conference bringing together global leaders to explore the fusion of tradition and innovation through the lens of kanyō.

Industry:

Events & Cultural Identity

Services:

Audio Identity Ambient Soundscape Event Music

Overview

Sonic Minds collaborated with Saffron Brand Consultants, a global branding consultancy agency, on their second edition of the Into the Bright Series. The event named Into the Bright, Kyoto: Luminaries of Change was a four-day event that brought together global leaders from entrepreneurship, art, architecture, AI, design, and branding to explore the fusion of tradition and innovation, all guided by the Japanese concept of kanyō, tolerance, forbearance, and generosity.

Learn more about Saffron’s perspective on the event at Saffron’s Kyoto Journal or visit Saffron Brand Consultants.

The challenge

From climate emergencies to widening social divides, everyday life often tends to get overshadowed by crises of trust, identity, and shared purpose. Innovation feels dim, and the need for a thorough ongoing discussion about a brighter future seems increasingly important.

In order to spark creative solutions that guide us forward into a brighter future, Saffron invited business executives and creative professionals to help navigate in these shifting times through collective wisdom and meaningful change leading the way into the bright.

Saffron Into The Bright Presentation Right

The solution

Kanyō, Tolerance, forbearance and generosity

As part of this collaboration, Sonic Minds created immersive soundscapes designed to envelop the audience in an ambient musical tapestry radiating harmony, calm, and balance, an expression of the kanyō philosophy. These compositions were aptly named “Baransu”, the Japanese word for “balance,” reinforcing the event’s central theme.

Listen to the foundation of the sonic identity below:

Timeless flow

The stage was set in Kyoto, a city rich with cultural heritage and innovative spirit. This inspired the music to be in touch with the traditional heritage of Japan, while still being untied to any concrete cultural characteristics, to remain timeless and progressive in its expression.

We came up with the idea of a timeless atemporal ambience track where we could implement different themes on top without it being tied to a certain beat. “Baransu” kept everything in balance while different themes called attention to the stage.

Set the scene

Listen to the opening theme, feel the welcoming atmosphere, and notice how it seamlessly flows into the main ambience track as a natural extension.

Every theme consists of a melody catching the attention of the listener. The Welcome melody sets the scene, positive overall, with a subtle melancholic tone fitting the nature of the event.

Inspired by Japanese heritage and Zen meditation included in the event, the welcome theme was accompanied by a sound-designed environment bearing a close resemblance to a Japanese garden with synthesized chimes and water droplets mixed with human breathing and water.

To further enhance the cultural reference, we implemented a tongue drum, altering it with modern tools to develop a new progressive sound that stands on the shoulders of musical heritage.

Timeless cues: Walk On & Walk Off

With knowledgeable speakers at the event, we designed pieces for walking on and off the stage using the same atemporal principles.

Walk On

Walk Off

Open and close

Isolating the melodies reveals how the Walk-On melody opens up while the Walk-Off concludes, musically tying a knot around each speaker presentation.

The result

With Into The Bright Kyoto and Baransu, we didn’t just compose event music; we created an auditory experience that became key to the nerve of the event itself. It was about shaping a state of mind, an evolving ambience adapting to the moment while maintaining harmony and flow.

Words from client

“Thank you very much for your support and partnership. Your sound concept worked very nicely and added a layer of sophistication and immersive quality to the conference. Motion and sound elevated the whole set up and we got very good feedback from the audience.”

Gabor Schreier

Chief Creative Officer

Saffron Brand Consultants