Cities and Memory - remixing the world: Recent Episodes
Cities and Memory
Cities and Memory remixes the world, one sound at a time - a global collaboration between artists and sound recordists all over the world.
The project presents an amazingly-diverse array of field recordings from all over the world, but also reimagined, recomposed versions of those recordings as we go on a mission to remix the world.
What you'll hear in the podcast are our latest sounds - either a field recording from somewhere in the world, or a remixed new composition based solely on those sounds. Each podcast description tells you more about what you're hearing, and where it came from.
There are more than 5,000 sounds featured on our sound map, spread over more than 100 countries and territories. The sounds cover parts of the world as diverse as the hubbub of San Francisco’s main station, traditional fishing women’s songs at Lake Turkana, the sound of computer data centres in Birmingham, spiritual temple chanting in New Taipei City or the hum of the vaporetto engines in Venice. You can explore the project in full at http://www.citiesandmemory.com
An interview with Cities and Memory creator Stuart Fowkes on BBC World Service's Weekend programme, broadcast on 22 September 2024. The interview discusses the project and its importance in offering a different perspective in the portrayal of migration, as well as sound samples from the Mediterranean, Mexico and Slovenia.
While most mountain excursions pass off without a hitch, every year there are accidents in every mountain range, and the Dolomites is no exception. This composition was spurred by hearing that someone had unfortunately fallen to their death on the same mountain we had been hiking on just the previous day.
The composition begins and ends brightly, representing a typical day on the mountain, but the central section is overlaid with news reports of recent incidents in the mountains beneath a bed of strings, serving as a reminder to anyone visiting the mountains to exercise extreme caution and remember that accidents can happen, tragically, to even the most experienced climbers and hikers. Respect the mountain.
Mountain stream at Monte Civetta reimagined by Cities and Memory.
A mountain stream close to Torre Trieste, part of the Monte Civetta group in the Dolomites, Italy. Recorded on a long hike around the complete circuit of Monte Civetta, at 8.30am in the still-fresh morning air at the beginning of a hot August day.
Mountain soundscapes are surprisingly silent, with occasional bird or animal calls and a slight wind the other main sounds to be heard other than the gentle trickling of water down the mountainside.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"Rain at night in big cities hits differently. Against the backdrop of neon lights, throbbing traffic and pulsating crowds of people, the steady beat of rain adds a deep cinematic quality to a city.
"This sound of night rain in Beijing has been reimagined with the soundtrack of a 1980s thriller/mystery in mind, as perhaps an intrepid detective pulls his collar up to face the rain and head out onto the streets in his dogged pursuit of justice. The piece is intended to be reminiscent of underscoring, perhaps in an early scene-setting fragment of this hard-boiled (imaginary) movie."
Night rain in Beijing reimagined by Cities and Memory.
It's raining on the summer night of 24 July, 2024. Raindrops falling on the ground present the real natural sound of a summer night.
Recorded by Denver Wang.
The sounds of an open fire cooking food are very gradually transformed into a sweeping ambient soundscape in this composition, representing the slow speed at which a few scraps of kindling and some logs becomes a open camp fire. The slow transformation of matter into flames and ash.
Every sound in the composition apart from the guitars is derived from the original field recording, as convolution reverbs, delays and resonators are gradually applied to the sound, causing it to evolve into an ambient sweep.
The title comes from Emily Dickinson's poem:
You cannot put a Fire out—
A Thing that can ignite
Can go, itself, without a Fan—
Upon the slowest Night—
You cannot fold a Flood—
And put it in a Drawer—
Because the Winds would find it out—
And tell your Cedar Floor—
Open fire cooking reimagined by Cities and Memory.
Cooking potatoes wrapped in foil, and sausage in a pan on an open wood fire while camping in the Brecon Beacons national park in Wales. In this recording you can clearly hear the fire flickering and licking the wood while the food cooks.
Recorded by Cities and Memory, summer 2024.
Early morning English village ambience takes inspiration from Tomas Transtromer's wonderful poem "The Half-Finished Heaven", as we attempt to translate these words into a reimagination of the source sound that evokes some of the simple joy and complex melancholy of a bright summer morning:
Despondency breaks off its course.
Anguish breaks off its course.
The vulture breaks off its flight.
The eager light streams out,
even the ghosts take a draught.
And our paintings see daylight,
our red beasts of the ice-age studios.
Everything begins to look around.
We walk in the sun in hundreds.
Each man is a half-open door
leading to a room for everyone.
The endless ground under us.
The water is shining among the trees.
The lake is a window into the earth.
An early morning recording next to a quiet stream in Gittisham village, England.
Birds are singing all around us as the stream rushes past, glistening in the June sunlight.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"I wanted to compose something as a clarion call for cities across the world in an Olympic year, so this was perfect. Using the sound of the traditional Chinese instrument which was then stretched and chopped up into a 'siren' sound, which was then turned into a loop on which the whole track was based.
"The sound was then stretched and modified using granular synth plugins to act as a basis for the main melody sounds. This inspired a woozy analogue-style piece with added guitars and slightly trip-hop beats."
Chinese violin in Boston reimagined by Graeme Worsfold.
A busker plays an amplified Chinese traditional stringed instrument in the Boston public park for passers-by, competing with the industrial drones of leaf-blowing machinery, but cutting through very clearly as we pass closer and closer by him.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"When I first considered the themes relevant to the Migration Sounds project I instantly thought of the oceans. Living in the UK, an Island surrounded by water, we often hear of people attempting to cross the channel to find safety, with frequent news reports of drownings due to unsafe, overcrowded boats. All too often, these people are dehumanised by simply being referred to as 'migrants', as if lesser individuals.
"Living in Edinburgh, we are next to the sea where the mist, or ‘haar’, often roles in over the water and only the silhouettes of people can be seen walking on the beach or swimming in the waves.
"When I first heard the lapping water sounds of the sample, I found myself visualising people through the haar getting into boats ready to make the treacherous crossing to a better life, knowing that some may be taken by the sea and not survive. I wanted my piece to reflect this scene and so in ‘Foam and Flow’ I try to paint that picture. It was also important for the sample to continue through the whole piece, as a reminder that the water plays such a crucial role in these stories."
Birdsong in Hamilton reimagined by Simon Holmes.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"My piece "Portland" is my emotional response to the field recording of anti-Trump protestors following an election in Portland, Oregon. "Say it loud, say it clear" they chant about welcoming immigrants to the USA.
"In the second part of my piece I incorporate the chant, manipulating it to time with the music as if they were performed together. My aim was to give an emotional companion to the chanting that mirrored my own response."
Portland protest reimagined by Kid Kin.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"When I first heard the field recording before even reading the description it really took me back to conversations in the temple (Cambodian and Vietnamese where I am from). The chatters between elders and sense of calm flew over me. When I read what the field recording was about that is when I knew this was right up my alley. A lot of my music has field recordings of moments in time that mean a lot to me, which is why I chose this particular sounds to work with.
"I knew I wanted to add in some zither samples to ensure that it flowed with the story, I then added some ambient sounds and foley to complete the track. I wanted it to be calm, mediative but also impactful, as someone who is constantly rediscovering my roots, it’s important to share music that not only upholds tradition, but also brings the future children/people into the sounds so that we can grow with tradition and not go backwards."
Xiamen temple reimagined by Maggie Tra.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Joseph describes himself as a painter by profession - this piece attempts to paint musical scenery around the edges of Joseph's story, recounting his own journey of migration, and wanting to place him very much at the centre, and highlight rather than draw attention away from his words. The tone of the accompanying music is a simple reflection of some of the emotions his story generated in me when listening to it. A field recording taken elsewhere in the Mediterranean flows underneath much of the piece as a reference to the journey.
"The piece is dedicated to Joseph, about whom I have thought very frequently since hearing his story for the first time. Above all I hope he's doing well, and I hope in some small way this piece helps others to think not just about his story, but also the mostly untold stories of many hundreds of thousands like him, who are making journeys "between life and death" that most of us cannot even comprehend every single day."
Joseph's story reimagined by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
This recording was anonymously submitted from a recent migrant to the UK, who has a partner with a job in the UK but still works in the Netherlands themselves. Here, he is passing the border and going through the passportcontrol to get to and from work. It's illegal to record at the border crossing, but this restriction makes you wonder why - why can't the public record or document what is happening in this space? What would we expose?
Going back and forth between UK and EU for work involves a lot of traveling and a lot of passport controls.
The recording at Calais was taken in the middle of the night, after having been ordered off the night bus by rude bus drivers who work for Flixbus.The recording was made by someone who avoids short-haul flights for ecological reasons. But all in all it is tiring, and expensive.
Recorded by Anonymous.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
In 1196 AD, the Minnan people established the Quanzhou A-Ma Temple, dedicated to A-Ma, the goddess of the sea. The spread of A-Ma's belief led to the establishment of A-Ma Temples in Xiamen and later in Qingdao in 1467 AD, as maritime trade flourished from south China to the North.
After relocating to Xiamen for work, I visited the Xiamen A-Ma Temple one afternoon. In this recording, administrators chat loudly in Minnanese on a quiet afternoon with few visitors. Amidst the chatter, faint sounds of lighters represent devotees offering incense to A-Ma. Their quiet devotion contrasts with the private prayers of believers in Quanzhou.
The historical journey of A-Ma's beliefs parallels the migrations of the Minnan people, shaping the coastal regions' cultural landscape in China. As I reflect on my journey, I find solace and connection in the enduring traditions observed at these revered temples.
Recorded by Jiyuan Sun.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
In 1196 AD, the Minnan people established the Quanzhou A-Ma Temple, dedicated to A-Ma, the goddess of the sea. The spread of A-Ma's belief led to the establishment of A-Ma Temples in Xiamen and later in Qingdao in 1467 AD, as maritime trade flourished from south China to the North.
Growing up in Qingdao, I never visited its A-Ma Temple until I became a sailor and felt moved by the devotion to A-Ma. During my 2022 visit to Quanzhou. Although scenes of faith have vanished in Qingdao's A-Ma Temple, this recording captures the resonance of local music, now echoing within the temple walls as part of a folklore museum and documents visitors to the A-Ma Temple, unfamiliar with A-Ma's beliefs, seeking information from their companions.
The historical journey of A-Ma's beliefs parallels the migrations of the Minnan people, shaping the coastal regions' cultural landscape in China. As I reflect on my journey, I find solace and connection in the enduring traditions observed at these revered temples.
Recorded by Jiyuan Sun.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
In this audio recording, you can hear the gentle sound of small waves crashing onto the shore, accompanied by the sweet melody of birds singing and the distant chime of a train bell signalling its upcoming stop. The recording captures the beginning of spring as the sun rises, bringing in a new day.
After relocating to this city a little over a year ago, I was inspired to learn more about the indigenous birds in the area as a way to establish a deeper connection with the land. Delving into the avian population of this region has been an eye-opening experience, as I've learned of a rich and diverse array of species, each with their unique characteristics and songs.
Ever since I've learned to recognize and differentiate the birds and their unique songs, I have found myself experiencing a profound sense of wonder and connection with the natural world around me. It's as though a whole new layer of beauty has been added to my surroundings, and I feel a deeper gratitude and intimacy.
Recorded in Hamilton, Canada by Nala Ismacil.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
November 2017, Portland, OR - anti-Trump chants following the election in Portland, with this particular chant about welcoming immigrants to the USA - "say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here!"
Recorded Benjamin Glas-Hochstettler.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
This is testimony from Joseph, an asylum seeker from Nigeria, onboard the charity rescue ship the Ocean Viking. Joseph along with over a hundred other people was rescued from an unseweaworthy rubber boat headed for Europe from Libya. Several days later, he sat down to record his story, leaving from Nigeria, across the desert to Libya and onto that rubber boat headed North.
He describes suffering extortion, robbery, detention, forced labour and other abuses in Libya. His story is very indicative of the treatment African migrants experience in Libya. He is now in the Italian asylum system. The audio has been lightly edited to remove identifying details.
Recorded by Frey Lindsay.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Qingdao was once a German colony and the city is an exotic place with Western-style buildings. It is also relatively close to Japan and has historical ties. The recorded opera is probably Peking Opera, judging from the language.
"Mainland China is so vast that the West could completely fit in it, and it is likely that the performers of this opera toured around the country."
Local music at a temple reimagined by Keisuke Oki.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"I wanted to capture that sense of secrecy and tension that seems to exist within the narrative of the story. This idea that you cannot record in these areas and also the idea of stress associated with travel and border control etc. This idea that it's illegal to cross a border without going through this process but also illegal to record the process you go through to remain legal. The whole feeling I got was one of complete tension, frustration and claustrophobia but also the sense of getting home or beyond this.
"So I wanted to try and capture how I imagined it would feel to be bossed around while trying to remain calm and get home or to work. The piece is punctuated with moments of calmer piano but surrounded by a non-stop interference and static created through manipulating the piano and other source material - including the field recording. The idea was to generate a sense of how it feels to be in this kind of tiring and stressful environment with little or no control and perhaps a disengagement from reality that is often created in these environments.
"I started with just the field recording and piano but slowly added to this and developed this sense of suffocation/claustrophobia. As the piece comes towards a conclusion I removed many of the fx and brought it back down to just the piano. I was attempting to imagine the journey and the feeling of an ending and quiet release, at least for a time until the next journey."
UK/France border crossing reimagined by Glacis.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"We used most of the whole of the recording as the recording is so poignant and beautiful.
"We generated and overlayered soundscapes, and a reverse of the recording we used an envelope follower (MI Ears) to trigger the piano essentially then two overlaid soundtracks in a journey in opposite directions; some lows and highs undulate.
"We hope traveller to one day reverse his journey and return home.
"The title "saippuakivikauppias" itself means "a journey in both directions" translates to a (flea market?) soapstone seller in English but serves as a well-known palindrome in Finnish."
Tashkent flea market reimagined by Arvik Torrenssen.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Alexey Komarov, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"I chose a clip of an interview of a man from Brazil talking about his experience with jumping the US border, adjusting to life away from his family, not understanding the people around him, and trying to act straight. The reason that I chose this clip is that his story immediately interested me, and I thought that it was such a strong point of inspiration; I immediately had ideas of how I could create an audio accompaniment to his unique and incredible story.
"I also found some relation in the story, as someone who due to my history with mental health has had a lot of experience feeling very distant or different from the people that I was around, I felt that I could be successful in giving justice to the story because I could take my personal feelings that I knew very well and try and convey them through the sounds I was creating.
"I decided to create an ambient track, using very airy and drony synths, along with other samples that explore the soundscape and create interesting tonal moments. The combination of all these elements create an uneasy and unhomely feeling, the notes drifting around and never reaching any root or place of comfort as his voice is woven through the synth tones until the track ends in a strong minor chord, and all the elements fade to silence, leaving the words “I’m Just Me” echoing and fading. I feel that the phrase encapsulated the entire meaning of the track and was poignant and relevant for the feeling that I was trying to achieve.
"I decided to leave a lot of his voice untouched, as I didn’t want to take anything away from the words he was saying; however I did modulate some samples of his voice to fill in the space and contrast the clarity of the main voice samples. The reason that I did this was to try and recreate the feeling of some of the things he was saying, i.e. him not understanding what people were saying to him in a different language. The fluttery and ambiguous vocal clips reflect that concept and help towards the uneasy atmosphere I originally set out to create."
Juan Pablo's migration story reimagined by Finlay Ellis.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
This recording was made in the midst of my migration from Russia to Uzbekistan, through Kazakhstan.
This recording was also made in the Hamida guest house in Samarkand, but in the internal open courtyard. In the recording, you can hear the hum of the air conditioner, the quiet conversation of guests and the distinct speech of the muezzin coming from the mosque on the next street.
Despite the fact that I am not a religious person at all, I am impressed by the beauty of the phonetic pattern of the Arabic language performed by the muezzin. The contradiction between the beauty of rituals, visual ornaments, architectural pearls on the one hand and the cruelty of the orthodox tradition on the other hand direct my attention to the existing contradictions in my own judgments. I am immersed in contemplation and reflections.
Recorded by Vladimir Bocharov.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: RyansWorld, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"The source field recording was captured in the Alpha King, a vibrant barbershop in the heart of Kasarani, a bustling district in Nairobi, Kenya, owned by a Congolese refugee. Hum in the Air was composed using only sound from the field recording.
"The composition reflects the warm camaraderie, the connection through music, and the idea of the hum of the barber’s clippers vibrating in the air, resonating far and wide."
Nairobi barber shop reimagined by Nichola Scrutton.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"I was deeply moved by the recording and text of this artist as soon as I heard and read them. What an incredible sense of space and movement in the recording. It let so many different feelings coexist, a sense of frustration, of feeling stuck but also of hope for what this particular journey will bring. It gives the listener a deep sense of nostalgia in that suspended waiting time, but is also witnessing many different interactions, more lighthearted vignettes and scenes.
"I improvised along the recording on a Moog Grandmother, Subharmonicon and DFAM, carried by this amazing train drone, and slightly edited it to play with the echoes and responses I could hear there. The voice of the announcement felt like a structuring and hypnotic moment that could be used as a pivot for the different parts of the composition.
Tashkent station reimagined by Fabienne Debarre.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Bobyrr, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The recording was made from the window of my room in an Aks Sado emergency residence for sound artists in the village of Ulugbek, a suburb of Tashkent. At the moment of this recording I have been in emigration for 2 months, and after the initial inspiration upon arrival in Uzbekistan, I again fell into a depressive state and time seemed to stand still for me.
For me, as a person who has lived in Siberia all my life, it is very unusual to hear drops in mid-December, when in my native Novosibirsk there are already meter-long snowdrifts and the temperature is within -20 degrees at that moment.
Recorded by Vladimir Bocharov.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Citiguide, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"My composition “And though we seem to be sleeping” is based on a field recording from Uzbekistan of rain drops falling on a roof in Ulugbek, Tashkent. Reflecting on the concept of migration, being exiled in a new place, and being ultra sensitive to new sounds in new surroundings was my inspiration here.
"The listener feels like this place is a dream, and even though they try to look forward, they can’t help but keep looking back. In this new location they question everything, even the sound of the rain drops. That is why except for the pads, all of the sounds you hear in this recording are created from the actual original field recording. They were electronically manipulated to express the thoughts and fears of one having to start all over again.
"There is something familiar to us all about these sounds and feelings. And though we seem to be sleeping, maybe it is all deep listening. After all, we are all migrants through time."
Raindrops in Tashkent reimagined by Jeff Düngfelder.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Citiguide, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This recording was made in the midst of my migration from Russia to Uzbekistan, through Kazakhstan.
At this moment, I have been in a position of forced exile for a little over a month. If I were to describe my condition, the words would be shock, depression and complete confusion. But at the same time there is hope for the best.
The recording was made at probably the main flea market in all of Uzbekistan, Yangiobad. Together with my friends from the Ask Sado emergency residence for Siberian sound artists, I went to the flea market, on the one hand as an excursion, and on the other with a very specific goal - to buy various little things necessary for everyday life for the residence.
By this day, the grip of my depression is becoming less strong and I experience a mass of impressions that excite me in the most positive way. On this recording, as well as on the other two recorded at this flea market, you can hear a colorful hum - the polyphony of the market, the voices of inviting sellers are heard from all sides, you can hear people bargaining, music appears and dissolves, etc. | Vladimir Bocharov
Recorded by Vladimir Bocharov.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Alexey Komarov, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"The audio that I selected for this project is of a call to prayer in Uzbekistan. In the sound I created I wanted to showcase the role and the power that religion has for people who are in migration.
"This work is drawn on an intersection between the fieldwork I did while working along the Bosnian/Croatian borders and the field recordings I took. These sounds can be heard in the background such as the sounds of walking, speaking, cars driving, etc.
"I wanted to mix the story of my experience doing migrant justice work in Bosnia, to the sounds of the call of prayer. My desire to do this, came from coming to understand the power of religion in spaces of migration, liminality and precarity, and the way religion can be used as a source of hope and strength.
"The people I met while working in Bosnia, would always say phrases like “al hamdillah”, god bless, after describing happy moments in life, but also after describing tragic encounters of border violence while trying to cross the borders. I was always shocked that even in telling stories of the violence they experienced they would follow it by using this phrase.
"But through the many conversations I had with people, I have come to understand that through moving in the borders they are confronting by the fullest and truest extent of state sanctioned violence. They are confronted by the magnitude of the state, but what is bigger than these governments which are inflicting injustice on them? God.
"There is something incredibly powerful in knowing that there is something higher than that which is oppressive. So, for my sound piece I decided to depict a journey, as described in countless testimonies of movement, but mix it with the sounds of the call to prayer in Uzbekistan. The call to prayer fades in and out, yet it is always there, always protecting and empowering."
Samarkand old city reimagined by Masa Nazzal.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGES: RyansWorld, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
By the time of this entry, I have been in exile for half a year and am forced to draw disappointing conclusions. I never managed to assimilate and form any working contacts. The formats of sound work in which I have worked and want to continue working are not in demand in the local context. I am actively involved in field recording, keeping a kind of sound diaries, trying to record the maximum sounding environment and myself in it. An old zoom H4N recorder, a mobile phone recorder and a cassette voice recorder are used.
At the time of this recording, my partner and I (who also came to the residence but will soon return to Russia) decided to take the opportunity to visit Samarkand and Bukhara, here I am filled with hope for the therapeutic potential of this trip, inspired by the opportunity to spend time with a loved one and looking forward to the potential of sound impressions awaiting me. In this recording, you can hear the drone of a train awaiting departure, as well as infrequent remarks from passengers and train conductors.
Recorded by Vladimir Bocharov.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Bobyrr, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Alpha King is a vibrant barbershop in the heart of Kasarani, a bustling district in Nairobi, Kenya, owned by a Congolese refugee. It serves as a sanctuary for many refugees in the neighborhood seeking a fresh haircut.
The hum of the clippers fills the air as skilled refugee barbers meticulously groom their clients. Outside, a lengthy queue snakes along the sidewalk, filled with eager clients awaiting their turn. In the background, the rhythm of Rumba Music drifts through the air, captivating those gathered. Koffi Olomide's melodic voice, a beacon of Congolese culture, resonates from speakers, uniting the crowd in song and dance.
For many Congolese refugees in the city, visiting Alpha King is more than just a grooming session—it's a cherished ritual. Here, they find solace in connecting with their cultural roots, embracing their Congolese identity in the company of fellow compatriots, amidst the backdrop of bustling Nairobi life.
Recorded by Marie Godin and Bahati Ghislain.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Juan Pablo is 19 years old. I randomly approached him in Dolores Park in San Francisco and asked to record him speaking about what he's learned about himself so far in life.
He's explaining his migration from Brazil to the US. This piece explores his journey through the confines of cultural, social, and political borders. Emotions in this story seems to include pensiveness, fear, confusion, self acceptance, pride, and courage.
Recorded by Wendy Baker.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Somali immigrant speaking to opposition rally, recorded during "Louisville Movement Against Trump" rally to oppose visit by Trump to Freedom Hall at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center, Louisville, Kentucky, March 20, 2017.
The rally was held along an access road a few hundred yards from the entrance to Freedom Hall, which is located near Louisville International Airport.
Recorded by Aaron Rosenblum.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: See page for author, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons
President Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 27, 2017 "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States." Thousands around the US protested at airports following the executive order. Many have argued that the order was a Muslim ban. Others contended that it was for the safety and security of the United States.
The field recording was captured Jan. 29 during one of those protests in the International Arrivals section of Terminal E at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas.
Recorded by Walker Wooding.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Hequals2henry, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Late summer insects buzz in Cimarron County, the remote westernmost section of the Oklahoma Panhandle. (It is the only county in the United States that borders four additional states: Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Kansas. In the 19th century, the region - ancestral lands of the Southern Plains Wichita and Affiliated Tribes - was under the flags of Spain and then an independent Mexico before being claimed by the Republic of Texas.
Upon entering the United States in 1845, Texas ceded the area north of 36°30′ latitude to remain a slave state. From 1850-90, the area was called the Public Land Strip, popularly known as No Man's Land. In 1890, the strip of land was opened for settlement for migrants from across the nation and world and incorporated into Oklahoma Territory. In 1907, the area joined the Union as part of the state of Oklahoma, which also included the former Indian Territory, where tribes were forcibly located on the Trail of Tears.
The sounds recorded are much like those heard over the centuries by Plains Indians, European explorers, and the settler farmers and ranchers, many of whom abandoned their spreads during the epic droughts and wind storms of the Great Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Today, the 1,841 square mile area is home to 2,252 hardy residents, many of whom subsist off the land. To them, this is the sound of home.
Recorded by M.J. Alexander.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Small groups of migrants (a family with small children, and some young individuals) are at the board at El Paso airport getting ready to board a flight to Chicago.
Very likely from Central America, most migrants arriving in El Paso are escaping extreme poverty and crime and risk a perilous journey to get to the southern border and into the United States. At the airport they usually do not carry much more than documents in a manila envelope and a plastic bag with water and snacks.
Recorded by Susanne Maurer.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Gary Hoover, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A soundwalk around the streets at the heart of Chinatown in New York. With an estimated population of 90,000 to 100,000 people, NYC's Chinatown is home to the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere.
In this recording we explore the shops mostly selling Chinese products, with conversations happening among the Chinese community all around us.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Columbus Park in Chinatown, New York was created in 1897, but since 2013, the park has served as a gathering place for the local Chinese community, where the neighbourhood meets up to play mahjong, perform traditional Chinese music and practise tai chi in the early mornings.
In this recording from 2019, the park is filled with mostly elderly members of the Chinese community meeting up to socialise. We can hear a traditional Chinese stringed instrument, and tables filled with people playing mah jong to pass the afternoon.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
It was during my first month in New York in July 2020, even with a visa I’ve been received as an alien. I left my country, the country where I immigrated (Denmark), and my continent during a strange period. It was more than coming from outside; all those mouths, lips, teeth, and tongues hidden behind masks created another layer of distance. Can you belong when you cannot touch, face, embrace or connect with strangers?
I chose to come to the US with a plan in my head, and the pandemic arrived; the person I was could not exist in this new reality. How did I insert myself in a culture where people were still shaking every time they were listening to an ambulance siren? I felt lost, disconnected and alone, but new and more simultaneously.
I decided to have a checkup. I lived in prime Williamsburg then, and the only doctor available was in south Williamsburg. While entering the space, I felt I was in another time because no one was wearing masks. I was happy to see facing but frightened by the unknown. It was a strange walk, and I discovered another secret space inside the new space where I was trying to make sense of myself.
Recorded by Sylvain Souklaye.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Recorded during the late summer months in a suburban town outside of Phoenix, AZ, a group of mostly migrant workers from Central and South American continue construction on a large-scale luxury apartment complex on a Saturday afternoon.
Standing on the adjacent lot, I observe numerous workers precariously standing atop a standing structure as they frame lumber underneath and around them while others move construction materials across the site. High pitched beeping sounds repeat that signal a truck is moving in reverse while a light breeze cuts the impact of the scorching desert heat when the temperature is at its highest in the day.
I am further struck by the preparation of these structures, upscale rental units designed for “modern living” that will ultimately profit from numerous migrants to the Phoenix metro area, an area that has been subject to soaring housing costs amidst a ravaging water crisis. There simply are not enough resources to sustain the population, and yet, local municipalities rely on the influx of residents to sustain their current population.
As part of a larger body of work that contends with the layered effects of land displacement, natural habitat destruction, and the contours of late capitalism, this recording also illuminates the ways uneven power dynamics remain present in the settlement, migration, and displacement of low/no income residents (including the nonhuman inhabitants) who no longer have access to the land upon which they made their homes. While there is joy in the cancion of the man singing while working, the broader context of the aural experience marks a shift in the audible landscape, where a once culturally diverse soundscape becomes enveloped by the homogenized silencing of opulence that has become a signature of wealthier residencies.
Recorded by Alejandro T. Acierto.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"What makes a person consider leaving their home and migrating to another country? In America, considered a land of immigrants, people came for a fresh start, a better life for themselves and their family. There have been many waves of migration to the United States in our history including for example from China in the mid 1800’s, many settling in New York City, the Irish beginning in 1845, the Italians predominantly from 1900 - 1914 and so many more.
"New York City had been the entry point and the destination of many who have made the journey, however today, the migration at the southern border has created a division within the country in how we see new immigration. The debate has raised many questions, one of which has had me questioning why people today, in this moment, would look to America as a destination? Especially in this moment when I have contemplated leaving my home based on the outcome of the the presidential election coming this November.
"In thinking about these questions and in looking at the populations who have arrived here in New York City throughout our history, I can only imagine what must go into a decision of this magnitude. This work I am presenting makes an attempt at addressing these questions. It begins as though in a dream, imagine a voyage across a vast ocean and upon arrival, the surreal feelings of finally arriving and navigating through this new land ultimately finding a community of like people and the beginning of a new reality, a new life and a sense of place in this case all on the corner of Mott and Hester Streets in Chinatown, New York City.
"The music for my composition, A Sense of Place, was composed using Logic Pro. The field recording was altered and decontextualized at the opening and in the dreamlike sequence that follows using Audacity until returning the to the original field recording at the conclusion of the piece."
New York Chinatown reimagined by Bill Stevens.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"I was almost immediately taken by the sound of an instrument being played, and a song being sung, where both sounded like they have been carried along, as part of one's identity.
"In the track that I built around elements of the recording I tried to built small collages of sound around that tune. Different scenes, within which these elements of identity could stand out; set changes, with identity as a constant, be it a major or minor part, augmented, accentuated."
Columbus Park, New York reimagined by de Velden.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"My project was a field recording of an anti-Trump protest, the voice of the woman in the recording seemed to hold a lot of power and with the music I tried to give it the sense of hope like she’s pleading to make us understand we are all one and there can’t be racism, discrimination and also in these times war.
"The track is composed of a texture sample I created with some mangled sampled voice from the file that I thought would give it a little bit of a blues feel, in tribute to the culture of sorrow that is the blues and it’s appropriate for the message. They loop throughout the song, repeating the message.
Louisville protest reimagined by current flow Ω.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: See page for author, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons
"Cimarron County is at the far western tip of the Oklahoma Panhandle, an area formerly known as No Man's Land. The High Plains where the field recording was created have witnessed waves of migration through the centuries: nomadic indigenous tribes following the hunt, travelers and traders on the Old Santa Fe Trail,
"European settlers racing to claim land in the Cherokee Strip Land Run of 1893, defeated farmers fleeing the devastating Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Today, Cimarron has the fewest residents (about 2,100), lowest population density (two people per square mile), and fewest number of stoplights (zero) of any of the 77 counties of Oklahoma.
"The sense of isolation is reflected and expanded through electroacoustic sound manipulation blended with a meditative percussive pulse, evoking the timeless cycle of the movement of people against a never-changing distant horizon."
Cimarron county dustbowl reimagined by Opus 46.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"This piece initially appealed to me because of its location tag. I have always been inspired by airports! I used recordings of my Eurorack synthesizer with samples of the source material, played and recorded live through Rogue Amoeba software on my laptop.
"I begin and end with noisy elements to invoke the tension that can be felt waiting to have one's ticket scanned at the terminal gates... the middle part is my clunky ode to Brian Eno's Music for Airports."
El Paso airport recording reimagined by Land and Sound.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Gary Hoover, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"My recorded sample was from the streets of Houston, the voices from the field gave me the inspiration of the Echoes track, represents the timestamps of the humane experience into the time and space. The frequencies, the echoes from the past, the presence, echoing into the future, moments without expire date, life in the here and now, echoing into the cosmos."
Houston protest reimagined by John Ov3rblast.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Hequals2henry, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
""Unmask" is an electroacoustic composition that reflects on “masking” experiences related to migration and identity during the COVID-19 global pandemic. The piece draws from a field recording captured in July 2020 in New York City. The recording artist, newly arrived and feeling alienated, navigated a city transformed by masks and social distance, a scenario that resonated deeply with my own journey.
"Having migrated across continents during the pandemic - from a double-masked Peru to a maskless Germany - I too grappled with the dissonance of belonging. The mask is a powerful metaphor, extending beyond its intended physical protection to delve into the psychological and sociological functions of identity. Masking, both as a literal act and as a metaphor for minority stress and cultural assimilation, is the inspiration for this piece.
"From a technical standpoint, I explored sound synthesis techniques that are often referred to or closely related to masking, such as time-variant high and low limits for parameter ranges, periodical intermittency in granular synthesis systems, among others. Every sound in the composition originates from the original field recording."
Williamsburg soundscape reimagined by Gianni Bencich-Grigore.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Out of all of the choices for field recordings, this one felt the closest to me. I grew up and lived all of my life in Chile, until I came to study in the US in 2017. The scene that is described in the field recording has become very familiar in the academic institutions that I’ve attended, where most of the labor behind the repair and construction of new buildings is carried out by Central and South American migrant workers.
"The field recording truly captures the dryness of the weather and reflects on the precarity and exploitation of migrant workers to build luxury condos in a city that is going through a record breaking drought. I originally wanted to emphasize these characteristics in my composition. I started by selecting and classifying different sections of the recording: wind sounds, trucks beeping, voices singing, and nail/staple guns. In this process, it is sometimes impossible to separate the different sound sources as they overlap and are all contained in a stereo recording. I experimented with the FluCoMa library in Max/MSP in order to separate the stereo file in different components. What it does is that it analyzes the sound file and tries to identify and put together sounds that are similar to each other (in their spectral and loudness features).
"Through experimenting with it multiple times, I was able to separate the different sound sources. In many cases it was not perfect, but the imperfections either added a grainy element to the sound, or ended up taking a particular color that was different from the original. I thought these new renderings of the field recording would contribute to the portrayal of precarity and dryness. I constructed the piece using small chunks and snippets from the FluCoMa renderings of the field recordings.
"These were many times stretched and pitch shifted to add variation to the material and play with the pitched elements in the recordings. In the late part of the process I added a variety of synthesized sounds that were processed together with the field recordings through granular synthesis, filters and delays.
"In the end what started to emerge in the piece, was that within the dryness, the precariousness and exploitation, the workers sing, and that singing, I interpret it as an act of resilience, as a desire to keep going in the hope that things will get better. I worked the piece as an immersive multi-channel composition – this version is a binaural render of it, so it is better experienced with headphones."
Phoenix construction workers reimagined by Matias Vilaplana Stark.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
While traveling by train around Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, I observed a notable influx of refugees from the southern part of Africa seeking opportunities in the bustling city. Due to the high unemployment rate in Tunisia, both Tunisians from various regions and refugees depend on slow trains for their daily commute to Tunis.
The sluggish pace of these trains adds an extra layer of challenge to their journeys, as evident in the accompanying recording. Many individuals undertake a daily trip to Sidi Bou Said, aspiring to secure employment in this artistic and laid-back seaside village often referred to as the "Tunisian Santorini."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"This composition was inspired by the anticipation and joyous feeing of arrival at a special place. The original field recording is used in many ways ,from the built up manipulated voices providing a sort of spiritual chant and much texture to the piece.It was all recorded using various synthesisers played quite freely to try and convey the idea of movement."
Nefta soundscape reimagined by Alex Hehir.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The music first describes people slowly getting on the train. Although they may be tired, their hearts are full of hope for the future and longing for a new life. The motive symbolizes hope, which gradually develops as the train runs as if people are weaving the most beautiful dream in their hearts.
"When the train nearly arrives at the station, they wake up from their dreams. Still carrying the positive energy from the dream with enthusiasm, they are ready to pass through the door to the new world with courage."
Tunisian train journey reimagined by Anna Vienna Ho.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"This field recording had a lot to work with. I enjoyed the backstory, learning about Zubin Aroz's reflections as audience to these high-paced basketball matches. To me, the bouncing of the ball in this recording became a strong symbol of the sort of life that a migrant lives, when having a new home in another country. The feeling of being torn in between two geographical places is something that is in constant flux, and is heavily dependant on a lot of things. Being comfortable in a new environment can quickly be replaced to longing for familiarity, without any particular explanation.
"The context to this recording provided by Zubin, and the clear excitement and joy that can be heard by the players involved in this game of basketball, made me think of the many beautiful moments that I've experienced myself when finding comfort and stability in new places. Therefore, the act of bouncing came to represent the pendulum between birth place, and a new home. I tried to capture the moments of excitement, the sun, and the joy of collective play in my piece that I based around the recording.
"I based my composition entirely on the audio file of the field recording, but processed it in various way to create tonality - using resonators and heavy EQing to create clusters of tones mashed together with the texture of the soundscape of the game. I then used granular synthesis and time-stretching in various ways to create textural density, giving this final result."
Dubai basketball game reimagined by Malte Leander.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The audio piece is the way I listen to language that is foreign to me following the notion, that all that is unknow becomes a noise that we try to push away. When I arrived in Germany from Poland I would only hear the melody of speaking not understanding it felt overwhelming, and then remembering a scrap of word that would become an earworm lingering in me.
"While listening to the field recording I could only perceive sense of constant fluctuation and movement in swarm of voices, sounding out of objects and animals, with voices of megaphone over it. I followed the dramaturgy of recording and the way a microphone moved though spaces and focused on state of feeling out of place and in constant need of movement while being drowning in sea of objects.
"Relief both connects to a mode of sculpture characterized by surface inequalities and forms of help that is lacking in the treatment of migrating bodies."
Tunis old town reimagined by Justyna Stasiowska.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
This recording captures the atmosphere of a particularly impoverished area located on the outskirts of the bustling medina of Tunis. Here, I witnessed a significant number of migrants from sub-Saharan African countries who find themselves stranded in their attempts to reach Europe. In the background, the sounds of street vendors and individuals selling their belongings on the ground are prominent.
