WithFeeling Sinks Its Teeth Into FoodSphere Riyadh

Dubai-based sonic branding agency WithFeeling lends its audio expertise to FoodSphere, Riyadh’s newest immersive food experience. The team created an entire sonic identity, including bespoke music, soundscapes, voiceovers, and sound effects.

WithFeeling continues to build its position as one of the leading names in sound across Saudi Arabia. The Dubai-based sonic branding agency recently took on a huge task: creating and implementing the entire sonic identity of the Riyadh Oases Tahliya FoodSphere.

A visionary collaboration between Riyadh Municipality and Riyadh Holding, the 11,000-square-metre immersive space is the first in a network of eight Oases across Riyadh, a city-wide initiative of free-to-access experiences and edutainment centres. And, as the Kingdom continues to develop a new acceptance and understanding of the importance of sound as a fundamental part of brand identity, WithFeeling was a natural fit for the creative cultural consultancy behind the development of the concept, &bouqu, and photo and film production company, GOOD Stills, when selecting an audio partner.

The WithFeeling team, led by Chief Music Officer and Co-Founder, Joe Dickinson, composed over four hours of original music in total for the project, blending traditional Saudi motifs with contemporary sounds to carefully craft an emotive soundscape. With each zone of the FoodSphere featuring its own bespoke ambient composition to enhance the visitor experience, this was by no means an easy feat.

Joe Says, “This project really pushed us to explore the length and breadth of services we can provide. Not only did we have to create a unique sonic identity to begin with, we then needed to weave this through every piece of music and every soundscape we created. Each themed zone within FoodSphere had its own very specific feel, so we really leaned into this when it came to composition. For example, in The Apiary zone – which tells the story of Saudi’s long history with honey – we wanted the music to remain organic and natural to reflect nature and calm, so we kept it all acoustic, with Oud, Ney flute, and Rubab representing the instrumentation of the region.”

Joe continues, “For The Oasis zone – where the deep roots of coffee in Saudi’s history and culture are celebrated – we not only continued to use a rich blend of traditional Arabic instrumentation, but authentic field recordings from the Jazan region were taken to transport visitors’ minds straight to the heart of the action. We also developed interactive hologram voiceovers, bringing authenticity to exhibits throughout FoodSphere, and produced and mixed soundtracks for the accompanying documentary and digital installations to ensure a seamless auditory journey.”

The composition of an official FoodSphere theme underpins the entire portfolio of work, and it shaped the creative process from day one. This signature piece is instantly recognisable as the experience’s own sonic brand. It formed the basis for every other audio element throughout the immersive experience.

Joe says, “In line with Vision 2030, we’re seeing so many Saudi organisations looking to build a strong, recognisable and lasting brand, and they are quickly becoming leading advocates in using sound as a tool to help do this.”

“For us, particularly when working on cultural heritage projects such as FoodSphere, the importance of representation and authenticity can’t be ignored. While an outside listener might only hear ‘Arabic drums’ in a piece of music, we understand that there is much more to it. Everything from whether it’s the darbuka, riq, or daf, to the unique and identifiable rhythm it plays, will represent different regions within the Kingdom and tell a different story.”

WithFeeling artfully weaves nods to Saudi heritage into the sonic brands it creates, using subtle nuances such as these. This understanding of the Kingdom’s rich culture and history made the agency the natural first choice to create and implement FoodSphere’s audio.

Leighla McGregor, Executive Producer of GOOD Stills New Project Division, says, “WithFeeling are our go-to for music composition and audio production. Their deep understanding of Saudi’s musical landscape, combined with their technical expertise in both traditional and spatial audio, consistently adds a unique richness to our projects. They know how to paint a space with sound in a way that beautifully complements our visual storytelling.”

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