WE8 (West meet East 8 Themes) is a campaign created by Coca Cola for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It is an artistic and cultural exchange like no other. WE8 unites eight of China's most exciting artists and design firms, and eight of the West's most progressive musicians to interpret the ideas and passions that connect us by sharing and expressing one of eight themes: Happiness. Active Optimism. Human Collaboration. Peace on Earth. Individual Perseverance. Healthy World. Uplifting Moments. Global Harmony.Each musical artist - Tiesto, Benny Benassi, Kaskade, Jes, Serge Devant, Lucas Prata, Cezar and Jay-J - have each been provided with a theme and using music as their form of expression, created a song that expanded on their inspiration drawn from the theme:
The music lineup features
- Tiësto, from the Netherlands;
- Benny Benassi, from Italy;
- Kaskade, from the United States;
- Jes, from the United States;
- Serge Devant, from Russia;
- Lucas Prata, from the United States;
- Cezar, from Jamaica; and
- Jay-J, from the United States
WE8 Theme: “Global Harmony”WE8 Bottle Designer: Xiao Xue, from China
WE8 Music: “Global Harmony” by Tiësto, from the Netherlands
Dutch DJ Tiësto is one of the world’s most-recognized names in electronic, trance, dance, house and techno music. He was the first DJ anywhere to sell out a solo stadium event and he also played live in the Opening Ceremony of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. His album, “Elements of Life,” was nominated for a 2008 Grammy® Award in the Best Electronic/Dance Album category. Tiësto views his “Global Harmony” composition as a natural part of his musical mission: “I integrate music from all over the world in my sets,” he says. “Harmony is what my music and life are built upon.” www.tiësto.com
WE8 Theme: “Uplifting Moments”WE8 Bottle Designer: MeWe (Liu Zhi-zhi, Guang Yu, He Jun), from China
WE8 Music: “Happiness Factory Remixed,” by Benny Benassi, from Italy
Italian DJ Benny Benassi is consistently rated one of the world’s best DJs and widely considered the father of modern electrohouse club music. His mixes have appeared at the top of the charts in the United Kingdom, France and Germany, and his S-faction remix of the hit single, “Bring the Noise,” won a 2008 Grammy® Award for Best Remix/Non-Classical. For the theme “Uplifting Moments,” Benassi created a buoyant sound. ”We wanted to give the song that epic, surging sensation you get with sport and music,” he says, “like the tingling sensation from Coke bubbles!” www.bennybenassi.com
WE8 Theme: “Healthy World”WE8 Bottle Designer: Xin Jing, from China
WE8 Music: “Beautiful World,” by Kaskade, from the United States
Kaskade (born Ryan Raddon in 1972), is an American DJ and record producer.In The Moment saw Kaskade's first top 10 single with "Steppin' Out" reaching #5 on Billboard Magazine’s Hot Dance Club Play chart and #6 on Dance Radio Airplay. The fourth single to be released from the album, "Everything," reached #1 on Billboard Magazine’s Hot Dance Club Play.
WE8 Theme: “Individual Perseverance”WE8 Bottle Designer: Jiang Hua, from China
WE8 Music: “Be It All” by Jes, from the United States
JES: Singer, Songwriter, Producer, Artist and the reigning “Queen of Roctronica,Born and raised in New York City, JES realized at an early age that singing was her passion. She spent years perfecting her truly unique vocal style, working in various studios and professional situations. While working in a Los Angeles studio, JES met Mike Olson and the two formed Guardians of Earth. The group gained attention on the very popular MP3.com with songs like “Starchildren” and “One Moon Circling”. “Starchildren,’ would go on to be included on Paul Van Dyks, the Politics of Dancing series. Through the success of that cd, JES began collaborating with more DJ’s like D:fuse and Deepsky, producing tracks like "Living The Dream" and "Talk Like A Stranger" along with many others. Ultimately, this lead to the collaboration with Gabriel & Dresden to form Motorcycle, producing the Billboard 1 Dance Hit "As The Rush Comes".
WE8 Theme: “Peace on Earth”WE8 Bottle Designer: Joyn Viscom (Jian Jiang, Weestar, Meng Ke), from China
WE8 Music: “Peace on Earth,” by Serge Devant, from Russia
His talents as a DJ/Producer earned him a bi-monthly residence in clubs like Avalon and Godskitchen New York, and frequent appearances in clubs like Cro-Bar, Spirit. Recently, his first appearance on the popular weekly dance show Solid State on New York's major Fm station k-rock with Liquid Todd and El Covino created a buzz that he has just signed on for regular monthly guest mixes.
WE8 Theme: “Human Collaboration”WE8 Bottle Designer: Milkxhake, from China
WE8 Music: “Just Say Yeah” by Lucas Prata, from the United States
Lucas Prata is a pop musician born in Bayside, Queens, New York.He has produced several recognizable hits such as "Never Be Alone", "And She Said", "Love of My Life", and "Let's Get It On." Prata and Dan Bălan produced The "Ma Ya Hi Song," an English version of the international hit "Dragostea din tei" by Bălan's original band, O-Zone. "The Ma Ya Hi Song" did not achieve the success of the original, which went to number one in 27 countries and sold over eight million singles throughout the world in various languages.
WE8 Theme: “Active Optimism”WE8 Bottle Designer: Chen Shaohua, from China
WE8 Music: “You got to Keep On trying” by Cezar, from Jamaica
Singer-songwriter Cezar was born to Jamaican parents living in London and grew up in Jamaica and the United States. Consequently, he was exposed from a young age to a multitude of musical styles – including reggae, soul, blues, jazz, funk, and R&B – that eventually found their way into his music and his outlook. “Music plays a critical role in bringing people of differing cultures together, because it exists as a truly universal language,” Cezar says. “Keep On,” Cezar’s song for the theme “Active Optimism,” encourages a sense of “happiness and satisfaction.” The lyrics to his earlier song, “Keep On (Game Of Life),” won second place in the World Music category of the 2006 International Songwriting Competition. www.cezarmusic.com
WE8 Theme: “Happiness”WE8 Bottle Designer: Wang Xu, from China
WE8 Music: “Happiness” by Jay-J, from the United States
JAY-J
Composer - Producer - Engineer - International DJ
In the world of dance music production, Jay-J has forged the reputation as the producer with the "Midas touch". He is known for his signature 'sexy, soulful, dance floor driven' style blending elements of funk, soul and disco combined with sultry vocals.