This area seems to be deeply affected by poverty, with both Tunisians and migrants grappling with various challenges, including economic hardships and pervasive issues such as unemployment. The recording provides a glimpse into the complex realities faced by the community in this part of Tunis, shedding light on the struggles of those living amidst these difficult circumstances.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The story behind the migration of the Batwa pygmies from the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest was quite thought-provoking, and it inspired me to research this migration further. The field recording by Colin Hunter is a living example of the indestructibility of the spirit of the forest that the Batwa pygmies carried with them when they were evicted from the forest land in 1992. Being an immigrant myself and a person who has moved a lot, I can imagine the heartbreak and difficulties migration can bring.
"The field recording I chose for my composition is a welcome song that a group performed for Colin, close to Bwindi National Park. I had two approaches to compose music with it: one was to remix the recording and create something catchy, or to create an ambient track with a strong imaginary sonic landscape around the field recording by editing it and creating many smaller samples out of it.
"I settled on the ambient approach because I felt the recording was truly special, and it must teleport a listener to Bwindi and to the difficult migration story. I also felt the ambient approach would help me highlight a sound or melody from different angles without being too shackled to a structural idea.
"I imagined the sonic landscape in my composition as if an observer/listener is walking through Bwindi Impenetrable Forest before the migratory chapter and there’s an ongoing celebration. They see different groups singing and dancing, welcoming them while they are surrounded by the greenery of a lush forest and the sheer force of nature unfolding in it.
"Perhaps the Batwa pygmies have learned to adapt to new surroundings and new ways of life today, but I think the forest will always remain in their being. To me, Colin’s recording beautifully captures how the performing group’s song is quintessentially connected with the forest. That’s why I have named the composition ‘‘And the Forest Remained in Us.’’
Batwa song reimagined by Atúl.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The recording inspired me mostly through the story behind it and through its mundaneness and relatability. The subject of the recording is part of an (originally) nomadic group of people, the Mrazig, which had me reconsidering the notion of migration for this piece. I wanted to know more about the peoples in this area, so I read up on the Mrazig and Imuhar/Amazigh people in the area.
"The concept of migration for me is one of upheaval, of great change, of being uprooted and placed into a new environment. Approaching migration as a seasonal or recurring motion through a larger home was fascinating. The recording itself is of such a mundane activity, cooking, which felt weirdly out of place in the context of constant motion, but it provided an amazing through-line or fixed reference for moving the music against. We all have to eat.
"I didn't process the sample itself a lot. I duplicated the recording and stretched/pitch shifted it to get multiple layers of musical motion. Then I played around with some synthesizers, the main one of which was a string modeling synth with which I made the violin sounding parts. I liked the fragility of the sound in relation to the severity of the environment in which these people live, as well as in relation to the colonial violence they have endured.
"I wanted to capture my interpretation of the feeling of living as a nomad, of living in a home that spreads out over a huge area, living with the land and its changes."
Saharan cooking recording reimagined by denote.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Although migration has always been a part of human history, because of catastrophic circumstances there are many people leaving their homelands behind, and starting new lives. Homesickness can bring back piercing memories which can suddenly feel far away and forgotten and later on popping up like plants in the rain.
"A familiar butterfly, but different in this new place is a comforting reminder and also strange. But the butterflies are used to migration. The soaring violin, leads the memories, while the voices fade in and other sounds take their place to lead in a new direction."
Istanbul violinist reimagined by Lostworldsounds/Michelle Breslin.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Here, you can listen to a nomadic Berber tribesman cooking his meal deep in the Sahara Desert alongside his camel, providing an opportunity to immerse yourself in the Berber way of life. For centuries, Douz has been a meeting place for nomadic M’razig Berber tribesmen.
Today, it is renowned for its dates and palm wine. This specific region of the desert played a pivotal role as a stop on the trans-Saharan caravan routes, offering valuable insights into the serene appeal of the desert.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
The field recording is of a group of Filipino expats having a competitive game of basketball. Filipinos form close to 25% of the population in Dubai. Most come to Dubai for work in order to support their families back home. Many of them end up staying longer, eventually bringing their families over and settling in Dubai. One of the most common activities for Filipinos (usually men) to engage in is basketball. Every public basketball court in the city is filled with large groups of basketball enthusiasts every evening without fail. Having grown up in this city, I always enjoyed watching them play. Their games are full of laughter and energy. It is also interesting because the game was brought to the Philippines by American settlers in the early 1900s and has become an equally important part of Filipino culture - something that they now take with them wherever they go.
I always get emotionally invested in the games while watching, often clapping and cheering when there is a good moment. The players can get competitive but they always remember to have fun and laugh and not take things very seriously - perhaps a reflection of the Filipino people in general who are always smiling, friendly and easy going.
Recorded by Zubin Aroz.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
For thousands of years, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in the south-west of Uganda was home to an indigenous people - the Batwa pygmies. The original dwellers of this ancient jungle were known as “The Keepers of the Forest.”
In 1992, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest became a national park and World Heritage Site to protect the 350 endangered mountain gorillas within its boundaries. The Batwa were evicted from the park and since they had no title to land, they were given no compensation.
Today many of the original Batwa people have been re-housed on land just outside the Bwindi National Park. I visited one such group who were living in the countryside surrounding Ruhija Village. During my visit they sang and danced as a way of welcoming me to their home.
Recorded by Colin Hunter.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
After interviewing a violinist from the nomad cultures of eastern Turkey, he offered to play to me. His virtuosity and feeling were incredible, especially since a malformation in his wrist had forced him to develop a new style of playing with the violin pointing down to his lap.
Recorded by Josie Illingworth-Law.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
This is a recording from inside the medina of the picturesque town of Nefta, a sacred religious territory where, out of respect for the religion, many mosques can only be admired from the outside. The marabouts in Nefta continue to attract pilgrims from all over southern Tunisia and even from Algeria. This widespread veneration of the marabouts reflects the enduring strength of Sufism, a movement that originated in the 12th century around Sufi Abu Madian.
According to Sufi beliefs, followers of Islam, a religion rooted in the desert, should exhibit particular modesty of behavior and asceticism. They were deeply inclined toward mysticism, the veneration of holy men, as well as spiritual contemplation and meditation.
This recording captures the essence of the religious and cultural significance of Nefta, portraying its unique blend of history, spirituality, and tradition.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The original recording has been used pretty much all the way through the song. It is slowed to 1/2 the time and reversed in places. I wrote the whole piece around a single loop of the recording of the guitar. I really wanted to feel the vibrations and to make the piece as tranquil, calm and reflective as I could.
"I have added my own electric guitar, acoustic guitar, mandolin, keyboards and voice. There is also the sound of a photocopier as texture to the piece like a rolling wave. I have also used the sound of a post office and a boarder crossing as an introduction.
"The title is based on the Old English for the English channel - the south sea or the narrow sea.
"The words are solemn; a father's unimaginable loss whilst crossing to England.
Bureaucracy juxtaposed against human tragedy."
Slovenian guitar recordig reimagined by Rhoald Earl & Emo.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"This composition is inspired by the recording "Migration Soup Preparation" by Görkem Özdemir, a Turkish artist nowadays based in Slovenia. In his recording, Görkem is stirring a soup, creating different rhythms and sounds. This intimate "performance" helps Görkem in the moments of sadness when he misses his family and country.
"Often, the cuisine we bring wherever we go represents our tradition, and we can feel closer of our homes just cooking a soup. For the composition, I ask Görkem to record a little text he wrote about the origin of this performance, in English and in his mother tongue. The voice was my guide to improvise other atmospheres.
"I wanted to tell a story about belonging and memories, and generate a certain state of dreaming. His performance (the soup recording) generates a "teleportation" to our childhood memories through music and playfulness. I used some of my own soundscapes (recorded in Spain, Portugal and France, places where I lived) and some piano music I improvised while editing."
Soup preparation in Ljubljana reimagined by Laura Romero Valldecabres.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The field recording made me think of the mixing of worlds and common points of convergence. I used the sound recordings as textures and looped sections to find some rhythmic movement, which worked as a guide to the arpeggios to follow.
"In this piece, I explore the concept of migration and how sounds can make a space feel like home. For instance, the sounds of a busy street or the calls of bird species native to your area can evoke a sense of familiarity. New environments can often be overwhelming, leading us to seek comfort in familiar elements such as language or food to create a sense of home.
"I approached this theme by contrasting the intense, unfamiliar sounds of new surroundings with the calming sounds that remind us of home. Many current migrations are driven by oppression, persecution, and violence, contributing to an increasingly dystopian world. I also examine the journey from a state of ease to one of chaos, highlighting the pervasive sense of hopelessness and apathy that often surrounds us."
Serbian refugee house recording reimagined by Ng'at Maler.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Inspired by the original material I tried to heighten both the emotional and meditative aspects of the playing. My own deep drone has been added under a pitched down version of the original recording. Lightly edited portions of the cura bağlama recording drift in and out and interweave with a distant, haunting new melody."
Cura saz in Ljubljana reimagined by Flexagon.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: By Lukas007 - Self-photographed, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5725760
"Being a migrant means facing everyday life in a lot of solitude. Our emotions and our memories are interwoven with an internal dialogue, they become diffuse and palpable, close and far, weak and strong, all at the same time. They inhabit us and resonate in our body and environment. Pablo Ojeda reflects this journey with a soundscape in which a migrant is doing a housework, while other people are making party outside.
"I tried to make subtle emphasis adding textures and accentuating certain resonances, as a metaphor of this inner reflection and the infinite transformation of our memories, while trying to keep the structure and narrative of this Spanish scene. I am a Mexican, and this piece was made while living in Hamburg, Germany, after moving into other three different European countries in the last two years."
Party in Alboraya reimagined by Janine Jop.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"This composition is informed by the specific ontology of sound as being itinerant, displaced, dislodged and fleeting. Sound is always ripped from its source to travel away from one body to another, and from one place to the other. It vibrates and makes others to vibrate with it. It moves and in doing so absorbs the conditions of its environment, brushes against surfaces, bodies and other sounds. It remains tied to its original context yet creates a space of relation that leads to new connections. Sound in this context is therefore a spatio-temporal event charged with history, culture and relations.
"The source recording itself is uprooted and displaced. It is ripped from its origins; first as the sound of displaced bodies articulating a certain rupture from home, and second as a material ripped from its physical origin by the very act of recording and reshaped by the subjectivity of the microphone and the ears that were pointing it. The subject of the recording itself is also a complex musical weave that entails histories of colonialization, indigenous cultures, and multiple lands. To add to this complexity, Spain being the location of this recording is a return to a distant origine. As one end of the Son Jarocho thread, as the echo of a distant past, “a faded facsimile of the original sound”. Thus, the central theme of migration, its ecology, bidirectionality, intrinsic homelessness and double consciousness are all at the very fabric of this source recording.
"With these notions in mind, I began by positioning myself with respect the source recording. I examined my personal relation to Mexico as the cultural source and the broader context of this recording. Being a diaspora myself, ripped from home and displaced, I had a very subjective and a rather complex relation with this recording. It resonated with my continuous longing to reconnect with my own homeland but also renewed my deep appreciation for the culture and the people of Mexico that I am also away from. So, for me being distant from a land beyond reach and a desire to reconnect with it is a theme that this recording embodies at many levels.
"Imagining the ritual captured in this recording as a call for home, OutReached is an answer to this call. It stretches this call beyond its acoustic limits across the ocean all the way back “home”. A home that is reimagined through my non-Mexican ears. Through my felt knowledge and sensorial memories and field recordings of Mexico as well as through my own lived history of migration. Except for the source recoding itself, all other sounds and field recordings used in this composition were recorded in different parts of Mexico. Even the impulse response of a rather large exhibition chamber in Mexico was used for the convolution reverb!
"Trusting that these sounds were fundamentally bound by their cultural context and common origins, my process of composition was anchored in an agentive and organizational listening to reveal these sounds' common stories. This enabled the sounds to speak for themselves and for the relations they embody to emerge as the musical experience; some due to my intervention as a composer and some beyond my comprehension of the materials and their intrinsic relations. I listened for serendipitous moments of coming together, be it harmonic, rhythmic, textural, spatial, etc. and reimagined a home for the fragments of the source recording to meander across. These far away fragments consist of the unprocessed source recording, its granular swishes as well as the voice in the source recording and the rest of the recording separated from each other via AI tools to add yet another level of rupture while allowing for more compositional freedom."
Jarocho folk music reimagined by Saadi Daftari.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Son Jarocho is a traditional Mexican musical genre with a strong presence in the state of Veracruz. Its origin dates back to the colonial period, when musical elements from Spanish, indigenous, and African cultures were mixed. The instrumentation of Son Jarocho includes jaranas (small guitars), harps, and the sound of zapateado (rhythmic foot tapping).
In this case, the sound presents a group of Mexicans in Barcelona who meet regularly to celebrate a fandango. A fandango is a party centered around Son Jarocho where people dance, play instruments, and recite verses. This group aims to reclaim Son Jarocho as an important part of Mexican popular music, which is often overshadowed by mariachi, the genre most associated with Mexico internationally.
Celebrating a fandango abroad has a special meaning for Mexicans living outside of their country. It becomes a way to claim their cultural roots and share them with others. In the author's case, Son Jarocho has allowed her to discover a new facet of her culture, especially as a migrant. Listening to this musical genre has made her appreciate Mexican culture even more and has strengthened her ties to it, despite the physical distance.
Son Jarocho is an example of the cultural richness of Mexico. Its presence in other countries through fandangos organized by the Mexican community is a way to keep traditions alive and connect with cultural identity despite the distance.
Recorded in Barcelona by Malinalli García Melchor.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
A migrant is doing housework while other people are having a party outside, in Alboraya, Spain. This recording represents a migrant's solitude in contrast to the energy and euphoria of other people.
In the recording you feel a mixture of feelings: anguish, explosion, euphoria, anxiety, tranquility, the attempt to reconnect with oneself.
Recorded by Pablo Ojeda Doménech.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: JaGa9480, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In my mother tongue, "ocak" (fireplace) is refers to a place where cooking happens. As a metaphor, it also means home or family.
While I was feeling gloomy, I stirred a soup in order to feel close to my parents, my hometown, and to feel at home again. I stirred the soup in different paces as my emotions were blooming with the circular motion of the whisk. Towards the end of the recording, one can hear a deep exhalation, a sigh to relax. Whatever happens, playfulness is an important thing to cherish the life. I make popping sounds with my mouth as a small celebration of finishing this task.
Recorded by Görkem Özdemir.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Sometimes it can be so hard to deal with bureaucracy, cultural differences, manage to communicate with others through a link language. In my opinion, to express ones emotions and being listened to in a patient manner is a fundamental human need. Feelings such as hope, sadness, loneliness, longing, homesickness, being away from parents, grief, hüzün, anger, vulnerability, resilience, recovery and care also needs to be manifested in some ways.
This untouched recording is my response, to a hard day, as I was trying to soothe and calm myself with a musical instrument - a cura bağlama (or cura saz) - from my home country, Türkiye.
In the evening, I decided to restring and retune my instrument. I was so tired to move away from my couch, my head was aching, and my fingers were moving across the fret board while this tune had emerged. The recording was done in an intimate setting, in my living room in Ljubljana.
I hope this recording may bring some peace in our troubled civilization, dire conditions, and most importantly to the ones who dare to listen.
Recorded by Görkem Özdemir.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: By Lukas007 - Self-photographed, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5725760
I am a migrant, I am an electronic music composer, I am an expat, I am an ex-academic, I am a person who needs to deal with bureaucratic processes to stay in another country than my home country.
For months, I have been awaiting a job seeking visa to be granted. Within the process, more official papers are being asked from me to provide. Sometimes I feel like Sisyphus, rolling a paper boulder up a hill. The process is nerve wracking.
Nevertheless, I am lucky to have my electric guitar with me. I sit on the ground, my fingers walk on the string, vibrate them; and I feel vibrations on my body through guitars body, amplifier amplifies the strings' vibration, turn them into audible sounds. I believe my instruments helps me while I seek some solace.
Recorded by Görkem Özdemir.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
January 26, 2022
NGO visit to a refugee rest house near Batrovci, Serbia
On the backroad there is no light, so I do not know, then, from where the shadows come, how they project against the rear windowpane of the van, vaguely humanoid, cutting a steady path like a family in flight across the Pannonian Plain, the Aegean Sea, the Rio Grande.
The house, not a home, is not empty but neither can it be called full. When our van comes down the road, sticks its wheels in the mud, parks below the blown-out windows canvassed in tarp, I imagine it causes them some panic. But the men, they welcome us in. We ask them questions, we ask them if they’d like to ask us questions — they don’t — we look at the sleeping bags and the etchings on the exposed stone and watch our breath come to life in the winter air.
They come outside with us. We open the van, turn on the light, which is so cutting and clear in the dark that the scene now resembles a play on a theater stage. In the night this is the only sound and the only sight — bright light, English, Serbian, Pashto, Farsi, boxes thudding, here are jackets, here are boots, manana, tashakor, assailamu alaikom, best of luck to you, my friends.
And so I am trying to decide if here — at the border, where paths parallel for millennia become perpendicular — the world is collapsing in on itself or, rather, bursting forth in a million new directions.
This is where it happens. The logic of the world: it implodes, it explodes, it falls apart.
Recorded by Zach Goodwin.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The narrative explores the complex emotions of returning to your homeland, possibly for the last time to see an ageing parent. The salty air, the rocking of the ferry – all become sensory details that evoke the physical experience of the journey.
"Yet beneath the surface lies a deeper turmoil, a haunting question about goodbyes and the fragility of life."
Scottish ferry trip reimagined by Cristina Marras.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"With this composition I wanted to refllect Lara’s feeling: she said in her presentation that the sound of the highway she captured in Moscow, where she is currently living, reminded her of the sound of the sea she could hear in Vietnam where she resided before. I tried to weave the noise of the cars with a recording of waves. The cars' horns I added are gradually replaced by conch shell blowing, and we can hear some seagulls.
"I then improvised with a synth to add a surreal, nostalgic touch to the piece. I wanted to transmit the impression that our migrant minds/ bodies are constantly drifting between places, like in a dream. I live by the sea, being a migrant too, so this, for me, was my answer to Lara’s sound: a postcard sent from the ocean to the other side of the world."
Moscow traffic reimagined by Christine Renaudat.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The sounds of a night under the Kotlarski bridge came with words from Andrii Shamanov, who captured them. When I read his words, I was sure, that they needed a place in my piece, so I recorded most of them.
"In the house where I temporarily lived, while listening to his recording for the first time, I found an old music box which I also added - as a sound of a station on the way, a timestamp. Lastly I played a sparse piano and sang some little melodies, the two things which are an anchor for me in my migration through life."
Kotlarski bridge, Krakow reimagined by Judith Mann.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: fiedler, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"The story of how the original recording first reflected with the city and the intensity of the rain reminded me of the different interactions one makes with a city at first glance. The first impression of a city makes a large impact. In my composition, I wanted to enhance this feeling of first impressions.
"I used field recordings I took when I originally visited Lisbon, and my impression mixed with the field recording of the Lisbon rain storm. I then used the melodic content of the embedded field recordings and harmonized with the soundscapes of the city to enhance this impression.
"I think this approach lends a magical feeling to the first impression the soundscape of a new environment leaves, in order to make one more cognizant to the soundscape of a new city." |
Lisbon rainstorm reimagined by Andrew Ramsey.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"In Canto IV of the Inferno, Dante introduces Limbo with the sound of "sospiri" (sighs, that made th' eternal air / Tremble [..]). This is where the innocent souls of the unbaptised reside for eternity.
"Seven centuries later we're turning fiction into reality. People, whose only fault was being born on the wrong side of the powers to be are sentenced to a grotesque, heartbreaking punishment."
Kigali airport arrival reimagined by figurehead.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Abhishek Singh from Pune, India, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"I moved to Scotland with my family around 10 years ago; a migration from England to North of the border. I had visited Scotland many times previously and always felt a longing to move here because of the sense of calm and freedom it gave me. Visits to the Hebridean Islands were central to these experiences, knowing the holiday had truly begun once the ferry had left port. I wanted my family to also experience this and so we now visit the Islands regularly.
"This recording was made when we boarded the ferry from Scarinish on Tiree bound for Oban on the Scottish mainland. What can be heard really sums up the feelings of happiness and expectation I used to have coming to Scotland as a younger man. In the recording you can hear the ferry disembarking with sounds of the engine as well as the safety announcements over the tannoy. The authentic Scottish Islander accent of the female announcer followed by the Gaelic translation is of particular importance as it gives a true connection to place and community."
Recorded by Simon Holmes.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The UK government has been trying to send asylum seekers to Rwanda for the last couple of years (as of 2024). This is the announcement of a RwandarAir flight arriving in Kigali from London.
"It is the first thing that future asylum seekers will hear when arriving to their new home based on current government plans (at the time of recording).
Recorded by Carlos Vargas-Silva.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Abhishek Singh from Pune, India, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"Now I live in the center of Moscow, next to the highway (for 5 years already). There is continuous road noise nearby. And it's very similar to another sound.
"Before Moscow I used to live in Vietnam (7 years) near the sea and there was also the noise - the sustained and continuous sound of the sea. My note: the sounds have a different nature: one is natural, the other is industrial. The common denominator is sound volume and continuity. And there is a rhythm. By the sea it is a wave that grows and then collapses. The flow of cars has a rhythm regulated by traffic lights.
"It's nice to notice how I can control attention: I can listen to it out loud or not notice it at all."
Recorded by Lara Levi.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"I'm originally Hungarian but I have lived in Lisbon, Portugal for many years. Elsewhere, I've never experienced such intense, warm rainfalls which turn the streets into little rivers, the urban scenario into biblical floods. This is a rainy Atlantic afternoon from my window.
Recorded by Linda Koncz.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"I come from Mykolaiv, Ukraine. In 2015, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfolded and Crimea was annexed, I made the decision to immigrate to Poland, eventually settling in Krakow. One of my earliest experiences in my new home took place during a solitary walk along the Vistula River.
"The night was serene, yet my mind was occupied with questions: Where am I? What am I doing here? Why is this happening to me? As I stood under the Kotlarski bridge, the quietude was occasionally interrupted by the sounds of passing cars, intensifying my feelings of anxiety and displacement.
"Then, a tram passed overhead, its rumble echoing through the night. In that moment, amidst the overwhelming noise, I found solace. I realized that despite the uncertainty surrounding me, the most important person in my life was beside me, offering comfort and support.
"In the months that followed, I learned that the Polish word "most" translates to "bridge." This symbolizes the connection between my past in Ukraine and my present in Poland as well as the profound connection I share with my loved one.
"This recording is a story of resilience, adaptation and ultimately, finding a sense of belonging in a new place."
Recorded by Andrii Shamanov.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: fiedler, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"My piece 'Electric Pier' uses and is inspired by a recording of a noisy squeaking pier in Bangkok. The pier is acted upon by the forces of a river and has a bustling city as its backdrop. The squeaking sounds of the pier are full of small and expressive micro phrases that serve as atmospheric wails or else irregular rhythmic cells effusing otherworldly melodies.
"By combining the field recording with beats, synth instruments and noise electronics, I imagine in 'Electric Pier' a buzzing and colourful futurism where nature and the metropolis are juxtaposed."
Sathorn pier, Bangkok reimagined by Alex Pozniak.
"I was inspired by the text accompanying this recording of a roundabout in the Philippines. I felt the whole experience of migrating, travelling and coming back to a place that is not really home anymore was perfectly described in this text. I took my "scissors", picked the more meaningful words, and played with that material to recompose a sort of poem.
"I added to the field recording the circular sound of a wind chime with a floating delay ( paraphrasing the text in sound). After a moment I reversed all the sounds, as if returning home was like rewinding a cassette and introduced some errors into the poem."
Philippines roundabout recording reimagined by Christine Renaudat.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Benson Kua, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"This sound was recorded in October 2023 in Bethlehem, Palestine, so I initially had a difficult time deciding how to use it. However, after taking in the sound a few times in its entirety I decided that it creates an auditory scene of everyday life in a place that since suffered so much devastation.
"I chose snippets of the sound that sound like regular interactions and conversations, especially the sounds of human voices and isolated them as each human voice represented a human character and a memory of a instant. I used them throughout the piece matched with a few sets of modal of musical loops and rhythms. I used the audio both played with a high added reverb and resonance, as well as in reverse."
Bethlehem soundscape reimagined by Janae Jean.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
""Fragments of Palestine" reflects a serene sound bath—a peaceful mantra designed to manifest peace and solidarity with Palestine. The composition weaves together drone sounds and organic healing instruments, naturally blending with the everyday sounds that depict the struggle of a resilient nation that has been without a homeland for a prolonged period.
"The heart of the recording is a vivid soundscape of a bus journey through Palestine, acting as the guiding thread that carries the mantra through the authentic sounds of daily life in the barrios of Palestine.
"This piece is a culmination of my sound explorations in the region, captured right before the recent events."
Bethlehem soundscape reimagined by Deep Dive Sound.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"At first what captured my attention was the richness of the all the voices from children, woman and man. So the focus is on the voices, everything is based on that. Aside from the drone and occasional percussions, most of the sounds are heavily treated vocals. Next, I liked the organic side of the market's ambiance, therefore some live percussions was added. I deliberately left out the song captured in fhe field recording provided to avoid any copyright issues.
"I basically extracted and isolated into separate tracks all voices, noises, wind, artifacts and ambience. Multiple different combinaison of effects was permanently applied on each tracks. Everything was imported into the DAW (Ableton), then I selected some sections of every category and applied more effects depending of the result needed. The drone and percussions we're added to complete the picture. Selected tracks were imported into the Zoom F3 and sent simultaneously in stereo to 2 different mono effects (Chase Bliss Mood on the left channel, Dr Scientist The atmosphere on the right channel) and recombined into a stereo signal sent in Chase Bliss Reverse Mode C and redivised into a left and right signal. More effects were added via auxiliary return busses and automation on most of the tracks, these parameter change includes: EQ, filters, Bit Reduction, Downsample, Bit Depth, Overdrive, gain, Pitch and Tape Saturation.
Equipment
Daw & Tools : Ableton 10, Audacity, Paul Stretch, Zoom F3
Hardware Effects : Chase Bliss Mood, Chase Bliss Reverse Mode C, Dr Scientist The Atmosphere
Vsts : Klanghelm DC1A3, Puremagnetik Driftmaker, Linda Audio Stargazer, Chaos Audio Starlight, Waves Silk Vocal, Noise Engineering Ruina, Chowdsp Chow Tape Model, Waves H-Comp, Tokyo Dawn Records TDR Molotok, Granulator II, Valhalla Supermassive, Waves MaxxVolume
Synths : Full Bucket Music Mono/Fury, Ableton 10 native synths
Percussions : Triangle, toy bells, egg shaker, tambourine
Microphone : ElectroVoice N/D767a"
Bethlehem souq recording reimagined by Ghislain Caya.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Bethlehem exists in duality: both as a real city and an imaginary notion in the minds of so many throughout different locations and cultures across the world. Those people who actually set foot there can be present for all number of reasons, but the thing that stood out to me from the field recording was its normality - the honk of the car horns, children’s voices … but above all, the sound of commerce taking place. The goods on sale may vary in bazaars around the world, but this is a place like any other, where humans come together to exchange all manner of things - and that includes Sami’s special tea.
"I approached the composition from the position of wanting the sound of the city to infuse the feel of the track. I used a range of traditional instrumentation from the general region, but used a musical language that I’m more familiar with. In the alleyways, the sound would be more all-encompassing and reverberant. I found a clip of a boy speaking which sounded very like he was saying “Wake Up”. So that underpinned the structure of the track itself - since it seemed to me to be the best comment on the topic of migration that continually rises in public debate. We’re all human. And every man, woman and child has an equal right to exist."
Wake up...
Bethlehem alley recording reimagined by Dug Campbell.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"What immediately drew me to this recording was the profound gentleness, tenderness and warmth that could be felt in it. I wasn't able to transcribe the entire conversation, so I only have a rough idea of what the mother and daughter were talking about. That's why I decided to leave the entire recording in its full length. I only removed some parts with background noise, processed the recording, and used some elements (the sound of the timer and the camera) as audio components.
"I wanted to give the whole composition a nostalgic feel. Therefore, I used analog synthesizer sounds like the Mellotron and processed analog sounds, as well as tape delay wherever necessary.
"Personally, I don't have experience as a migrant, but the theme of parting and memories of happy moments spent together is close to everyone who has been separated from their loved ones for any reason. Perhaps we are truly physically distant? Perhaps our loved ones are deceased? Or maybe we are physically close but so emotionally distant that we can no longer have a close relationship? Who knows.
I decided to keep the original title of the recording (Kitchen Timer). The kitchen timer is, as the author says, a "melodious and excited kitchen appliance" but also a symbol of the passage of time we have together. Or perhaps the time until we meet again."
New Zealand kitchen timer recording reimagined by Grigor Ćorić.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
I took this recording on 29 March 2024, Good Friday, Holy Week when is God is dead. I walked around the roundabout of Pio del Pilar barangay hall, which is close to where I currently live. Barangay is the smallest local government unit in the Philippines and came from the pre-colonial word balangay which were traditional boats in the Philippines. When I was growing up in a small town, a former fishing village outside Metro Manila, Good Friday means that we are not allowed to take showers despite the tropical heat and humidity. Establishments are closed. Children should not be unruly, and generally, everyone should stay at home because there is no God watching over. Crucified, he is suffering in pain on this day.
The sound recorded here is supposed to be a quieter 8:30 evening than usual. The laundromat, the karinderya, and the sari-sari store are all closed. You will hear dogs barking, supposedly domesticated. There is a sound that appears like birds chirping, but I am unsure about this because they could be shrieks of a mouse or something else. There are several voices: a man saying “perfect”, two kids trying to ride a bicycle, a random passerby. You can also hear the rumble of the motorbikes, the quieter hissing of some cars, the build-up of a roar from a mid-sized fire truck, a honk from a teen-age boy driving, and possibly my footsteps and television noises from a random house.
I returned to the Philippines late last year after over three years of living outside the country. I lived for two years in one of the richest countries in the word, and for one year in one of the poorest, classified by the UN as a least developed country (LDC). In three years, I moved in and out of nine apartments for various reasons, lived in four cities for at least a month: Geneva, Zurich, Vientiane, and Bangkok, I got stuck in a city because of Covid-19 policies, went home in January 2022 only to leave again in less than a month without fully unpacking my belonging and my reflections. Living close to this roundabout was not well thought of and I want to leave. Yet, I am unable to move, stuck here in this random destination with no family or friends nearby, and with no specific purpose. Sometimes I fail to remember what I did where and why. I think I am moving too quickly, unprepared for what I am trying to do. Am I really getting good at anything other packing and unpacking, throwing or selling secondhand items, trying to fit all my belongings in one big luggage? I used to think that airports are transitory spaces, but not anymore. Not when I remember how I got stuck in Istanbul airport trying to entertain myself with baklava and not when you count the hours I spent stuck in NAIA. Virginia Woolf said I am rooted but I flow – and this might be out of context, but I want to borrow it because what I felt and what I still feel is a constant floating and flowing, a state of trying to remain and at the same time move elsewhere.
Recorded by Elaine Lazaro.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Benson Kua, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"The city of Bethlehem is situated atop a hill at the edge of the Judaean desert, creating a unique blend of cultures. Bedouin from the desert interact with pilgrims in its town market and navigate its narrow, ancient streets.
"This recording captures the ambiance of the "souq", the traditional marketplace located in the city's Old Core. The Souq is a confluence of vernacular units where farmers and merchants sell fruits, vegetables, and various merchandise, particularly during the early morning hours. Farmers from nearby villages such as Battir and Artas gather to sell their fresh produce, adding to the vibrant atmosphere of this historic marketplace in Palestine.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Bethlehem is situated on the West Bank, a part of Palestine; however, Israel has retained control of entrances and exits. During periods of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, such as the current situation, the city has witnessed numerous confrontations.
"Due to Christian emigration, Bethlehem now has a Muslim majority, and the atmosphere feels tense. Israel's construction of the separation wall has had a severe impact on Bethlehem's economy and the movements of its residents. The barrier runs along the city's northern side, mere meters from houses, exacerbating the challenges faced by the community, as you may perceive from this recording."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"In the historic district of Bethlehem, visitors can easily immerse themselves in the maze of narrow alleys. Charming tiny houses and shops adorned with Arab-patterned carpets create a picturesque scene, complemented by colorful doors. The delightful soundscape of this area was captured around Manara Square.
"Just beyond the bustling central Manger Square, a congregation of stands awaits, where vendors offer a variety of Arab pastries, clothing, and nuts. Amidst the lively atmosphere, you'll find a charming alleyway where a friendly man named Sami sells his special tea, a beloved local favourite."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
My mother and I converse about anything and everything while preparing a meal. It is the ordinary moments like these that I cherish the most in my memories of my mother, who lives in what I like to call a distant 'island in an island'.
This recording was made in the summer of 2023, during my visit to Aotearoa, my second homeland, after ten years of living abroad. Our native language mixes with English words, enveloped by the melodious and excited kitchen appliances.
Recorded by Hee-Jin Kim.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"This recording captures my journey from Palestine back to Israel on an empty bus, which took about two hours or more and involved passing through a few checkpoints along the way.
"Life under Israeli control is notably felt in Bethlehem, where an 8-meter-tall concrete separation barrier was constructed by Israel in 2002. The stated purpose was to prevent suicide bombings and attacks, but it is widely criticized for violating international law and subjecting Palestinians to live like small communities of prisons, leading to a challenging way of life.
"While my experience as a foreigner made the journey relatively easy, Palestinians residing in the West Bank face the requirement of applying for a permit to enter East Jerusalem. This adds an additional layer of complexity and restriction to the daily lives of the Palestinian population."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"I am again and again drawn to markets. I regularly seek them out in both new, and familiar places. They are at the same time, unique to a particular place, time, climate and season, but there's always something familiar about them too, carried across one to another. The way people behave, the look of the stalls, the movement, the crowds, the products, the atmosphere. The freeforming flow of bodies, sounds, language, and work. They are each, one-off temporary spaces and provide a little snapshop of a place and time, much like a photograph, but for all the senses.
"Living in a new place, I was drawn to the markets of Berlin, on the Maybach Ufer, as well as elsewhere and they reminded me of parallel markets of former homes and visited places including Melton Mowbray, Leicester, Newcastle, Manchester, Marakkesh, Mexico City... With this piece I tried not to alter the field recording much, I just added a bit of EQ and a little bit of effects on three parts. I wanted to have the market set the backdrop to the vibe of the piece, to capture the liveliness, friendly disorder, and energy of the place. I then built sounds around the recording, and added some simple melodic phrases and percussive elements."
Rotterdam market reimagined by Suzi Lamb.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"My work, 'Morphing Echoes,' is a field recording project that captures the sounds of Moroccan soundscape and conversation. I took an approach that incorporates various languages and dialects encountered during migration into the composition. As people become accustomed to their new environment, the initially unintelligible languages and cultures become understandable.
"This process is reflected in how city noises and conversations gradually transform into discernible linguistic elements. I use the AI plugin 'Morpho' from Neutone.ai to transform these recordings into musical elements. In the first section, I emphasize music while reducing linguistic elements to represent the initial stage of cultural adaptation. As the piece progresses, I gradually increase the linguistic elements to reflect the growing familiarity and understanding of the new culture."
Rabat market reimagined by Junichi Shimizu.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Ben Bender, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"I embarked on the Migration Sounds journey with the intention of working solely with field recordings. Yet, when I stumbled upon this recording of two Moroccan musicians in the medina of Marrakech, playing the guembri and singing, I was captivated.
"The simplicity of the bass line, the repetitive vocals, and the background chatter punctuated by bursts of clapping and laughter all contributed to a mesmerizing and immersive experience. Inspired by Mad Professor's philosophy that "every song could be dubbed," I set out to create the dub version of this recording. Drawing from the roots of dub music and its ability to fragment and reassemble soundscapes, I aimed to capture the essence of migration through sonic exploration.
"Through my dub interpretation, I sought to invite listeners on a transcendent journey, where the boundaries between cultures dissolve and the shared human experience of migration comes to the forefront. Just as dub music has migrated from Jamaica to influence global musical landscapes, my dub version of the Marrakech hostel recording resonates with the universal themes of movement, adaptation, and transformation."
Musicians in Marrakech reimagined by Andrii Shamanov.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"As we journey through new lands, we seek self-discovery or a place to call home. Whether driven by safety or change, we connect with new worlds, bringing pieces of home to unfamiliar places and returning with new experiences. We build on what we know and explore what we encounter, exchanging views on life, customs, trends, language, and recipes. Even on the shortest journey, we create bonds that transcend distance.
"In many cultures, travelers are welcomed with greetings, food, and drink. This hospitality, deeply rooted in my Moldovan upbringing, thrives in places like farmer and flea markets. These markets are social hubs where people exchange news and form connections. In Soroca, farmers from neighboring villages and Ukraine gather at the market (Piaţa/Bazar) to sell their goods, creating a sensory experience rich with diverse languages, aromas, and interactions.
"At these markets, you hear the latest news, tales of love and conflict, wedding invitations, funerals, or even get a psychic reading. They are cultural melting pots, where stories from strangers transport you to ordinary and extraordinary places. These moments linger in memory, resurfacing in similar interactions later in life. I felt this in Istanbul, where food markets reminded me of the connections between social life and migration.
"Returning to Moldova after years in the USA was profound. As an immigrant re-experiencing my hometown, being in Moldova's Roma capital felt symbolic and meaningful. My favorite spot in Soroca is the halfway point towards Dealul Ţiganilor (Roma Hill), offering an unforgettable view of Moldova and Ukraine. It's a place where you feel connected to both sides of the river, appreciating the geography's uniqueness.
