United, the go-to collection for sports
Where your heartbeat meets the beat.
Sport is a lifestyle, Music is Universal.
Hip hop, electro, lo-fi, epic orchestral, power, determination and emotion. United is your go-to collection for all sports content: intense promos, athletes profiles and interviews, inspiring stories, scores and stats, matches and games highlights, defeat and path to victory.
United is featured across our four labels from France: Idéal.e, Galerie, Koka and Kosinus.
Explore the collection
United: behind the scenes
Universal Production Music France producers and composers share insights about the making of the United albums.
What is your favorite sport?
Delphine Joutard: My favorite sport to practice is horse trekking. I enjoy being connected with the animal and when the ride is rough. To watch, I'd say gymnastics, which I used to practice when I was young.
Inès Gindraux: Figure skating. I think it's a total sport and also wonderful to watch, not to mention that I've practiced it for more than 10 years. I also enjoy tennis and horse riding a lot.
Nils Le Breton: Soccer.
Emmanuel Lamazère: Rugby & surf.
François Nguyen: Boxing. For a couple of years, I worked for Eurosport TV channel and I had to watch every sports program 24/7, which made tired of sports broadcasts.
What are the most relevant music genres for sports, and on the contrary the ones to avoid?
NLB: Every genre that transcribes the power, the theatrics and the emotional dimension of sport.
DJ: Yet there are genres that you can hardly avoid, like hip hop, electro and epic or cinematic music.
EL: Even classical, ambient, jazz… They can bring something special to the narrative.
Do you think one has to be a sports person or a fan to write good music for sport?
IG: Anything can happen, but I believe one has to grasp the genres that suit sports well, and one way to do it is by watching sports content on TV or on socials.
DJ: Let's say it's better, but not compulsory! A good composer always puts themselves at the service of the story, the action and more broadly the images.
EL: It's a matter of artistic skill, rather than their personal experience.
FN: Each and every one of us has experienced challenges, hardships, hope and disappointment. These universal emotions are found in sport.
Watch the making of the album United for Kosinus : Anthemic Hip Hop (KOS921) with Ishmael, Bustafunk and Phil Derihl:
What makes writing music for sports special?
DJ: Strongly characterized moods (victorious, anthemic, sad, epic, powerful, determined…), contrast, changes in intensity, very obvious climaxes and editing points, especially for big sports event promos and action sequences.
FN: It is crucial that the purpose of each track is clearly defined: fighting spirit, victory, motivation, tension, etc.
IG:It is also important to have linear and theme-free versions of the tracks in order to jazz up the sports commentary without overloading the narrative.
What's the theme of your next United project?
NLB & EL: A hip hop/trap album tailored for arenas, inspired by American football.
DJ: I'm currently finishing "Hybrid Swagger", which I coproduced with François Nguyen : powerful electro sounds with guitar riffs and a stadium vibe. Eventually, I'll probably pick a more emotional project...
FN: It's slated on Galerie and it will be especially intense.
Which is your favorite United album?
DJ, IG & FN: United for Kosinus : Anthemic Hip Hop (KOS921)
EL: United for Idéal.e : Percussive Sports (Idea053)
NLB: United for Idéal.e : Horizon (Idea044)
Watch the making of the album United for Kosinus : Hip Hop Trailers (KOK2688) with Frédéric Sans and Eric Héber-Suffrin :
