Sound of tomorrow
For Mazda, VML (then Wunderman Thompson / These Days) launched The Sound of Tomorrow, an ambitious campaign linking the Mazda MX-5 to the energy of Tomorrowland. The goal: to position Mazda’s iconic roadster as youthful, dynamic, and fun to drive - blending the worlds of performance and music in one striking experience.
Our role was to bridge creativity and technology - aligning the right partners (notably MoJuice) and helping shape and safeguard the technical possibilities behind the concept. We also developed the campaign platform, where visitors could explore the MX-5 in a playful, interactive way.
The highlight: a DJ mixing panel that let users remix the sounds captured live during an epic drift performance. Multiple audio channels recorded from the car could be filtered and mixed in real time - revealing the new Tomorrowland anthem hidden within the roar of the drifting Mazda MX-5.
About the campaign
The campaign launched in 2016 in Belgium.
Objective: position the Mazda MX-5 as dynamic, youthful and fun to drive, while connecting the car to music culture and the festival scene — with Tomorrowland as the main activation platform.
Core idea: the MX-5 “drives” on a giant vinyl record setup, acting as the needle of a record player. The car’s movement influences the music in real time.
Creative concept by These Days, with technical development and production by MoJuice.
How it works (tech & execution)
A large vinyl-record stage was built, designed so the MX-5 could follow a spiral path or perform controlled drift movements.
The car was equipped with infrared beacons, and multiple IR tracking cameras (using the BlackTrax system) captured its exact position in real time.
The vehicle’s movement was directly linked to the music: speed, position and deviations from the spiral triggered effects such as tempo changes, accelerations, slow-downs, or even scratching when the car drifted off-track.
DJ Licious — a well-known Tomorrowland regular — joined the project as ambassador and guided the drift performance to ensure the rhythm and musical timing matched the track.
The campaign then activated festival audiences: fans could guess which song the MX-5 was “playing” through an interactive website and take part in related contests.