"Our experiences build a cultural database, helping us compare and understand what we know with what we encounter. We find similarities, appreciate uniqueness, learn, and share with others. A story unfolds through words, sounds, and pictures, enhanced by shared food, language, and beliefs.
"We seek home, shuffling memories of comfort, belonging, and safety. We long for something fresh and exciting, yet secure enough to build a future. All these lives, encounters, and paths have a soundtrack, as migrant as we are.
"Inspired by my experiences, I wanted to create a track based on memories of the farmers market (Piaţa) in Soroca city center, where sensory overload is guaranteed. The track had to reflect the multiculturality of Soroca, featuring all the modern and historical influences blended into a cohesive sound hybrid that also represents me as an artist. The cacophony of sounds—blips of conversation, snippets of radio, and passing cars—creates a massive symphony.
"As a child, I would weave these random sounds into patterns, rhythms, or songs, realizing that everything is melody, and everything is sound."
Moldovan farmer's market recording reimagined by Serge Bulat.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"To create this small sound piece I only used a sample from the original recording, a moment from the bus journey that is part of the narrative of the original recording and which seemed to have an interesting sound dynamic. From that sample, I changed the recording tempo and added electronics, from the Touch Me device, using plants, as well as ambient electric guitar.
"Were those migrants on the bus afraid of the future, in a distant country or, on the contrary, did they find lost hope and a happy future there?"
Moldovan bus ride reimagined by Luís Antero.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
The Afrikaandermarkt is a market place in the south of Rotterdam. Traditionally a working class area, this neighbourhood, over the last five decades has become a gathering place of cultures from all over the world, and this is reflected in the visitors as well as the sellers and their products of this weekly market in the central square, Afrikaanderplein.
This is one of a series of recordings I made to capture the atmosphere of the market; I made it a habit to bring my recorder when doing my grocery shopping there every Saturday.
Recorded by Jan Huijben.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Situated at the heart of Rabat the capital of Morocco, this recording captures the sounds of a lively market. What is unique about this market is that the sub-Saharan migrants have managed to set up small businesses side to side with the local Moroccan businesses. The market reflects a real sense of conviviality and closeness that is rarely seen in other parts of the country.
The recording captures the sounds of a busy market in the capital of Morocco Rabat. Walking around the market with the recorder, I tried to catch different sounds, languages, dialects, and music from Morocco and different parts of the African continent. A melting pot of cultures, stories and histories of migration and integration.
Recorded by Myriam Cherti.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Ben Bender, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This recording comes from a hostel in the medina of Marrakech. It records two Moroccan musicians, playing a guembri (a three-stringed instrument similar to a bass), drums and singing. Guests are clapping and singing along and we can hear talking and laughter. It conveys feelings of hospitality and the joy of a gathering. The music has repetitive, soothing and entrancing qualities.
The hosts of the hostel are playing and the guests are listening, but the lines begin to blur as guests join in. The musicians were not aware of the recording. Hostels often serve as essential stepping stones for people migrating to a new place.
Recorded by Thomas Ellison.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Home... what makes us feel a certain way, when we are on the go, exploring new lands to find ourselves, or finding a place we can call ours?
Whether we look for safety or change, we are adept at connecting to these worlds.
We tend to bring a little bit of ourselves and our home to new places. We carry new experiences back home.
We build on the things we know and examine the things we encounter. We learn.
We exchange views on life, customs, trends, language, and recipes by visiting quite ordinary yet necessary places.
We communicate and exchange on the go, no matter how short or long the journey is. (No wonder, in many cultures travelers are offered welcoming greetings, food, and drink when visiting a new place.)
Might be a cultural trait (at least practiced in Moldova when I was growing up), but, farmer and flea markets are places where people socialize, make acquaintances, and get to hear the latest news. You might learn what is going on in the next village, city, or across the Nistru River by sampling sour cream. Literally.
In Soroca, these markets (piata/bazar) were where farmers from neighboring villages and Ukraine sold goods. Aesthetically speaking, these places offered multi-sensory experiences, events where you learn and broaden your horizons.
First, you hear language and dialects, second, you smell different aromas, third you see what the person has to offer and fourth there is unique interaction in the now.
Here is where you hear the latest news from all corners, tales of love, reasons for conflict, get invited to a wedding, be told of a funeral, or be offered a psychic read.
These are the cultural melting pots, stories told by strangers that transport you to ordinary and extraordinary places.
These are the moments that will stay with you over the years. Later on, similar interactions will remind you of them. (As an example, I made a similar observation in Istanbul, making the connection between food markets, social life, and migration.)
Returning to Moldova after years of living in the USA was a redeeming experience. An immigrant feels like an immigrant, re-experiencing his hometown after nomadic years abroad. Being in Moldova's Roma capital feels more symbolic and meaningful than ever.
My favorite spot in Soroca town is the halfway point towards Dealul Ţiganilor (Roma Hill), an overlook of Moldova and Ukraine I will never forget. It's where you feel the connection to both sides of the river, belong somewhere in the middle, and appreciate the uniqueness of geography.
This is the farmers market (Piaţa) in the center of Soroca city. A place where those very experiences and interactions happen. Beware of a sensory overload.
Recorded by Serge Bulat.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Home... what makes us feel a certain way, when we are on the go, exploring new lands to find ourselves, or finding a place we can call ours?
Whether we look for safety or change, we are adept at connecting to these worlds.
We tend to bring a little bit of ourselves and our home to new places. We carry new experiences back home.
We build on the things we know and examine the things we encounter. We learn.
We exchange views on life, customs, trends, language, and recipes by visiting quite ordinary yet necessary places.
We communicate and exchange on the go, no matter how short or long the journey is.
(No wonder, in many cultures travelers are offered welcoming greetings, food, and drink when visiting a new place.)
Might be a cultural trait (at least practiced in Moldova when I was growing up), but, farmer and flea markets are places where people socialize, make acquaintances, and get to hear the latest news. You might learn what is going on in the next village, city, or across the Nistru River by sampling sour cream. Literally.
In Soroca, these markets (piata/bazar) were where farmers from neighboring villages and Ukraine sold goods. Aesthetically speaking, these places offered multi-sensory experiences, events where you learn and broaden your horizons.
First, you hear language and dialects, second, you smell different aromas, third you see what the person has to offer and fourth there is unique interaction in the now.
Here is where you hear the latest news from all corners, tales of love, reasons for conflict, get invited to a wedding, be told of a funeral, or be offered a psychic read.
These are the cultural melting pots, stories told by strangers that transport you to ordinary and extraordinary places.
These are the moments that will stay with you over the years. Later on, similar interactions will remind you of them. (As an example, I made a similar observation in Istanbul, making the connection between food markets, social life, and migration.)
Returning to Moldova after years of living in the USA was a redeeming experience. An immigrant feels like an immigrant, re-experiencing his hometown after nomadic years abroad. Being in Moldova's Roma capital feels more symbolic and meaningful than ever.
My favorite spot in Soroca town is the halfway point towards Dealul Ţiganilor (Roma Hill), an overlook of Moldova and Ukraine I will never forget. It's where you feel the connection to both sides of the river, belong somewhere in the middle, and appreciate the uniqueness of geography.
This is the minibus to Roma Hill (Dealul Romilor/Dealul Ţiganilor), a neighborhood where my grandmother used to live. On the trip you see the famous Roma castles, view Ukrainian fields and villages, hear people coming back from the food market, share news, get impatient with one another, or make jokes about the hard lives of the local folk.
Recorded by Serge Bulat.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"I often wondered if I was a migrant, until the day I recorded these monarch butterflies in Mexico in March 2015 for an art project. I was surrounded by thousands of monarchs, known for their long annual migration between Mexico and the United States, and at the same time, I was mourning my grandmother, who had passed away in France, back “home”.
"I knew I would miss the ceremony and the family gathering (as many other family events before). I already had missed my grandmother's last year, hadn't sat with her and held her hands because I had left my home country to settle in Latin America in 2001, and never returned, except for very short holidays.
"I was thinking about the choices I had made that had brought me to this place, at this moment, alone with the migrant monarchs flying around me. I was in awe, and at the same time feeling guilt about being the one who had decided to be far."
Recorded by Christine Renaudat.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Channel City Camera Club from Santa Barbara, US, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"We can hear sounds of the March 8 women's day demonstration in Mexico City in which Mexican and migrant women and gender diverse people raised their voices against gendered violence and to foster solidarity and equity. The recording relates to the theme of migration as some of the participants are migrants who face multiple forms of violence across Mexico.
"I joined the demonstration together with a migrants' rights organisation who coordinated a group of migrants and activists to march together. The emotions I felt while recording this piece where anger and frustration about the situation of gendered violence and also love for people who resist and are trying to transform oppression."
Recorded by Abril Ríos-Rivera.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"This is a casual interview recorded with Astoun, a rescue worker with SOS Méditerranée, on board the charity ship the Ocean Viking.
"Originally from Syria, Astoun travelled irregularly to Europe in the wake of the Syrian civil war, and after some time in Europe decided he wanted to use his maritime background to assist others in similar situations.
"Astoun spoke about his motivation to help others, as well as how the work made him reflect on his own journey as a refugee. This interview was recorded onboard the Ocean Viking on the 26th December 2022, as the ship headed south to the "rescue zone" above Libya's waters."
Recorded by Frey Lindsay.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"This is the sound of three teams on rigid-hull inflatable boats rescuing around 130 people from an overloaded rubber boat in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, around 2 in the morning on the 27th of December, 2022.
"The rescuees, almost all of whom were from West Africa, were attempting to reach Europe from Libya - where they had suffered extensive abuse. Among them were many children, and one infant just weeks old. The crew of the charity rescue ship the Ocean Viking located, intercepted and then met the rubber boat, giving the survivors life jackets and slowly bringing them back to the main ship.
"The survivors were eventually disembarked in Northern Italy, where they entered the Italian asylum system."
Recorded by Frey Lindsay.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"This is a collage of the sound of children between the ages of 3 and 9, speaking in various West African dialects, playing with my radio equipment onboard the charity rescue ship the Ocean Viking on the 28th of December 2022.
"The day before, the children along with their guardians had been rescued from a dangerously overcrowded boat in the waters hundreds of kilometres north of Libya. The children are now in Europe. This audio has been edited to remove names and identifying details."
Recorded by Frey Lindsay.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"I fell in love with the sound of the monarch butterflies – their beating wings – the delicacy and the strength - the very particular frequencies they sound at, the way in which the remarkable field recording allows us to hear individual beating wings, and the potential to both highlight this and to also create a layering thrum.
"I read about the monarchs’ extraordinary migratory journey to ‘rest’ in the central highlands of Mexico over winter. How like so very many migrants, many simply do not make their destination. Many fall in their great compelling movement across continents, or die at their final destination, exhausted. They sacrifice for the greater populations’ need to survive.
"'With every step, the number of dead or drowsy butterflies resting on the forest floor multiplies. Their wings, thin as parchment paper, are a deep orange with black veins and white spots along the edges.' https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/latin-america-butterfly-monarch-migration
"I considered how I might create a soundscape for these wings to travel through. I played and resampled many percussion instruments to create nature sounds – rain, air, water, earth, stars, birds, and I recorded and sampled double bass and bass clarinet as instrumental flutters. I also recorded and resampled excerpts of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata – creating an elegy and an enduring pulse – a sonic impulse, in honour of all creatures’ flights from increasingly inhospitable lands and climates in search of safety and life."
Monarch butterflies reimagined by Elissa Goodrich.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Channel City Camera Club from Santa Barbara, US, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"The voices of the children in this really spoke to me. Migration can be very challenging but can also be exciting and adventurous. I wanted to convey that by using some melancholic feeling sounds but also in adding the voices of the children and optimistic sounds and patterns."
Ocean Viking children recording reimagined by Firephly.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"How to intensify the chaos, courage, hope, broken life stories, action, deep sorrow, and erratic joy contained in the original soundscape? I decided not to intervene temporally. What you hear is what happened in real-time. There are modulations of rhythm and frequency, which give way to a line of three violins and a cello, a piano, and synthesized basses that seek depth and edge.
"Working on this piece truly immersed me emotionally. I try to make the listener travel with me to observe and reflect on this authentic drama, which unfortunately keeps repeating. There are many levels of uncertainty in an immigrant's life. I myself am an Argentine oscillating between Eastern Europe and the west of the continent. But nothing compared undoubtedly, to this.
"The nightmare experienced by these souls seeking to escape extreme suffering finds a balance in the bravery of the rescue teams, allowing belief in the solidarity fibers of the human being.
""Tidett" means faith in Berber, Nafusi, and Tamazight, probably a word that motivated these people to the adventure of saving their lives in an overloaded inflatable boat. Perhaps the same faith that led the rescuers to meet them."
Ocean Viking rescue recording reimagined by Cristian Estrella.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Astoun’s words are a beautiful, moving, and human story of a remarkable life and sense of purpose. It is a story of direct lived experience. While Astoun speaks gently - what he talks about, about his ‘case’ to help others, is both powerful and the essence of the human spirit of giving.
"For the piece we removed most of the interviewer’s questions to elevate Astoun’s voice. We retained the last question as it pointed to creating a context of a sense of hope for others in Astoun’s words and actions.
"Our approach to the music was simple. We listened and sat in Astoun’s story, went to our music room, set-up on the floor, and recorded live to the room in one take. There was no rehearsal - this was an "in-the-moment" response. We used a combination of analogue beats, keys, and looped synth. What came out seemed almost to been drawn more from what Astoun was talking about in such a calm, considered way. Our response acknowledges Astoun speaks as a witness and mobiliser from the frontline of humanitarian crisis, bringing visibility to the stories of displaced lives in distress at sea, and who would never be heard.
"Astoun’s resilience is stark and compelling. It urges reflection on what is really happening in the world, and a reminder of the inherent rights of all peoples to safety and dignity. It reminds us of the human capacity for hope and positive action; and our moral obligation to care for each other."
Ocean Viking Astoun interview reimagined by sherman and field.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Tear/tear is a piece inspired by all the women from the global South who have migrated to the global North, and by the work of the recording’s author, Abril Rios Rivera. As I learned about Abril and her research on migrant women, I started reflecting on my own journey migrating from Colombia to the UK. Her research focuses on understanding what drives women to turn their migration hardships into empowerment. This composition is my answer to this question while honoring the women who have had to forcibly migrate to survive.
"I used multiple methods to process the original recording. I blended field recordings I made back home in Bogotá, Colombia, degraded the sound, synthesized it, and used the pieces to create a new narrative that draws parallels between my own experience and the experiences of the women that Abril has worked with. The aim of this piece is to reflect how much of the migration process involves tearing yourself apart, only to build yourself back as a stronger version. The composition includes a recording of a poem in Spanish that I wrote and now dedicate to them:
"'I crossed the sea through the air and the land through the sea, a sea full of tears collected while they cross the land by land and the sea by sea.'"
Mexico City protest reimagined by Maria Jose Ibarbo Rocha.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"This piece is a collaboration between composer Sarah Jenkins, sound artist Noah Lawson and poet Shukria Rezaei, and was created for the Odyssey Ensemble. The foundation for the piece is the recording provided by the Cities and Migration Sounds project, in which is heard the celebration of a group of West African migrants who had recently been rescued from an overcrowded dinghy.
"The jubilation heard in the clip and the implied hardship that these people have faced and will go on to endure gave the shape and narrative for the piece. In addition, Rezaei draws upon her own experience as a refugee, weaving threads of her own story with the recording to tell a collective tale of hardship and hope."
Ocean Viking celebration reimagined by The Odyssey Ensemble.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Both of my parents were from Malta. As I child growing up in Brixton in the 1980s, there was a very small Maltese community. I would go to Maltese mass with my parents. There was never an organ being played for people to sing along too, but everyone used to sing in Maltese. My parents migrated to the UK after World War Two as there was no work. I have always felt like an outsider, growing up in Brixton, being a minority within a minority.
"As the singing was out of tune in the initial recording, I tuned the voices as much as possible using Logic Pro so I could add a church organ to the voices, from my memory and in the original recording. I also used tape delay to distort the sounds and add a psychedelic vibe as I believe much research is needed for psychedelics in treatment of Alzheimer's.
"I wanted to use the recording as an atmospheric pad, the extra vocals harmonies are sung by myself, with a melody I wrote to go with audio recording.
"I specifically used the snippet of the voices singing “Maria”, as the sample of the women speaking in Maltese is my mother named Maria-anna. She was from a poor family and traumatised as a 5 year old due to World War Two, having seen the devastation of war. The piece of music is a lament for her slowly fading away, due to her having Alziehmers and dementia. I played the audio to her and then recorded what she said after, what she was saying was fairly apt: “We had nothing”, “I don’t know, we used to sing” “Leave it, my mind is not good, I am an old woman now”.
"I dedicate the work it to my mum and dad, who were both from the Maltese islands."
Maltese mass reimagined by Joseph Aquilina.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Three Kenyan women are returning home from Libya through an IOM repatriation scheme. They were forced to abandon their larger suitcases when checking-in, and were attempting to repack their belongings into their carry-ons and an IOM-issued tote bag in the departures lounge.
Migrants from other countries were also being repatriated on the same flight and conversed with one another in the seats next to them.
Recorded by Rima Kalush.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
This is the sound of asylum seekers, mostly from West Africa, onboard the rescue ship the Ocean Viking in the Mediterranean, on the evening of the 27th of December 2022.
Very early that morning, they had been rescued from a perilously overcrowded rubber boat in the middle of the sea, hundreds of kilometres from land and without life jackets or navigational equipment, with very little food and water, and an enginer that was close to failing. They had been at sea for longer than 24 hours.
After what's known onboard the Ocean Viking as the "golden hour," where rescuees get the first rest they've had in a long time, the rescuees celebrated having survived the journey, utilising the drums kept onboard. Many of them recounted having tried multiple times to leave Libya, watching loved ones drown and nearly drowning themselves, before finally making it.
Recorded by Frey Lindsay.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
What does urban sprawl sound like in a traffic-choked city? This recording is of a street intersection in a residential part of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The whistle is from a policeman who has been instructed to stand amidst the traffic so as to over-ride the traffic lights, because the traffic lights can't deal with the volume of urban traffic.
Bishkek is typical of many cities, in experiencing both a dramatic increase in population (from 600,000 at the end of the Soviet Union to an estimated 1.5 million today) and a huge increase in the number of private cars, the result of rural to urban migration and the growth of peri-urban migrant districts.
The result is that 'probki' (traffic jams) are a constant of city life and 'traffic chaos' a constant topic of conversations. Attempts to encourage the public to switch to public transport have been hindered by botched reforms, an insufficient number of buses, and the wide distances that people have to cover to get to the city proper.
Recorded by Madeleine Reeves.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Vmenkov, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This is recording of a midday, midweek mass attended by a few elderly women in the cathedral in Victoria, Gozo, and is a sound that is deeply embedded in my memory of place and immediately connects me to the experience of growing up in Malta.
I am not religious but lived with my Maltese family and went to church as everyone did, saint or sinner! It is a short sound clip but for me describes place and time and conjures up the powerful and wonderful memories of my childhood. If I stayed with my Aunt I had to go with her to Midday mass and was of course reluctant and bored! However you never thought of saying no!
This sound memory is a powerful sound talisman to my dual identity of a British and Maltese heritage. As children, we lived between two cultures which I consider a privilege. I was lucky enough to not feel displaced but it has given me an empathy with those who have less fortunate migration experiences.
Recorded by Mary Hooper.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The harrowing journey of these migrants is incredibly powerful and emotional. The field recording is their celebration after being rescued at sea by the Ocean Viking. My musical contribution hopefully speaks to this moment. It's a moment of relief, joy, community, and compassion."
Ocean Viking celebration reimagined by Eulipion Corps.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"When I received the original recording, I’ve noticed this kind of a strange reflection that exist in an environment of recording. All sounds, despite whole noisiness of the space, were somehow reflected almost like a regular delay line. I took this phenomenon as a main subject in composition.
"During the work on the material, I’d been trying to "zoom in" on the sound and try to express this idea of the reflection as much as possible. "Zooming in" gave me a lot of different material, that can’t be found during regular listening.
"I think this idea of the reflection corresponds in very strange way to the story that covers under the recording. These poor three women, which were forced to abandon their personal stuff, they didn’t receive any "emotional reflection" from the workers of the airport, but the space was responding to them."
Conversation in Tripoli reimagined by Ilia Viazov.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"This field recording made me think of different layers of migration - firstly, the population’s general tendency to move to the capital from other parts of the country. Secondly, the people moving between the parts of the city. Thirdly, an internal migration - drifting away from the traffic jam to a dreamlike space where the environmental sounds are muffled and become a flow of thoughts and memories.
"While working on this piece, I migrated from the digital medium to the analogue and back. I recorded separate frequency bands of the original audio on a 4-track tape, added subtle effects and kept bouncing the tracks (combining two or three tracks on one) until the original material became indiscernible as if creating a parallel lane of traffic leading elsewhere, away from the busy street.
"Then I recorded electric bass layers as a counterpoint to the whistle blows of the traffic managing policeman. But a melody never develops; the guitar imitates the monotony of the shrill tones and plays with their irregularity. And so the policeman’s whistle morphs into a musical instrument, the traffic becomes a wave. A kid’s voice brings you back to the reality. Does it though? Are there any tigers around? And what does “control the traffic” mean?"
Bishkek traffic control reimagined by Gundega Graudina.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Vmenkov, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"The original field recording and story was a testament to home, a sound, a smell, a feeling that takes us back to somewhere we once called home. I wanted to capture some of that in a hazy distant feel of the first part of the track, the distant sounds of church bells in a hazy memory, but I wanted the second part of the track to be powerful, driven, purposeful - a forward momentum before the reprise, a short flashback."
Villa del Conte church chimes reimagined by Rob Knight.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"This track is composed entirely from samples taken from the original recording. I have worked with the textures, resonances and naturally occurring rhythms in the recording. The sounds of the train moving along the tracks, the mechanical sounds of doors opening and closing, and the movements and voices of people on and off the train, as well as the white noise in the recording are the main components of the track. I filtered rhythmic sections to their transients and enhanced them with resonators. Percussive sounds were used for drum patterns and the train whistle forms the patch for the mysterious melody.
"The original recording has a U shape in terms of its energy. The train is arriving, it stops and then it moves again. My track follows this same pattern and situates the listener in the same perspective as the recordist. You can hear most of the original recording throughout the track. We arrive in the story whilst it is in full swing, on the road to somewhere, the anticipation of starting something, a new life perhaps. We arrive and are greeted with confusion, there is movement in all directions, yet we are staying still. We hear sounds of people on the platform, people get off, people get on. Tensions are high, but we calmly observe the scene unfold around us. The energy gradually builds up and the train departs the station, continuing once again on its journey. Who is still with us? Who has joined? What have we left behind? Where are we going anyway?
"I wanted to create something that gave the sense of being on a journey, capturing a sense of anticipation and excitement, combined with urgency and uncertainty. I also wanted the track to have a spatial quality and also a physical dimension in the sub frequencies, so that listeners could imagine themselves being taken along by the rolling relentless motion of the train."
Trieste train journey reimagined by Kim[bal].
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Dominic is an immigrant from Senegal, West Africa, who has been living in Padova in Italy for a number of years, performing as busker in the same spot every single day. We had been enjoying listening to his beautiful voice and songs from his home every time we visited the city for several years until last year we finally stopped and spoke to him to hear a little bit of his story.
He's a fixture of the musical life of the city, and it wouldn't sound quite the same without him - and we were really happy to hear that he's going to be working on an album soon.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
In the recording, we hear the arrival of Trenitalia 20984, a regional train headed to Trieste Centrale station. As the train comes to a stop, voices of Italians and migrants are audible, suggesting a diverse mix of individuals disembarking. The migrants, predominantly from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, among other nationalities, are intercepted on the train, likely en route to seek asylum in Italy.
This recording underscores the theme of migration, highlighting the journey and challenges faced by asylum seekers as they arrive in Italy. It reflects the complex reality of migration, with individuals from various countries seeking refuge and encountering difficulties in accessing proper reception and accommodation due to system saturation.
Behind the sounds, there's a story of hope and struggle as migrants arrive in a new land, uncertain of their future but determined to find safety and opportunity. The voices capture a moment of transition, as these individuals navigate the complexities of immigration procedures and adapt to a new environment.
Emotions in the recording might range from apprehension and uncertainty among the migrants to empathy and concern from those witnessing their arrival. There's likely a sense of urgency and frustration regarding the lack of adequate support and accommodation for the migrants, as highlighted by the overcrowded conditions and reports of people forced to sleep on the streets due to the overwhelmed reception system.
Recorded by Simon Šerc and Martina Testen.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
This sound comes from the local church of the town in northern Italy where I grew up. It's been a regular, dependable, unchanging part of my life until I left home, and even after I left home, first moving cities, and then countries, and only came back to visit.
The "campana della sera" (evening bell) used to ring every night at 21:00 for exactly five minutes. I believe it used to signal the end of the day for a community mostly based on farming. My family have many memories linked to the bells. My paternal grandfather used to be the town's bell ringer for many years, before the whole process was automated with the arrival of a timer clock and a small engine. He would cycle up to the church and ring the bells at given times and - this was many decades ago, before my time - even before a particularly menacing storm. I remember that he allowed me into the bell tower a couple of times: I stood there fascinated by the noise and by the huge ropes he was pulling.
Sadly, the bell as it is heard in this recording (from 2016) is no longer heard. A few years ago, after requests from residents, the monotone chime was replaced by a shorter melody, apparently more suited to modern ears. Now when I'm over there and I hear the new melody, the whole place feels different and like it's no longer my hometown.
Recorded by Giulia Biasibetti.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
This recording was made in the midst of my migration from Russia to Uzbekistan, through Kazakhstan. At this moment, I have been in a position of forced exile for a little over a month. If I were to describe my condition, the words would be shock, depression and complete confusion. But at the same time there is hope for the best.
At the time of recording, I am at the station with my fellow exile and waiting to board the train to Tashkent, where we are expected at an emergency residence for musicians and sound artists.
Recorded by Vladimir Bocharov.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: KHMA, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
"Dear Dominic,
"This is dedicated to you: a true inspiration for me.
"I am also a musician and sound worker immigrant, Italian in Berlin. Here I am with my flute, trying to weave my celebration of you and your music, now our music.
"I am immensely proud of you as an immigrant and a musician, to succeed in changing the landscape of a city by bringing music of your roots and your heart. I don’t take for granted the amount of work, hope and dedication that takes. Solidarity, respect and much love to you and Padova. Gratitude for the inspiration."
Padova busker recording reimagined by Clelia Ciardulli.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"I didn't know much about Eritrea, or its history, so it was interesting to dig deeper in to that history and that of Eritrean culture, the Eritrean diaspora and the church in Rome where the field recording was made. I kept the field recording as it was, and looped it for ten minutes, as I found the recording powerful and wanted to keep that going throughout the piece, and to construct the musical composition in interaction with it.
"I also reversed and slowed down the field recording, and played that alongside the original, with a bass drone in B on a Doepfer synthesizer (as the field recording is roughly in the key of B). I then wrote and recorded a short piece on acoustic guitar in the key of B in response to the field recording, which I looped, and created three other tracks of the same acoustic guitar piece on different timed interweaving loops slowed down, reversed and sped up.
"I then wrote a series of lines on the Korg Delta synthesizer, interacting and building from that, with some looped, and the two main parts of melody and harmony played live. All effects are analogue courtesy of Electro Harmonix pedals. The final mix of the recording was mastered by Iwan Morgan."
Eritrean church in Rome reimagined by Evolution Of Beauty.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The field recording notes really struck me, especially that feeling of shock and confusion. I’m realizing that the sense of a place, the experience of it, those feelings don’t exist in themselves, but they’re a conversation/confrontation with the listener’s sense of self.
"I played flute along with the recording, and that maybe acts as the "self," and then I used an echo to move in and out of “presence in the space” - by adjusting the level of the echo, I tried to follow an internal struggle between self and surrounding. "
Almaty station reimagined by Nicolo Scolieri.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: KHMA, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
"Nostalgia from the east" fuses techno beats with Indian sitar, tabla, and Arabic vocals, creating a unique blend of modern and traditional sounds. Inspired by a field recording from the bustling streets of India, the track captures the essence of migration and cultural exchange. The ambient street noises serve as a backdrop, adding depth to the rhythmic techno layers. The live-recorded sitar melodies and the soulful Arabic vocals, which convey an ancient poem about love, complement different sections of the piece, while the Indian tabla adds a rich, rhythmic texture.
The field recording inspired the story of an Arab person reminiscing about a love affair with an Indian lover, evoking a deep sense of nostalgia. This composition celebrates the rich tapestry of Eastern cultures and the timelessness of human emotions.
New Delhi street sounds reimagined by Omar Alkilani.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
This recording captures the vibrant and dynamic sounds of a neighborhood in motion. As we listen, we hear the distinct bark of dogs, a common presence in many communities, signaling either the arrival of their owners or responding to the bustling street life. The intermittent honking of cars weaves through the audio, painting a picture of a busy roadway, perhaps with traffic navigating through the hustle and bustle of daily life.
Amidst these sounds, the murmur of people talking can be heard, their conversations blending into the ambient noise of the street. These voices, though indistinct, reflect the daily interactions and exchanges that are integral to community life. The recording does not focus on any individual conversation, thereby maintaining the anonymity of those captured in the sound.
Regarding the theme of migration, this soundscape can be reflective of the experiences and impressions of individuals who have migrated to this area. The amalgamation of various sounds might represent the diversity and complexity of a neighborhood shaped by migration, where each sound tells a part of the story of people settling in, adapting, and contributing to the fabric of the community.
There is a sense of immediacy and authenticity in the recording, possibly evoking a range of emotions in the listener. For the recordist, this could be a representation of their everyday environment, capturing the familiarity and perhaps the fondness for their neighborhood. For those in the recording, their emotions remain private, but their activities contribute to the lively tapestry of sounds that define this space.
Recorded by Puneet Singh Singhal.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The recording and the story behind it were so pure and real that I couldn't do much. I used the recording with almost no processing and then a simple melody came out naturally. The drone of a Lyra 8 sustains the entire piece and it blends perfectly with the soundscape of the recording. "Promises" is a statement about leaving, coming back and imagine a different end of our stories."
Tehran street soundscape reimagined by SINE.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Sourya's recording from the balcony of her grandmother's soon-to-be demolished house in Kolkata struck me sonically as a conversation between the different sounds on the street - crows, cars, bicycles.
"It also moved me as a story - at some time in our lives, in some circumstances or other, we all have the experience of saying goodbye to a place full of memories. I tried to combine these responses in my piece, exaggerating and enhancing the sonic conversation and weaving in a letter to Sourya too."
Kolkata balcony recording reimagined by Maria Margaronis.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
This recording was taken with an iPhone-mounted mic in a late spring afternoon, just before the supper time as I was walking along a beautiful narrow pedestrian-only passage along the mountain and the river carving through the mountains in norther Tehran. Along this road many restaurants line-up one after the other on the edge of the mountain and the river. Popular amongst the citizens to escape from the hustle and bustle of Tehran, hosts of these restaurants standing in front of them deliver a short 5 second pitch on why the passers-by should go to their restaurant, repeating it for each group walking by. Free wi-fi, great view, proximity to the river and the waterfall, the number of floors, freshness of food, etc.
Visiting Tehran 19 years I left as a teenager; these words had much deeper connotations for me than just a pitch for food. The language, familiar yet fleeting as I knew I wouldn’t be hearing it in public in a week time upon my return to Montreal. The mere act of sounding and talking to attract customers, a lost art in the west, with different intonations and pitches, like a polyphony of promises. Promises of a home trying to make their way through the white noise of the river, having little chance to keep its people from fleeting it for the promises of a better life elsewhere, from being torn between here and there. It felt like a home calling, an innocent attempt to re-gain its son. All of this in a beautiful setting washed by the massive sound of the river making it so tactile yet so unattainable.
Recorded by Saadi Daftari.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Between 1997-2000, me aged 7-10, my mother and I used to live at my grandparents house. For a few years now, this house had been abandoned, with no one living there and the house falling into disrepair. More recently, this house has been sold and slated to be demolished for a new property to be developed there. Before the handing over of the house to the new owners, I got to visit the place a few times and documented some of the environments one could listen to. This particular piece of recording is from the balcony on the first floor, which looks out to the street. Very close to it is a banyan tree. You can listen to the sounds of the crows, and other birds, some traffic and the general hum of people going about their business.
To be entirely honest, my memories from my childhood don't include a lot of aural material. While more than 20 years have passed since I lived here, I believe my childhood would've sounded similar to what you hear in the recording, at least from this part of the house. In those last 20+ years, I have moved across cities and lived across various apartments. With this visit, I was able to revisit at least one part of my past and preserve some audio from the environment. Going forward, I might never be able to listen to the world from this spot ever again and there will be a new building standing in its place and the day spent doing some of these recordings gave me a way to revisit my childhood.
Recorded by Sourya Sen.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Here, you can listen to an old man playing his accordion in the Armenian quarter of Jerusalem. The Armenian presence in Jerusalem dates back to the 4th century AD, coinciding with Armenia's adoption of Christianity as its national religion, leading to the settlement of Armenian monks in the city. Consequently, this community is recognized as the oldest continuously existing diaspora outside the Armenian homeland.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
I. Breathing Steps
II. Lightwell
III. To fight? No, to sing!
"In the field recording I chose, a street musician plays and hums the tune of the Kozachok on the accordion, while people are heard passing by in Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter. I was immediately captivated by the sound of the accordion, but also by the unforced openness with which the musician hummed the tune. Reading about the recording, I learnt about the history of the Quarter, its antiquity and the monks who first migrated there. This brought me back to a theme that has been a constant in my life and artistic practice: travel and migration as an act of faith.
"Leaving one’s country is an enormous leap of faith; it is both proof and a test of the strength of that faith, its trust in a kind of Divine Grace. You must believe that you will be looked after both along the way and when you arrive at your destination; you must believe that the residents of other lands, the ones you pass through and the one in which you might settle will be friendly and welcoming, and not hostile, distant or indifferent. You travel and migrate trusting that in Others, you will meet the face of what in Sufism is called the Beloved; and, approaching travel in this way, you are the vulnerable Foreigner, the Stranger, the Wanderer.
"This is true if you are a merchant, a monk or ‘holy person’, a family or a roving musician; but it is especially true if you are a woman. In researching for the piece, I stumbled across a poem by contemporary Armenian poet Hasnik Simonian, who speaks of an autumn ‘stretched and squeezed like an accordion’ while she wanders, ‘praying with my hands in my pockets’, as ‘poet-girls’ do, ‘step by step’. I thought about the privilege of walking and travelling alone, and just how much of an act of faithful defiance to restrictive social norms it can be for some of us. A part of the poem is included in the piece, read by Eleni Sisti.
"For years, I have returned again and again to the figure of a Persian-speaking Armenian-Jewish merchant, poet and mystic called Sarmad Kashani, who travelled to Mughal India in the 17th century. In his Rubaiyat (parts of which are heard read by Navid Fayaz) he expresses with undaunted sincerity the nature and struggle of a form of faith that wishes to remain open, trusting, non-sectarian, undogmatic, and accepting of its own uncertainty and fallibility. In the poem which gives the title to this piece [here in English translation by Syeda Saiyidain Hameed], he writes:
If the heart has Wisdom, its embrace will hold the Friend
If the eye can see, the Radiance is Everywhere
If the ear can listen, what else but praise of God?
If the tongue can speak, every word reveals the Mystery
"Despite the evident depth of his faith, Sarmad was executed by Emperor Aurangzeb, allegedly for atheism and unorthodox religious practices. One of the reasons why he has captured my imagination for years is exactly his fate as an apostate, a daring objector to the dogma of power and religious hypocrisy. In choosing a recording of the Kozachok from Jerusalem at this time of senseless bloodshed in Israel and Palestine, Ukraine, Sudan and other parts of the world, I felt that both Sarmad’s objection to tribalism and his understanding of the Other as the face of God are a fitting counterpoint to the kind of religious and ethnic hatred that pits people against each other and which is used by ruthless, cynical leaders to kill, control and indoctrinate.
"Travel and migration, at their core, hold the belief that the earth is to be shared and experienced by all of us – and not just all of us humans but also other forms of life. The Armenian folk song ‘Mer tan itev’, from the historically Armenian region of Shadakh in modern day Turkey, is a hymn to the sharing of the fruits of the land and to marriage. It is heard here sung by the acapella quartet Asma Cordis. In another Armenian folk poem, read by me, the speaker mourns the loss of their beloved, who has left to join a war. Perhaps it was a war that was seen as justified, against a neighbour turned enemy, against a heathen, an infidel, an adversary; but if we are all each other’s Strangers, why must we continue to fight, when we can sing in praise instead?
"The composition is structured around fleeting field recordings (sometimes manipulated) from my own walking travels, mostly of street musicians, or musicians practicing and heard from the street, but also of various ambient sounds, including recordings from London, Athens, Cagliari and Reykjavik. Poets, musicians and birds migrate from far and distant places; they too wander and bring the sounds of other lands and languages with them, mixing and blending along the way. Overall, my aim has been to pay homage to this: the travelling Radiance everywhere; the road that welcomes everyone and everything unconditionally."
Contributors
Chris Sakellaridis: Composition, Field Recordings, Voice (English)
Eleni Sisti: Voice, (Armenian)
Navid Fayaz: Voice, (Farsi)
Acapella group Asma Cordis (Georgia Palioura, Anna Maria Markantoni, Irini Athanasoula, Marianna Athanasoula): Folk Song ‘Mer Dan Itev’
Various Street Musicians
Birds, Sea, Bells, Wind
Jerusalem street soundscape reimagined by Chris Sakellaridis.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
David, my diving instructor at Amed in Bali told me that he had moved to Indonesia more than 20 years ago after growing up in West London. David is a lovely guy and clearly adores where he lives - he suggested that his life in Bali had been made possible, alt least in part, by selling his one-bedroomed flat in West London.
