“I remember the first time I rode a bicycle,” says composer ‘johnnyrandom’. “It felt like freedom. I associate the sounds of a bicycle with this feeling.” The desire to capture this feeling in auditory form sparked a highly unusual project meshing music with everyday objects, in which a bicycle was treated like a musical instrument. So what, exactly, does a bicycle sound like when it’s purposefully used for musical purposes?
Johnnyrandom | Bespoken from Johnnyrandom on Vimeo.
Watch the video above to find out. Most of us put cards in our spokes as kids and remember that whizzing, clicking sound as we rode down the street. The composer set out to tune the spokes so they make music.
The music created uses no traditional musical instruments – no synthesizers, strings or drums. Just disc brakes, spokes, chains and other bicycle elements.
In a sense it’s almost like a musical love letter to the bicycle. “Through music, I want to change how people see their surroundings, and I hope this will inspire others to look at everyday objects with more curiosity and wonder.”

