Building on the success of previous years, Secret 7” is returning in style for its 2015 exhibition at Somerset House, showcasing a list of names so prominent, it reads like an A-Z of international creative royalty. Launched in 2012 with the support of Universal Music, the exhibitions notoriety has spread like wildfire, with all profits from this years show going to musical therapy charity Nordoff Robbins.
The recipe for Secret 7” is simple; you take 7 internationally renowned music acts, select one iconic track from each, and then press it 100 times to vinyl. This years track selection is comprised of hits from 7 legendary musical artists, featuring The Rolling Stones, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Underworld, The Chemical Brothers, St. Vincent, Peter Gabriel and The Maccabees. The result sees the 700 blank canvases turned into one-of-a-kind vinyl sleeves, with contributions from creative legends like Sir Peter Blake, Yoko Ono and Sir Paul Smith, alongside mere mortals who simply hold a passion for design. The public are then given the opportunity to purchase the one-off designs for a fixed price of £50. Well of course I’ll just buy the one designed by that famous bloke, I hear you cry? Therein lies the catch. All 700 sleeves are exhibited anonymously, you won’t know which track you will be getting or even who the designer is until after the purchase – sorry, refunds aren’t accepted!
This year’s show is set to be an immersive experience with a number of interactive activities taking places alongside the exhibition. Why not try your hand at a 15 minute recording session in a pop-up studio? The result of which will see your creation transferred into the vinyl cutting room where you can watch your masterpiece being transformed into a one-off 7” vinyl. A series of talks will run throughout the month from contributors such as It’s Nice That, Grafik and journalist and record enthusiast Pete Paphides, as well as a screening of The Chemical Brothers’ film Don’t Think followed by a Q&A with its director Adam Smith on 16 April.
The exhibition takes place from 10 April – 3 May 2015 at Somerset House, with all sleeves going on sale to the general public on 4 May. For more information visit: http://www.secret-7.com/.