His small business employs local staff as scuba instructors, and Ketut, our young instructor was an amazing guy - he spoke English, French and Chinese (perhaps more, but I didn't press him). I asked Ketut if he had travelled outside Indonesia, but he said that it was simply impossible because the value of the Indonesian Rupiah meant he was not able to. I was struck by the stark differences between the possibilities offered to these two lovely men, who shared this place and were clearly friends as well as colleagues.
This recording captures the sound of the sunrise in Amed - a sound shared by a person with the means to migrate and a person without those means.
Recorded by Rob McNeil.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Rob tells us about David, a British diving instructor, and Ketut, his Indonesian colleague and friend. While the two men share the sunrise in Amad, Rob notices the stark difference of perspectives between them. One emigrated easily to Indonesia, while the other does not have the resources to make this choice of moving abroad.
"The field recording oozes a peaceful atmosphere : the rooster signals the start of day, and in the background we can hear birds, a motorcycle, a broom sweeping. I chose to focus on two aspects: friction, and the sea.
"Friction, present both in sound and sound processing, illustrates the proximity and disparity of the two men. I see it as an evocation of the friction between a migrant and his land of adoption, of between natives and migrants. The encounter causes a transformation, and sometimes an erosion. Most samples are generated through a friction process, may it be in the physical world (bowed piano, bowed glass), or through sound synthesis. Indeed, I have generated a wide array of sounds using a Low Frequency Oscillators (LFO). The resulting sound are caused by an interaction between two sound waves (one of them being out of the audible spectrum).
"The ocean had to be part of this musical evocation somehow. The two men are diving instructors and therefore spend a fraction of their existence at sea rather than on the land. The ocean is also a passageway for migration. Both men are equal in the ocean. They are guests in this realm, and can stay for a short duration only. I chose to suggest the depths of the ocean, its calmness, but also its eerie, powerful and menacing qualities, with basses, low pass filters, samples (including glass sounds that allude to sand). The sea is a master of erosion; which brings us back to the starting idea."
Indonesian dawn reimagined by Judith Adler de Oliveira/
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
A riot breaking out in the old refugee detention centre in Moria on the island of Levos, in Greece. Detainees broke out of the camp after a child was allegedly beaten, setting part of the camp on fire and breaking down the fences. Police eventually intervened, firing tear gas and forcing detainees back into the camp.
The riot took place in April 2016, just after a deal between the EU and Turkey had been announced, which threatened many of the Moria detainees with deportation to Turkey. The camp was fully burned down several years later, with detainees moved to another facility, criticised for lacking basic hygiene and shelter.
Recorded by Frey Lindsay.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
This recording was made in early 2016, while gathering material for a BBC radio documentary about Hungary's hardline migration policy. Inmates in the prison behind the Marianosztra Monastery were feeding metal tape through stamping machines to make razor wire to fortify Hungary's border fences against migrants and refugees. The razor wire was also being exported to other countries.
The inmates were dressed in grey houndstooth patterned prison shirts, so that they looked like convicts from a cartoon. The scene was very distressing, and at the same time utterly surreal.
Recorded by Maria Margaronis.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
In this recording you have a typical soundscape of Sisimiut’s “dogtown” during winter. Amidst the sound of recreational snowmobilers and dogs howling and pulling at their chains, two Greenlanders are preparing traces and getting their pack of dogs ready to go dogsledding in the backcountry.
4,500 years ago, the Inuit migrated from Canada to Greenland across the sea ice by dog sledge. Modern Greenlanders still use sled dogs for hunting and winter transportation, but the traditional ways have been quickly eroded by the introduction of snowmobiles, which are easier to handle, don’t require feeding in summer, and can go further, faster.
Greenland has introduced several programs to ensure that dogsledding remains an important part modern culture and that traditional knowledge is maintained. Sisimiut is one of the few places where dogsledding is on the rise, and both the howling of dogs and the whine of snowmobiles is characteristic of the winter landscape.
Recorded by Lisa Germany.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
This is a poem in Dari about the fire that devastated the Moria refugee camp in September 2020, leaving many thousands without shelter. It's by a young Afghan called Zabi who recorded it on his phone and sent it to me for a radio documentary I was making about the fire's survivors a year later.
I never met Zabi, but he kept in touch as he smuggled himself to Athens in the back of a truck and then on to Italy and Germany where, last I heard from him, he has managed to remain. "A candle needs fire, a meal needs fire, but we don't need fire. We have been burning a long time... In this fire, we lost our hopes, we lost our tents, our new homes, here in this host country, in its camps, as we did in the country we fled." | Maria Margaronis
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Faktengebunden, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This is the sound of a ferry for the island of Chios loading at the port of Piraeus in the spring of 2016. I recorded it standing on the deck looking out at the densely packed tents of refugees and asylum seekers in empty warehouses on the harbour side. Many of them had arrived from the islands on similar ferries, often hidden in the backs of trucks, to escape being returned to Turkey or held in closed camps.
Recorded by Maria Margaronis.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
I moved from Australia to Sisimiut, Greenland in 2021. I’d visited several times before as a tourist and had fallen in love with the place so much that I spent a couple of years positioning myself professionally so that someone would give me a job so I could get a work visa.
When most people imagine the animals of Greenland, they immediately think of polar bears. But it is not common to see them and many Greenlanders have never seen one. Ravens, on the other hand, are everywhere - including throughout Greenlandic art and stories. They are one of the few birds that remain all winter, are unafraid of humans, and have a seemingly infinite variety of calls. For me, they are the symbol of my adopted home.
This recording was taken along the “ocean road” – one of the most beautiful walks in Sisimiut. This solo raven was perched above me for several minutes calling – if only I understood what he was saying...
Recorded by Lisa Germany.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
I returned to Empantchá, a neighborhood in Bissau, in 2021 hoping to find the families of the abandoned houses I encountered during the rainy season of 2020. The neighbours told me they would be back for the dry season.
In this recording, you can listen to a conversation between the head of the household, my interpreter, and myself. Our discussion takes place in three different languages: Bissau-Guinean Creole, Portuguese, and Fula. In the background children can be heard playing, and two women engage in conversation while operating sewing machines. Each year, the heavy rains force these families to abandon the houses and seek refuge elsewhere, as the head of the household explains, "We have to constantly remove water from our house, day and night, and it exhausts us."
They normally abandon the house around September and return in December. Yet they refuse to abandon it permanently and instead choose to stay elsewhere in the city: “If we abandon the house for too long they will take the zinc from the doors and many other things” As they return in the dry season, they must make reparations or buy the stolen materials.
Flooding damages the house structure, and they can only repair it partially due to their financial condition. The house was built by his brother around 2017, and at that time, they did not experience flooding to this extent. But building here was an option because it was affordable.
This family is originally from the secondary city of Gabú, which they often go back to to visit family members and sometimes stay for one or two months. However, their responsibility towards towards the house has never made them consider leaving the capital and returning to Gabú. The emotions expressed by the head of the household and the women nearby are marked by a profound sense of hardship. Despite the burdens they bear, they possess a resolute resistance.
Recorded by Cláudia Santos.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"I am first generation born in Australia. All my ancestors were Hungarian, which also was my first language. I grew up in Australia with migration stories of escape from Soviet Hungary in the 1950s as well as horror stories from WW2.
"The only migration sounds from Hungary was ironically the sound of a razor wire machine pressing out bales of lethal wire to keep unwanted immigrants out. Prior to 1989, it would've been to keep the population in.
"The abrasive and insistent tone of this machine press is sonically quite oppressive, so I have played with complex polyrhythms to recontextualise it as music, as well as ultimately reminding us of that other insistent pump that expresses our humanity, the heart."
Marianosztra prison recording reimagined by Michael Agar.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Fire is a very powerful element, and despite the fact that it can devastate everything it touches, it can also provide the warmth and sustenance necessary to survive. We live in times of war, and I believe that Zabi's poem invites us to reflect and be empathetic about the situation experienced not only by him and his family but by thousands of people who have been displaced from their homes and forced to migrate.
"In this piece, I focus on fire as an element of communion beyond borders. We can hear the dance of the Aztec fire (Familia Ramírez) merging with Afghan rhythms played on the table (Hamid Raouf Habibzadah), followed by a kind of incantation in Dari, Spanish, and English that turns into a quasi-ritual cacophony where we become burning flames. There are no more ashes, only hope, life, and movement. I thank Maria Margaronis for recording Zabi’s voice and feelings."
Zabi's poem reimagined by Ana Mora.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Faktengebunden, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"In my work, I have extensively explored themes of migration; it is a topic that moves me deeply. The field recording, I must admit, is challenging and intense, given its source: a riot at a refugee detention centre in Greece. I wanted to construct a piece that transmitted the build-up and reasons for the riot and gave way to other viable possibilities as well.
"My approach to each piece is unique; this time, I spent significant time listening to the raw field recording, seeking to immerse myself in its emotional depth. I also conducted research on the Mória Reception and Identification Centre. From this basis, I crafted a narrative that unfolds from the refugees' being elsewhere and their subsequent transfer to the centre to their feelings of imprisonment and arrest, culminating in the eruption of the riot.
"I employed the field recording in fragments and samples, deconstructing it to produce an alternative narrative. For the piece 'Mória (in journey)', I aimed to create a narrative that spanned from a time before the riot, even before the refugees' arrival at the detention centre, to the moment the riot broke out."
Detention centre riot recording reimagined by Natalia Ludmila.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The field recording of the ferry for the island of Chios loading at the port of Piraeus in the spring of 2016 moves and inspires me because of its background story and the picture that comes to my mind while listening and reading about it, followed by a taste of anger and injustice. The vivid dichotomy between the densely packed tents in empty warehouses along the harborside, and the everyday-almost kind of dull/ignorant activities of the port inspired me to create a piece for expressing a kind of tragic hope.
"This is transmitted through sound, lyrics and the picture of the sea and the buds of some flowers, serving both as remembrance of those who died in the sea and also the ones hoping for resilience and a better future. I left the field recording relatively "untouched", just moved it a bit around the piece and adjusted some parts.
"The composition is based on cuts of a live concert recording with Majó and Kollektiv Eigenklang that includes the greek tzouras, electronics, soundscapes, Teremin and Majó's voice. At the end of the piece there is an older field recording from the the sea in Crete."
Piraeus migrant camp recording reimagined by Ili Os ft. Majó & Kollektiv Eigenklang.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Scientists think that humans migrated north of the Arctic Circle with their dogs about 25,000 years ago and began using them to pull sleds roughly 3,000 years ago. So, the Greenland dog is a very old breed of man’s best friend. For thousands of years, they have been used by Innuits and Greenlanders for travel and survival in the Arctic. It was also the Greenland dog who successfully pulled the sleds used by Roald Amundsen’s team to the South Pole in 1911.
"In the harshest environments on Earth, north and south, this ancient dog breed has been man’s worker and companion, enduring what most animals cannot. The sounds used in my piece, recorded in “dog town” in Sisimiut on Greenland by Lisa Germany, are the excited yaps of dogs being harnessed for the sled. The wind noise you hear is actual katabatic wind from Adelie land in the Antarctic, thus bringing the north and south together in one piece."
Greenland dog recording reimagined by Eva Q Månsson.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"I gravitated towards this raven recording from Greenland for a few reasons. Personally, I love birds, have two pet parrots, and find ravens quite captivating. As someone who grew up and spent most of his time in the Pacific Northwest, I regularly see and hear ravens. I love hearing the strange repertoire of sounds they produce, and they can even mimic human speech. They're a remarkably intelligent species, but one that is often misunderstood. They're often mistaken for crows, and as scavengers have historically been associated with death or bad luck. They also feature heavily in many mythologies. Indigenous peoples such as the Haida here in the Paciific Northwest esteem the raven as the creator of the world, but also as a trickster god. On another personal note, I recently graduated from UBC's school of social work, and our logo features a raven.
"As I started playing around with the sound, I gravitated towards a faster pounding rhythm. This may have been because I had just finished classes and was ready to release some cathartic tension, but at some point I realized that techno had some interesting paralllels with ravens. Both have managed to successfully thrive all over the world, transplanting from one place to another and adapting to different environments. Furthermore, ravens and techno are subject to misunderstanding. To the outsider, techno may seem intimidating, simple, strange and scary. I also felt that techno was an appropriate genre to capture the contrasting aspects of ravens between their darkness and playfulness.
"The song got off to a rather disjointed start and didn't seem to really gel at first. I loaded the recording into my sampler and drum machine to convert it into loops and one-shots that I could sequence, but I wasn't totally happy with how it was coming together. I decided to try running the recording through a reverb with a long decay, then splitting the signal into high, mid and low frequency bands using a filter. These three bands were then sequenced into separate rhythms. This element tied everything together, but also provided a propulsive rhythm that really drove everything forward. You can hear the original recording at the start of the track, which then feeds into the reverb filter sequenced technique."
Greenland raven recording reimagined by Scott Riesterer.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"I like the rhythm of the conversation in the original field recording so I have written a soundtrack piece to go with it. As it's based in Africa so I have used African drum sounds to create a sense of place. I have then overlayed various melody rhythms using instrument sounds that I felt matched the drums.
"I have also used processed samples from the original recording to add some emphasis in places. The title comes from something the woman in the recording said to the man in Portuguese."
Guinea-Bissau migration recording reimagined by Richard Watts.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The field recording that I worked with is from 2016 and was captured by Maria Margaronis. It contains the voice of Mohammed, one of the many refugees who were stuck in a makeshift camp in Greece, as they were trying to make their way up north into central Europe. I wasn't aware of this incident back then so I did a little digging and read a few news articles about the situation of the refugees and camps in Eidomeni and was very sad to find out about how men, women and children had to put up with terrible living conditions and endure bad weather conditions. It also made me reflect on the current situation in Palestine and how so many people are displaced and forced to leave their homes just to survive. Not much has changed in the last 8 years.
"But what stood out to me about this particular story, was how determined these people were to reach their destination. Despite the Balkan Corridor being shut, being stuck without proper roofs over their heads and access to food and water, they remained hopeful and refused to go back. Even though Mohammed's voice and story is sad, I wanted to compose a 'hopeful' and visual piece for this project.
"I wanted to keep the field recording as is for the most part, but I treated it like spoken word or poetry - where I repeated certain lines/phrases to add emphasis. I also used some subtle vocal effects to distort his voice.
"The arrangement begins with a kind of droning bass playing the same note repeatedly without change - representing being stuck. In the background there are sounds of thunder, which were created using FM synthesis.
"I really wanted to record an acoustic piano for this project and reached out my friend Samantha who gladly agreed to help me write and perform a piano arrangement. The piano had a noisy sustain pedal, which we initially found hard to work with but decided to record anyway. Later on we thought about how naturally lo-fi it sounded - being slightly out of tune combined with the squeaky pedal was growing on us. We both agreed that it fit the emotion and story (reminded us of the 2002 movie: The Pianist).
"I also wrote and programmed synthesiser parts: an ascending melody to represent the refugees moving up towards Europe and another melody that adds a feeling of slight uncertainty. One was recorded on a Korg Minilogue through a TC Electronics reverb unit and the other was on a modular synth in VCV Rack.
"Towards the end of the piece, there are sounds of rain which were also synthesised electronically. I designed it to sound as if the raindrops were falling on tents instead of the ground to introduce a different POV."
Chios migrant recording reimagined by Arozian with Samantha Hannan.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The sea - a thing of beauty, calm, enjoyment, holidays and fun for children. It is also an immense power, rage, frightening, uncontrollable, and a place of fear and death.
"I decided to use only the original sound file of the children laughing and playing in the sea but I also wanted to highlight the two sides of the water - a place of enjoyment and short respite from the difficulties of the refugee camp and the perilous journey from North Africa across to Greece, one that claims many lives.
"The children's fun and laughter is accompanied by shimmering drone sounds to represent the light sparkling on the water and calming waves. However, disconcertingly, when I used some simple processing on the sound file of the children, it took on a somewhat darker tone and, to me, sounded like a person shouting for help and struggling in the water. By editing and layering this file there are more distressed voices crying for help. At times these are a sonic juxtaposition to the happy enjoyment of the original children playing. I imagined people struggling to keep afloat until in the end there are no voices. This is all accompanied by increasing layers of sea and wave sounds to enhance the idea of being submerged and a a place of fear and danger. In the end, the children's voices appear laughing and playing in the very same sea that claims so many lives.
"The Mediterranean migrant crisis has been a tragic and ongoing humanitarian issue and the perilous journey across the Mediterranean remains one of the world's most dangerous routes for migrants and refugees. The numbers of known and recorded deaths cited in the track, are the figures provided for years 2015 - 2023 by UNHCR data visualization on Mediterranean crossings charts rising death toll and tragedy at sea | UNHCR UK
"According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 1,800 migrants have lost their lives in the central Mediterranean so far this year (2024), compared to 1,400 deaths for the entire year of 2021. However, these figures likely underestimate the true death toll, as there is strong evidence that many shipwrecks go unrecorded, with no survivors, due to badly designed and overcrowded boats, stormy weather, and gaps in international efforts contributing to the perilous conditions. People attempting this journey come from various backgrounds and have different reasons for seeking refuge in Europe, including fleeing war, torture, or searching for better economic opportunities. We need urgent safe migration routes and improved humanitarian responses not demonising those who seek refuge.
"I kept the title that Maria used on her original recording as it best describes the Mediterranean - there is a fine line between a place of enjoyment, beauty, our package holidays and fun and the converse of this - fear, immense risk, danger and for many, missing and death."
Chios migrant camp reimagined by Odette Johnson aka Museleon.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"I wanted to take the concept of migrating and explore it through the three languages I deal with on a daily basis, its meaning, the act and art / way of immigrating and how it opens you up and connects you with often parallel adversities, yet resisting every external impulse and becoming aware of the internal impulses.
"How one seeks to unite with others for different reasons, as the social beings that we are and the different atmospheres that are created with our generated sounds and with it, the different emotions that they trigger."
Bremen protest reimagined by Cecilia Pez.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons / “Bremen, Rathaus -- 2021 -- 6356” / CC BY-SA 4.0For print products: Dietmar Rabich / https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bremen,_Rathaus_--_2021_--_6356.jpg / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
"The field recording resonated with me as the theme is about families who have moved around the world and come together to meet and talk about food, farms and gardens. I was born in the US and grew up near Chicago where my father’s family settled from Germany in 1911.
"I have cousins in Germany and I now live in Wales, with a Welsh husband. My older daughter, Ellen, was born in Scotland, but now lives in Wales and she just had a baby in November so I have included recordings of us at a Welsh market in Talysarn, Wales, UK and Ellen reading a story in Welsh to her daughter Nimue, in Caernarfon. Nimue is 6 months old and sings and gurgles in response.
"I love the weaving of the different conversations, laughing and relaxed. The footsteps of me in the garden denote the the small steps we take to travel the world and come together with food, conversation and love. I used the original recording without any effects and just shortened the length. All my sounds were recorded on a TASCAM DR-05 including the Kawai ES110 piano, and then mixed using Audacity.
Duren family conversation reimagined by Amy Sterly.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"When I was a kid, we used to visit an open-air animal market in Kadıköy, İstanbul. It was a part of our daily routine before taking a shared taxi back home. An opportunity to see different species of animals was an excitement for a little one. I am familiar with various birds from there. However, all were caged and imported from another part of our world to my hometown.
"Maria Margaronis captured a similar soundworld from Chios, however its backstory is completely different. In her documentation, we are hearing the birds in restriction. Chirps, shrieks, and other sounds of the birds are loud. The engine noises of the vehicles resonate the cage that they are inside. As if she intentionally recorded a memory snippet from my childhood years.
"I listened to this field recording while awaiting a residency permit for yet another time. From a long way from my hometown. Along with bureaucracy, paperwork, administrative unit visits, trips to foreigners' office, translated documents, criminal record prints, notarization procedures, months in uncertainty, different legal statuses, restrictions, having limited rights, communicational difficulties, cultural differences … and grief, hüzün, homesickness, ambivalence, loss, longing, sense of belonging, hope, nostalgia, friendships, phone calls with family members… sometimes as an expatriate, an exile, a migrant, a legal alien, a border worker … for new beginnings.
"Maybe with some similarities with the people in Chios.
"The title "Altın bir kafes" which means "a golden cage" in English.
It refers to a Turkish proverb: "They put the nightingale in a golden cage, and it still sings the tunes of its homeland." This proverb expresses the value of freedom and the longing one feels for their homeland. It conveys that even if the nightingale is placed in the most beautiful cage, it still misses its homeland, emphasizing that a person is happiest where they are free.
"I used concatenative synthesis to imitate flocks of birds, and granular synthesis to create various textures. A cura saz (long neck lute) and bendir (frame drum) that are two instruments from Turkish culture are also represented within the composition."
Composition: Görkem Özdemir
Mastering: Şafak Ekmen | Görkem Özdemir
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Protest against racism and strict EU/Germany migration laws in Bremen, Germany. Protesters are chanting "Um Europa keine Mauern – Bleiberecht für alle und auf Dauer!" (No walls around Europe – Permanent right to stay for everyone!)
Recorded by Pedro Oliveira.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons / “Bremen, Rathaus -- 2021 -- 6356” / CC BY-SA 4.0For print products: Dietmar Rabich / https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bremen,_Rathaus_--_2021_--_6356.jpg / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
This recording is of my Grandma meeting my boyfriend. My Grandma is an ethnic German who was born in Russia in 1932 who speaks Mennonite Low German, Russian and German. She is a bit deaf so we have to repeat some things and say them louder. She resettled to Germany in 1991.
My boyfriend is American and speaks English and broken German. He lives with me in Vienna, Austria. I was born in Siberia, Russia, in 1983 and grew up in Germany. You can also hear my mother in the recording and she also speaks Mennonite Low German, Russian and German.
Recorded by Xenia Penko.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
In the summer of 2016 I got to know an Afghan family who living in the Vial migrant camp in Chios. They had fled Afghanistan because of direct threats to the father's life from the Taliban, but conditions in the camp were so dire that they were thinking of going back. I took the parents and four young children down to the beach for a day; they had not seen the sea since crossing from Turkey a month earlier in a rubber dinghy.
Recorded by Maria Margaronis.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
In the summer of 2016, the Greek island of Chios was home to hundreds of Syrians, Afghans, Palestinians and others, searching for safety in Europe. Many were camped in grim conditions in the town's medieval castle.
Just round the corner from that camp was a shop selling caged songbirds--canaries, lovebirds, parakeets. I made this recording as refugee children and adults wandered by. The photo shows a moment from the camp.
Recorded by Maria Margaronis.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
In the early spring of 2016, when the Western Balkan migration route to Europe was closed, more than 14,000 people on the move from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere were living in a muddy, makeshift camp site at Eidomeni on the Greek-North Macedonian border hoping to make their way north. This is the voice of Mohammed, from Syria.
Recorded by Maria Margaronis.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"This blues song is dedicated to Mahsa Amini (1999-2022). Mahsa was a young Kurdish women who was visiting her brother in Iran, when she was severely beaten for not conforming to the strict Islamic dress code. She died several days later in a hospital in Tehran, Iran.
"I took the protest chants (that occurred later in Paris) and divided them into two tracks. The first chant occurs at the beginning of the track and cuts off abruptly, signaling the lack of respect for Mahsa's life. I decided to construct a blues style song as that music is connected to protest and social movements in the United States (especially among African American cultures). At the end of the track, a second protest chant fades in, but this time the voices are not cut off. The voices reverberate like an echo. Thus, the ending signifies that Mahsa's life was not in vain and her energy carries on in others. Her energy certainly propelled this music.
"I hope this song can make people more aware of Mahsa Amini and her unjustified death."
Paris protest reimagined by Back Channel Project (Frank Ferraro).
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"After spending a week listening to the Bosque seco - dry forest - in Piura in the north of Perú and learning so much more about it, I felt like that beautiful and resilient forest - that thrives in the harshest conditions and still finds a way to save water and energy to go through the driest weather - and people who are being forced in many ways to migrate from their lands because of colonisation, have a lot in common. The main thing they have in common is their strong roots.
"This piece combines the sounds of the Bosque Seco during the Region Solar Lab residency in Piura, Peru; with many truths being said in that demonstration in Bordeaux."
Bordeaux protest reimagined by Irazema H. Vera.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
On Sunday, October 2, 2022, thousands of individuals took to the streets of Paris in a massive display of solidarity, denouncing Iran's Islamic leadership and supporting the Iranian demonstrators and the Femme Vie Liberté uprising. The protest was prompted by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in custody allegedly for not wearing the mandatory Muslim veil according to authorities.
This sound recording of the "Woman, Life, Freedom" demonstration, outside of Iran, could provide insight into the freedom of expression that thousands of Iranian migrants have found in France, where many social and political migrations have occurred since the establishment of the Islamic regime in Iran in 1979.
Recorded by Nilchiani Azadeh.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Voices. On 19 December 2023 France approved a new immigration law. It is a law that makes it harder for families of immigrants to join them, limits the support for migrants from outside the EU, establishes staying illegally in the country as a crime, suppresses the automatic right to citizenship for those who are born in France from foreign parents and demands a fee from foreign students in the country. This is a recording of a protest against this law.
Recorded by Rocio Calvo.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
This is a recording of a part of a traditional south french metal ball game. On the background there are many typical cicada that immediately give an ambience. I am from the Netherlands and I moved to France years ago. But every time I moved, French people immediately hear I'm not from France.
In the present recording from last year I remember very well how very local people, those who might be attached to their own habits, welcomed me. I sat there with my recording gear to record cicada, but when they started playing they asked me where I was from. All in all they invited me to participate, they explained the rules, of course in their local accent! They didn't mind me recording their voices.
The welcoming kindness still gives me shivers and confidence in people we do not know and who we might judge before knowing them. Immigration can rime with integration and acceptation.
Recorded by Antonius Driessens.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
I live on a very ordinary suburban street - the sort of place you really wouldn't take any notice of as you drive past - with pebbledash houses, a storage centre and a supermarket at one end of the road, and a recreation ground at the other.
On first look, it might seem rather sleepy - even a bit bland. But it is a place defined by migration.
The people who live here come from an extraordinary array of places and migration has played a massive role in many of our lives in one way or another and (simply by living here and sharing this space) in all of our lives to some extent. Most of us know each other pretty well, and we have a street Whatsapp Group, so I invited everyone over for drinks earlier this month.
The recording is a brief window into the very ordinary nature of my relationship with my very amazing neighbours.
The guests who were present at the time of this recording include:
My nextdoor neighbour to the left - who is a Chilean refugee, now in her 80s, who was a teacher in her earlier years. She fled the Pinochet regime with her husband (who sadly died earlier this year) in the 1970s: he had been a doctor specialising in respiratory diseases in Chile, but after relocating to the UK became a leading psychiatrist specialising in support for refugees.
My neighbour to the right, now in her 90s, was also at the drinks, with her daughter. She and her husband (who also passed away earlier this year) were artists whose lives took them to live in Toronto, New York, India and Cornwall. One huge part of their lives involved driving their three young daughters to India in the 1960s to learn artisanal fabric printing techniques with Indian craftspeople, and the materials and ideas they subsequently imported back to the UK were hugely influential in late 1960s fashions - with Yoko Ono among people who wore their designs.
Other visitors included:* The young father whose family live opposite my house - they moved to the UK from China and their 8 month old baby is the newest arrival on the street. * Another young couple - both economists from Italy - were there too with their baby, who is also under one year old, and their three year old daughter. * From further down the street was a neighbour from Mexico, who pointed out that my Guacamole needed extra salt, and who is married to a British husband, and who has two teenage daughters. * A Czech/German neighbour brought her daughter who spent hours playing with my dog. * From all the way at the far end of the street was a Dutch artist, who occasionally taught my kids at their local secondary school, and who is married to a Flamenco guitarist who is very proud of his Romany heritage. * Another guest is half-Austrian and his wife is half-Jamaican - their kids are now grown up, and used to babysit for mine - he has a very infectious (and loud) laugh. * Several of our guests had not lived overseas, but are part of this friendly mix of people from all over. I also had a number of people who wanted to make it but could not - one is the son of one of the last children to arrive on the Kindertransport, evacuated from Nazi Germany, and his wife's father was part of the community of Jews expelled from Baghdad in the middle of the last century. Another is also the descendent of German Jews who fled the holocaust. * A Bulgarian couple with a new baby who have recently moved to the street were invited too, but unable to come, and some of the students from down the road (from France, Spain and the US) were also unable to make it. * As for me: I’m a returned migrant – I lived in the USA for a couple of years, but came back. My Granny on my mum’s side was born and raised in Morocco, and my Father’s family came from the Scottish Islands via Canada (for a couple of generations) to Liverpool and then Lancashire.
Recorded by Rob McNeil.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
The recording is of a Ukrainian mother and her daughter having dinner with the daughter's English boyfriend. The mother is a Ukrainian refugee living in Oxford. Having dinner together each evening is important for us. In this recording, we are eating a Ukrainian borsch prepared by the mother.
Recorded by Peter Walsh.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
“Bear with me” – says the midwife – “while I try to locate his heart”. “Isn’t this the sound of his heart?”, I ask. “No, this is your heart pulsing through the placenta”.
My baby’s heart beats in a place that is far from where I call home, and its rhythm is interpreted in a language that is foreign to my ears. As I wait, my thoughts drift. Where will his heart find its belonging when it starts beating separately from mine? Will it be to this place, which remains unfamiliar to me even after all these years? Will he understand my language, my memories, my music, my people? Will I seem foreign to him as he grows, and he, in turn, to me?
“Here we are”, the midwife's voice brings me back to the present, accompanied by the sound of a distinctively different, much faster heartbeat [sound of recording]. “140 beats per minute; your baby is doing great”. As he wriggles in my bump in response to the touch of the stethoscope, my worries dissipate. Wherever we are, my baby’s heart beats.
Recorded by Nuni Jorgensen.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
I (Canadian) am having dinner with my partner (Spanish) and our friend (Turkish). This recording relates to the theme of migration in that we are all of different nationalities and countries of birth. We also discuss living elsewhere, learning new languages and naturalisation over the course of the meal. Generally a jovial, open atmosphere.
Recorded by Denis Kierans.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Heartmoor is a word coined by John Koenig in his Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows that means the place to which the heart is anchored, whether that place exists now or ever existed. And that is what this piece is about: the longing we feel to belong somewhere. Whether we’ve had that place and lost it or have never found it, we still seek it.
"Using melodies that travel through layers of sound worlds, this piece calls to mind various homes we’ve had, wish we’ve had, or might still have, and evokes a sense of longing.
"I was drawn to this field recording because the sound of cicadas conjures up a nostalgia for the idle summer afternoons of childhood, which got me thinking about home. Then as I read that this field recording captures a moment where an outsider is invited to belong, I appreciated that this sound reflected the idea that when we seek to belong we are also seeking home. That attempt to belong is something I often thought about when I lived outside of my home country for many years, and I wanted to explore it in this piece."
Petanque match in Anduze reimagined by Katie Semro.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"This field recording of several people of various nationalities, ages, and life experiences now living as neighbors, gathering in the host's home simply to enjoy one another's company was the inspiration for my composition.
"I chose to use the recording as the ambient background theme from start to finish with little editing of the voices. I composed primarily on piano and synthesizer while listening to the voices of the multiple conversations and let the energy and timbre of the “gathering” influence my interpretation.
"The musical textures, sounds and mix are a result of my having been immersed in the hum and buzz of this convivial group of neighbors for several enjoyable hours.
Oxford dinner conversation reimagined by Tom Thompson.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"I wanted to emphasise the confused nature of the communication that arose from the language barrier, so I fractured, treated and layered the recording to mirror the confusion. Once I was happy with the vocals, I added the lamenting string motifs."
Dinner in Oxford reimagined by Michael Lilley.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"I chose a heartbeat recording from Oxford; because my ancestry is Indian and the nature of this project, it got me thinking about the impacts of colonization and how that leads to both forced and unforced migration. Panjab was cut in two during partition and so much blood was spilled in this former kingdom of five rivers.
"I was thinking about this history and the heartbreak that so many carried away from what was for generations our home. This led me to reflect upon how we as humans the world over can find many homes for our hearts.
"The composition is made purely through the manipulation of this audio file of heartbeats, stretching and scattering the recording, adding resonators, pitch shifting and fx as well as converting it to midi for some of the rhythmic elements. Delays are used as a form of loss that we carry with ourselves as second generation migrants atop of lands again stolen and brutalized by the crown... and still, I find a sense of home under these skies."
Oxford heartbeat reimagined by Ruby Singh.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"I have moved countries twice, and ended in the UK. This it was what drew me to the recording I chose. I wondered what someone else might have chosen to record, and how it would compare to what I record.
"When I listened to the conversation around the dinner table, I recognised it as a conversation in which I have been present many, many times, with people from several different countries around the table, all talking about staying.
"Most have stayed. Some have gone back, or sideways. The stories, the bureaucratic hurdles, the advice, the disappointments, the otherness - those might disappear at the end of the night, only to be repeated the next day by someone else thinking of staying.
"I started by listening to the original recording, and marking up timestamps that I felt could be important or useful for the composition. I then chopped up those sections and created a sample pack which I loaded onto a few machines. I recorded some piano and vibraphone loops, and loaded them onto the machines.
"The original recordings were processed by a spectral plugin, and further cut up into very thin slices, to be used as synth voices. Some of the samples make
an appearance almost intact.
"When I was happy with the arrangement, I recorded a few performances directly to tape, and then did some light mastering on the final one."
Oxford migration conversation reimagined by Stray wool.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The field recording (Ardas prayer) performed at the end of the Sikh worship, holds significant meaning for Sikhs worldwide. I have personally visited the Sikh temple in the UK where this field recording was made.
"In my composition, I’ve integrated the Ardas as a core element whilst additionally sampling my elderly father’s recollections of his personal migration experience at either end of the piece. The narrative is a recant of a migration experience and contemplative reflection, reverie or dream of the Ardas. The Ardas, acting as an anchor to culture and religion during migration.
"Musically, I’ve attempted to craft an open/dreamlike melodic and dynamic structure in line with the field recording. I’ve used Cubase software to compose – using a mixture of virtual instruments and royalty free samples for the melodic structure, dynamics and layering."
Sikh prayers in Southall reimagined by Jaspal Singh Bhogal.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
The sound of traditional garment manufacture and repair at Dressmode Tailoring, which is run by Bangladeshi Mohammed Shajahan, originally from Sylhet, Bangladesh. This shop has been operating for around 17 years, but Mohammed has been working on Bethnal Green Road since 1996. There are lots of alterations and repairs undertaken here, mainly for the local Asian community.
Times have been tough for businesses like this in recent years due to the growth of fast fashion and outsourcing. The shop owners were telling us that while the older generation of Bangladeshis often travel home to visit, the younger generation are forgetting Bangladesh completely.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The history of the Tabernacle's transformation from a church into a multicultural hub has inspired my creation. In Taiwan, temples also hold significant importance as gathering places, serving as focal points for communal and spiritual activities. As a multicultural island country with a long historical tradition of immigration since the 17th century, Taiwan has witnessed waves of people arriving from various places. Those who crossed the sea to Taiwan brought with them their local beliefs, which took root and flourished in this dynamic and diverse environment.
"Reflecting on my multiple moving experiences, I no longer have the opportunity to return to my old homes. However, the temples near my old homes still stand. They were the spiritual support for my family while we lived there. I revisited temples where I had worshipped throughout my life, capturing field recordings both inside and outside these sacred spaces. The distances between my homes and the temples became reference coordinates for composition.
"During the process of collecting sounds, an unexpected coincidence occurred. One of the temples was undergoing renovation, and the sounds of construction intertwined with the monks' evening chants. The repetitive rhythm of human striking the wooden fish resonated with the flowing industrial machine noise, as if everything was in a state of becoming, with the space encompassing all.
"I proportionally stretched the field recording from the Migration Sounds archive based on the distance between the UK and Taiwan. Since leaving the UK in 2020 due to the pandemic, memories of living in London have become distant and vague. As I collaged the recordings with those I collected in Taiwan, the layered percussive rhythms turned into a woven chant, retracing the memories of home."
Notting Hill Tabernacle reimagined by Iris Chun-Tzu Chang.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Chris Wood, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Tabernacle is a Grade II-listed building in Powis Square, Notting Hill, west London, England, built in 1887 as a church. It is no longer a place of worship, but continues to serve the secular needs of the local community. It's a key part of the multicultural hub of Notting Hill, with people from many different countries, backgrounds and cultures sharing the space. In this recording, a steel band is performing on a Sunday afternoon.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Chris Wood, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The sound of a traditional west African barber’s shop in Peckham, serving mostly customers from all over the continent who now live in London. Barber's shops like these often operate as a centre for the local African community to come together and socialise, just as much as to get their next haircut - they’re an essential part of the fabric of local African diaspora communities in the city.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The field recording I worked with is from a community kitchen. Music is also a community kitchen. One hears the conversations, the rattles, the shouting of instructions.
"I searched my audio archives for these same experiences, my jotting down of music thoughts, a boat ride to a recording session, working on an improvisational recording, amongst other findings to piece together a collage of my personal musical kitchen as a mirror or response or duet with the recording."
Southall temple community kitchen reimagined by Christine Brebes.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Prayers recorded inside the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara Sikh temple in Southall, London, a modern Sikh temple with space for 3000 worshippers which also organises regular community events.
