Pressure Cooker Studios built eight instruments from wire, scrap metal and found materials for The Philipstown WireCar Grand Prix documentary (Image supplied)
Streaming globally on Prime Video, The Philipstown WireCar Grand Prix tells the story of the world's only wire car Grand Prix.
During the annual event, which returns to the remote Northern Cape town on Saturday, 12 September 2026, children race homemade wire cars built from scrap metal for three kilometres through the dusty streets of Philipstown.
Unique car sounds
When Giant Films and Accenture Song approached Pressure Cooker Studios to score the documentary, the team started by listening to the unique sounds and rhythms these cars make as they race.
Inspired by Philipstown and its handmade wire cars, Pressure Cooker Studios then built eight of their own instruments from wire, scrap metal and found materials.
These included a traditional San musical bow recreated from tin cans and wire, as well as an instrument made by stretching wire across a massive sheet of metal, which is played with a bow.
Imperfect and unpredictable
The sound of these bespoke instruments was deliberately raw.
“They’re imperfect and unpredictable, just like the cars, and just like us,” says Pressure Cooker Studios founder and CEO James Matthes, who served as music director on the project.
“As humans, our flaws and imperfections are what make us interesting and unique. We tried to keep that in mind while scoring The Philipstown WireCar Grand Prix.
“I don’t think in terms of good or bad sound; it’s more about how emotive something is, and whether it feels right for the project.”
When they race, the kids don’t see themselves pushing mere cars made out of wire; they imagine themselves as real drivers behind the wheel of real cars.
To capture the world as the children see it, the production combined GPS race tracking with a digital twin of Philipstown to recreate every moment of the race in CGI, with Formula 1's official commentator, Alex Jacques, calling the action as if it were a professional Grand Prix.
So Pressure Cooker Studios’ soundscape needed to reflect the texture of the town and the race but also work with the CGI imagery that illustrated the children’s dreams.
“Future cinematic sound”
That fit perfectly into the Cape Town studio’s ongoing exploration of its “future cinematic sound,” their approach of blending African musicality into contemporary cinematic scoring to create something that feels both rooted and new.
“The Philipstown WireCar Grand Prix
“We spent a lot of time trying to understand their stories and to find ways to represent their imagination. We needed a sound that reminded people that hope is still possible.”
A human engine
One final element was still missing. “The score needed a human engine, and there’s nothing that connects you to that sense of humanity better than a voice,” says Matthes.
They found theirs in Muneyi, a former Afropunk Battle of the Bands and Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner.
“He comes from Tshilapfene, a small village outside of Thohoyandou, so when we started speaking about Philipstown, it was like he was speaking about home,” says Matthes.
That comes through in his lyrics and performances. “His voice really grounded everything and tied it all together,” he adds.
South African Hip Hop Awards winner YoungstaCPT also features on one track.
A sonic world
Pressure Cooker Studios has access to almost any instrument imaginable through its software, but Matthes is glad the team chose to record their own instead.
“By building and recording our own instruments, with their built-in buzz and unusual resonances, we created a sonic world that feels specific to this documentary,” says James. “As soon as you hear this score, you know it's The Philipstown WireCar Grand Prix.”
Directed by Ward, the 75-minute feature won the Documentary Storytelling category at the Webby Awards, impact awards from Brand Storytelling (Sundance) and Tribeca X, as well as accolades at Cannes Lions, the Clios, The One Show and South Africa’s Bookmarks Awards, where it won 16 prizes, the most awarded campaign of the year.
Pressure Cooker Studios’ score won Best Use of Sound at The Bookmarks and was also nominated for Best Original Score: Documentary Feature at the International Sound and Film Music Festival. In addition, the score received IDIDTHAT Craft Award Mentions for Original Music and Music Supervision.
The documentary forms part of the broader Philipstown WireCar Foundation initiative, helping create long-term opportunities for young people in the town.
For more information, visit Philipstown Wire Car.
Credits
Music by: Pressure Cooker Studios
Music director: James Matthes
Creative producer: Astrid Iverson
Lead composers: Elben Schutte, Cobus Schutte
Additional composers: Andries Smit, Keith Kavayi, Jordan Sterling, Tyron Woods
Singer/songwriter: Muneyi
Music supervisor: John Fishlock
Recorded at: Pressure Cooker Studios
