Ashley Elsdon: Recordings: Recent Episodes
Ashley Elsdon: Recordings
I've been taking field recordings for years, and decided that I want to make them available to anyone who was interested in listening. For the most part this podcast will be made up of recordings I've made that I've enjoyed of found interesting. Occasionally there will be a some music too. I hope you enjoy it.
This was a trip on the number 36 bus to Paddington. The heater in the bus was really noisy, so of course I recorded it.
I have edited together a handful of recordings I made whilst staying in a treehouse in Sussex called the Buzzardry. The collage begins near water and you can hear a family walking nearby.
It continues with a selection of other water recordings followed by a longer section where I put my Zoom H2N on a table and just let it record for while.
I especially like the part where a bee decides to investigate the recorder, and of course the ducks who make their presence known throughout.
I had some professional cleaners in to deep clean a property. I arrived just before they were finished and quite liked the sound that the cleaner made.
Last night / this morning we had a huge storm. If you're in the south of england then you probably heard it too. The lightening was going every few seconds and the thunder was almost constant. It kept me awake so I thought I would record it.
The image I used was one of the lightening flashes around 1am. It lit up the entire sky.
Standing in the chip shop waiting. It struck me that there was a very unique sound, so I took this recording.
We had some heavy rain, which is a sound I have always enjoyed. So I recorded it with my zoom h2n.
I recorded this on a train from Wakefield Westgate to Pontefract Tanshelf. Only a journey of 20 minutes, but filled with sounds.
I was in this gallery at an exhibition on the Sussex landscapes. It was quite good overall, so I thought I'd record a short amount of the sonic landscape in the gallery.
This is actually three recordings of the river Thames taken in the morning, midday and afternoon on the 20th of Feb.
Enjoy!
When you listen to this you might not know what it is. I was walking in to a local station and I heard this. It was actually the lift to the platform. Normally it would announce 'platform' when it gets to the platform, but something was obviously broken and all it was doing was repeating 'pla, pla, pla, pla, pla, pla, pla, pla'. I was in something of a rush so I was only able to grab a few seconds of it, but I thought it was really good.
Recorded with an Apple Watch.
I tend to be in this location once a week and I seem to have fallen into a pattern of standing and looking at the river and recording the sounds there.
I was walking to an event and I could hear this even with noise cancelling headphones on it was so loud. It's only a very short recording, but I thought I'd share it.
Recorded with an apple watch.
I've met this guard on the train before. He is so helpful and cheerful he makes even the most mundane trip seem good. He was chatting on this trip and I managed to record a little of him
I made this recording by the Thames, kind of halfway between London Bridge and Cannon Street. It was a bright day and there were people around and tourist boats coming down the river and building work going on.
It was recorded on an Apple Watch.
I got this new espresso maker at Christmas and I've been meaning to try it out for a while now. Today was the day and I decided to record the sound of it, or, to be more precise, the entire process. The very loud sound at the beginning is me grinding the beans.
I recorded this yesterday during what can only be described as a torrential downpour. Which was lovely to hear and even better not to be in it.
Boxing day always seems to be a time for playing games. This was a particularly noisy game called 'pit' and as members of my family were playing it I thought I would record them all shouting.
If you can remember Bagpuss the cartoon you will probably remember the mice on the mouse organ. This is their song which I recorded from a Bagpuss toy.
I was out for dinner and used the bathroom in the pub we were eating in. The hand towel dispenser made an interesting noise, so I recorded myself using it. This is very short, but I hope you like it.
We have had a lot of rain so far this November, and some of it very heavy indeed. I recorded this in a heavy downpour.
This is a very short recording I took whilst waiting to speak to my local GP practice, and I'd been on the line for a while before I recorded this.
I heard this during a phone call and asked for a recording of it. I really like how creaky it is.
I recorded this on Monday in the City. The area felt a lot louder than normal for some reason. It is mostly traffic noise, and I have no idea why it was busier and more noisy than I am used to on that day.
This is a very short recording from a hotel lift in Edinburgh. Every time I pressed the button for the floor I wanted it made this sound. A bit like a squeaky toy. I found it hilarious so I had to record it.
We took this ferry back from Craignure to Oban I made a recording of the safety warning, which was quite extensive.
The tram from Edinburgh airport to the city centre is an excellent service, and, more than that, it has some lovely noises too. If you listen carefully you can hear a discussion about the smell of muck spreading very early in the recording, and it was very pungent I can tell you.