Towards the beginning of the recording you can also hear the intermittent drones of hand dryers as worshippers coming into the Gurdwara wash their hands upon entry.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"A conversation between African migrants recorded in the city of London, at the barbershop: one of the places where it is easiest to come into contact, a point of reference and socialisation. The conversation is accompanied by rhythms and melodies and takes place in a relaxed atmosphere. I thought of placing the recorded voices in a sonorous fresco intended as a metaphor for the journey. I imagined the difficulties and travails of a journey that winds between land and sea, in search of welcome and a safe harbour.
"The narration evokes in the background the power of the elements: water, the waves of the sea, the wind, the deep motions of the Earth: forces capable of bending any human resistance. The recorded voices intervene at first in a fragmentary manner, then disperse and sometimes imitate melodies and rhythms (African music), while exclamations, exhortations, comments, laughter are heard."
Peckham barber shop reimagined by Dante Tanzi.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
An incredibly welcoming space, this Gurdwara in Southall offers a community kitchen that is free and open to all to come in and enjoy some food - this soundscape is from inside the community kitchen with clattering trays and cutlery, food being served, the sound of washing and drying of hands, and the prayers from the temple being broadcast into the space via TVs and a sound system too.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Using reverse engineering techniques, Circular Void synthesizes and designs layers of sounds reminiscent of sewing machines, resulting in an experimental dressmaking soundscape. Resampled mechanical sounds of the workshop, intertwined with electronic elements of analogue and granular synthesis, shape reassembled textures of electroacoustic form.
"The composition reflects the struggles of diasporas, the impact of alienation on generations of migrants, and questions the dynamics of global capitalism."
Bethnall Green tailor shop reimagined by Circular Void.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"These are the sounds of my Ukrainian housemate, Natasha, making borscht. Natasha is a refugee from the war in Ukraine and has lived with me for almost two years now.
"We have become fast friends and learned a lot from each other, not just about cooking. The percussion of chopping, the melody of bubbling, the laughter of delight."
Recorded by Maria Margaronis.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
A quartet of musicians from three countries now living in London. In the recording, Carlos Romero (Mexico), Naomi Wilmshurst (UK), Maria Teresa Luson (Cuba) and Bruno Quezada (Mexico) are rehearsing in Greenwich.
Recorded by Madeleine Sumption.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
As recorded in the 2021 UK census, one in six Bangladeshi residents across England and Wales live in Tower Hamlets, making this London borough’s local Bangladeshi population almost twice the size of the next largest within a local authority.
Within that, Whitechapel is a major area for the Bangladeshi community, with many local specialist shops providing food from Bangladesh and beyond, such as Mas Bazaar.
In this recording we can hear the butchers at the back of the shop sawing and chopping meat for preparation in their extensive fresh meat counter and enormous freezer stock.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"In the recording, you can hear the reaction from football fans after the Iraqi-born Ipswich Town player Ali Al-Hamadi scored to make it Ipswich Town 4 - 0 Millwall FC. The fans initially chant general Ipswich Town songs, before chanting Al-Hamadi's name."
Recorded by Ben Brindle.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Lunar New Year celebration at the Maritime Museum in Greenwich - a large crowd of children and parents watch a Lion Dance performed by artists from China.
Recorded by Madeleine Sumption.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Sue Wallace at en.wikipedia, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"In this recomposition I am imagining the kitchen as a universal meeting and sharing space, inspired by the intimate recording of Natasha and Maria.
Shared cooking is when distant worlds become close, when family trees and traditions remix and meet in front of a sink and a pan: recipes become a space for stories.
"I decided to use only some relevant spoken exchanges, a lot of noises and textures of the cooking process, and Natasha’s contagious laughter. I only used cut and paste, a lot of layering, panning, and a bit of reverb, to remix this kitchen story and immerse the listener into this space of possibilities."
Borscht preparation reimagined by Luca Piovesan.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The field recording is sampled from a public performance of a band playing traditional Latin music found in countries such as Cuba and Brazil. This music captures the feeling of sweet melancholy - of longing for the beauty of home, while also sharing this cultural expression with an audience in London.
"As I listened to this sample over and over, I began to really feel the humanness of the music - the embodied sounds of the instruments, the work of fingers and hands - pouring out the emotion for the audience to take in and be touched by. The techniques for creating my piece included stretching and extending the sample to create a wash of sound, which might be like one's memory of attending this concert.
"Fragments of melodies and harmonies surface above the waves, drawing us back not only to another country - thinking of traveling, uprooting, relocating, settling down to make another home in a strange and new place - but to a perhaps simpler and more humane time."
Migrant musicians in London reimagined by Wayne DeFehr.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"This composition was partly inspired by my experience with migration and how it affected me. I moved to Switzerland as an infant and back to Portugal in my early teens. The decision to focus the composition around a low-frequency drone is based on my early memories of flying in an aeroplane.
"At the same time, the high-frequency sweeps of noise illustrate the sound of crashing waves from my experience of moving to live on an island and what it meant to feel somewhat disconnected from the rest of the world.
"All of the sounds used in this composition were extracted from the original recording and edited to create the different layers, processed through various types of distortion to reflect how these life-changing events somehow continue to haunt me."
Meat preparation in Whitechapel reimagined by Jerome Faria.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The original recording is a group of fans for a football club, in Argentina we usually call it "la hinchada." Each club in each country has a different song and here I could notice it, it is a very special passion that goes in a fan wherever he goes, regardless of the language.
"I resorted to using wind, reverb and delay like in a real stadium. Very spacious."
Millwall FC chant reimagined by Rocío Colonizt.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"I was immediately caught by the metallic sounds and percussive nature of the recording. The location of Greenwich and lunar new year theme also appealed to me as I used to work in the area and had a colleague celebrating Lunar new year at the time.
"Migration stories at their core always centre around people or groups moving from one locality, area, country to another and as someone who has moved around numerous times this felt like a great theme for musical interpretation. London is an especially fantastic city in this regard with many moving to the city from near, far and all over.
"Migration can often come with uncertainty and goes hand in hand with the unexpected and challenging. I used these ideas to inform my composition building my piece around the a-rhythmical percussive element of the recording. I employed one of my favourite techniques - phasing - to create the illusion of the piece falling in and out of time. Phasing is when multiple layers are played simultaneously at slightly different speeds which in turn creates a sort of galloping effect known as phasing. If left to run long enough it creates new patterns and rhythms within the moments of chaos and seeming randomness. I felt like this was a create was to depict the ever changing nature of migration.
"The first half of the piece illustrates the process of "migration" and I look at the second half of the piece as when our protagonists have "migrated" - phasing rhythms play less of a part and the focus becomes more centred around textured chords interacting with the lunar new year recording itself, twisting and wrapping around the metallic noise to find a home within their new territory, their new pride."
Greenwich New Year celebration reimagined by Kye Perry.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Sue Wallace at en.wikipedia, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Inside the kitchen at Bar Polski, a close-up recording of traditional Polish pierogi being prepared, including the bubbling of a boiling pan, followed by the frying of bacon and onions - at the end of the recording we leave the small kitchen and head back out into the bustling bar.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Singers from a local Cameroonian church in Peckham take to the streets to sing a version of “Amazing Grace”, accompanied by an acoustic guitar.
The soundscape is lent a surreal edge by the robotic recorded voice advertising a closing down sale for Wow Peckham, the shop directly behind us.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Brixton in London is also known as Little Jamaica, the heart of the Jamaican community in the city. In this recording, we can hear a steel drum group performing directly outside the tube station.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: xSunil060902, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Conversations with local Ukrainian people and soundscape of incidental music, and ambience at the Made For Ukraine fundraiser event in All Saints Church, Hove, 21st October 2023.
Music in this recording is not from live music performances on the day, but instead includes clips from song and dance workshops and someone improvising on the piano while the gig was being set up.
Recorded by Phill Minns.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
This recording captures my connection with a Bedouin tribe in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, where an unconditional love for the land is ever-present. Bedouins persist in leading a traditional, subsistence lifestyle, moving from place to place and engaging in trade between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. Isolated from the rest of Egypt, their settlements are nestled among high mountains, including Mount Sinai and Oum Shomar, providing Bedouins with a profound sense of solace in solitude. Today, the land they call home is revered as one of the most spiritual places in Egypt.
Despite enduring discrimination, stigma, and stereotyping over the years, many modern Bedouins have adapted to a semi-nomadic or settled lifestyle. During the Israeli occupation between 1967 and 1982, Bedouins insisted on remaining on their land, earning them the label of traitors from the larger Egyptian public.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Starting off in a Polish bar’s kitchen in London, we take a journey through sound association.
"15 personal recordings from 10 locations in Europe and Asia have been added to the original recording. They are sounds of places I settled in - at first unsettling, later soundprints of a feeling called home; and sounds that brought me back while on the move - like the taste of a homeland dish in a foreign country. The frontiers where they touch are my projection of their similarities, aided by EQ or spectral editing at times.
"But I leave it up to you to decide when, how, and where sound borders are being crossed. Safe travels!"
Bar Polski reimagined by Virginie Lesaffre.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Migration is movement. It may be escape or connected with ambition and dreams. We selected ‘019 Amazing Grace’ because of its connection with the uplift of the spirit. This was our starting point. The end of the field recording repeats ‘closing down sale’ and this prompted a vision of closed borders. The juxtaposition of being uplifted and closed down reflected the journey that we often find ourselves on as we migrate from one part of life to another.
"We collected our own sound recordings to weave into the original. This included The Kimberleys' live performance of ‘Old England’ at the Islington Folk Club (permission granted to use this extract). Rowing around Derwent Water allowed us access to the sound of oars hitting water and conjured up images of those travelling across water to find a better place. A further recording of a street musician singing has been woven into the track to further lift the spirit of the traveller.
"We may find ourselves isolated. We may need uplifting. We may need a fresh start. Our final piece reflects that whilst the world may be closing in around us, we must lift our spirits and continue the journey."
Amazing Grace in Peckham reimagined by Caroline Grimshaw and Stephen Mugford.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Ever since I was 7 years old and first "played" with the Interactive Media of Encarta 97 Encyclopedia World Music on my computer, I became captivated by the sounds of Trinidad's steel drums. These sounds, perhaps through cultural associations, filled me with absolute joy. In the naive imagination of a 7-year-old Peruvian girl, the Caribbean was portrayed as a paradise brimming with life and carnival vibes. As a young girl just starting her percussion workshop at school, I dreamed of playing in a live steel pan band.
"As I delved deeper into the history of this instrument and learned about the colonization stories behind it, my perspective began to shift. On the one hand, working with recordings of steel drum music still evokes fond memories of an ever-happy past shaped by its presence in pop culture. Conversely, as a migrant, I felt compelled to share the stories behind the waves of migration from colonized lands to those of the colonizers.
"Now, using sample technologies from DAWs I can play along with this live steel drum band. I resonate emotionally and critically with the desire to preserve one's traditional culture, especially coming from a migrant background in the land of the colonizers. Despite facing structural racism and other forms of violence, I admire how the pan players infuse the grey skies with the vibrant colors of calypso and soca, even amidst the distant echoes and noises of Brixton's tube station."
Steel drums in Brixton reimagined by Ale Borea.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Sunil060902, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"What drew me to apply for the Migration Sounds project in the first place were my own experiences of constantly moving. States, cities, areas and apartments, there have been many over the last two decades. However, this has always come from a position of privilege.
"In recent years, as humanitarian crises have become more frequent, I have become deeply contemplative about acknowledging this privilege. I rarely speak about these issues or post on social media about the atrocities and hardships that people around the world are facing—people who have lost their lives, homes, and families.
"For many, migration is not a choice but a matter of survival. The field recording I worked with brought these issues to the forefront while also showcasing the resilience of the human spirit. They highlighted how people can come together, regardless of their past, for the greater good. I wanted to create a track that incorporated these voices, serving as a constant reminder of my privilege, the struggles faced by people worldwide, and the resilience and humanity that persist in the face of adversity."
Made for Ukraine event reimagined by Sourya Sen.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Using snippets of the vocal samples, recordings from my phone of me playing a Taylor guitar (tuned to drop D), some improvised recordings of Ciat Lonbarde synths (Esoterica Chainlock PCB “Made by Tripping on Wires” Sheffield Uk), I created circa 90 samples I could pitch down and play live.
"Next I built layers of sounds inside a sampler that would give the impression of radio waves, desert vistas and sounds from a transistor radio drifting in and out of range with voices and further sample snips creating more layers. Finally I reduced content down to 5 distinct pieces that became the framework for the song.
"I really wanted to capture the vastness, beauty and isolation of some of the places these people live in and interact with. Reversed guitar samples shimmer and synths try and imitate wind as it blows around sand or grains of musical data.
"The latter part of the song sounds at times like a rattle snake battling the elements. In total, Bedouin Radio takes the listener on a 15 minute journey forwards and backwards in time as song and voice act as anchors in the desert sea…"
Bedouins in South Sinai reimagined by Andy Billington.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"I was intrigued by the snippets of speech and coffee machine noises - there's something very global and universal about them. I wanted to decontextualise them into a Glass / Reich kind of setting. "Koyaanisqatsi" crossed my mind, as did "Different Trains". Ebow was abused. Aside from electric guitar, all the other sounds are sampled or processed from the field recording."
Prague workshop conversation reimagined by Alex Vald.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The field recording of a demonstration from a divided Cyprus reflects decades of historical forced migration on the island, while at the same time protesting against present day atrocities in Gaza. Conflict is a global driver for unwanted migration splitting up families, friends and communities and the field recording inspired a piece that reflects my deep sadness for innocent people migrating because of war.
"It is a very simple track that reflects the sorrow I feel. At 2 minutes and 15 seconds the keyboard uses a glide effect which sounds like an air raid siren or maybe a warning to belligerent governments and warmongers that you are complicit in forced migration and therefore fear, hunger, tears and death."
Cyprus protest reimagined by Mark Baker.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Having grown up outside my country of origin, and subsequently returned as to a familiar-but-unfamiliar place, I have some insight into how it feels to have an outside perspective on the place where you live.
"I found it interesting that the recording was made by someone able to view the sights & sounds of a place from an outsider’s perspective, noticing sounds, colours and characters that others might not, but with a depth of familiarity and knowledge layered on.
"I was charmed by the song being sung and whistled, and loved that the recording features animal, machine and human sound. The birds, machines & humans may well migrate, but subject to different constraints. I like the fact that the man singing is collecting recycling which may migrate to another location prior to processing (possibly to another country entirely). He is a part of a much larger system, but clearly asserts his humanity - far from a cog in a wheel.
"It seemed inappropriate to impose a rigid tempo grid on such a freeform snatch of song, so the tempo adapts to the recording; it varies as time goes along. I enjoy listening to the machine adjusting to human cadence, hurrying to catch up and struggling to stay in sync. It seems a better that way round than the opposite, and we might be in a better world if more (including the way we think about migration) things worked that way.
"Often field recordings (& just listening to the world!), provide enjoyable juxtapositions, fortuitous call & response patterns, whether intended or not, and I hope this piece succeeds in tapping into and replicating some of that energy.
"All synth and drum sounds courtesy of a range of software and analog synths & drum machines. Sequenced in Logic Pro."
Cartagena soundscape reimagined by Andrew Tulloch.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Bybbisch94, Christian Gebhardt, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"I was enchanted by Christine Renaudat’s recording of her daughter aged 9 reciting Jean De La Fontaine’s version of the old Aesop’s Fable - The Wolf and the Lamb. Her daughter was born in Colombia and Christine home schooled her in French. She was teaching her all about her homeland of France talking about animals she could “barely imagine” (wolves and sheep) and learning the names of the French rivers, plants and the seasons,. As part of the course, she recorded her daughter in Cartagena reciting this story that she had learnt as a child.
"The lovely idea of passing on skills, knowledge and memories from our past to our children is a very beautiful part of them understanding, allowing them in turn pass on their heritage and traditions.
"Finding the translation of the poem (see below) and the moral of the fable that “The tyrant can always find an excuse for his tyranny and that the unjust will not listen to the reasoning of the innocent”, I knew that this powerful story might relate to millions of people in the world being displaced and forced to migrate from their homeland by tyrannical regimes.
"I wanted the piece to feel like an old story being told, that leads the listener through an imaginary landscape to a dramatic ending. The child’s voice was so beautiful that I wanted to keep the narration of the vocal as it was - if you listen closely you can hear the birds singing in the background. I used several reverbs on the voice and inserted music between phrases to extend the track.
"The piece starts with a solo violin and leads the listener through an imaginary landscape. The harmony is folk like in its simplicity with a simple piano like ostinato, whilst the melodies are deliberately emotional to evoke a sense of vulnerability and dark power. Cello solos are featured between the storytelling to add to the emotion, supported by slow moving string parts. Layers of agitated strings with grainy swells add to the drama as the piece builds to the climax when the wolf carries the lamb into the woods “and then eats him without any other why or wherefore”.
"Here is a translation of The Wolf and the Lamb by Jean de La Fontaine:
The reason of those best able to have their way is always the best:
We now show how this is true. A lamb was quenching its thirst
In the water of a pure stream.
A fasting wolf came by, looking for something;
He was attracted by hunger to this place.
—What makes you so bold as to meddle with my drinking?
Said this animal, very angry.
You will be punished for your boldness.
—Sir, answered the lamb, let Your Majesty
Not put himself into a rage;
But rather, let him consider
That I am taking a drink of water
In the stream
More than twenty steps below him;
And that, consequently, in no way,
Am I troubling his supply.
—You do trouble it, answered the cruel beast.
And I know you said bad things of me last year.
—How could I do that when I wasn’t born,
Answered the lamb; I am still at my mother’s breast.
—If it wasn’t you, then it was your brother.
—I haven’t a brother.—It was then someone close to you;
For you have no sympathy for me,
You, your shepherds and your dogs.
I have been told of this. I have to make things even.
Saying this, into the woods
The wolf carries the lamb, and then eats him
Without any other why or wherefore."
Cartagena poetry reading reimagined by Amanda Stuart.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The field recording with the importance of preserving the city's valuable cultural heritage, even amidst the changes, inspire me a story with sound images that help you rediscover the beauty of Xiamen.
"At the beginning, the sound of cut bamboo and a fascinating pentatonic melody, created and played by me on the flute ,brings to mind a magic and ancestral atmosphere.
"I created 4 tracks: 2 flute and 2 bamboo. Leaving the field recording with the voices intact, I improvised with my flute, imagining a young person interacting with the a group of elderly locals from Xiamen engaging in conversation and historical narratives. This young person gives freshness and energy with new ideas, which is represented by the crescendo of bamboos and the dialogue of two flutes, with many challenges and contrasts in the choice to leave the city.
"I wanted to create a very interesting weave of voices because for me it represents an intercultural and intergenerational dialogue that can mean a very interesting growth and development.
"The end is a return to the past but a new beginning, a rebirth with the awareness of the beauty and valorization of Xiamen and the cultural tradition traveling towards new horizons,an openness to new connections."
Cristina Italiani: flute,bamboo, composition
Francesco Toninelli: mixing and mastering engineer
Xiamen soundscape reimagined by Cristina Italiani.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
In early December 2023 I was running a workshop in Prague for Ukrainians who had been forced to flee because of the full-scale Russian invasion of their country, and who were now living in other European countries. The students I was teaching were learning about how to tackle disinformation and propaganda, and how to develop effective communications strategies to encourage people in their new countries of residence to continue to provide protection and support for Ukraine and Ukrainians as the war moves toward its third year.
This recording - of coffees being made and some chit-chat during the coffee break - highlights that despite all of the horrors of the war, the violence and the geopolitical wranglings that make the headlines, there is a mundanity and ordinariness to the refugee experience.
The immediate moments of crisis are occasional, but displacement becomes normality - part of who a person is - and each little part of everyday life from waking in the morning to reading the news, to speaking to family, friends and colleagues to having a coffee at a training event is shaped to a greater or a lesser extent by the long tail of that crisis.
Recorded by Rob McNeil.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Recording of the 'Free Palestine' peaceful protest in the fall of 2023, which took place in the divided capital of Cyprus, Nicosia, itself being both exemplary and conflicting.
This unprecedented moment in history glues the refugee crisis in previous years with the new wave due to the ongoing wars. While people look for a home and assimilate into the new environment, they also support the cause that matters.
This recording captures the unity, resistance, and standing up for what is right, in a peaceful way.
Cyprus, which is also a divided territory, became a haven for many refugees and supported the people on both ends of the conflict.
Recorded by Serge Bulat.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
If there is one sound that represents our daily life in Cartagena, Colombia, where we chose to live years ago, after leaving France, it would be this one. The chanting/singing/shouting of the many street vendors who work in our neighbourhood.
This one was recollecting recyclable materials, and whistling while pushing his handcart. He would arrive every morning at 7h30 in our street. I don’t see him so often anymore.
These voices are now part of our soundscape. Some days, we barely notice them, other days we stop and listen, conscious that wherever we will go, now, they are engraved in our memories and sound like home, even if we weren’t born here. Do new sounds just add to the ones of our previous life? Replace older ones? Do they fuse?
Recorded by Christine Renaudat.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
IMAGE: Bybbisch94, Christian Gebhardt, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This is my daughter at age 9, reciting a Fable by Jean de la Fontaine in French.
Migrating often requires navigating between languages. My daughter was born in Colombia, but I wanted her to speak and write in French. So I home schooled her in French. The distance learning program we followed required recording her while she was reading or reciting some poems.
So we were at home, living in the Colombian Caribbean coast, talking about animals she could barely imagine (wolves, sheeps), learning the names of the French rivers, the plants, the seasons, surrounded by palm trees in a country where winter and spring don’t exist (she mixed them for years).
Above all, with the fable, she was reciting a text I had learned as a child, written in this very old and classical French that reminded me of my own years at school, in a very distant place (and time).
Recorded by Christine Renaudat.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
The recording depicts a group of elderly locals from Xiamen engaging in conversation. As modernization continues to progress, an increasing number of young people are leaving the city to pursue employment prospects elsewhere.
This trend is directly tied to the broader theme of migration, and has led to a decline in the use of the Xiamen dialect as a result of both population loss and urbanization. However, this also highlights the importance of preserving the city's valuable cultural heritage, even amidst these changes.
Recorded by Qianyi Alice Li.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
In Altay, Xinjiang, China, Kazakhs have lived here for hundreds of years and still maintain a nomadic lifestyle that follows the seasons. However, the process of modernization and development is changing their traditions, customs and even language.
The younger generation is unwilling to continue the hard nomadic life, and the older generation who are gradually aging may be the last generation of nomadic Kazakhs. From now on, we will probably only be able to see the nomadic transition performances at the visitor centre.
That's what I'm trying to keep - those sounds for the next generations. This is the second time I've spent days living with the herders in the deep mountain of Altay. In this track, we can hear the herders talking and busy footsteps of the sheep on a rock and soil pass.
Recorded by Yang Jie.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
I migrated from Stockholm, Sweden to Vancouver, BC, Canada in 1987. The cities are approximately the same size and are located on the same latitude. I was somehow expecting something similar to what I was used to. I was wrong.
The first shock was the sound of the city of Vancouver. The noise bouncing between glass clad skyscrapers was, in my ears, extreme. And it went on around the clock. Traffic, human interaction, sirens. All very, very loud. I recorded it and sent cassettes to my friends in Sweden for evidence. Stockholm was, and still is, a comparatively quiet city with few high-rises.
I was also very much taken by the abrupt advertising on the radio (I did not have a TV). It all sounded so North American. At the time, Swedish public television and radio had monopoly and allowed no advertising. I had grown up not knowing what it meant to have the constant drone of commercials in my life. So, yes, it was kind of a culture shock.
I recently found some recordings I made in 1987, when I was still amazed by the sound of the radio in my new homeland. Hearing it throws me right back to being this newbie in a strange place. A decade later, I would return to Sweden only to find that as of 1993, advertising was allowed and sounded quite similar to that I heard in Canada. That too, was a bit of a culture shock.
My sound is a time stamp of the Academy awards of 1987 and the Olympic games in Calgary 1988. I edited out the music for copyright reasons.
Recorded in Vancouver by Eva Q Månsson.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
On a sound research visit to the EU border of Bosnia and Herzegovina I visited and spoke to different individuals stuck in B&H to transport their voices to document an art exhibition in 2022. In this recording me and friends were welcomed by a group of people to their temporary home the so called "Family Squat" located outside of Velika Kladuša.
There are 3-8 people sleeping in one room, carpets cover the floor, there is improvised and self-built chimneys to heat the room while its snowing outside. The windows of the house are closed with wood to keep the heat. In the other rooms there is people cooking, doing daily tasks and communication via phone to plan the next moves.
They all went on the game already for several times, trying to cross the border to Croatia but they got pushed back brutally and illegally again to Bosnia and Herzegovina where they stay in squats, camps, forests and temporary shelter. We were shown a video of a pushback where the police attacks the people with dogs while they were sleeping in the field. Afterwards we asked for messages they would like to transport to the people inside the EU to get to know about their situation and struggles.
Recorded in Velika Kladusa by Beat Theofried Alto Sandkühler.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
In this binaural recording, we can hear a group of young men playing a game of football on a small courtyard. The players run from one end of the field to the other, chasing the ball and trying to score. We can hear the ball being passed around and some attempts of shooting the ball, resulting in a loud, metallic 'bang' against the metal caging of the field. You can also hear men shouting in different languages like French, Marokan, English and other languages.
The football court is located in the Northern Quarter of Brussels, in the Park Maximilian. This park is known as a hub for (trans)migrants that have arrived in Brussels and are looking for asylum or a passage to the UK. Often in precarious conditions, they collectively stay in the park, mostly because of its proximity to the Federal Bureau of Immigration Affairs. Aid workers and social organisations have also set up some infrastructure for food and shelter in and around the park. The presence of the immigrants in Park Maximilian has been covered a lot in Belgian Media and has often been portrayed as a symbol of the 'migration crisis' that started since 2015.
The Maximilian Park is also a place of leisure and recreation for the inhabitants of the large apartment blocks surrounding the park. The residents of these housing units use the park for sporting activities and as a playing ground for their kids.
The large presence of immigrants in the park is controversial among the locals and has resulted in some concerns about safety. They blame the Belgian government for not adequately dealing with this issue and finding structural solutions.
In the recording, the football game is a match between local youths, that hang around in the park, and a group of transmigrants from Eritrea. For me personally, this recording captures a moment where these two groups find each other and use the game of football to vent their frustrations. You can also hear this in the recording, where the game sometimes slightly tilts towards to conflict. It represents the ways in which local urban communities set up informal structures to deal with the perceived issues that come with migration.
Recorded by Gillis Van Der Wee.
IMAGE: Tram Bruxelles, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Vienna has a lively tradition of streetmarkets. The Brunnenmarkt is a daily opened food market in the workingclass quarter Ottakring. Years ago it was a quite small market in the Brunnenstrasse, nowadays it is expanding every year, because it‘s a great opportunity to get your first job when you are new in Vienna, without the necessarity to speak German, because your customers are mostly from your country and customers are happy to find products from their countries and find a little piece of home.
"There are for example syrian barbecues opened by refugees, west African butchers, Turkish fruit shops, croatian bakeries, but also original Austrian wurstel stands etc. Some of them just a few days in the country, some of them for generations.
"So this recording is a sound walk with in ear microphones and you can listen to a nice jumble of languages, for example an Austrian student dealing with a Croatian cheese marketer about the price in german. The student said, that the marketer is always so good to him."
Recorded in Vienna by Michael Deak.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The recording I chose for work is, to be honest, quite self-sufficient. However, I decided to wrap it in sound like a wool blanket without adding many other elements. I thought for a long time about what sonic texture I associate with China, Kazakhstan, and Altai, and what at the same time resonates with my personal experience of migration, and eventually, I came to overtone singing.
"As the equivalent of overtone singing, I used my recordings made during my migration in Uzbekistan using a no-input system and a cassette player."
Xinjiang nomad recording reimagined by Vladimir Bocharov.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
""Broadcasts of the displaced" is a soundscape composition exploring the transient nature of migration, combining the provided field recording, which was then manipulated to be come the source for all of the additional sonic content. I am drawn to the ideas surrounding ghost voices in the airwaves, and the idea of slowly decaying radio broadcasts.
"Inspired by the my own migration and a connection with home being only through radio waves, creating a sense of being ‘between’ place, not really know where or what home is, merely place. I aimed to capture a sense of journey, travel and an essence of liminality—the state of being on the threshold between worlds—while drawing on Mark Fisher's concept of hauntology, where the present and perhaps place is haunted by the lost futures of the past.
"The radio recording I was provided with was manipulated through time-stretching and pitch-shifting, and also convolution with other radio static, highlight the fleeting moments and ephemeral nature of the migration experience. The added shortwave radio static, often fading or corrupted, was processed with digital effects to simulate further degradation, creating a ghostly quality reminiscent of voices lost in the ether. I created synth parts for the background from the record to provide droning vistas to evoking a sense of otherworldliness.
"The composition deconstructs a migration narrative, beginning with the familiar radio broadcast sounds will always hear and gradually introducing dissonant, decaying elements. Moments of clarity symbolise hope and connection amid uncertainty. "Broadcasts of the Displaced" is a tribute all of those who are in a state of migratory flux, be it chosen or force, trying to demonstrate the resilience and an exploration of their liminal existence."
Vancouver radio recording reimagined by Spencer Bruce.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"I was inspired by the scale of the call to prayer playing out in Bosnia. Using the notes I added some improvised piano to the supplied field recording getting further and further away from the maqam. The impression of war was added as heavily manipulated layered field recordings which included slowed down cobbles and use of the GRM Evol plug in on nature sounds.
"A plaintive alto sax (me) and guitar (Richard Mulhearn) improvisation aimed to suggest a journey and a splitting of the destination of the migrants. The final part is an out of sync layered recapitulation of the initial theme alluding to many final landing places."
Velika Kladusa recording reimagined by Alison Beattie.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"I was drawn into the recording by the complexity of the sound - the different layers: close and far / long and short / bass and treble / soft and loud. It was almost like a type of jungle.
"I was also drawn in by the story of the park - a residential area in the centre of the city where migrants pitch their tents - an arena where the potential for both clash and collaboration is so clearly played out in the common ground of the football game.
"I used the recording as a springboard for vocal improvisation. I messaged a group that I meet with irregularly and invited them to join me to record a response to the audio file.
"One Sunday evening at Music Tree music school in central London, I set up a few microphones, told the story, played the file to the assembled and off we went. The very immediate response and the tone of human voices was exactly the sound I was looking for to compliment, exaggerate, resonate with and deeply humanise all the so very complicated aspects of a migration story, much of which is out of my reach and beyond my comprehension.
"I am indebted to Jeremy, Henrietta, Dan, Evie, Kay, Sai and Tamara for their openness to and enthusiasm for the project and to Tiziana for letting us use her beautiful school space."
Maximilian Park, Brussels reimagined by Patrick Carpenter.
IMAGE: Tram Bruxelles, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The story of the market highlights the positives of migration, the blending of cultures, sharing and evolving of traditions. I've used a glitch aesthetic to represent this fusion, those fragments of conversations that you don't quite hear in a busy place and fragments of forgotten memories from the past."
Brunnenmarkt, Vienna reimagined by Andy Lyon.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Rob's story brought a slight tear to my eye at first read, and before even hearing the sound, I knew I was going to want to do minimal processing to the sound itself, as what it captures is really quite a beautiful story, although rooted in sadness, and certainly sees the family making some kind of progress after what has been some difficult years with the loss of a loved one and the separation, not to mention COVID being in the middle of all that.
"The first section of the composition sees the sound of the original recording reversed, and drifting in and out, with a slightly deep and constant bass-line. To me this felt like I was capturing perhaps the sadder years, closer to the time of the death of Clare. The removal and addition of sound in and out, to me at least, represented their traveling back and forth to actually be together at xmas, but what must have been a slightly chaotic time.
"The second section, the music stops on cue of one of the family members saying "it's stopped". I then wanted some silence whilst there is the surprise entry of Byron, and then the expletive of his sister. I had to remove a part of the recording due to a clip, it was going to be left in, but the "OMG" and "WTF" didn't seem to both be required to represent her surprise.
"From here, again being conscious of not removing the soul from this wonderful family moment, I just wanted to do a simple composition, that hopefully captures some sort of happiness being reached now that time has taken it's time somewhat. I felt the subtle pad and chord progression added this emotion well enough. I do hope that if Rob hears it, he feels what I've tried to do.. and I thank their entire family for contributing to the project, and do indeed wish them every bit of well as they move forward in life."
Woodend reunion reimagined by Chris Taylor.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"I chose Maria Gunko's recording from Armenia because it's a simple, peaceful field recording of a woman gardening out on her balcony after moving there "...striving for safe harbor from state violence amid the Russia-Ukraine War."
"My remix, called "Then to Now", is an interpretation of a journey from war to a safe harbor. The first part, Then", is meant to be a bit discordant and slightly challenging. Fast bpm, strident music in 4/4, various sounds of war: sirens, explosions, missile launches, dogs barking, a crying child and eventually a door slams. The second part, "Now", slowly unfolds into a waltz-like signature mixing in the steps of the person gardening. The bass drum and snare sound were cut and repeated from some noise in the field recording. The music in the second part is melodious, featuring intertwining, peaceful, major chord melodies.
"I can see the woman spinning and dancing along to the music from "Now" with a beatific smile on her face."
Tumanyan soundscape reimagined by Bill McKenna.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"Memory is fragmented, especially when you're trying to remember the many people you been in the places you've been. Those memory pieces come up at odd times-- such as when you're making dinner and hear something on the radio that's so familiar yet so far away its almost forgotten now. That's the moment when you remember just a bit.
"And then the moment has passed. And anyway... dinner's almost ready."
Buenos Aires soundscape reimagined by Emmy Tither.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
I have played with all the elements of the original recording and added 2 clips from recordings of mine in the mix - a spring dawn chorus and clay flutes activated by my voice in an installation. The process and re-mix reminds me of Cumulonimbus clouds which are born through convection, often growing from small cumulus clouds over a hot surface.
They get taller and taller until they represent huge powerhouses, storing the same amount of energy as 10 Hiroshima-sized atom bombs. They can also form along cold fronts as a result of forced convection, where milder air is forced to rise over the incoming cold air.
Tirana soundscape reimagined by Mary Hooper.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"I thought about the sample and how musical it is, yet so different from Western musical traditions of tuning and rhythm, and it's also part-spoken, rich in spiritual and cultural heritage. The sample is full of background noise, which can be annoying in music, but I find it gives a sense of place and enhances memories, including my own, of being in Arabic countries. I was interested also in playing with the vocal sounds as pure musical sound, de-contextualised from the rich meaning and intention of the words.
"The whole piece is framed in longer samples where the original sample is clearly articulated. So this is a piece of musique concréte, where my sound sources come entirely from the one call-to-prayer sample which I have manipulated electronically, cut, spliced, reversed, filtered, pitch-changed, equalised, resonated, passed through a Moog synthesiser to create an abstract soundscape that evokes new experiences of new places.
"I arranged these processed sounds to create the sense of a migration journey, through hope, despair, joy, loneliness, anger, fear, friendship, constantly moving forwards. An ethereal walking or marching pulse links different moods and experiences, anchored by contrasting memories of home that are unsettling or reassuring."
Tirana prayer sounds reimagined by Jo Hutton.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
This is a recording of a few moments from Christmas Day 2023 in Woodend, Victoria, Australia - about an hour north of Melbourne. I come here with my wife, Heather, and our children when we can save up enough to pay for the airfare, as it is a critical opportunity for my family to connect with their cousins, and particularly for my wife to see her niece and nephew, who she loves very deeply and for whom she tries to play a sort of maternal role - even though we live on the other side of the world.
FaceTime plays a huge role. In 2016 my wife's sister, Clare, died from cancer at the age of 40, she left behind her husband and two small children - who were 6 and 3 at the time. She had moved from the UK to Australia more than 10 years earlier, and the separation from her sister had been really hard on my wife even before the loss. Marc, my brother-in-law, has done an incredible job raising the kids on his own since then - I don't have many heroes, but he is one of them, and the kids are growing up into wonderful young people.
Marc had moved to the UK in the late 1990s with his older brother, Byron, and they had lived together in London, before his brother moved to Dorset, on the south coast of England, where he has lived ever since. Marc and Clare moved to Australia when Marc's mother was very ill. Byron had only been back to Australia for his mother's funeral and for Clare's funeral, and had not seen his sister, Megan, since Clare's funeral in 2016.
For Christmas this year Marc and his family hosted both of his siblings, me, Heather and the kids, and Megan's kids too (and some friends). He had managed to keep Byron's return to Australia a secret from Megan, and this recording captures the moment Byron came into the kitchen from the utility room as Megan's Xmas present. Megan's response is priceless (even if it was at such a spectacular volume that it created some momentary clipping on the recording).
While migration, separation and loss have been cruel to my family and to Marc's, most of the time we just get on with our otherwise very happy lives, and loving one another from across the world. The sheer joy of this moment was a delight, and to have captured it in this recording is wonderful.
Recorded in Woodend, Australia by Rob McNeil.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
A woman went out onto the balcony of her new apartment to rearrange the flowers. She is surrounded by the rare sounds of the street in an emptying town within the 'remoteness' of Armenian highlands.
While locals leave this place in search of jobs and better life opportunities, she arrived here striving for a safe harbour from state violence amid the Russia-Ukraine war. She enjoys the tranquil evening & the new life of a rural art teacher, which leaves her plenty of time for gardening. Something she could not afford in a large city where she comes from.
Recorded in Tumanyan, Armenia by Maria Gunko.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
I'm a tango violinist who migrated from the US to Argentina in 2002. This is a tango I improvised & my friend put some guitar to it. I felt deeply connected to tango 25 years ago and this pull on my heart inspired me to migrate halfway across the globe.
