Loyal readers of Troldtekt’s news themes may recall our previous interview with Professor Charles Spence. If you have not read it, do yourself a favor and check it out, as it is packed with interesting insights about the relationship between what we hear and what we taste.
As Head of the Crossmodal Research group at Oxford University, which specializes in the research about the integration of information across different senses, Charles Spence has a unique overview of how our senses are connected. He has kindly agreed to give us an update on the latest science.
– There is a lot of really interesting research happening in this field, which continues to deepen our understanding of multisensory flavor perception. In addition, we have seen some creative applications of that knowledge in practice, says Charles Spence.
For example, Spotify has teamed up with the alcohol delivery service Jimmy Brings to create the ‘Songmelier Edition’, that pairs a range of wines with the perfect music. And with the app Wine Listening, you can scan the bottle label to get suggestions for your own tasty soundtrack to match your preferred vintage.
In London, Charles Spence’s team helped arrange a series of eating experiences at various restaurants where a German DJ enhanced the menu with carefully crafted compositions built on the science of sonic seasoning. One coffee shop in Korea even supplies its customers with headphones and music to match their coffee.