CAMPAIGN CRAFT: PORTFOLIO; Guirey & Andersen

Creative teams often complain that, in research, the genuinely strong

idea suffers against the idea with the best music. This seems to be

disproved by the punchy reel of the musicians, Toby Andersen and Kadir

Guirey. Partners since 1987, they have worked virtually non-stop on

high-profile campaigns since they formed Lotown in 1993.

Andersen expresses his preferences simply: ‘I like anything with a

tune,’ he says. ‘I hate music that is all effect.’ Guirey adds: ‘We

aspire to be interesting with our music, whether we are writing an easy-

listening jingle or house music.’

The duo’s most memorable work is the track behind the original WCRS

Orange campaign. Add to this the bluesy Blockbuster ‘entertainment team’

jingle and tracks for ads for the Independent, the Times, Coca-Cola,

Talking Pages and Commercial Union and you have an eclectic portfolio of

memorable sounds.

The duo first met and made music in their teens at school. Andersen, 37,

is a piano player by trade. He was in the original Curiosity Killed the

Cat line-up, where he co-wrote the band’s first (and only) hit album,

Keep Your Distance.

Guirey, 33, who Andersen calls ‘the man of a thousand voices’, started

out in magazine portrait photography. As the voice on many of the pair’s

commercials, he’s sung everything from a country lyric for Coke to a

snatch of Italian tenor for the Independent.

As for the future, the pair are sizing up the film world, keeping an eye

on the potential for rougher, system music, and, they insist, still

hunting for the perfect sound.

This article was first published on Campaign