I have been absorbed by tango, the stylish essence mixed with the mugre (filth) of the big city streets, the rhythmic swing that belongs to Buenos Aires, the stickiness of the air & the glisten of the dancers sweat as they dance in leather bottomed shoes, embraced.
Recorded in Buenos Aires, Argentina by Christine Brebes.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
Morning dawn in Tirana, Albania. The recordist, who has migrated from Tirana to Berlin for studies, returns to visit family. During this visit, they cannot fall asleep because of the sound of a lion roaring nearby. Balcony recording: morning rooster, other background animal sounds possibly dogs, at some point the main reason i cannot sleep: the lion downstairs caged in the zoo.
The recording relates to migration thematically as it captures the experience of the recordist, who has moved from Greece to Albania and then migrated to Germany to pursue opportunities abroad. The encounter with the tough picture of the caged lion, a creature typically associated with different geographical regions, highlights the displacement and disorientation experienced by migrants in unfamiliar environments. It also wants to bring awareness in more-than-human perspectives of displacement and freedom of movement.
The sound of the lion roaring in the vicinity of the recordist's home in Tirana serves as a metaphorical and literal wake-up call. It prompts the recordist to contemplate their own sense of belonging and identity in the context of migration. The juxtaposition of the familiar sound of the rooster signaling morning with the unexpected presence of the lion creates a surreal and thought-provoking atmosphere. The lion often called the king of the jungle-is roaring together with the morning-specialist-rooster in the dawn in a city where it does not belong.
The recordist may experience a mix of emotions, including surprise, nostalgia, anger and introspection. The sudden encounter with the lion symbolizes the complexities and challenges of migration, stirring feelings of displacement and questioning of one's place in the world. The presence of the caged lion also evokes a sense of vulnerability, injustice and interconnectedness with the natural world, prompting reflection on humanity's relationship with nature in the context of migration. Being awake in this time of the day i reflect on the human impact on our surroundings and questioning the concept of "home". Who is the migrant in this story? Is there a winner in the story or a king of the mo(u)rning?
Recorded in Tirana, Albania by Ili Os.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
The recording captures a scene where various everyday sounds are heard, including the call to prayer (Adhan) from a nearby mosque, footsteps of a dog in the house, barking dogs outside, chirping birds, and children playing in the background. The people involved could be the imam or muezzin calling for prayer, pedestrians going about their daily activities, stray dogs and children enjoying their time outdoors.
This recording resonates with the theme of migration by portraying the multicultural and diverse environment often found in urban settings as well as Albania, a place where many people leave from to live abroad. The call to prayer, a quintessential sound in Islamic culture, is a typical sound mark in many places in Albania. As a person coming "back" to my parent's hometown, this sound feels very foreign to me, having grown up in Greece, but i remember always finding it fascinating in my childhood, visiting Albania. This relates to the background of Albanians migrating to other countries and some of the cultural effects to the next generations as well as other cultural influences towards Albania. Additionally, the mixture of sounds from various sources reflects the blending of cultures and backgrounds that occurs in areas shaped by migration.
The sound captures the harmonious coexistence of different elements in a community perceived by a person shaped by migration, having "come back" in different forms. The call to prayer serves as a reminder of cultural and religious diversity, while the sounds of footsteps, dogs, birds, and children playing evoke the vitality and liveliness of the neighborhood. Despite language barriers and cultural differences, the everyday sounds create a sense of shared space and interconnectedness among residents.
The recordist may experience a sense of curiosity, fascination, alienation, childhood memories and appreciation for the rich tapestry of sounds that make up the urban environment. The call to prayer may evoke feelings of respect or intrigue, regardless of the recordist's religious background or understanding of the language. The presence of everyday sounds like footsteps, dogs, birds, and children playing may elicit a sense of comfort, familiarity, and belonging, highlighting the mundane yet reassuring aspects of everyday life in a migrant community.
Recorded in Tirana, Albania by Ili Os.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration
"The field recording of a hissing aromatherapy steam room inside the Széchenyi Medicinal Bath in Budapest formed a strong imagination of a dark public bathing space in ancient times. It teleported me to a place where I imagined everything to be in black and white. Where streaks of light were coming through the windows to partially illuminate the bath and the steam was constantly rising from the groundwater which people bathe in or sit next to.
"Whether true in real life or not, this created a feeling of relaxation, where there's no rush of everyday and there's nothing to achieve. This inspired me to write an ambient piece mostly using my guitar.
The idea was not to disturbed the original sound as far as possible. I performed very minor editing on the field recording and made sure that the music does not overpower the beauty of this sound."
Szechenyi Baths steam room reimagined by Atul Giri.
The Széchenyi Medicinal Bath in Budapest is the largest medicinal bath in Europe, opening in 1913.
Here we are inside a hissing aromatherapy steam room, severely endangering our field recording device through heat and moisture in an attempt to bring you interesting sounds from around the world.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
The metal pylons at Sathorn Pier in downtown Bangkok make this sound when the Chao Phraya River is high and roiling.
Recorded by Kevin Frost.
"This entire experimental composition is based upon a 10 second clip of an engine revving-up from the original field recording. This clip was then processed via multiple FX. No instruments or additional sounds were added."
Sathorn pier, Bangkok reimagined by Scott Lawrence Whitman.
"I took the original recording and cut it up into bits, using samples from it to use as rhythmic elements. I used FLStudio on my computer to then create and layer patterns of these beats. I then layered two guitar parts on top. I used a nylon strung electric (Cordoba Stage) and a Walrus Audio delay pedal for the first guitar and Walrus Audio Fathom reverb for the lead part. The guitar was put through a Engl Ironball head DI'd using the cab simulator and the entire composition was recorded on a Tascam DP-008EX Portastudio."
Zaragoza central market reimagined by Gareth Eckley.
Sound recording of the Central Market of Zaragoza, a historic and unique building where accents and languages mix.
Recorded in Zaragoza, Spain in 2023 by Chuse Fernandez.
"When I heard the field recording I knew I wanted to work with the combination of harp and surrounding ambience. But I kept thinking about the scene-the Villa Borghese gardens, on the site of the ancient gardens of Lucullus, in terms of its temporal layers: the gardens, the recreated temple of Asklepios, and harp as a complicated symbol that usually gestures toward some version of a musical past.
"That sent me down a rabbit hole that involved researching and building replicas of an ancient Roman style cithara and an ancient Greek chelis-style lyre, which are the two main plucked instruments you can hear in the track. The cithara has a clean, guitar-like sound, while the lyre has slacker strings that buzz against the bridge. The majority of the pad-like sounds are also samples of those instruments, along with harps, electric guitar, and a low helicopter drone."
Roman boating lake reimagined by John Savarese.
"The field recording chosen is the sound of the frozen sea in Finland. This sound of ice contrasted with the theme of the call, which is related to spring. So I associated the coldness of the ice with the harshness of war, which persists in this spring. In general terms, it is the representation of the constant tension and menace of war conflicts, and that peace is thin and delicate, always at risk."
Helsinki frozen beach reimagined by Rodrigo Romero-Flores.
"Having recently experienced a live cinema screening where one moment of the film used coins as a part of the Foley performance, similar images and sounds were very vivid in my mind. When I heard this field recording from Kyoto that incorporated coins and clapping, I felt it was one that I should choose.
"To work with the recording, I divided different instances of clapping and coins into samples to be used as different instruments. I looped portions of the recording, slowed down others, and used other signal processing techniques to create new distinct sounds, all while the original recording plays in full. Pulling from a diverse body of music history, I used elements of phase music popularized by Steve Reich, as well as classic samples from 808 and 909 drum machines."
Kyoto temple prayer reimagined by aimless ohm.
Wooden architecture is a significant characteristic of Japanese architecture, reflecting the experiences gained by the Japanese people through their ongoing battles with natural disasters. Wooden buildings embody the Japanese spirit of continuous exploration and adventure, with one of the primary manifestations being various shrine constructions.
The recording location for 'Fushimi Inari Taisha - Prayer' is at Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto, Japan. In front of the main hall of this shrine, there is a wooden apparatus similar to a donation box. People are required to clap their hands twice in prayer and then toss money into this wooden donation box. The sound of clapping hands and the clinking of coins, as they collide with the donation box, reverberates continuously within the main hall, as if each coin drop is the delivery of people's wishes.
Recorded by Zion Bai.
2024 New Year's Eve soundscape from Siemensdamm, Östlicher Luftfilterturm in Berlin, Germany.
Recorded by Ashkan Beheshti.
Next to the boating lake by the Tempio di Esculapio in the Villa Borghese Park in Rome. A harp busker performs, we walk around the lake listening to passers-by on a Sunday morning in April, and a police helicopter passes overhead.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Mass bells ring at 6pm on Christmas Eve in Padova, Italy in Prato della Valle, the largest piazza in Italy, alongside local skaters getting their last practice in before Christmas.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Micro bat (large footed myotis bat) sounds from inside the disused (since 1932) Dularcha Rail Tunnel, Mooloolah, Queensland, Australia.
Audible sounds include: bat sounds, bird sounds, wind in the trees outside and distant trains (from the current train line).
Recorded by Glenn Legge.
"For this piece I decided to limit myself solely to the source field recording without adding any additional instrumentation or other audio. The field recording appealed (pun intended) to me as I wanted to try to find a relationship between the two unrelated elements, the pealing cathedral bells and the clatter and roll of the skateboards. Through use of Ableton Live's Corpus Plug-in, I created metallic textures from the skateboard sounds to construct a skate-carillon to compliment the chiming of the cathedral bells.
Padova Christmas Even bells reimagined by Paul Watson.
"As soon as I heard the fireworks in the recording it took me straight back to a New Year’s I spent with a group of musician friends in Wismar, East Germany. I manipulated the sounds of the fireworks and created industrial sounding loops that reminded me of Porter Ricks or Surgeon - as Berlin is strongly associated with Techno music I decided to try and create a piece that you might hear on the sound system in Berghain or some other Berlin Club."
Berlin New Year's Eve celebration reimagined by Dead Kousin.
"A journey underground."
Dularcha Rail Tunnel, Mooloolah, Queensland, Australia reimagined by Alex Vald.
This recording captures the raw intensity and vibrancy of the Mascletà in Valencia, recorded on the 11th of March, 2024.
A celebration of sound and tradition, thunderous roars of meticulously synchronized explosions, echoing through the bustling streets of Valencia.
Recorded by Carlos Berrizbeitia.
A meal at the traditional Hungarian restaurant Nancsi Neni in the suburbs of Budapest, with the clattering of plates, the sounds of diners and waiting staff and the accompaniment of an accordion player entertaining the clientele with some traditional tunes.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
It's October 7th, and in two days, the city of Valencia will celebrate the "Day of the Valencian Community." Since the market isn't open on Sundays, most people have come to the market today to buy everything they need for the holiday.
The market is bustling, with everyone speedily moving from stand to stand to stock up before heading out to the street where the Association of Pyrotechnicians of the Valencian Community is preparing to launch hundreds of fireworks to celebrate a "mascletà," an event known for its noisy and rhythmic compositions using explosives.
Recorded by Carlos Berrizbeitia.
A family day at the beach and stopped off to have some fish and chips, you can hear a conversation about chairs and games consoles.
Recorded in Wells Next The Sea, England by Gary Pitt.
"The recording to me made me think beyond where I am now, how places once sounded, I wanted to take parts of it to create what a memory could be of such an event. It reminded me of the last time I spent with friends on NYE before lockdown; also some events as in the someone sending me a recording of swifts outside their flat; the first place I visited post lockdown.
"I mixed fireworks from my own recordings combined with the ones in the original recording. The ones I included were recorded in a forest next to a small village.
The fireworks echoed from all the surrounding villages and the nearby town. I also wanted to start exploring synths and ambient music again, and the aim was to create a bit of nostalgia and a sense of memory through this music genre."
Valencia Mascleta celebration reimagined by Philip Mill.
"I am aware of the vibrant, colourful markets in Spain and could really picture the scenes there as I listened to the field recording. I wanted to capture some of the nuances I imagined there, through the piece, to illustrate the feeling that within the liveliness of a market there are also pockets of calm as sounds merge and people move around each other."
Valencia central market reimagined by Suzi Lamb.
"Found sound percussion, in a busy cafe by the sea."
Wells Next The Sea chip shop sounds reimagined by Nev (thequietwood).
The piece came about intuitively. It suggested the idea of a moment of time encapsulated and half remembered like ghosts at long forgotten party, floating gaily above a shifting, uncertain, menacing underbelly.
Nancsi Neni restaurant, Budapest reimagined by Patrick Bridge.
"The field recording of the harbour in Plymouth carried me, immediately, to the sounds and atmosphere of the path on which I walk along the shores of Lake Michigan. The sounds of Plymouth reminded me of the greatest thinking place in the world - a path along the water."
Mount Wise, Plymouth reimagined by Christina Lucchesi.
"I listened to the 20 minute field recording which transported me back to my time visiting Brazil and Carnival in 2015. I selected some percussive samples, cleaned them up and arranged them into the beginnings of a groove, added a couple of layers of real guitar and added base, drums, piano and some other melodic synths.
"I was inspired by the Brazilian rhythms I learned playing in a samba band and wanting to create something relaxed but joyful that I could imagine hearing back in the original setting of a cafe in Brazil."
Sao Paulo cafe reimagined by Ashar Smith.
"The light rain in the original field recording has been reimagined as water dripping down from the ceiling of a long-forgotten underground space, used as a temple by a secretive cult of religious devotees.
"In this composition, we hear the door to this underground space open, and footsteps as three acolytes walk down a tunnel to a small shrine they have constructed in the darkness and the dripping water. They begin to chant and sing, a wordless prayer to an unknown deity, before walking back the way they came and closing the door behind them. Their secret remains safe."
Light rain in Mostar reimagined by Cities and Memory.
A quiet coffee shop where you can hear customers and staff in the background, as well as some espressos coming out, milk steaming and coffee beans grinding. It's the kind of white noise that can help you focus.
Recorded in Sao Paulo, Brazil by Rodrigo Leles.
"On a bright blustery day at Mount Wise I captured the wind whistling through the masts of yachts moored in Mayflower Marina."
Recorded in Plymouth, UK by Catherine Browning.
A rainy morning in Glenmore Forest in the Cairngorms national park in Scotland, on the walk towards Meall a' Bhuachaille. A picturesque autumnal forest with lots of yellow and red leaves, as well as pine trees.
Walking in one of the highest parts of the Cairngorms, but it was very hard to see due to bad weather and dense grey cloud, following a natural rocky path and recording one of the many streams, with absolutely no other people around.
Recorded by Giulia Biasibetti.
Underneath Pont Neuf in Paris, we capture one on side the flowing of the River Seine, and on the other the classic Parisian sounds of walkers, joggers and cyclists in large numbers taking their weekend exercise and enjoying the views.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"I have family living in Paris, and this sound sample of the River Seine and joggers and cyclists passing underneath Pont Neuf reminded me of the lovely times visiting there with them. The piece is as much about the memories of the lingering sunlight, the gentle energy of people walking and hanging out, as it is about the actual location. The time seems to stretch on into forever as this historic bridge and river represent so much about centuries into the past."
Paris Pont Neuf soundscape reimagined by Wayne DeFehr.
"I continue to be fascinated by the sounds of the world’s underground rail systems. I have intensified the sounds, repeating and lopping them and have also introduced a drone while still referencing the original recording to bring a different psychological drive to the remix."
Budapest metro reimagined by David Cowlard.
A ride on the clean, modern and efficient Budapest metro to Rakoczi ter stop.
Recorded in Budapest, Hungary by Cities and Memory.
"The original field recording from Scotland was processed via Stochastic synthesis and various FX. No additional instruments were added."
Glenmore stream reimagine by Scott Lawrence Whitman.
"Binaural recording at 3pm in Piazza San Marco, Venice - music from the famous cafes, bells chiming the hour, and hundreds, or more probably thousands of tourists."
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"In creating this soundtrack, I ventured into new territory by using the ambient noise of life itself rather than the melodic/percussive elements I'm typically drawn to.
The sounds of random conversations, church bells ringing, bustling restaurants, and children screaming form the foundation of this piece.
"As I listened to these layers of sound, two words echoed in my mind: chaos and loneliness. The chaos is evident, an overwhelming cacophony of urban life.
But beneath that, there's a deeper sense of loneliness. This isn't immediately obvious, but it became clear as I delved into the sounds.
"I envisioned a middle-aged indigenous man visiting the town where he grew up. What was once a tranquil village surrounded by nature has transformed into a bustling, noisy city. This man, overwhelmed by the constant noise, searches for pockets of quiet, only to find himself once again engulfed by the city's sounds — crowds, street musicians, relentless urban life. Amidst the throngs of people, he feels profoundly alone, a stranger in the place he once called home. He realizes that his heart still clings to the memory of the serene village, a place filled with calm and loving people.
"In his moments of being overwhelmed, he finds solace in a simple act: playing a native flute. The repetitive phrases he plays transport him back to his childhood. He envisions a flowing river, hears the sweet melodies of singing birds, smells the fresh bread his mother baked, and listens to his father's voice as he chats with a neighbor.
Each note from his flute takes him back to a place of loving order, where nature's rhythms reigned supreme over the chaos of modern life.
"I chose to title this soundtrack "Samsara," a word that means "cycle of life".
This title perfectly encapsulates the journey within the music — a cycle of chaos and solitude, returning to memories of peace and belonging. It reflects the man's experience of moving through the noisy chaos of the present back to the quiet harmony of his past, illustrating the cyclical nature of life and memory. This soundtrack captures that journey — a poignant blend of chaotic noise and the haunting beauty of memory. It's a story of finding peace and belonging amidst the relentless din of the present, a reminder that within the chaos, there lies a path back to the tranquility of our roots."
Piazza San Marco, Venice reimagined by micca.
"Listening to the traces of a Saturday night in a Roman piazza made me think about the ways that recorded sound can transport us powerfully into the past and make us feel we have been physically present in a place we have never visited.
"I was drawn to specific sounds - voices and glassy clinks - that had a tuneful quality and played with echoing or responding to them on my cello.
"My narration seeks to draw the listener's attention to their own act of listening, to certain intriguing motifs and moments, as well as to the idea that we are inhabiting both present and past.
"The original field recording, only very lightly edited, provides a sound bed for the entire piece."
Piazza San Calisto, Rome reimagined by Alice Garner.
A classic Saturday night in the hectic Piazza San Calisto in Trastevere, Rome, with breaking glass, bottles rolling around and the chaotic noise of hundreds of conversations among different groups of people drinking and socialising at various bars.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
A walkthrough the famous St. George's market in Belfast, capturing the chatter of locals, goods being sold and the large, warehouse-style building's air conditioning.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"My mum suddenly passed away in February. She was from West Belfast, a place I've visited more times than I can count. I leapt on the Belfast St George's market recording as soon as I heard it, I've always loved the accent.
"Clearing her house in May I found a kalimba that she'd bought. I've included it in the piece along with other sounds from around her house. I've found the process of making this piece really comforting."
St. George's Market, Belfast reimagined by Dermot Fitzsimons.
"The original field recording is the the sound of a busy and chaotic market with traders calling out, pedestrian and vehicle sounds punctuated by either a radio or live performance of traditional song which is captured as the recordist moves through the space.
"On listening, there seems to be eight or nine distinct ‘zones’ or areas of particular sound which are blended as the recordist travels : at first the sound is in the distance, then as the recordist moves closer into the area it takes focus then as they leave, its traces fall away as the next sound area or zone comes closer into focus and so on. My intention behind this reworking is to maintain this sense of movement/travelling through the space and to remain faithful to the duration of the original recording using only sounds found in the original file within the finished rework.
"I identified the eight/nine key areas and put each through some extensive processing to obliterate as much as I could the chaos : rendering them as distinct ambient washes and repetitive drones. In a sense, flipping the script on this chaos and turning it into a different sonic experience for the finished rework, Egyptian Market / Nightmoves. I kept the order of these ‘zones’ as they are in the original sound file and overlapped each top and tail to create the effect of moving through the ambient space.
"Three distinct voices; a male voice of a trader calling out, a boys voice and a female vocalist singing are clearly heard in the original file. These voices are processed and multi-tracked as a choir that appears and disappears throughout the duration of the rework.
"As the piece moves to the end, some of the processing falls away to reveal some of the original source material. Egyptian Market / Nightmoves begins and ends with a call, its source being the call identified as one of the male traders from the original sound file."
Night market in Aswan reimagined by Kenneth Lyons.
"A moment of calm in the late afternoon on Riva di Biasio in Venice, looking out at the the Grand Canal. The classic sounds of boat traffic cruising past that make Venice sound like no other city on Earth. A vaporetto (water taxi) passes by every so often, with church bells chiming as we head into the early evening."
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"The original field recording captured the sounds of boats, water, and people conversing, creating a very visual experience. I found it serene and decided to compose a piece that complements the immersive nature of the field recording. Despite the multitude of sounds in the recording, there is a sense of control and tranquility. It contains the gentle sound of water lapping against the bank, harmonious boat horns, human voices, and the futuristic whoosh of boat engines.
"I aimed to create a musical piece that resonates with this energy, resulting in a delicate and gradually evolving track that conveys both relaxation and excitement. This entire composition was made on a virtual modular synthesizer, which helped me explore new and interesting musical possibilities. In a sense, all elements play simultaneously, while I simply manipulate volume levels to introduce and fade out elements, mirroring the dynamics of the original field recording."
Riva di Biasio, Venice reimagined by Zubin Aroz (Arozian).
"Cimetière Père LaChaise is the world’s most visited cemetery. Over 3.5 million visitors a year come to see the graves of artists, musicians, dancers, scientists and politicians. This mecca for the deceased made me think about what it must be like for the spirits of the cemeteries famous inhabitants. Their fame during life has followed them into death, never escaping the public fascination and invading their privacy for eternity.
"With this whimsical thought I created The Famous Never Rest Whilst We Stare At The Graves. I used the original field recording of crowds walking and chatting at the graveyard and mixed this with a track (also made from the field recording) of the resident spirits gently moaning.
"The sounds of the crowd slowly grow, drowning out the spirits until eventually BOOM the gates are shut, the day is over and the ghosts are free! Their tone changes, they sing and eventually dance and celebrate as a jazz tinged track fills the air."
Pere Lachaise cemetery reimagined by Mat Ward.
"In the famous Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, next to one of the most famous graves, that of Edith Piaf, with a quiet, contemplative soundwalk among the alleys and rows of tombs, among them some of the most famous figures of history."
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
I put a microphone in my backpack and recorded my walk to school. I cut out a few parts of me inside the bus and inside the rec center for privacy reasons of others.
Recorded by Zach Dial in Boulder, Colorado.
The Budapest Castle Hill Funicular or Budavári Sikló runs up the hill to Buda Castle - it was opened on March 2, 1870, and has been in municipal ownership since 1920. It was destroyed in the Second World War and reopened on June 4, 1986. This recording is taken from a pedestrian bridge crossing the track halfway up, as the funicular passes back and forth beneath us.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Thousands of murmurating starlings flying above us at sunset, on a cloudy evening in November 2023 at the RSPB Otmoor nature reserve in Oxfordshire, UK.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Japan's culinary culture has its own unique style, with both food preparation techniques and dining practices continually evolving through exploration and innovation.
The recording location for 'Omakase - Dining Environment' is at an Omakase restaurant in Tokyo. The literal meaning of Omakase is 'I leave it to you.' The chef presents a series of dishes, starting from the lightest to the heaviest, and ending with dessert. During this experience, customers do not need to place orders; they simply wait for the chef to serve what they have prepared.
Patrons who choose the Omakase style expect innovation and surprises from the chef's menu selection, turning the meal into an artistic performance. Some may even view it as a form of 'gambling' because customers do not know what the next dish will be.
Throughout the dining experience, there is minimal communication between customers and the chef. The chef informs the customer of each dish's name, and the customer enjoys the meal.
Recorded by Zion Bai.
"Musique concrète / sound collage. I was interested in isolating and exploring the 3 most prominent sounds in the recording: the sizzling sounds of cooking, the conversation, and the noises from various objects being moved around and being used.
"I was able to split the audio out into 4 separate channels with the help of Demucs. In places I have integrated some samples from my own field recordings too. Who is Mr. Ōizumi? You'll have to ask the people in the restaurant."
Osaka restaurant reimagined by Shaun Malone.
"Moors have always been mysterious places to me. Maybe it is because of its role in Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles, or because of my interest in railways, that made me discover the most remote station in Great Britain, in the middle of Rannoch Moor, Scotland.
"Starlings murmurations are a mystery about collective behaviour. Their shapes always catch us by surprise. Their how, why and what are always fascinating.
"For this piece I have processed the original murmurations recorded in Otmoor (Oxfordshire), by means of different transformative pipelines. I wanted to create something slightly mysterious, maybe menacing but not so much, as some murmurations and moors can be at times.
"May the music help listeners see and feel how those flocks become like a single massive entity, not only because they make a shape in the air but because, in this track, they are affected by a kind of transmogrification that turns them into otherworldly creatures. They then move the air, the whole sky fabric, in mysterious ways. Something in the way they move... "
Otmoor starlings reimagined by fectoper.
"As the combination of the titles of the original field recording (recording trip home inside bag) and my reimagined track (Odyssey) suggests, I was thinking about the novel Ulysses by James Joyce. Using my own field recordings and recordings of resonances made during a study of the acoustics of an empty room of 3x5 meters, I tried to create a sound canvas that was practically devoid of events and at the same time continuously transformed in many nuances."
Rucksack field recording from Boulder, Colorado reimagined by Vladimir Bocharov.
"I liked the evocation of the place with the original recording and have tried to reimagine it to create a chorus of funicular sound worlds."
Budapest funicular reimagined by Mary Hooper.
"When I first think of Spring, I instantly hear birdsong filling the garden and woodlands, evoking a sense of renewal and rebirth. It also has as certain therapeutic quality giving me a feeling of relaxation and calm. When I heard the ‘Melody of Birds’ recording, I had a sense of the birds being engaged in conversation and wondered what they might be discussing.
"Of course, Spring is the time when chicks hatch and fledge which got me thinking about what parent birds might say to their young to encourage them to leave, whilst at the same time becoming saddened because of the inevitability of an eventual empty nest.
"I wanted ‘Fledge My Child’ to reflect this conversation, presenting the piece as a secular hymn representing that moment of leaving from the point of view of the parent bird.
"The lyrics attempt to mirror the birdsong as if directly translated, each verse representing a stage in that process of leaving; from teaching, encouraging, loving farewells and finally being left bereft and childless, yet overjoyed that the chicks have successfully grown and fledged."
Birds in Pat Busch Reserve, South Africa reimagined by Simon Holmes.
Reimagined composition based on tannoy announcement at Boston Logan Airport. Contains excerpts of Susan Howe reading Barbara Guest's Seeking Air, recorded at the Ear Inn, January 25, 1986. [https://writing.upenn.edu/pennsound/x/Howe.php]
Reimagined by Thomas Martin Nutt.
"For this short audio piece, I drew inspiration from the rooftop bar ambiance and live music, recreating a social atmosphere where you'd want to get up and dance. The music, with its seductive rhythm and and sense of push and pull, felt like the perfect backdrop for a crush story.
"Here, it serves both as background and as a metaphor for the dance-like nature of a girl-meets-boy scenario. Combining personal experiences and fictional elements, the story reflects on how flirting is like a universal language where each gesture (or step) speaks volumes—or at least you hope it does."
Peckham rooftop bar band reimagined by Eloïse Bertil.
"This piece was inspired by the wonderful musicality of the home appliance collectors voice. He has wonderful sense of phrasing and rhythm that must have come from much practice. Pretty well most of the instrumental parts are directly based on the man's call for appliances. Later in the composition, one hears the actual voice of the collector and the singing birds.
Home appliances salesman in Suzhou reimagined by David Leith.
Taken at Pat Busch, a reserve situated high up in the mountains about two hours outside of Cape Town, this recording captures something of the dramatic beauty and expansiveness of the mountainous areas of South Africa.
One can hear the reserve’s rich bird life, which includes fish eagles, nightjars, sugarbirds, cuckoos, coucals and hundreds more species; a late winter breeze; and weaver birds building their nests in the reeds alongside a dam, while in the background teenagers run and jump off the dam's wooden deck into the freezing cold water.
Recorded by Catherine Boulle.
Announcement piped over the PA system in Terminal E at Boston Logan Airport, as mayor Michelle Wu proudly extols the virtues of "the city of champions and the birthplace of revolutionary ideals.. where people come to do good in the world". Her speech is cut short by the clatter of suitcases, trolleys and arriving travellers.
Recorded by Cities and Memory in Boston, USA.
A Latin jazz and funk band plays a rooftop bar in the multicultural district of Peckham, South London on a lazy Saturday afternoon.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
A home appliances collector advertising in Xinqi village, Suzhou, China.
Recorded by Tõnis Kimmel.
"Newly-hatched frogs in the dozens croaking intensely to one another in an area of special scientific interest in an urban centre in Oxford. There are housing estates on all sides, with a small strip in the centre with a fen habitat that allows for all kinds of rare plant and animal species to thrive - the delicate protection of nature in a city space."
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Mid-autumn festival weekend buzz at Hoan Kiem, Vietnam, which is full with people celebrating, chatting, playing, eating together.
Recorded by Kit Wilmans Fegradoe.
"Festivals bring people together: they gather, they chatter, they group up and disperse. The sound recording caught a relatively peaceful moment in a Vietnamese Festival. We captured our own sound recordings of traditional folk music and generic beats, gathered from discos and clubs.
"We then recorded the beat of a traditional bell stick. Weaving these together, we created a piece that blends the murmurings of a gathering with the beat of an individual.
"This pulse suggests there is an outsider in the midst of this tranquil moment. That outsider is trying to find their own beat in the world."
Festival sounds in Hanoi, Vietnam reimagined by Caroline Grimshaw and Stephen Mugford.
"I’m a citizen scientist for FrogWatch USA, so I was naturally drawn to the Oxford frogs field recording. The first thing I noticed was the contrast between human created sounds and environmental/wildlife sounds. A distant siren stood out as a metaphor for human time.
"I added traffic rushing past to emphasize the feeling of this concept. Digitally generated water plops, inspired by the original sounds in the field recording, lead a shift towards the frogs’ perspective.
"The ending presents the full color and intensity of the untouched field recording, representing the experience that frogs might have with time."
Frogs in Oxford reimagined by Alexandra Pierschalla.
Violin practice drifts down from a window over an otherwise silent canal in Venice, Italy - a moment of rare peace off the beaten track in the centre of the city.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"The original recording has two distinct sections; the first features a violinist practicing whilst the second has more emphasis on people walking and talking.
"I took a short section of the violin from the first part and slowed it down a little. I repeated this phrase whilst adding in other instruments as it repeats. The second half of the original recording is played over the music at roughly the half way point of the piece. In the same way that the instruments are introduced they fade slowly (at different speeds) through the second part of the piece leaving the solo violinist to continue their practice alone at the end. Because of the way the process works no two repeats are identical.
"The title is a reference to Gavin Bryars (whom I studied composition with) both in the way that this piece shares a similar process with "Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet" and to an early piece of his called "My First Homage"."
Ponte Raspi, Venice reimagined by Simon Belshaw.
"The Gellert bath complex was built between 1912 and 1918 in the (Secession) Art Nouveau style. It was damaged during World War II but then rebuilt. References to healing waters in this location are found from as early as the 13th century. A hospital was located on this site during the Middle Ages. During the reign of the Ottoman Empire, baths were also built on this particular site. The "magical healing spring" was used by the Turkish during the 16th and 17th centuries.
"The bath was called Sárosfürdő ("muddy" bath) because the mineral mud settled at the bottom of pools. This is a recording from inside the large, ornate swimming pool room."
Recorded by Cities and Memory in Budapest, Hungary.
"The Gellért Bath complex in Budapest was built between 1912 and 1918 in the Successionist style, a movement seeking to break down historical traditions of 19th century architecture and art. During the same period Lajos Kassák a Hungarian Dada/Contructivist artist wrote and published the poem Mesteremberek (Craftsmen), a poem of the collective identity of skilled or artisanal labour.
"This piece is inspired by elements of the history of the Bath, Kassák's poem and an era of change in art and architecture. The reimagined piece brings together the historical presence of the Gellért Bath with Kassák's poem by utilising a sound recording from the Bath and a recital of Kassák's work. The field recording is used to provide both ambient backing and a glimpse of the original recording as a backdrop for the recital."
Gellert baths ornate swimming pool room reimagined by Paul Dunham.
An incredible scene captured in the centre of Paris one December evening. As we were walking back from dinner, we began to hear the roar first of several motorbikes, then of several dozen, then of hundreds all at once. More than 1,000 motorcyclists had gathered for a motorcycle parade through the centre of the city - and they were all dressed as Santa Claus.
The event is the Carabalade, a charity bike ride begun in 2002 to raise money for orphans of firefighters which is now an annual fixture for the city's motorcyclists the Thursday before Christmas.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"In this soundscape in a neighbourhood in suburban Ghana, you can hear active singing birds on a midday, subtle human activity, crowing roosters and clicking frogs."
"Recorded in binaural. Please wear headphones."
Recorded in Koforidua, Trom, Ghana by Samuel Kudjodzi.
"Brussels Airport, gate 43. Early in the morning (05:05AM local time) - Waiting to embark on the plane for a short vacation to Gran Canaria."
Recorded by Tony Van Dorst.
"The airport recording offered a wealth of interesting abstract noises to play around with. I liked the mixture of natural and synthetic sounds - the hum of private conversations, the public announcements, the sounds of children contrasted with the pings and beeps of various devices against background noise. I'm fascinated by the way sound can be transformed through isolation and repetition.
"I took small slices of the field sample and used them to make beats, melodic motifs and phrases of spoken word.
"I used a Moog Mother 32 to add some fizzy momentum and some extra rhythm to add drive."
Brussels airport reimagined by Claire Pearson.
"Hearing the field recording of 1000 motorcyclists dressed as Santa Claus driving through Paris caught my attention right away. On its own, a near perfect composition.
"I embellished it a little by processing the original sound and using a recording of me whistling, then feeding it through my Lyra-8. It became more of a soundscape than a song, but the theme is still “Jingle Bells”. Now, just picture it!"
Santa Claus motorbike parade in Paris reimagined by Eva Q Månsson.
"This raw material had elements which really appealed with its punctuation of the animals. I used Ableton Live to isolate these then with some heavy processing, played about with the pitch and timbres. The only VST used was Absynth FX which tends to pop up most of the time in my work and this treated the original sound file.
My approach is more a wall of sound than specific beats and tend to veer towards ambient when in the studio."
Wind and birds in Koforidua, Ghana reimagined by Glyn Roberts (FFRWD).
"I chose the recording of a single Taiko drummer at the morning ceremony held everyday at the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, Japan. I discovered that there is a Taiko drum performance during the annual Autumn Grand Festival at the entrance of the Meiji Shrine in the Yoyogi Park and used this as inspiration to create a powerful rhythmical drumming piece.
"The beginning of the recording is used at the start of the piece, where a single slow taiko drum beat gradually accelerates, blending with my drum sounds as the track progresses. The tempo of the piece was taken from 3 single drums strikes in the middle of the original audio track.
"I wanted the listener to feel that they were standing listening outside, so I used the end of the track without any drums and looped it in the background to create the outdoor atmosphere. The title of the work TOMOE is the name of the ancient symbol often used to decorate the large Taiko drum heads."
Taiko drumming in Tokyo reimagined by Amanda Stuart.
One of the most beautiful tram rides in the world, the number 2 tram in Budapest moves along the bank of the Danube and allows you to see many of the city's most impressive buildings and sites all on one simple trip aboard the traditional yellow trams.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Taiko drums are played during the 8 a.m. ceremony at Meiji Shrine, Tokyo, Japan.
Recorded by Yoshihiko Shiono.
"A chose the piece because I found the idea of the Danube passing through so many countries and cultures, as a perfect representation of Europe. Unique, but connected by a river flowing through. It reminded me of my romanticised notion of Europe when I was younger and less well-travelled.
"My main exposure to Europe came not from books or TV, but from late night listening on Medium and Short Wave. The piece pays homage to the work of Ralph Lundsten, whose jingles for Radio Sweden International in the 1980s were both fascinating and a little bit spooky. It evoked a the wonders of travelling fairgrounds and carnivals and I'm always rather fascinated when I see them in cities like Munich and Lille when I travel there.
"There may be a subtle nod to a Mr Strauss in my composition too.In the piece, I keep the same chord structure but drift in and out of different melodies like when one turns the dial of a radio."
Recorded by Gareth Evans.
Ferrara International Buskers Festival 2023 - one of the top dates in the global street music calendar. Here we listen to a samba band from the Veneto region called Bloko Intestinhao, whose percussive music reverberates right across a large piazza.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"When creating this piece, I drew inspiration from the Estense Castle in Ferrara, a renowned symbol of the city's heritage. The castle's walls have witnessed a myriad of events, intrigues, love affairs and personal dramas involving the Este family. The piece reflects the dual nature of the castle which functioned both as a formidable fortress and an elegant court residence where shadows echo the hidden stories and intrigues."
Bloko Intestinhao at Ferrara Buskers Festival reimagined by LR Friberg.
At the Laguna Viva art exhibition in the VAC Foundation in Venice, September 2023, with running water sounds punctuated by bizarre drones and screeching noises.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Hundreds of sparrows in the trees at Boston Common, their songs intermingling with passing traffic, the chatter of passers-by and competition i the form of ground-wandering pigeons. We hear the bells of the famous Park Street Church chiming midway through the recording.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"The recording was so gorgeous and surreal that i decided to take a production only approach. Focusing on shaping and colouring the original recording rather then adding any additional elements.
