Transportation

A Soundtrack of Income Inequality Along the New York City Subway

As the 2 train runs through neighborhoods of varying income, this musical data viz changes its tune and tempo.
A mix of instruments and tempos evokes the journey of the 2 train as it passes through rich and poor neighborhoods.Flickr/drpavloff

Hey, remember when LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy tried to make music out of the NYC subway? That's sort of what artist-slash-programmer Brian Foo has done as a part of a new musical data-viz project. Foo translated the full 1.5-hour journey of New York City's 2 train into a 4.5-minute song that rises and falls depending on the income of the neighborhood the subway passes through.

"Stylistically, I want the song to exhibit the energy and orderly chaos of the NYC subway system itself," Foo writes.