I was at the Edinburgh Fringe, and, whilst it felt like a smaller festival than it has been in the past, there were still many of the usual features, such as people performing on the street. Either to promote a show, or just to perform.
In this case these performers were promoting a show I think. They were very good.
Ok, the title of this recording is a little misleading. This is the sound of the tube from Stockwell to St Pancras. The person I was travelling with asked why the tube made this horrible wailing sound, and I replied 'It's the sound of dead commuters screaming'. It was kind of off the cuff, but the sound does make me think of wailing souls.
I had a few moments and took a walk around a small park in London, listening to the sounds of people, dogs etc. As I was walking there was a bunch of children playing football. I think it was organised, at least as much as that gets. But it was a pleasant sound, so pushed record on my watch.
I hope you enjoy it, even though it is brief.
A brass band at the Sanderstead Horticultural show. This local event has been postponed for a couple of years for obvious reasons, so it was great to see it return.
If you listened to the previous recording this will make sense. This is the choir I could hear from inside the pharmacy. They were singing for a charity, but I couldn't tell you which one sadly.
They were quite good.
I was aware that they were there, not far from the automatic door, and every time it opened you got a burst of this really quite lovely singing.
Over the weekend we had some heavy rain and I decided to record it using my Zoom H2n. You can hear that the rain tapers off, but it was a good downpour.
As we have been having a spell of hot weather I have been watering the garden. I thought I would make a little recording of it.
I recorded this using my Apple Watch in the lift at one of the offices that I work in. It makes a lovely grinding sound.
This is another very brief recording from last month. Once again using an Apple Watch to record.
I recorded this last month as I was walking by some road repairs. The only recorder I had to hand was my Apple Watch. So I used that. It's only a very short recording, but I hope you enjoy it.
This was actually recorded a little while ago, in March actually, but I've only just got to uploading it. Also, you might notice that I say that the recording is an hour long. Well the original was, but it was too big to upload so I cut it down to something a bit more manageable.
Before I tell you about this recording it is worth explaining that I have changed the format of the podcast. Now there's a little introduction (spoken) from me and some intro and exit music too. I will probably experiment with the format over time, but please let me know if you like it, or hate it, or anything in-between.
This is a recording that I have tried to get for about three weeks now. It is of some automated window shutters in Southwark (London). But every time I either miss it, or there is too much other noise for it to be a worthwhile recording. This one is not perfect, but it is the best so far, even though it is quite short. I expect to try again though!
I hope you enjoy it.
I recorded this at Winchester Cathedral on the 22nd of January 2022.
The natural reverb of the building contributed to the beauty of the singing, but made the introduction a little difficult to hear, and that is certainly apparent on the recording.
I hope you enjoy this.
This is short part of a longer recording of a train journey to Winchester over the weekend. Having reviewed the whole recording I thought that just the first couple of minutes was worth posting.
The train itself was much more noisy than the local trains I normally find myself on, which is why I thought I would record it.
This is another recording from last weekend at the allotment. I liked the sound that locking and unlocking the gates made, so I recorded it. This is only a short recording, but I find it quite satisfying.
This recording was made over the weekend at the allotment. The site sits between two railway lines, which is why you can hear the sound of trains quite frequently. It was around the middle of the morning on Saturday and very quiet up there, which is normal at this time of year.
I like this recording, I hope you will too.
This is a recording of another local train journey. It was around 8pm in the evening and there were very few people on the train so most of what you hear is just the announcements and the sound of the train itself.
I was in Bristol over the weekend and of course took my recorder with me. I heard the bells from the hotel and took the opportunity to record a few minutes. I hope you like it.
I missed a train and had a half hour to kill, so I spent it in a coffee shop I had never been in before.
Yesterday I had to make a few journeys on local trains, so I took the opportunity to make some recordings.
I got this for Christmas and I like the sound it makes, so I made a short recording of it.
This is another old recording that I found recently. These three recordings were taken in the market near the station and outside the Albany. These were recorded back in 2017. I hope you enjoy them.
I was going through some old audio files and I found this recording of some of the cars in the vintage car rally from 2013. Some parts of this are great. There are some really interesting sounds in there.
Kings Wood is a very old, if small wood. It is only a few miles from where I live, so, today, I walked there and spent some time trudging around and occasionally stopping to listen. When I did stop and listen I recorded these sounds.
There are four clips from different parts of the wood. The third is a recording of me walking through leaves and mud.
