DETROIT, (WXYZ) — Music producer Nick Speed, raised in Detroit, has worked with the likes of Snoop Dog and Big Sean to name a few.
Now, he's collaborating with hundreds of much smaller artists; Detroit's honey bees.
“You know bees, they can detect sound. They can detect air particles. They can actually detect frequencies between 250-500 hertz," said Timothy Paule Jackson, Co-Founder of Detroit Hives.
Jackson founded Detroit Hives after learning about the health benefits of raw honey. Detroit Hives utilizes previously vacant lots around the city to create hives and bring the City of Detroit urban apiaries.
“We knew about the work of Nick Speed, we reached out to him. We thought it would be a very cool project to find a way to raise awareness but also to get people that wouldn’t normally have an interest in bees involved into our world," Jackson said.
Detroit Hives has 19 locations around the city and manages 50 hives of bees, to help put urban bee keeping on the map and address the issue with food deserts, Jackson said.
It may sound like an odd collaboration, but in fact the sound bees make he said, is naturally pretty therapeutic. Their wings beat 200 times a second.
“I found a note that I liked and it was zooooommm. When I heard that, I was like, I like that," Speed said.
Jackson pre-recorded the bees for Speed, who then took their natural collective buzz and fused it with other beats to make a background track.
“I incorporated some drums and some base lines. And I was able to add other elements," Speed told Action News via Zoom from Atlanta.
The track doesn't have an official title yet, and Speed said he'll likely add other artists onto the track.
“It was just something creative for me to do," he said.
Jackson hopes this collaboration sparks further interest in urban bee keeping and sustainability practices.
