LCD SoundSystem's Nike+iPod Soundtrack Released on Vinyl

Call it sponsorship, synergy, or selling out, but artists are making weirder and weirder deals with corporations these days. One example is 45:33, which James Murphy (LCD Sound System) recorded for Nike for use on the Nike+iPod "Original Run" series, which was designed to structure joggers' workouts with pulse monitoring and tempo variation. (The album's time-themed title is an apparent nod to John Cage.)

Now, LCD SoundSystem fans and workout enthusiasts who don't use Nike+iPod can purchase the album on 2 vinyl LPS or 1 CD, in addition to digitally within the iTunes store. According to Insound, Murphy enjoyed creating music under the tempo-related constraints imposed by the Nike+iPod format:

45:33 was originally recorded by James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem) as a continuous album-length disco symphony. Commissioned by Nike for their Original Run series, it was the second in the series and proved a massive success, both critically and commercially.

It is the result of Murphy's desire to create a piece of music outside the typical commercial constraints. 45:33 is a refreshing audio creation, complete and fulfilling--moving through a dynamic range of tempos and rhythms, all the while maintaining the essence of an LCD Soundsystem recording. Murphy explains that "this appealed to me because it was so anathematic to what you're typically asked to do as an artist-- make easily digestible lumps of music for albums, or the radio, or whatever."

On those all-too-rare occasions when I actually make it to the gymthese days, I've found LCD SoundSystem's other albums to be excellentworkout music, so I'll probably have to pick this one up -- it'sperfect for that "25 minutes of cardio, 20:33 of weights" routine I'vebeen trying to stick to.

(via insound)*