I haven't managed to post a lot of sounds this year. But I plan to change that going forward. In part because I want to record more and to use that as a way of remembering my friend Ian Rawes. He was an inspiration to me and a prolific field recorder.
He is greatly missed.
Thunder is one of my favourite sounds. I recorded this yesterday at home during a downpour.
After too many days of baking hot weather we got some rain, and it made a nice sound too. So I set my recorder to capture it for a while. I hope you enjoy it.
I made this recording yesterday whilst spending a few brief moments on Winchelsea beach. It was beautiful and very peaceful. Just before the heavens opened.
Taking my normal morning walk in the mornings but on the 8th there had been snow, and, as I was walking the snow started again. I love the stillness that snowfall brings. I also enjoy the crunch of it underfoot.
I hope you'll enjoy this recording.
I got a new coffee bean grinder, which inspired me to record the entire process of making a cup of coffee from start to finish.
Whilst we are all in lock down again finding interesting sounds is not that easy. Everyday sounds are all around us and sometimes comforting, sometimes not.
This is just me walking to the shops and back again. But I thought I would publish it, if for no other reason than to start publishing this podcast again.
Sheffield Park was wet yesterday, but even so it was lovely to walk around it. I ventured into a part of the park that I've never been in before. It was so peaceful and restful. I recorded just a minute of it with my iPhone as I didn't have my zoom recorder with me.
RHS Wisley is open again. I went for a walk around this lovely garden and recorded some of the fountains there. You'll find 3 distinct clips in this episode.
I hope you enjoy the sounds.
Some morning birdsong from my lockdown world. Quieter than it has been for years, but not for much longer I'm afraid.
Something a little different. I thought I'd record the electromagnetic sounds of the various appliances in my kitchen. Some interesting sounds I think. You might agree, you might not.
Given everything that's happening in the world I have noticed how much quieter the environment is, and that bird song has noticeably increased. Which is lovely. Here's a few minutes of where I live.
I was mowing the grass at paths at the allotment and I thought that the mower made a quite nice sound. So, of course, I recorded it. Sadly only briefly. Because I had to get on with actually mowing the grass!
This recording was taken a week before Christmas in the Whitgift Shopping Centre in Croydon. There was a school singing in the middle of the centre. So I stopped to listen, and then they started singing this, which I didn't think was terribly Christmassy, but then, what do I know? Apparently nothing.
Another recording of Surrey Street Market. This one taken a few days before Christmas. It wasn't a weekend though, hence it isn't as busy as it could be. I hope you enjoy it.
I love the sounds of children playing happily. This recording was made recently and is a sound that always lifts my mood. So I thought I'd share it with you.
This is a little different. I recently purchased a device called an "Ether". The device converts the electromagnetic spectrum to audible sound. It can make for a quite interesting experience. This recording is of my journey to London Victoria station. It's about 20 minutes long.
At times the audio is quite interesting, and others not so much so. This really is an experiment, and one I'll be repeating when I've found more electromagnetically interesting environments to record.
I really love this annual local event. It's a lovely community focus, and they always have a brass band.
I think that this is some kind of grinding stone for flour or something. I noticed it at the Weald and Downland open air museum near Chichester just before Easter. It is a lovely place, and I'd thoroughly recommend it.
Another recording from about 3 years ago. This is the sound of the Thames under Blackfriars Bridge.
And another 3 year old recording. This time from Edinburgh. It was during festival time, and this guy was really good.
This was a very windy day in 2016 on Lyme Beach. A lovely day though with some great wave.
If you know these fountains you'll know that they work on a fluctuating rhythm. They make a really interesting sound.
This was recorded in March 2016.
And another older recording from 2016. This was just the sound of a building site that I enjoyed listening too.
Another older recording from around 3 years ago. This was made in Green Park in the West End of London. It was a bright day in February 2016 and a pleasant walk with not too much wind.
This is a recording from about 4 years ago. Made in the city centre at Porto in Portugal.
I was listening to the bird song punctuated by the occasional car going past and decided that this was a sound worth recording
I like the sounds of markets and Borough Market is a lovely place, although it isn't quite as old fashioned as it used to be. Even so, it's got some interesting sounds.
As you can probably tell, I like the sound of markets, and as this one is fairly local I visit reasonably regularly.
A brief visit to this landmark. I enjoyed the noisy general cafe atmosphere with an occasional hint in the background of the choir from the cathedral itself.