The aim was to create a listening experience that highlighted the beauty of natural sound and contrasted it with the mechanical and technological sounds of our modern age."
Laguna Viva in Venice reimagined by James Nicholls.
"I ran the original through a load of FX and the waltz theme emerged from the mess."
Sparrows on Boston Common reimagined by Michael Lilley.
A very talented beatboxer performs on the streets of Padova, Italy on Christmas Eve 2023 - you can hear his beats and scratches, and between that his words of appreciation for people supporting his street music.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Waiting in line for maritozzi at the famous Regoli Pasticceria. Cups and plates clink, coffee is being made, and customers and the serving staff chat at the bar.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"I wanted to include the original field recording (unmodified) in this reimagined piece with a short composition using software instruments - I tried to aim for an operatic feel seeing as the original field recording was set in Rome, Italy, whilst attempting to complement the busy nature of the original recording. I'm not sure whether I achieved this or not, but it all seems to fit together reasonably well!"
Pasticceria Regoli, Rome reimagined by Rod Dykeman.
"This recording of a beat boxer interacting with his audience and the sounds of street life made it exciting to create a "frame" around his performance using percussive effects made with acoustic guitar and effects from the Koala app."
Padova beatboxer reimagined by Paul Latham.
"Airports always leave me with mixed feelings - the excitement of going to new places, the strangeness of wandering in a non-place for a few hours, the nervousness from flying in a machine that might fall, etc. I usually pay attention to the people I encounter and think about their destinations, or who they might be. It's a place loaded with information and stimulae. I especially pay attention to the sounds, because there are layers and layers of noise, music, chattering, many different languages.
"This piece reflects all that, as I took a part of the announcement, in a language I don't understand, but which seems to deliver the same information over and over. So i just added some music according to the tone of the voice to turn it into a kind of drone, replicating the voice multiple times. It takes us to something hovering over and over, and it's melancholic, in a way."
Tirana airport reimagined by Luís PInto.
IMAGE: I-Chase-Planes, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
"In this recording of the soundscape of the Tirana International Airport, it is possible to hear a "rhythmic" announcement made in Albanian as well as people's voices and the sounds of the suitcases' wheels. Additionally, in the final parts of the recording, it is possible to hear how a landing plane changes the sonic environment of the airport."
Recorded by Uğur Aslan.
IMAGE: I-Chase-Planes, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
"I imagined that the sound of the waves could carry the sound of sea's inhabitants. The beach is then a meeting point, an ecotone between the human and non-human worlds. I used a spectral resonator to carve out notes that became the calls and cries of some imaginary whales, and I improvised with the guitar along with it."
Coogee Beach reimagined by Luca Gambirasio.
"The original recording had so much rich sonic qualities to it, so much that I decided to attempt to keep the original persisting throughout the reimagining as much as possible.
"I wanted to obscure the boundary between the original recording and the reimaged. This blurring of which is which plays into the idea of the recorded birdcalls played throughout Temmabashi Station - the birds that sang those songs aren't present but their sounds are, a fragment of the real in the false environment.
Much like the trains that service the station, the process was much about the arrival and departure of certain sounds, none staying for long before they go on their way; or coming back as a "later service" with subtle changes."
Tenmabashi subway station reimagined by Aidan Lochrin.
"Silence is often more than just quiet. In this Sounds of Silence module, I attempt to capture the silence within the noise – those moments of silence that are in constant battle with the noisy world, embarking on their own adventures.
"The recording location for 'Tenmabashi Subway Station - Bird Chirping' is from Tenmabashi Subway Station in Tokyo, Japan. As I exited the train, I heard the echoing sounds of birds within the subway station. Later, I discovered that there was a small speaker installed at each staircase exit, and each speaker played different bird calls. Whenever a train arrived at the station, these bird calls would resonate throughout. These overlapping speakers created a surround-sound experience, making it feel as though real birds were flying back and forth within the subway station.
"According to information, these bird calls are intended to assist visually impaired individuals in identifying directions and exits. However, for me, hearing pleasant birds chirping in such a noisy environment filled with the clatter of steel was a momentary respite, allowing me to briefly forget the weariness of the journey and enjoy a brief mental retreat."
Recorded by Zion Bai.
Amphitrite Point Lighthouse in Ucluelet BC on a foggy evening. You can hear the fog horn every 20 seconds. You can also hear a whistle buoy for starboard aid and a bell buoy for port aid. And of course the pacific ocean.
Recorded by Timo Gormanns.
"I wanted to convey the physicality of fog, how it defuses light, blocks and confuses the senses and becomes a thing, a blanket over the senses. Sound travels differently and light is refracted. This is reflected in the original long form field recording with the one constant of the fog horn.
"I sampled the ambience of the original track and built the sonic ebb and flow ( fog phasing) around this using it as an anchor for the ciat lonbarde wooden synths to play off. Finally I used text to speech to turn weather in formation for the Ucluelet area into a “human” voice also lost in the fog as we learn valuable weather details ( a number station for good rather than covert operations). The track sounds like ships interacting via radio, layers of data building sonic pictures as the soundscape evolves and we are guided away from the rocks…"
Ucluelet lighthouse reimagined by Andy Billington.
"Delay and reverb blips and bits. Background conversation with Billy Joel kicking in on the radio part way through led me to use additional samples of 'Just the way you are'. Cleaner mix overlaying the existing field recording. Some of the drum beats were pulled from the recording and then overlayed with stretched samples. Wanted to bounce the sounds around to make it more dimensional so it can pull you in like the sounds and smells of how I would imagine New York to be - overwhelming on the senses."
Soho flea market reimagined by Inyoureye.
A not so quiet night in the Tuscan countryside, San Casciano in Val di Pesa, Italy. Recorded by Dan Rosato.
Creaking escalator in an empty shopping centre early on New Year's Day 2024, with the reverb from a pronounced squeak echoing across a large distance in a space usually filled by people. A small sound that's usually more or less inaudible taking centre stage. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"I encoded the escalators as midi and then fed the results into my DAW (Bitwig) before adding effects etc.
I like the pun of the title "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner"; appropriate both to the escalators running in the abandoned shopping centre and the fact that the squeaks sound like sneakers on the gym floor!"
Escalators in Oxford reimagined by Michael Lilley.
A peaceful, crisp December morning in the famous Jardin de Luxembourg in Paris - passers-by chat next to the ornamental lake, while ducks quack and we can hear the bells gently chiming midday.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Desire paths are small, unplanned trails created by human and animal traffic, often to create convenient shortcuts. The field recording from the Jardin de Luxembourg inspired me by all the shared pathways expressed in a short amount of time - people moving, talking, laughing, and crying, birds and other animals, bells, bicycles, and everything else that is happening, but maybe not heard/sensed. I wanted to create a song that showed love for all the rhythms and melodies happening all around us and with us.
Jardin du Luxembourg reimagined by blendways.
"This composition was mostly written at 30,000 feet aboard a long-haul international flight, as I attempted to reconnect with the sounds of nature in an extremely unnatural environment. The recording is from very close to where I live, so in a sense I was also reconnecting with home with that slight edge of melancholy that sometimes comes with travel.
"The piece is designed to duet with the sounds of the song thrush, which have been edited so they fall into a call and response pattern with the main synth lines, weaving in and out of one another. The aim is to reflect simple joy in the natural world, but for the piece to be also slightly tinged with the sadness of absence."
Song thrush reimagined by Cities and Memory.
IMAGE: JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The beautiful, complex and multifaceted calls of the song thrush, recorded in May 2024 in a patch of woods in central Oxford, UK.
Recorded by Giulia Biasibetti.
IMAGE: JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"For two months in 2023, I lived in Varanasi, India. Each morning I would be awakened by the sound of chanting and dogs barking - not all that different from the field recording I used in this work. As with many of my compositional ambient pieces, I use a large chord with what might be called "fuzzy" canons to envelop the Bosnian morning, the way a big, warm blanket covers a child who wants to spend a bit more time in bed."
Bosnian village soundscape reimagined by Paul Beaudoin.
"The composition is made up of samples cut from the original field recordings. These samples were: commentator's voice, other voices, clapping etc.
These samples have been mangled, chopped and diced and served with synths, white noise and drum machines."
Padova velodrome reimagined by Simon Woods.
A local cycling competition taking place at the city centre velodrome in Padova, Italy. We can hear commentary about the racers and the race, and cyclists whizzing past us periodically. Since this recording was made in August 2023, the velodrome has now permanently closed, making this sound recording a piece of the city's history.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
A walkthrough of the famous Central Market Hall in central Budapest, with various market traders and customers doing their morning shopping.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"Voice of Strangers has been reimagined from the recording of a Budapest marketplace, Hungary. The central focal point of this work is the selected portions of that marketplace sound manipulated with several effects like reverb, delay etc.
To me it appears like sound of some spirits around the listener representing some old time that doesn't exists anymore."
Budapest Central Market Hall reimagined by Kunal Biswas.
A very close-up recording of traffic whizzing past on a classic Roman tiled section of road, making a very particular sound, while typically Italian pedestrian crossings beep periodically above us.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"A man tries to cross a road choked with traffic--cars, trucks, scooters. The stream of traffic ignores the pedestrian crossing signals as the man gets more and more anxious. Eventually he gets ready to make his move, thanks to a short meditation, only to find that he has forgotten that it's a train crossing as well."
Traffic noise in Rome reimagined by John Tenney.
Live music in the Drinkery bar on Bourbon Street, New Orleans.
Recorded by Alex Clifford.
IMAGE: MusikAnimal, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"It's spring, humidity and temps. are high. Off in the Bayou, through the Spanish moss. The gators are restless.
"Bass, sax, and drone sounds are from the original recording. Swamp and birds are of my own design using Ambigen and creaking pier sounds."
Drinkery in New Orleans reimagined by Joel Graham.
IMAGE: MusikAnimal, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"The constant tapping of heavy rain is accented by deep thunder. The rain so heavy it caused floods. You can still hear people driving in this weather. The pictures were taken shortly after the rain."
Recorded in Hanoi, Vietnam by Kit Wilmans Fegradoe.
"I combined the storm in Hanoi with the output of some iOS music apps (Rings FX, Other Desert Cities, PaulXStretch, Relic Flow, Rymdigare and BounceBud to imagine a storm heard both inside and out."
Vietnamese rainstorm reimagined by Roland Pyle.
"The composition is made up of samples cut from the original field recordings. These samples were: Voices, gears, doors, announcements etc.
These samples have been mangled in sequencers, wavesynths and any other gear they could be put in.
Synths were added to taste."
Paris metro line 3 reimagined by Simon Woods.
On the Paris metro, travelling from Pere Lachaise to Parmentier - train noises, platforms, doors opening and closing and announcements in French.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Industrial port noises and drones heard at a distance next to The Great Light, with gentle wave sounds and the occasional seagull. An oppressive, industrial soundscape.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"The original recording had a nice drone to it which I heightened with resonators. There was also some wind booms which I isolated and looped. I then mixed this down and did some live looping with it, adding dubby delays and reverbs too."
Belfast port soundscape reimagined by Wave Debb.
"I wanted to capture the rolling rhythm of a water in the original field recording so I've used a series of pads and synth sounds to create that feeling. I also used a repeating piano melody to mimic the sounds of the water going over rocks etc. I tweaked the original recording to bring up the bird song."
Vermont bird soundscape reimagined by Richard Watts.
In this scene in Berkshire, Vermont, a small babbling stream takes center stage as a variety of birds can be heard singing both near and far.
Recorded by Chris Ruprecht.
"Inside the church of San Stae, the right wall contains altars with works by Niccolò Bambini, Giuseppe Camerata, and Antonio Balestra. The three chapels on the left house works by Giuseppe Torretto, Pietro Baratta, Francesco Migliori, and Jacopo Amigoni.
"There are seven distinct synth sounds within the piece - each representing a different artist whose work can be found within the church, layered on top of one another just as the layers of history sit like a fine sediment running through the city of Venice itself.
"For this piece, these synths work together to build an image of relaxing on the banks of Venice's Grand Canal with no real plans and nowhere special to go take centre stage, surrounded by a warm embrace of synthesiser pads intended to envelop the listener in a sense of comfort and belonging."
The Grand Canal at San Stae reimagined by Cities and Memory.
The iconic sounds of the Grand Canal in Venice, as heard from outside the Chiesa di San Stae. The low thrum of vaporetto taxis and smaller boats, the lapping of water on the sides of the canal, the conversations of locals zipping up past us on boats, all on a warm, sultry summer afternoon.
Reimagined by Cities and Memory.
"A walk through the Spice Market and the surrounding area in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe. It's 11 a.m. on September 7, 2019."
Recorded by Azadeh Nilchiani.
"My track “Pointe-à-Pitre” is based on a field recording from a spice Market in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe. I was drawn to the field recording because it captures the magical atmosphere of the city. I can imagine being taken away by the smell of the spices, fruits and vegetables at the market on this Caribbean paradise.
"It is this feeling that I have infused in this reimagined music, of being in the heart of Guadeloupe Islands, soaking up the enjoyment of that Caribbean lifestyle. The sun, the colors, the smells. Walking through the market, listening to the sounds of life stirs my imagination. A variety of unexpected sounds weave in and out of my composition, taking unexpected turns, but at the same time enhancing the listening experience. “Pointe-à-Pitre” was a real joy to create. Enjoy!"
Spice market in Guadeloupe reimagined by Jeff Dungfelder.
"Reimagined the streets of Montmartre as haunted from the ghosts of the past."
Montmartre street recording reimagined by VVHΛLTHISИEY.
"My recollection of this field recording was standing in Campo San Giacomo di Rialto at 4pm, after an entire day of recording the sounds of Venice - my favourite urban space in the world for sound recording. The sun was warm and mellow, and the campo was unusually quiet and empty considering its proximity to the Rialto Bridge, one of Venice's most popular and crowded tourist spots.
"The trickle of water from a small fountain cut through the air, and when the bells chimed the hour, I felt lucky to be alive, and fortunate to be spending time doing what I love in one of the most beautiful places in the world. This piece brings together strings, synths, brass and tape degradation effects in an attempt to encapsulate that feeling - along with the title, obviously inspired by DJ Shadow's midnight."
Rialto Bridge walkthrough reimagined by Cities and Memory.
A walkthrough across Venice's iconic Rialto Bridge, through the market at the bottom of the bridge, and out into Campo San Giacomo di Rialto. In this quiet square just away from the hustle and bustle of one of Venice's most popular tourist spots, all we can hear is the gentle trickle of a water fountain, and the bells chiming for 4pm.
An unusually contemplative and mellow end to a soundscape of what is often one of the most frantic and crowded destinations in Venice.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"The sound of the migrating terns is replaced by violins playing a the same rhythm as a short loop of the field recording. This pattern is faded in and out with other orchestral string instruments playing similar tern patterns."
Migrating terns reimagined by Simon Woods.
Tern colony at Cemlyn Bay, Anglesey. Sandwich, Common and Arctic tern migrate from Africa or as far as the Antarctic for the Artic tern every spring to breed there and then head back each autumn hopefully with young terns following them.
Recorded by Phil Cunliffe.
"I listened and listened to the beautiful recording and played along the best I could on my acoustic guitar to form an idea. I used the recording complete in places and cut up and sampled in others , to creat a kind of vocal line to the piece.
"To step outside of times relentless flow is a journey , a holiday if you like. A trip away from the everyday. Music for me is the escape , the trip , the journey.
"The voices on the recording filled me full of awe and wonder. Each voice individual and unique in its own right but carried along by the songs never changing flow.
"I tried to capture this in the piece. A journey of wonder using repetitive rhythmical forms but changing each and every time whilst cascading towards the journeys crescendo and ultimate end."
Masai Mara warriors' song reimagined by Daniel Chudley - Le Corre.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"In my mind, a pier is almost always a busy place, people are coming or going and that alone brings excitement. For those who in fact are on the pier to embark on a voyage it is perhaps even more exciting. Remember the feeling as a child going on your first travel by boat, being in the moment just before embarking, feel the tremble of joy, but also of fear of the unknown. What may happen once out to sea? But then the anticipation overrides and we get on board to sail for the horizon.
"The piece is built on the recording by Catherine Boulle in its entirety and some parts of it were used as percussion. For the rest of it the music is composed on a grand piano manipulated with a computer."
Cape Town pier reimagined by Stefan Klaverdal.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"A period of time
a few minutes long
fifty-eight years wide."
"This recording gave such a strong sense of a moment in time held still - the way in which the space of a minute in the middle of the night can take on the same qualities as an hour during daylight.
"The nighttime rainfall sits as a bed throughout the track, which overall is structured into one section punctuated by the calls of an owl, and a second that highlights the cries of the deer.
"The instrumentation chosen - strings, brass and flute for the most part - is intended to evoke something of the sense of wonder of being in such close proximity to the natural world.
"The overall feel is inspired by the Tomas Transtromer poem quoted above, from which the title comes:
A page of the night book
I stepped ashore one May night
in the cool moonshine
where grass and flowers were grey
but the scent green.
I glided up the slope
in the colour-blind night
while white stones
signalled to the moon.
A period of time
a few minutes long
fifty-eight years wide.
And behind me
beyond the lead-shimmering waters
was the other shore
and those who ruled.
People with a future
instead of a face.
Nighttime nature sounds in France reimagined by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"I loved how the field recording provided a really nice atmospheric layer to the song. The interesting thing is that the recording has different moments as in one part you hear the sounds of the waves and in another, human voices combined with other elements that inhabit the place.
"This song talks about the wish of feeling nature, of experimenting the outside.
I think that the feelings of travel and adventure are reflected in the musical creative process. In this case Giuliana and I embarked on a musical style different from what we usually compose and we enjoyed so much. This song was a new journey for us."
Belém Tower reimagined by Maribel Tafur & Giu.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"I used the field recording unedited and throughout the duration of my piece. It inspired me to put myself in the outdoors, listen to the sounds of nature in the recording and transfer how this made me feel into music: peaceful and hopeful, and then adventurous. I started with a piano solo and build instrumentation around it. I also drew inspiration from the classic composition by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, hence the name 'Finlandia'."
Pepperskär Hamnen, Finland reimagined by Kid Kin.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"A sleepy harbour at Pepperskär on the island of Järsö, 12km south of Mariehamn, Åland's capital. It's just after 7am on a Sunday. The roe deer on the road vanish into the woods as I arrive, the gulls haven't yet flown in from the rocky havens in the bay.
"A slight breeze stirs the tide to softly lap the the wood-clad harbour walls and the hulls of the handful of boats moored therein. Alongside the rough cawing of early rising crows, and the calls of various smaller birds filling acoustic niches as they rouse, a lone grey heron remains silent."
Recorded in Finland by Julian Weaver.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"The field recording from the martial arts studio in Thailand is over 20 minutes long, so I initially selected several parts that appealed to me because of their athletic energy, community spirit and sweat.
"I chose sound sections that reflect the general training atmosphere in the room and, of course, the sports activities with rhythmic sequences. Muay Thai is a national sport in Thailand, so I also wanted to incorporate traditional musical elements and instruments of the culture without falling too much into clichés or appropriating them culturally.
"Martial arts is similar to dance choreography, so I instinctively created a danceable piece. My track is intended to show the anticipation and sense of adventure of a Western European who is curious to discover an Asian culture."
Muay Thai gym reimagined by Giant Skeletons.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"People from across Chiang Mai and the globe training in a Muay Thai gym."
Recorded in Chiang Mai, Thailand by Alex Boyesen.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"Quite coincidentally, the track "CO-PI-I" was made on the go during my recent travels in late 2023. I believe it happened for a good reason since it serves the purpose of the "Sound of Adventure" project.
"Over the years I made an interesting observation. Before venturing into new territory, two things happen: first - we suddenly are opened to fantasy, meditating on possible/probable experiences and adventures; and second - activate that sleeping inner child in us, eager to play "make believe" and explore uncharted worlds.
"It is a certain kind of excitement and anticipation many of us indulge in before setting foot on a new playground.
"I felt these dynamics and characteristics in the chosen field recording, then built up on the inspiration. Curiosity is a hunger that makes us seek new skies, smell fresh air, and try flavors we've never tasted.
"I find our ability to make up a version of a place apriori intriguing. This version is made of bits and pieces of various knowledge, from previous cultural encounters to tales and the internet, etc. All these elements contribute to our collage of a place, creating a potential for the next journey.
"Often, the real deal drastically differs from the product of imagination. Still, the fantasy is exciting and rewarding.
"'CO-PI-I' is just that, a fantasy about a place never experienced; a puzzle I put together with the field recording in the very center.
"Why did I choose Vietnam? I could've easily picked a country I am familiar with, though, I wanted to create something based out of pure curiosity. A projection of a place never visited, based on all the elements mentioned. Hoping one day to compare fantasy with reality."
"'COPII' incidentally stands for quite a few meaningful things. First, it means children in the Romanian language. Second, an existing organization that helps kids in Vietnam is called COPI, which I accidentally found upon googling.
"Third, COPII is also a protein complex, and fourth - COP stands for Conference of Parties that holds United Nations Climate Change Conferences.
"All things considered, I hope there is enough room left for creating a fantasy, aided by the sounds of Vietnam."
Nature in Vietnam reimagined by Serge Bulat.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"A dense and captivating dawn chorus of Vietnamese wildlife in Huyện Đà Bắc, Hòa Bình, Vietnam. The waking of animals, birds, insects and people on the edge of a lake in the jungle at around 5am."
Recorded in Vietnam by Kit Wilmans Fegradoe.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"The wildlife of Berkshire, Vermont awakening. The scene features Morning Doves' distinctive calls, along with other song birds, a few Raven calls, as well as the croaking of frogs at a nearby pond."
Recorded in Vermont, USA by Chris Ruprecht.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"The field recording in this piece inspired me to create a story about how an adventure can begin feeling dark and uncertain but can then open up to an expanse of lightness and magic.
"Often when I have travelled, being in an unknown places it can feel unsettling but often hidden gifts reveal themselves when you immerse yourself in all that it has to offer."
Vermont, USA dawn chorus reimagined by Firephly.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"Lots of small sounds stood out from the field recording I worked with, small enough not to be noticed, yet, in the right frame of mind, significant enough to catch one's attention. I tried to be open to letting them take my attention for a wander and responded to that by making sounds that followed them, resampling, ornamenting, mimicking. Sometimes the best adventures are small ones, unexpected, adventures that don't have a purpose other than taking you out of the familiar - and bringing you to the start of your next adventure."
Tokyo crossroads reimagined by de Velden.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"The recording location is an unidentified crossroad in Tokyo. Whenever the traffic light turns green, the speakers on the traffic lights play continuous bird chirping sounds to alert people to proceed.
"In some parts of China, which is also in the Asian region, pre-recorded human voices are used to signal pedestrians at crossroads. I believe that using bird chirping sounds instead of other practical sounds may be a method to reduce urban noise and provide people with a momentary auditory respite.
"Hearing a clear bird chirping at a bustling crossroad is indeed a fascinating adventure. There are many crossroads in Tokyo where bird chirping serves as the alert sound like this."
Recorded in Japan by Boyi Bai.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"In Piazza San Marco, the most famous tourist destination in Venice, at 3pm on a hot August day. Bells chime the hour, and the famous jazz cafes play live music as we walk past. After a great deal of summer rain, there was an unanticipated acqua alta (high water), so you can hear the occasional sloshing of puddles too - very unusual for a summer afternoon."
Recorded in Italy by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"This work was composed by Michael Serafin-Wells, performed and recorded by Bipolar Explorer - Summer Serafin (vocals), Michael Serafin-Wells (guitars, baritone guitar, bass, tape loops, percussion, vocals) and Sylvia Solanas (vocals). We used the field recording throughout, with some small edits, looping and reverb. The field recording itself is lovely and evocative and we wanted our contribution to serve as a kind of underscoring to it, like in a film, perhaps.
"We, of course, love travel - returning to favorite places and discovering new ones - and found ourselves quite moved. Sometimes, I think, we can find ourselves in the loneliest of moments even when we’re surrounded by people and in a beautiful place.
"Although feeling the warmth and glow of wonderful company and breathtaking vistas, our wishing that our lost ones could be there, too, at our side to share the experience, can sometimes overwhelm. And both feelings - contentment and loss - can commingle. Inspired by this wonderful soundscape of Venice in high season, we hoped to support both its welcoming beauty and the deep sense of longing we also feel."
Piazza San Marco reimagined by Bipolar Explorer.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"'Delhi's Memory Lane' is a musical tale that paints a vibrant picture of the diverse sounds that define old Delhi. Imagine wandering through the bustling and bright streets of Paharganj, where there is beauty in the sounds of every corner. Suddenly, go to the outskirts of the city and find yourself in the semi-countryside, surrounded by moments of serenity where time slows, marked by the distant crowing of roosters acting as a natural alarm clock.
"The heart of the composition lies in the original crafted recording that undergoes meticulous stretching and gradual manipulation from beginning to end, forming distinct choruses. This recording serves as the foundation, weaving seamlessly with additional layers that bring forth the rich tapestry of Delhi's cultures.
"At the core of the narrative are the enchanting tones of the handpan, dancing in harmony with the resonant echoes of a sitar recording I captured from an Indian colleague during my university days. Together, they skillfully guide the listener through the diverse sonic landscapes of Delhi. Like a cinematic journey, the music effortlessly transitions between various soundscapes, culminating in a reimagined memory of the time when Delhi was home - a captivating musical narrative, a Polaroid of my experiences in India."
Eid Milad-ul Nabi at Nizamuddin Dargah reimagined by Deep Dive Sound.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"The recording is placed in Hazrat Nizamuddin, a mausoleum dedicated to the Sufi saint – Khawaja Nizamuddin Auliya who lived during 1238 – 1325 CE. He was a saint of the Chishti order and a firm believer in secularism and religious harmony. The mausoleum was constructed in 1325 by Muhammad Bin Tughlaq (The eighteenth Sultan of Delhi).
"The recording was made while walking the premises of the Dargah, during a much crowded Eid Milad-ul Nabi (observation of the day when the Islamic prophet Muhammad is reported to have been born) -23. One can also chart the distance from the Centre of the Dargah where ceremonial Qawwali is taking place. This distance changes as we move close to and then further away from the grave/shrine."
Recorded in India by Bariya.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"It is a brand new day and the the forest is starting to wake up. It had been raining the whole night before and although it is not raining at the moment, water droplets keep falling down from the canopy.
"The birds are getting playful and are moving around singing and looking for food, several groups of them can be heard in all directions. A slow breeze passes through the forest bringing in the mist of dawn."
Recorded in Costa Rica by Diego Espeleta.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"I used Diego Espeleta's recording of a dawn chorus in Costa Rica as the starting point for my composition 'Arrival'. I wanted this piece to communicate an uplifting feeling - the joy of arriving at your destination and the wonder of exploring a new place. This is what field recording has been for me - a way to explore more deeply. The joy of collecting sounds and immersing yourself into a new landscape feels almost childlike - just like children collecting rocks and feathers and other pretty keepsakes to bring home and remember things by.
"Additionally, I have used a few of my own field recordings in this composition - the bells of sheep in the village of Aulus-les-Bains in the French Pyrenees, and some recordings I made with my brother in my hometown of Bergen, Norway. We went to an old, empty military base on a day right after Christmas, and recorded the sounds and vibrations of icy, empty metal buildings with a LOM Geofón he gifted me. The composition features the sounds of us both singing into a huge metal pipe, and I have also worked sounds of us hitting this same pipe into the drum beat. As I have lived in the UK for so long, arriving home in Norway now also feels like an adventure.
"Two arpeggiated synth lines are at the centre of this composition, wandering and shifting as the track develops, with multiple ascending parts joining in, as well as a peaceful, deep pad. I wanted to use Diego's field recording throughout most of the track - when it is introduced it is processed with a low pass filter and vibrato, to bring out the rain taps on the leaves and make the birdsong sound a little bit strange. Towards the build up at the end of the A section I have also used an additional section of the dawn chorus recording processed with a spectral shimmer for an etherial, high pitched, shimmery sound that takes us into the B section.
"In the B section the synths drop out and are replaced with a driving beat, doubled with metallic pipe hits. We can now hear the unprocessed, stereo field recording for the first time. This section is slowly built with layers of bells, synth and vocal samples, and I have doubled a section of the morning chorus that featured an especially melodic bird call, to act as a lead melody."
Costa Rica dawn chorus reimagined by Sara Wolff.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"The beginning of autumn goes pair with nature changing... And alpha male deer are seeking and fighting for their partners to preserve their species. This is the time, at the end of September, where you can hear deer in the evening and in the night.
"Hidden in forests, with owls calling as well, you can immerse in pure nature with no human intrusion. Some wind goes through the pine trees and oak trees. Distant calls give a sense of depth to this soundscape at Mont Lozère at 1500 m altitude."
Recorded at Mont Lozère, Mas de la Barque, France by Antonius Driessens.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"I am at the open space of a traditional Masai village with a population of about 250 people. All around are little huts and in the centre, cows and goats are laid down. The Masai men sing and dance the warriors song. They jump as high as they can as a sign of bravery and in order to attract the women's attention."
Recorded in Kenya by Christina Antoniadou.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"Workers from the "Museu de Arte Popular" assembled at Torre de Belém before heading to the Lisbon city center for a conference. During this gathering, one of the museum collaborators pointed out a location on the east wall where you can hear both the sounds of the sea and the Torre de Belém garden, thanks to the unique acoustic properties of the wall."
Recorded in Belém, Portugal by Carlos Berrizbeitia.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
"Kalk Bay Harbour embodies the raw beauty of Cape Town’s False Bay coast. Listen to the sound of waves; seagulls flying overhead; seals snorting from time to time as they bathe in the sun, waiting for scraps; the low hum of tools as fishermen repair their boats; an artist who takes out a selection of works to sell to passers-by, and the chatting of tourists and locals walking up and down the pier."
Recorded in South Africa by Catherine Boulle.
Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
An interview with Cities and Memory founder Stuart Fowkes on BBC World Service's Newshour about the Migration Sounds project, playing recordings already contributed from the USA, the UK and the Sahara desert and discussing our callout for contributions to the project. Broadcast on 23 February 2024.
Our Migration Sounds project featured in BBC radio news bulletins, 23 February 2024. This clip taken from the Today Programme.
"This reimagined sound starts from the fact that the impressive sound of these church bells is dramatically quietened by traffic noise on all sides, and this is an oasis of peace in a busy urban centre.
"The light piano motifs and crystal healing bowl sounds bring to mind the idea of a church as a sanctuary away from everyday life and a centre of peace - but the growing, heavily effected guitar sounds that develop as the piece progresses symbolise the enveloping of culturally significant and beautiful soundscapes by them modern, noisy, homogeneous city."
"The title comes from the 1829 book, "Method of Writing Words, Music, and Plain Songs by Means of Dots, for Use by the Blind and Arranged for Them", which was written by Louis Braille at the time he was organist of this church."
Bells at Saint Nicolas des Champs, Paris reimagined by Cities and Memory.
IMAGE: Mbzt, CC BY-SA 4.0
Church bells at Saint Nicolas des Champs in Le Marais, Paris, chime 11 o'clock in December 2023. There are two major roads either side of the church, which are constantly busy with noisy traffic and mean that this once peaceful oasis is almost drowned out by car traffic. Even the chiming of the bells has difficulty cutting through and making itself clear in the soundscape.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
IMAGE: Mbzt, CC BY-SA 4.0
"I was unsure how to find a way into the project until I found the bell sound - maybe from a tram or bus or something? - which worked really well as a simple rhythm as the bell pattern is quite syncopated and then the final 'beat' is a car door shutting.
"It became quite hypnotic, so I decided to go with that feeling and try to capture an implied altered-state, hallucinogenic journey through the night market.
"I then started reading about Hypatia the ancient Alexandrian mathematician and philosopher who was murdered for her 'pagan' beliefs - with one theory suggesting this took place on the vernal equinox - and so I thought I would tie the two things together."
Zanket El Setat night market, Alexandria reimagined by Hawksmoor.
"This piece begins with a beautiful recording of the Ushuaia River in Lapataia, Tierra del Fuego, made by Raúl del Mestre. The peaceful play of the water over rocks and stones gradually gives way to various manipulations of the river sound (using pitch shifting, looping, reversing and sampling) evoking some of the tensions between this natural waterway and the rapidly accelerating changes in the world around it.
"European colonization looms large and brutal in the history of Tierra del Fuego, not least in the loss of its native languages. The UN estimates that one indigenous language dies every two weeks, and says: “When indigenous languages are under threat, so too are indigenous peoples themselves. The threat is the direct consequence of colonial practices that result in the decimation of indigenous peoples, their cultures and languages. Through policies of assimilation, dispossession of lands, and discriminatory laws and actions, indigenous languages in all regions face the threat of extinction.”
"Set against the sounds of the Ushuaia River is a message in Yaghan, a language that used to be widely spoken here. This greeting was recorded for the first Congress on Indigenous Languages in Chile in 2010, by Cristina Calderón, a Chilean ethnographer, craftswoman, writer and cultural activist. Cristina Calderón passed away in 2022, and was the last known native speaker of Yaghan.
"You can hear Cristina Calderón’s full message at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIL6xzGmvvA, and read more about language rights from the UN at https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/04/Indigenous-Languages.pdf
"The title of this piece, Sima, is the Yaghan word for water."
Ushuaia river reimagined by Lucy Cathcart Frödén.
Let's listen to the movement of water, near the end of route 3; Lapataia Bay Ushuaia Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Recorded by Raúl Del Mestre.
A metro journey beneath the streets of Rome from the Termini station to Circo Massimo, with announcements, train noise, doors opening and closing and lots of Roman conversations. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"The original recording of the Metro ride in Rome is very specifically located while also having echoes of travel that are characteristic of cities around the world. A mix of sounds that encompass those from the newest visitors to the city, to everyday commuters. Whether riding the Metro, Subway or Underground, the systems in place allow us to work our way around the familiar and unfamiliar. If you know how to read the Underground map in London, you can work out how to get around in Tokyo or New York or Rome. This remix commences with the specific ride on Linea B, and moves towards a more abstract sense of destination using looping and repetition. The announcements of what is ahead entice us to keep travelling even if it is to just see what is there. Laurentina - somewhere I have never been but where I might end up, at the end of the line, one day."
Rome metro reimagined by David Cowlard.
"Despite the bombast and musicianship of the first busker in the field recording, it was the quieter and more subtle performance that grabbed my attention. Rotonda Foschini is an open, oval piazza with a gorgeous natural reverb, adding an extra dimension to this performance of 'La Vie En Rose'.
"The natural reverb of the recording location was the starting point for the composition, as we imagined the reverb building and building until it took on a form of its own, physically lifting us up out of the space and over the rooftops of Ferrara. This ambient reimagining contains fragments of the vocal and guitar, as if half-remembered in a dream, while a bed of electronics takes us to lift-off."
Buskers at Ferrara buskers festival reimagined by Cities and Memory.
Ferrara International Buskers Festival 2023 - one of the top dates in the global street music calendar. Two acts in quick succession - first we hear looping solo guitarist Ziggy O'Neill, before heading down a corridor into a natural auditorium inside some buildings, in which a French singer gives a beautiful, reverb-drenched version of La Vie En Rose.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"The ‘Oxford Hot Air Balloon’ sample was like nothing I had really heard before and I was instantly drawn to it. It had a certain tonality, colour and texture that I felt could be used as the basis for a composition. I wanted to use the sample in its entirety, perhaps as a pedal note running throughout any resultant piece of music. Along with the additional hint of ‘Autumn’ I was taken to the skies and glens of the Scottish Highlands with images of soaring Golden Eagles. I found myself thinking of a place called Loch Earn where, rising from the water’s edge during the autumn months is a forest of ever-changing autumnal colours. I really wanted to focus on this image as I wrote ‘I am the Air’ using the ‘Oxford Hot Air Balloon’ sample as a constant backdrop."
Hot air balloon preparation reimagined by Simon Holmes.
"Not usually a fan of cow bell as an instrument, so this field recording was a revelation; we used the waveform shape to produce a stream of stochastic triggers/gates (Mutable Ears into Mutable Marbles) to generate a musical phrase using two primary voices with additional modular synthesizer elements; this phrase was further resampled to produce multiple layers which were mixed and overlaid together with subtle use of the original recording."
Valle Pramper cows reimagined by Arvik Torrenssen.
"The sounds of a Wimbledon match recall lots of memories to my mind, few of which have anything to do with tennis. It's the late nights in Brixton, the early morning train, the queue outside the gates, the overpriced Pimm's and the excitement in the air of the All England Lawn club."
Centre Court at Wimbledon reimagined by Riccardo Fumagalli.
A match on Centre Court at Wimbledon, probably the most famous venue in tennis, on 9 July 2023. Defending champion Novak Djokovic plays Hurkacz, and it's 5-5 in the second set.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
On a walk in the Dolomites at Valle Pramper, we record cows feeding, with the clank of their cow bells. One curious young cow approaches the recording device to investigate and, startled, trots away, all of which can be heard in the recording.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
A hot air balloon prepares for launch early in the morning in Oxford. We can hear the fans filling up the balloon with air from a flat start, as excited customers wait for their chance to go up and see the sights.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"The sounds of the ferry leaving the the dock and moving into the sea conjured a scene of transition for me. Transitions, like seasons, can sometimes feel disruptive and uncertain, but the journey through them and adapting to their unique glory can bring one to a place of acceptance and can bring peace."
Finland ferry reimagined by Firephly.
