Pyramid x ArianeGroup: When Music and Space Collide 11-22-2019 |  15 minutes

ATMOSPHERE is a tribute to the pioneering spirit of discovery which resonates with both the general public and the professionals who played their part in this extraordinary adventure.

This music is a universal message of respect for the men and women who shaped and continue to shape the future. An epic six-track voyage that tells the tale of a European dream made reality, in which humanity took to the skies on a mission to constantly roll back the boundaries of the known.

The Ariane rocket: a European dream
In the aftermath of World War II, the goal of the conquest of space united Europe, giving people from many nations hope in the idea of harnessing what had until then been just the stuff of fiction. The Ariane programme paved the way for a bright new European future. Today, too, if we can come together and pool our expertise, we are capable of great things. A trail to the future is blazed.

Human ingenuity unfurled in all its beautiful complexity. Building the Ariane rocket – the first rocket ever made in Europe – was a challenge eagerly taken up by the engineers, technicians and hundreds of professionals involved in the project. Ten countries got involved and began collaborating. From the tiniest nuts and bolts to thousands of cubic metres of propellants and millions of different calculations, this monumental masterpiece began to take shape.

The inertial system was unlocked, the Viking engines were fired up, and 1,500 kg of propellant began blazing: Ariane took off with incredible power and grace. Unable to tear their eyes away from the tracking screens, after nail-biting, nerve-shredding hours on tenterhooks, the team watched in head-spinning anticipation, hearts beating in unison. And then the Ariane rocket was up and away, and a shared dream sparked into life with it. Ariane was on a mission to dispatch its very first satellite into the deep, silent immensity of the Earth’s orbit.

Success after success followed. Each new challenge was met and surpassed. Europe began building on its space power and mastery with each new accomplished launch. Ariane 5 emerged as an epic embodiment of human technological ingenuity, a culmination of decades of perfectly mastered skill that would propel the world into a new dimension. The sky and stars were within our reach. Europe was on the rise, its expertise knowing no bounds.

The technology at our fingertips brings comfort to our lives and connects us to the world. A few hundred miles above our heads, satellites circle, mingling with the stars and mapping out our destiny. When we raise our eyes to the heavens, we contemplating the magic that Ariane adds to our modern lives, consciously or subconsciously.

The end of a chapter is also the beginning of a new adventure. As this mini album draws to a close, here, in the space where the electric beats and melodies fade out, is where the story really begins. Ariane 6 picks up where Ariane 5 left off, driving the dream on, giving hope the wings it needs to soar ever further, towards the moon, and towards our destiny.

Come behind the scenes to find out more about how this mini-album was composed and produced. A form of emotion-based science as fascinating as rocket-building.

No birthday party is complete without presents! To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Ariane’s first launch, we’re running an exclusive competition in honor of Pyramid and ArianeGroup’s fabulous collaboration.

From 09 December to 18 December, try your luck at winning one of the ATMOSPHERE EP collector vinyl records: head over to Instagram, snap a selfie with one of our filters and share it on Instagram or Twitter using #WithAriane, or in a comment on the pinned post on our Facebook page.
For more details on how the competition works, check out the rules: bit.ly/Ariane40Contest