Another City Church. However, this time there was a harpsichord player rehearsing in the church, which made a very special sound in that space.
Another very still recording inside a City church. St Michael Cornhill is small but very beautiful, and once again, I was enjoying the peaceful atmosphere there.
On a Friday. Just walking through and enjoying the sound of a busy market at around 11am.
Another recording here, just wandering through and listening to the voices and sounds of the market.
We had a sudden downpour the other day. The rain was so heavy and was rather lovely to hear, so I stopped to record it for a few minutes.
A brief and somewhat quieter walk through Surrey Street Market today, but also with the tram at the end.
I wanted to record here as they don’t play music so you just hear the ambience of the space. Which I really like.
This time it was a much noisier market, which was good. I even caught the tram going by at the end.
This was more of an experiment rather than anything else. I wanted to hear what it was like to listen to my environment through the medium of my field recorder.
It was an interesting experience, and quite different to just sitting there in the environment itself. Having the recorder as an interface into the sounds around me made me experience them in a very different way.
Although there isn't much left of it really, but it was on my list of market streets to visit in London, so I did. Sadly there wasn't a huge amount to record, but it's ticked off my list now.
A short walk through the market, which was quiet. You can just hear a tram going by at the end.
I thought I'd begin this year with a sound I recorded in December. It was in the local park which backs on to an old car showroom site. The site is being redeveloped and the large car park is now being pulled down, or at least it was. Now it's gone.
This was the sound of it being pulled down.
I was passing through a local shopping centre and heard this. A bunch of school children singing some kind of Christmas song. So I took a quick recording of it.
A short recording of the Cybraphone in Edinburgh at the National Museum of Scotland. It's quite an interesting machine and it makes a variety of sounds. Here's what the NMS site says about it:
"Meet Cybraphon, the moody autonomous robot band in a box created by Edinburgh-based artist collective FOUND. Just like a real band, the diva-like Cybraphon scours the internet for reviews and comments and celebrates or sulks depending on what it finds."
Check out their site here:
https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/stories/science-and-technology/cybraphon/
Another older recording today that I thought would be interesting. I like the sound of galleries and the quiet tiny noises you can hear.
This is another older recording that I thought I'd post. The building site was quite noisy, but the main percussive sound drew me into listening and then recording.
I found a bunch of old recordings and decided that I'd podcast a few of them. This one was from a visit to Brussels. I really liked the sound of the pedestrian crossings there.
You often get people busking through the tube (underground trains) in London, but I'd never seen an accordion player there before, so I had to get a quick recording. He wasn't bad either.
This is a sound I've been meaning to record for a long time. This recording is about 3.45 long. The level crossing closes at around 1:10 and then later, after the 2 minute mark you can hear the train leave. It's a GWR diesel.
Borough Market is one of my favourite markets in London, and I'm pretty sure that a lot of other people feel the same way as it was packed on Saturday (29th September)
I was out for a day and decided to make some recordings. I heard some singing near London Bridge and followed it to The Bunch of Grapes pub. They were Sheffield fans. It was all fairly good natured though.
I was about to get a train home when I heard this pianist who was just playing in the middle of the station. It was very lovely, so I recorded some of it and just paused to enjoy it.
The tram is an excellent way to get from the centre of Edinburgh out to the airport. It's cheap and quick and comfortable. Here's my journey.
This was a great exhibition and the sound in the gallery was very peaceful and calm. This is what it sounded like.
I was just walking by and heard this guy drumming with old pots and tins. He was great!
I visited the gallery in July. Apart from being just a beautiful place, it has an amazing collection.
I was lucky enough to be at the Schützenfest in Kronach last weekend and watched and recorded the parade which was like nothing else I've seen.
I was recently in Canada and travelled from Toronto to Vancouver by train. When a freight train goes by the passenger train has to stop and wait for it to pass before it can continue. This can take a while as the freight trains can be 2 miles long.
This is a recording of the freight train passing by from inside the cabin.
This episode has water sounds from Wales. To be more specific from Llantwit beach. All sounds were recorded using a Zoom H2N recorder in 2016.
Some sounds recorded at a National Trust building in 2016. It had a long gallery at the top of the building and the wind made a really interesting sound there.
These are a couple of field recordings from the Beyond the Border storytelling festival in 2016. The festival itself runs every 2 years, and 2016 was an excellent event. These recordings are from the end of festival procession. The picture was taken on Llantwit beach on the same weekend.