DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul. 19, 2017-- To celebrate its commitment to using only real ingredients in its food, Chipotle Mexican Grill(NYSE: CMG) collaborated with RZA, multi-platinum hip-hop legend and creator and producer of the Wu-Tang Clan, to create SAVOR.WAVS, an immersive digital experience that reinterprets each ingredient in Chipotle’s food as music and responsive visuals.

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As the creative visionary behind SAVOR.WAVS, RZA composed sounds using various instruments inspired by each of the 51 real ingredients Chipotle uses to make its food. Those sounds were then paired with beautiful visuals also inspired by the ingredients. When combined, based on orders that customers compose, they create a unique visual song to represent any possible menu combination from Chipotle. Developed by Chipotle and CAA Marketing, this musical re-imagination of Chipotle’s ingredient statement is another example of how music and food can bring people closer together.

Customers can visit SAVORWAVS.com to compose their own individual order. As they build their order, the musical composition and visualization builds along with it, resulting in a stunning 360-degree visual experience that reacts in real-time to the movement of a mobile device.

“SAVOR.WAVS supports our commitment to using only real ingredients in our food — without any colors, flavors or industrial additives,” said Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing and development officer at Chipotle. “As a parallel to the way we cook, RZA used only natural instruments, and composed them such that each unique combination works beautifully together.”

RZA has a personal and thoughtful relationship with food and a reputation for bringing his creativity to life across a variety of mediums, making him a natural partner for SAVOR.WAVS.

“I’ve always believed food, like music, has the power to change our day and even shape our world,” said RZA. “SAVOR.WAVS continues to challenge us in how we think about food, what’s real and what’s responsible.”

Chipotle is the only national restaurant brand to use no added colors, flavors, preservatives (other than real lemon and lime juice) or other industrial additives in its food. True to that philosophy, RZA composed sounds to correspond to each of the ingredients on Chipotle’s menu working only with natural instruments.

Take guacamole, for example: An avocado represents an instrument. In this case, a viola. When the instruments representing cilantro, jalapeno and all the other ingredients used to make guacamole are added, a full melody is created.

In addition to the music customers can make by composing their own orders, Chipotle engaged several other artists to compose their favorite Chipotle orders and remix them using their own individual styles. The musicians include Wu-Tang Clan, The Head and the Heart, Awolnation, GRiZ and PANG! The remix by Wu-Tang Clan includes members Raekwon, Method Man, Ghostface and of course, RZA.

Songs from these artists are available on SAVORWAVS.com, on Spotify and at Sound Cloud at Soundcloud.com/chipotlemexicangrill. Other artists who wish to make their own remixes can access the complete set of 51 original musical stems created by RZA at Soundcloud.com/chipotlemexicangrill.

This innovative experience was developed using the latest WebGL & WebAudio technologies and is best run on the latest version of GoogleChrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge, or using another device running iOS 9 or Android 4.2 (or above). Customers who participate in SAVOR.WAVS can also earn a buy-one-get-one entrée, while supplies last, to enjoy the real-life version of their favorite order.

Chipotle has a long history of sharing the creative power of music to help people better understand what’s in their food, including the reinterpretations of iconic songs in Chipotle’s award-winning animated short films, its Cultivate food, music and ideas festivals, curating the music in its restaurants and featuring musicians and music videos in “RAD Lands,” its TV series for kids and families.

ABOUT CHIPOTLE

Steve Ells, Founder, Chairman and CEO, started Chipotle with the idea that food served fast did not have to be a typical fast food experience. Today, Chipotle continues to offer a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls, and salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking methods and served in an interactive style allowing people to get exactly what they want. Chipotle seeks out extraordinary ingredients that are not only fresh, but that are raised responsibly, with respect for the animals, land, and people who produce them. Chipotle prepares its food using real, whole ingredients, and is the only national restaurant brand that prepares its food using no added colors, flavors, preservatives (other than lemon and lime juice which can be used as preservatives even though Chipotle uses them only for taste) or other industrial additives typically found in fast food. Chipotle opened with a single restaurant in Denver in 1993 and now operates more than 2,300 restaurants. For more information, visit Chipotle.com

ABOUT RZA

Robert F. Diggs, aka “RZA,” is a Grammy Award-winning music producer, recording artist, actor, director, philanthropist, vegan and chess aficionado. RZA is one of the most prominent figures in hip-hop music and the creator/producer of the world-known Wu-Tang Clan. RZA’s self-taught understanding of music has allowed him to create a sound that is uniquely his own. His love of martial arts clips led to both the naming of Wu-Tang Clan as well as an integration of samples woven into his music. RZA used this production style when creating soundtracks and composing for films such as: “Ghost Dog,” “Django Unchained,” “Afro Samurai” and “Man With the Iron Fist.”

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Source: Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle Mexican Grill
Chris Arnold, 303-222-5912
carnold@chipotle.com