"The sound of dosa batter sizzling on a hot tava amidst low key bustling kitchen activity reminds me of visiting my family in India. I love dosa, and I wanted to build a composition that expresses the feelings a fresh dosa can inspire: joy, delight, immediacy, and reverence. I played sitar on the track, then manipulated it and added synth pads to create a hyper-drone. On top of that are drums, other synths, and the original field recording sampled and a bit rearranged."
New Delhi kitchen reimagined by Becky Gebhardt.
"Travelling back in time to hear a beautiful Masai choir, the challenge was to clean up the audio and add variety. I imagined what the singing would sound like travelling back in time, and was surprised how melodic it was. The first part is that effect, until we land at the start and hear the choir in all its glory."
Masai Mara blessing song reimagined by Ophertho.
"The soft wind and sharp birds put me in mind of my late friend Eleanor Adams, of Guilford, Vermont; I've used them to score and punctuate a recording I made of her in her 97th year reading Robert Haas' poem "Mouth Slightly Open" and speaking about life and mortality."
Vermont birdsong reimagined by Maria Margaronis.
"The location of the recording is Chidambaram's New Madras Hotel, Khanna Market. Khanna Market provides one a historical view of when Delhi became the capital of newly independent India, born from the labor of the Partition. The market came up due to the large influx of refugees coming to the area post-partition. The oldest inhabitant of the market is Chidambaram's - a South Indian joint with roots going back to 1930.
"The recording is taking place from inside the kitchen. On the left is a stairway which leads to the cleaning section, right in front is the stove, and servers come and go throughout - to collect orders and inform the kitchen of new ones. The background is studded with the restaurant's staff and tens of customers chatting in Tamil and Hindi. The sound of the stove hissing is when the Dosa batter is spread on the tava. Very light music can also be heard playing from the mobile of the person sitting behind the cash counter."
Recorded by Bariya.
This scene takes place in a largely deciduous forest in Berkshire, Vermont. Light wind creates a sonic bed throughout as we hear a variety of birds singing in the mid afternoon.
Recorded by Chris Ruprecht.
On the island of Vallisaari, at the nearest point to the fortress on Suomenlinna, boats of all kinds vie with enormous ferries arriving from, and departing for Estonia, Åland and Sweden through what is known as the Gibraltar of the North. The accompanying radio transmisions, inaudible to the naked ear, emerge through the recording process.
Recorded by Julian Weaver.
"I am at a traditional Masai village in Masai Mara area. I am at the open space right in the centre of the village. Huts are all around me and a herd of cattle is laid down in the middle. Women in traditional clothing are singing a blessing song for the visitors. At the end they come towards me giving me "five"!"
Recorded by Christina Antoniadou.
"The field recording immediately took me back to time that I spent travelling in the subcontinent as a young man. I drew upon a rich store of memories to create a piece that evokes the alien majesty of India; juxtaposing the contrasts of wide open landscapes and crowded bazaars, beautiful nature and bustling humanity, lyrical, microtonal ragas in Rajasthan and the ubiquitous dub reggae and trance in Goa."
Produced on an iPad using the Endlesss app and GarageBand.
Mix translation and mastering by Kirke Godfrey.
Sanjay Van Lake reimagined by Dead Kousin.
"The field recording reminded me of walks with friends and family, on crisp autumn days, with maybe a sprinkling of softs now underfoot. It felt to me both melancholic and optimistic at the same time.
"I tried to capture this with a piano motif, that is then manipulated by lots of sidechaining and effects applied to the field recording, to both create a slow, soft walking rhythm and to provide a sense of air and space, as if walking outside but with a hood pulled up so your are focused only on the steps. At halfway the group stops to chat and the piano subsides, and then they pick up off again and head onwards, or perhaps to home."
Paimo, Finland soundscape reimagined by TQW.
"My piece was driven by the northern aspect of Finland and the unusual night as day at 3am that I recall from my visits there. The sounds of diners (presumably at the Marina) serve as the main rhythmic element at the start. I wanted the instrument sounds and samples to present a representation of ancient and modern geography."
Nagu, Finland reimagined by Gareth Evans.
Sanjay Van is a city forest – one if the most thickly wooded areas in Delhi, and a large part of the city’s green lungs. It’s one of the areas in Delhi, where one can still perceive the characteristics of the Aravali range (Arguably one of the oldest geological features on Earth and Delhi's eroded past) The recording focuses on the area surrounding the lake where sewage water and effluent is discharged. Efforts are being made to redo the ecological diversity and help create new spaces for the migratory birds around here.
Recorded by Bariya.
In the 'Healing Forest' around Paimio Sanatorium, Finland, Alvar and Aino Aalto's architectural masterpiece, a woodpecker works away near a babbling brook. The 'forest stillness' bristles with the activity of insects, birds, and power walkers. It's not long before the distant thrum of dirt bikes and other vehicles adds to the hubbub.
Recorded by Julian Weaver.
In Nagu, Finland, on a sunny Sunday afternoon looking out from the pier of the Archipelago Line route Turku–Själö–Nagu, day trippers with dogs and ice-creams, amble past others enjoying early suppers in the waterfront restaurants. On the water, all manner of motor launches, sail- and speedboats slide in and out of audible range whilst behind me, storm clouds gather and the south-westerly breeze stiffens.
Recorded by Julian Weaver.
A gentle evening of curious animal and insect calls, as people slow their day into the night. Recorded by Kit Wilmans Fegradoe in Da Lat, Vietnam.
"Starts with mainly original sounds transformed, goes a bit techno-y in the middle."
Da Lat evening song reimagined by Isabel de Berrie.
"Upon first hearing this field recording of a steady rainfall it reminded me of rainy nights spent writing at my favorite cafes. I decided to write a song lyric and layer it over the sound."
Rain storm in Ghana reimagined by Christina Lucchesi.
"A celebration of the original field recording. The majority of the synth sounds were created from snippets of it, transformed by the magic of Synplant. Much inspiration provided by listening to the songs of tree frogs. Lead synth melody by the amazing Amy C."
Amphibians in Ghana reimagined by Alex Vald.
Rains and thunders at midday under a roof in suburban Ghana. Sounds lo-fi and roomy due to the natural acoustics of the room. Recorded in binaural, please wear headphones.
Recorded in Koforidua, Ghana by Samuel Kudjodzi.
Different species of amphibians vocalising through rain showers. Wind gusts serve as baseline frequency, and a motor engine can be heard in some part.
Recorded in Koforidua, Ghana by Samuel Kudjodzi.
"I was inspired by the power and strength behind the serves of the two tennis players. Striving is a reflection of that power, along with what must be intense focus and hard work to get to that level of play."
Wimbledon Ladies' Singles match reimagined by Baying Ridges.
Bouzkova vs. Vondrousova on Court Two at Wimbledon, 9 July 2023. It's the first set and Bouzkova is serving. Vondrousova would go on to become the 2023 Ladies' Singles champion.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
A quiet and misty morning outside the Highland Games Centre in Braemar, Scotland. A rainy day in October and a bagpipe player performs a traditional piece for a group of tourists (a woman can be heard singing along gently alongside).
Recorded by Giulia Biasibetti.
"The sound was evocative. It reminded my of being on Culloden moor as a child in the swirling mist with an unseen piper. I then fought of other times were I've had a strong connection to the pipes. Sometimes negative but always powerful. Includes recordings I took of a battle re-enactment in Stirling and of Scotland playing at Hampden."
Scottish bagpipe player reimagined by Euan McAleece.
"I'm always a fan of incorporating field recordings into my music. After listening to the original nature recording for the first time, I had the idea of taking up the melody of the birds and accompanying it with a synth sound. I mainly work in Ableton Live, where I tried out the "Harmony 2 MIDI" function. I cut the field recording and used several places with the original track. Then I added all the other sounds and tracks, roughly pre-arranged everything, faded the tracks in and out live, sent them to the effects, etc. and recorded the whole thing. That's how I came up with an ambient dub piece. Enjoy!"
Manteigas soundscape reimagined by Jaymon (Heiko Jay).
"Let WHΛLT THISИEY's music be your passport to unexplored dimensions, where imagination reigns and new immersive environments come to life."
L'Ainsia castle soundscape reimagined by WHΛLTHISИEY.
"The interpretation of the Cathédrale Saint-Étienne in Toulouse describes various temporal and spatial layers of the atmosphere. Acoustic interventions forwards and backwards and moments of pausing create an expansion of reality, which is partially freed from everyday life and functionality by surreal elements and voices. The result is a maelstrom of reality, in which many things become audible that would otherwise remain hidden. A place is more than just its physical, external reality - it is a space of possibilities made up of different voices, interpretations and spatio-temporal processes."
Toulouse cathedral reimagined by studio s:o:m.
Whispering and barking in the Saint-Etienne cathedral, Toulouse. Recorded by Dan Capture.
Wind and bird sounds from Serra da Estrela, the highest mountain in continental Portugal.
Recorded by Luís Antero.
From the top of the wall of the old castle of L'Ainsa, in the Sobrarbe region in Aragon, Spain, you can hear the voices of tourists, birds of prey flying around us and there, in the distance, the mountain.
Recorded by Chuse Fernandez.
The sound of crickets is a nighttime sound. During this recording a pack of coyotes were howling.
Recorded in Tiny, Ontario by Anton Pickard.
Greek village in the remote island of Ikaria. Town square - cicadas in the midday heat and maybe some distant voices of villagers.
Recorded by Ioannis Valasakis.
In a hot and stuffy train, people talk quietly between themselves and the train carriage sways back and forth. A passenger seated next to the window closes their eyes and drifts off to sleep.
Birdsong early in the morning recorded in a semi-rural backyard in Tiny, Ontario. Natural sounds are always relaxing for me.
Recorded by Anton Pickard.
"Inspired by birdsong at dawn and the sounds of nature, we created this sound media capsule to remind us that sound can be used to tell tales and sell dreams. Nature communicates with us - if we just listen.
We embedded the sound of pipes singing with the wind – air blowing through metal – making a sound which wrapped itself around the birdsong.
These pipes are part of an installation sculpture that we found in a Southbank London festival during the autumn. The sound of the wind blowing against a manmade material made a conversation, which at the time we felt we could understand.
Our last addition was a hurdy-gurdy, which was part of a concert that we are involved in. Its incredible ancient sound seemed to flow from another era.
Our sound media represents nature and the relationship that we have with it. We need to nurture that relationship.
Dawn is the beginning of a new chance. Let's begin again."
Dawn chorus in Ontario reimagined by Caroline Grimshaw and Stephen Mugford.
"Crypto Timpani is a work whose sound seed is the song of cicadas. I experimented with different digital synthesis and other processing techniques and effects to generate new approaches and sensations that could evoke new ways of perceiving nature. I mostly used processes and effects from GRM Tools and Puremagnetik, as well as audio stretching tools, pitch shifters, and effects like reverbs and delays.
Subsequently, I organized the new sounds from “more natural” to “more electronic” and in this way I began to distribute them in space, to give the sensation of a landscape that is progressively transforming into another, from one reality to another. The core section of the piece is almost entirely composed of digital synthesizers that emulate the hypnotic and murmuring sound of cicadas, and then reintegrate into their natural habitat. The work is spacialized in binaural format, for an immersive experience with a headphones."
Greek village soundscape reimagined by Jorge Martínez Valderrama.
"I was immediately drawn to the promise of “coyotes at 15 minutes” in the description of the recording.
I heard the coyotes as a chamber choir singing some close-interval music and so set about trying to reveal that with very little interference on my part. Their melodic material becomes harmonic, as if you had pressed the sustain pedal on a piano."
Crickets and coyotes in Ontario reimagined by Ian Vine.
"I started off with a grandiose scheme to produce a homage to 'Musique Concrète', the birthplace of which was Paris. I'd also found a PD recording (1922) of "Under The Bridges Of Paris" by the so-called "Queen of the Whistlers", Margaret McKee, which I decided to sample. After several weeks work, I wasn't happy with where this was going, so, with just a few days to go to the deadline I junked almost everything and started again! The marvellous Margaret survived the cull, while the rest of the piece now comprises nothing but the original field recording and re-workings thereof. The spirit of 'MC' is still in there somewhere..."
Paris RER train reimagined by Nick St. George.
"I've been fortunate to have visited Kotor and explore both the medieval fortifications and the more recent Cold War-era submarine tunnels. When processed with Logic Pro, the sound of water from the recording seemed to have a natural rhythm. Coupling that with the concrete tunnels' own very long reverberations immediately sparked my imagination into thinking what it would sound like if I could set up a couple of amplifiers in there and literally play along with the waves in the bay."
Kotor Bay reimagined by Chris Barrus.
IMAGE: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"Hearing the raw feeling with which these Sunderland fans sing an apparently silly tribute to their manager prompted me to write a simple song about how emotional we can all get over something as trivial as football. The sacking of Tony Mowbray during this project brought out something especially sad about the intense but fleeting bonds that form between football's practitioners and their audiences, and I did my best to highlight this with some fairly minimal instrumentation."
Sunderland fans in London reimagined by Henry Mason.
"As a cosmopolitan living in different parts of the world, and always having an opportunity to encounter different cultures and people, Macedonian music allows me to represent myself and my country. This composition, through the fusion of two Macedonian traditional songs, ‘Ajde, dali znaes, pametis, Milice’ and ‘Sto mi e milo, em drago ma Kojnik dukan da imam’ and the soundscape of the Alexander the Great fountain, represents a musical journey around Macedonia from the ancient times until today. Incorporating the sound of contemporary electronica and Macedonian traditional music, characterised by unique asymmetrical meters and exotic melodies, this sonic reimagining offers an opportunity for people from anywhere in the world to discover Macedonian musical heritage."
Skopje fountain reimagined by Mirjana Dokic.
If you are not wandering lost in the labyrinth of the old town, you might just be exploring the vast stunning Bay of Kotor, or Boka for the locals. As you travel its length, the Montenegrin coastline had a great impact on me as it gave me that feeling of the stillness and peace that I was craving.
Along the walk alongside the Adriatic Sea, I had the privilege of enjoying the well-preserved medieval towns including Perast, Risan and Tivat.
All these tiny little towns rest in between a breathtaking scenery of giant limestone mountains dramatically falling down on to the blue bay. This recording captures a serene moment in which I was sitting on a bench near the port, mindful to hear the still waters of the bay at night.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
IMAGE: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The monument of Alexander the Great in Skopje is a colossal 24 meter tall statue with a large fountain and dozens of water jets. Here is a 10-minute excerpt of the very, very long song of the waters of the fountain.
Recorded by Manu Hollard.
Supporters of Sunderland football club on an away trip to Millwall in February 2023. Exiting the nearest train station at South Bermondsey, they break out into songs - this one is about their club manager at the time.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"The coastal breeze dances with the gentle waves of Gjipe's sea, creating a tranquil symphony reminiscent of a serene desert beach. This place, nestled in remote Albania, stirs the curiosity of only a select few, yet it holds the power to leave an indelible mark on the hearts of those who dare to venture."
Recorded in Gjipe, Albania by Rafael Diogo.
"A sea can be calm, turbulent and ominous and is home to many stories. After hearing the sound of the sea in Albania, I wanted to draw a storyline with its features on which you can give free rein to your own imagination."
Gjipe waves reimagined by Ard Janssen.
"The recording of frogs in Thailand reminded me of a shaky canon. To reinforce this I used a sampler to layer the sample gradually added delay. Otherwise, the recording was not cut and no additional sounds were added."
Thai frogs reimagined by Nihad El-Kayed.
"An ambient mix recorded with inspiration from a day spent on an Iron Age hillfort in Dorset, UK. Guitar and synthesisers processed through analog tape, merging with the sound of a Skylark descending from the sky."
Skylarks in Dorset reimagined by Ezra Gray.
'A late summer's evening on Eggardon Hill, Dorset. A Skylark sings and descends while rooks chatter and a flurry of Dunnocks fly across the hillfort."
Recorded by Ezra Gray.
It's 04:30 AM in one of Valencia's oldest bakeries, Forn Desamparats. The bakery assistant begins preparations before opening at 06:30 AM. You'll hear the baker meticulously measuring ingredients, the kneading of dough, and the clinking of baking utensils. Forn Desamparats continues to thrive as a family-owned bakery in the heart of Valencia, while most similar local bakeries have either been closed down or absorbed by chains.
Recorded by Carlos Berrizbeitia.
Baux de Provence is a very touristic village. Most houses there are partially carved in existing rocks. The very old Roman and Gothic style church St Vincent is also made in rock many centuries ago. The acoustics are nice and if you go there after the summer holidays you can enter and be all alone as there are far less tourists. The recording captures footsteps and some birds you can still hear as the old wooden door stays open.
Recorded by Antonius Driessens.
On a breezy but warm evening, karaoke fills the air and billows with the insects of the night. Recorded in Da Lat, Vietnam by Kit Wilmans Fegradoe.
Sounds of the walking street market being packed away in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Recorded by Alex Boyesen.
Arcade Plaza with lots of different games playing music all at once. Recorded in Sydney, Australia by Richard Watts.
Hanging out in the Testaccio district on a Saturday evening in a small piazza, where children play football, families chat, young people smoke and drink. We take a walk around the whole perimeter of the piazza to record the sounds from all sides.
Recorded in Rome, April 2023 by Cities and Memory.
Early evening soundscape with small frogs and roosters. Deshaies, Guadeloupe on September 19, 2019.
Recorded by Azadeh Nilchiani.
Walking through the Cubbonpete with two shoulder-mounted condenser mics and a field recorder in my backpack, I was able to capture the sounds of several power-loom industries located in the tiny back-roads. The looms "loom" into focus as I approach them and fade out as I walk away, and each of them carries a distinctive mechanised rhythmic repetitive noise that can be heard clearly, even from outside their buildings on the pavement.
Recorded in Bangalore, India by Ishan Gupta.
"For so many, Autumn can be a lovely time of year. For many others, it can be difficult. Cold, rainy, windswept piers. Broken umbrellas in garbage bins. Filthy birds fighting over discarded fish and chips. Warm beer and stale cigarettes. Stubborn sunsets holding high hopes or false promises. Long, sleepless nights. And questions. Lots of questions.
The field recording by Richard Watts spoke to me because of the cacophony in the arcade reflects the current chaos in the world. My interpretation of the field recording represents how this time of year isn't always a bright, colorful place being sold to many of us 24 hours a day."
Sydney arcade reimagined by Bill McKenna.
"Using the main sound - echoing footsteps - I created a story of walking from place to place and encountering new soundscapes on the way. I got inspiration from the background sounds of the recording - like the occasional howling wind and the birds. I then used some of my own field recordings to enhance these elements (wind at the Danish sand dune Råbjerg Mile and a birdsong from a bog in Estonia) and added synth to create an extra surreal layer, allowing you to travel "further" into the space if you wish."
Baux de Provence church reimagined by Kirsi Tilk.
"I loved this field recording so much, which actually made it hard to work with because I didn’t want to change it. So I used it as an inspiration and added new elements to it. I became interested in the people who are working these power looms, who are often invisible in society, and in art. I found a poem by Margaret Theresa Wightman who worked at the end of the 19th century in millinery factories in the UK. She called for respect for these women and their contribution to the country’s wealth and economy. I sang the poem and put it through effects to give it a sound of a machine. The other elements both ground the track in the present moment and give it a sense of timelessness."
Bangalore power looms reimagined by Laura Jacobs.
"The field recording was so lively and conveyed so much fun that I wanted to take that atmosphere and play with it. I selected about 12 individual sounds from the original that reflected this idea best, e.g. kids yelling and playing ball, dogs barking, women laughing, a bottle rolling on the ground. These "snippets" were then combined in loops with other pre-recorded sounds, creating a piece almost solely made from "found objects" that you would find in a street or on a piazza."
Testaccio piazza reimagined by Susanne Maurer.
"The recording has lots of percussive elements such as scrapes, impacts and swirls. I've used these sounds and their inherent rhythms with various delays, reverbs and a hint of glitch to weave minimal and ambient elements into a percussive, rhythmic track."
Valencia bakery reimagined by Andy Lyon.
"The birdsong felt cyclical and ambient. We imagined walking through a jungle on a planet outside our solar system, and filled the jungle with creatures - some were made with synthesizers, others were made by repitching acoustic instruments."
Guadeloupe birdsong reimagined by Sous Chef & Nico Scolieri.
"An amalgam of sound events, global sound emissions moving like tides through our ears, imaginations and memories. The original recording is at once incidental and intentional and creates a sensory sound picture into which I have woven my sound recordings to create a densley textured sound map of colliding and merging events that is like the constant tuning of a radio dial by a fascinated child."
Karaoke in Da Lat reimagined by Mary Hooper.
"The recording really highlights the value and depth of everyday sounds, so I wanted to make them into energetic beats. I decided not to add any instruments or anything to the audio, instead working with the audio to create the piece. by turning the familiar, everyday rhythms of market soundscapes into beats, I hoped to channel the energy of the space into melodic beats."
Chiang Mai packing market reimagined by Tilly Mason.
The sound of bamboo being split, hacked and shaved in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Recorded by Alex Boyesen.
Waves rolling in at midnight on a deserted beach in Sirolo, Italy.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"It's 5pm on an August afternoon, and beachgoers and swimmers enjoy the mellow sunshine on Mezzavalle Beach in Portonovo, Italy. Gentle waves, with the occasional beachgoer's voice appearing over the top in the background give this recording a dreamy feeling."
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"Stand with Ukraine' demonstration in Helsinki, Feb 2022. Crowds gather at the Esplanadin puisto (park). Thick snow on the ground, the sub zero midday temperatures make the snow crunch under your feet. A group of friends laugh and talk together at the back of the crowd. The demo leader speaks over a megaphone. He tells the crowd what to chant. They practise before they march up to the Russian embassy. At the end of the recording the crowd is marching past the embassy building playing music and chanting."
Recorded by Chris Bradbury.
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Voice as Drum as Protest
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The march or demonstration is an act of the collective. An act of a community united in protest.
This act of protest is very often driven and sustained by sound. This sound is sometimes harsh and sometimes harmonious. Many demonstrations, such as the civil rights march at Selma, use song. Others use prayer, chants, instruments and electrification to make the noise of protest. All use the human voice, even when the protest is silent.
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The field recording documents a Finnish demonstration about Russian expansionist aggression. Finnish voices are raised in chants of protest.
As an aside, it is worth noting that two of the oldest manmade instruments ever found, a drum and pipe dated to 40,000 years old, were discovered in territory that is now claimed as Finnish. The Sami drum and pipe instruments are still played today.
The indigenous Sami people, who made and played the ancient drum and pipe instruments, still use these instruments to protest for their seasonal migratory rights and defend against inhibitions of movement imposed by Russian, Finnish, Swedish and Norwegian authorities.
———————
The sound work: voice as drum as protest
This sound exploration uses the field recording of Finnish protest to create a unique set of drums that utilise rhythm, excitation and resonance.
The polyrhythmic content of the Finnish protest was extracted from the chants of the MC and the marchers, as well as the collective applause and chatter of the crowd. The transient components of voices of protest become the sticks (the exciters) to beat the drums using the polyrhythms extracted from the recording. The drum skins (the resonators) are created from the pitch, tone and timbre of the sounds of protest.
The sound piece begins with a number of individual drum sounds and rhythms. The sound piece concludes with a brief rhythmic study of the drums combined.
Finnish protest reimagined by Simon Kennedy.
"When I first listened to the recording, I was immediately drawn to the sound of the waves. I wanted to create a piece that was inspired by those waves as well as the contradiction of water. Water can be tranquil or dangerous, it's both predictable and unpredictable. the Tide is a cyclical wave that can be looped from here to eternity."
Italian beach waves reimagined by Ally Poole.
"The sound of ocean waves is something that is associated with the shore and is considered a relaxing sound. I wanted to take the sound out of context and disassociate it from a soothing shoreline sound. Besides the original sound, a sine wave and a low frequency drone was used along with various filters."
Midnight waves in Italy reimagined by Ricardo Paraíso Silvestre.
"This recording inspired me because of the many levels of different sound sources it introduced. I used the recording as it is and slowed down version combined with my own recording and played midi on top of it... On a rainy day someone dreams of being in Vietnam..."
Insects in Vietnam reimagined by Sirpa Jokinen.
"I was drawn to this recording because of the range of different percussive sounds produced from cutting bamboo and the magical feeling of the bamboo forest. The people speaking in the recording contrasted with the natural sounds of the forest. It was a dynamic I wanted to play with to produce this piece. In the end, I tried to tell a story from the perspective of the bamboo."
Thai bamboo cutting reimagined by Artis Curiskis.
"I decided that the field recording should sit within the overall stereo field and along with the music simply form part of the composition and not become too prominent overall. Thus I created the music to wrap around the field recording as if the field recording was another instrument within the piece, which like the other sounds weaves in and out and drops in and out."
Ueno Park reimagined by Audio Obscura.
"Having attended a concert of middle eastern music a few day previous to beginning the piece I was inspired to attempt something rhythmic in a traditional time signature and use some of the pitched components of the recording to allude to a hijaz scale. The recording contained some percussive elements including coughing and bottles rattling which were uses as the rhythmic backbone. This idea was continued using some Chinese vocal sounds."
Viale Roma reimagined by Alison Beattie.
"The recording location for 'Ueno Park - Quiet Place' is situated in Ueno Onshi Park in Tokyo. It is Japan's first public park and houses important cultural institutions such as the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, the National Museum of Nature and Science, and the Ueno Zoo. Due to the presence of these significant attractions, it naturally becomes a gathering place for people. I discovered a 'Place of Silence' on one of the pathways within the park. Despite the hustle and bustle, it seemed that everyone had an unspoken agreement not to make noise and instead, they were listening to the silence amidst the commotion."
Recorded by Zion Bai.
A walk from the station in Vicenza, Italy past a bar where music is being piped out of a PA, past a row of idling buses.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"I have never been to Kyoto, but this recording evokes in my mind a meditative place, immersed in nature, so I tried to add to the recording a gentle musical meditation. I also tried to focus on small details of the soundscape, like you might do while meditating, and pulled up from the original sample some seconds of people quietly speaking, turned it up and processed it to become audible but not understandable, like a conversation in a dream."
Fushimi Inari Taisha reimagined by Sergio Marchesini.
"The recording location for 'Fushimi Inari Taisha - Quiet Place' is located at Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto. It is one of Kyoto's busiest tourist attractions, but I also found its own kind of silence here. In both '1.3' and '1.4,' I heard the same insect chirping and its sound resembled that of frogs, but it was not as deep. During subsequent visits, I discovered similar insect sounds in the forests of many regions in Japan. I currently do not know the specific type of insect it is, but I believe it plays a significant role in Japan's soundscapes."
Fushimi Inari Taisha reimagined by Zion Bai.
"A song for our mother, is a calling for help from our Mother Earth. The recorded sounds gave me the inspiration to compose a story about our forgotten land, the forests. Where our mother is calling us back again. Hope, sorrow, strength, all at once as one body have given me the imaginary landscape to put my thoughts into the sound canvas."
Birds in Auroville reimagined by ioannis vlastaris aka John Ov3rblast.
"I tell stories using dialogue taken from public domain educational films and giving them new context. I chose a film about sleep health and as one of the characters and I share the same name it really spoke to me.
"When we moved to NC 12 years ago, one of the things that I immediately enjoyed was listening to the cicadas. Their sound is somewhere be complete cacophony and beautiful orchestra. I've always wanted to use the sound of cicadas as the basis for a rhythm track and this was an opportunity that I could not pass up."
Cicadas in Sirolo reimagined by ScaTTerbRAIN Johnson aka George Pendergast.
"The drumming of the original recording inspired to create an imaginary soundscape; I saw myself hiding aboard a creaky boat while tribal drums beat in the distance.
"First I cut apart the drums to create a new rhythm, then I added some waves, creaks, and seagulls from my own sound library to round out the atmosphere."
Ferrara drummers reimagined by Michael Winchester.
"This piece is composed as a soundwalk, as its initial field recording. The journey unfolds between two parallel worlds – that of the sound recorder and the composer. The recording that I used for this piece is a soundwalk along the path leading to Sumela Monastery in the Black Mountain in Trabzon, Turkey, recorded by Uğur Aslan.
"I chose this recording because the recording captures an intriguing blend of human voices, birds, and musical instrument (kemençe, which is also a Persian instrument), making it rich material for composition. Additionally, a significant portion of my listening memories in my home country, Iran, revolves around moments of mountain hikes.
"A surprise unfolded as I began composing: some of the passersby we hear in the recording speak Persian! Finally, my personal challenge was to use the original recording as the only sound source, so the piece is entirely composed based on this recording without any external sounds."
Trabzon monastery reimagined by Azadeh Nilchiani.
"Drawing inspiration from the recording of a climate protest in Edinburgh, my electroacoustic composition navigates the landscape of media misinformation surrounding crucial societal issues. Utilising the voices captured during the protest, the piece reflects on the challenge of conveying essential messages amidst the noise of information overload. Through intricate sound processing, the composition culminates in a final section featuring the pure singing of the St Andrew Square Choir, communicating the urgency of the protest’s central message, “One world, one chance”."
Edinburgh climate protest reimagined by Angelos Thomas Karelias.
"Ferrara International Buskers Festival 2023 - one of the top dates in the global street music calendar. A troupe of masked Japanese drummers using large plastic oil containers as their instruments impresses a large evening crowd, and as the microphone turns we can hear how the sound is being reflected back by a large castle wall behind us."
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"I captured this audio while walking on a small, narrow road that leads to the entrance of the Sumela Monastery in Karadağ (Black Mountain), Trabzon. This recording is an example of a soundwalk, with natural sounds such as birdsongs, as well as the music of a kemençe, a traditional instrument of the Trabzon region, played by a musician using an amplifier. Additionally, the voices of tourists can be heard on the recording as they walk along the road."
Recorded by Uğur Aslan.
A chorus of cicadas on a hot afternoon high up in the trees above us in the woods near Sirolo, Italy, August 23.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
This is a binaural mix of a nature soundscape involving a particular call and response, recorded while I was staying in Auroville, India.
Recorded by Raghavendran Rajagopal.
On Saturday 12 November in Edinburgh, a coalition of climate groups marched through the city to demand Climate Justice in solidarity with the Global Day of Action called by Egyptian groups at COP27. Performances, songs and chants featured throughout, some of which captured via field recordings.
This recording was from St Andrew Square and features a protestor playing a tongue drum.
Recorded by Bobby Jewell.
"This sound of flowing water in a stream of Parco Naturale del Conero, takes me back to holidays when I was a little boy.
A picnic by the water; I am sitting on a rug, surrounded by family with whom everything is still fine. My father takes photos to preserve a memory for later.
I still have his old camera; the shutter is now broken.
But sometimes, the golden light of those summers reflects in the lens again."
Parco Naturale del Conero stream reimagined by Molenari (Ernest Molenaar).
"This piece is a reflection about the concept of space as sound. Space understood not a visual concept, but as an auditory one, as the connective tissue between all of the objects in the world, carried to the perimeter and to the center. A voluminous environment that emerges from an exquisite global polyphony. This piece was inspired by Mathias Hinke's lesson 'Demonstrations and fun cultures' that explores the role of sound in specific non-musical social settings and practices."
Manchester political rally reimagined by Cristina Marras.
A humid, hot August afternoon in the Parco Regionale del Conero - we record a small trickling stream in a very quiet, butterfly-filled wood, as the occasional insect buzzes around the microphone to check it out.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Labour Party/Corbyn rally, Manchester Apollo, November 2019 - Corbyn supporters chanting at rally. Recorded by Claire Solanki.
"The sound of cicadas are quite meditative. So I let them take me where they wanted to take me. This reimagined piece attempts to tap into the spirit of that journey."
Cicadas in Thailand reimagined by Eulipion Corps.
"Street sounds from the city of dreams evoking memories of romantic fantasy and escapism in the world of cinema.
"Inspired by the field recording of Rome traffic (I have used the entire 4 min sample, thus defining the length of my contribution).
"When listening to street sounds, in any city, any country, I try to hear the history of the echoing voices, footsteps and tires rushing by. Being fed with and always attentive to the ambience, I easily knit a movie in those sounds. If not a new script, most certainly something I have heard in a cinema somewhere, sometime. Reality and popular culture mesh. Natural and constructed sounds. The soundtracks of my life.
"I sourced four major popular culture film genres and used two field recordings.
Movie samples from 80’s Italian Giallo, 60’s British James Bond, American melodrama from the 70’s and road racing Swedish youth in the 50’s. This mixed in with field recordings of a classic roman tiled road and reverberating voices in a very large oil cistern in northern Sweden. All roads lead to Rome, yes?
"Field recording: Italy Rome traffic zooming past
Movie sample: “On Her Majesty’s Service” 1969
Movie score sample: “Tenebre” 1982
Movie sample: “Raggare” 1959
Field recording: Svanö Cistern, Sweden 2018
62.898612317065925, 17.882985593945975
Movie sample: “The Love Machine” 1971"
Roman road noise reimagined by Eva Q Månsson.
"A close-up, binaural recording of a paved/tiled road intersection in Rome, April 23, which makes a particular sound as cars cross over it. We can also hear the distinctive sound of the Roman pedestrian crossing beeps periodically."
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Nighttime sounds of the cicadas and insects in the trees and fields, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Recorded by Alex Boyesen.
"The motion of the Long Beach pump creates a complex set of friction, rubbing and impact sounds. These rhythmic interactions have been abstracted, their harshness softened, and new sets of functional sounds, manipulated rhythms, and drones have been created using the Octatrack MkII."
Long Beach oil pumping reimagined by Alan Cook.
"I carefully cut six loops from the original recording of sounds that worked for me, then layered them up in Ableton live and jammed with them, adding outboard effect into the mix."
Burkina Faso market reimagined by David Webb.
"The sounds of a couple of oil rigs, pumping crude oil out of an area near the San Gabriel River and adjacent to the Los Cerritos Wetlands in Long Beach, Ca. Part of the Hellman Properties."
Recorded by Michael Winchester.
"Kambouinsse market - a small town 20 minutes' drive from Ouagadougou, recorded in the early afternoon."
Recorded by Martin Weissberg.
"I am always intrigued by church bells, especially as they are a constant sound in many peoples lives and a sound that has not changed as the world is played out around the sonic distance they travel. Their sound is the same as prior centuries, or earlier, in old towns and villages they connect us to those so very long gone.
"This is much the case in the field recording now reimagined (with the sound of the bells at the end of the recording now placed at the front of the track and the people's voices swirling around as if hanging in the air). I imagined the bell sound as a beacon leading the track in the piazza, predating the combustion engine, calling people to worship and advising them of time passing over and over again. I layered tones and textures into the samples with more arp layers of synth slowed down courtesy of the Soma Terra (a hands-on hybrid organic synth made from wood). The final track again, I imagine played in the piazza bouncing off the buildings, into the fabric of the surrounding streets and through the namesake of San Marino itself."
San Marino bells reimagined by Andy Billington.
In the centre of San Marino, the clock chimes the hour, we shelter from the wind at the top of this high, exposed old town, and the passers-by are a curious mix of the usual tourists and people in all kinds of costumes here for a festival of sci-fi and fantasy.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"I’ve struggled with tinnitus, more specifically hyperacusis, for 26 years. Extremes of loud noise and silence are the enemy. I’ve pretty much given up on my one main passion, live music, but there are some surprising benefits. I can still hear bats, for example.
I’ve recently moved from Bristol, which has 24/7 background noise, to Stroud, considerably quieter. The natural sounds seem more amplified however and I’ve found myself noticing nature much more. The dawn chorus where we live is a particular highlight. There is no hum of a factory, buzz of motorbike or wail of a passing ambulance. Just pure bird sound. Unsociably early for us humans but when the euphonic calls flow down the valley and the local blackbirds, jackdaws, crows hit their rhythm; I get a wave of calm. A feeling unachievable through artificial music."
Dawn chorus in Stroud recorded by Mike Bingham.
"This started life as an ambient dawn chorus, but then I heard Michel Faber describing how his tinnitus resembles the "quite harsh electronica" music he really loves during the 30 Oct 2023 episode of Start the Week (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001ry9f) and the birdsong mutated!"
Stroud dawn chorus reimagined by Michael Lilley.
"The field recording of street vendors in an outdoor market in the Andean high plains of Chile, one of the driest deserts in the world, fascinated us. You could tell there was so much life in the people buying and selling, despite it being recorded doing the pandemic (much of what is sold or talked about in the recording had to do with Covid). So we wanted the composition (for saxophone and cello) to be as eclectic yet mournful as we imagined the field sounds."
Calama market reimagined by Camila Guerra and Ruxandra Guidi.
"The field recording runs quietly in the background having had sections copied and brutally mangled / filtered / granulised to make musical sounds. Synths added for flavouring."
Cape Town flower market reimagined by Simon Woods.
"My late partner, who was half Swedish and half Dutch, had roots in Rotterdam. Our plans to travel to this city were thwarted by the illness that befell my partner. This composition represents an imaginary trip to Rotterdam that, if it were to materialize, could only happen now under completely different circumstances."
Rotterdam morning soundscape reimagined by LR Friberg.
"The Adderley Street flower market is the oldest flower market in Cape Town – a large covered alley where the flower sellers, mostly women whose families have been in the trade for generations, set up their stalls at 6am each day. This recording captures the market’s morning soundscape – a customer buying freesias, people walking through the market en route to other parts of the city; the sounds of traffic in the background, and flower sellers greeting customers, chatting to one another and filling their buckets with water."
Recorded by Catherine Boulle.
"In this recording we can hear interactions of the local rotatory food market in Calama, Chile (it has different location, depending on the day of the week) during pandemia. You can hear the sellers offering their's differents products and the interaction with clients, as I walked thourght the market."
Recorded by Diego Villalobos S.
"A wet, spring day on my balcony. You can hear the rain drops on a plastic roof, cars driving by on the other side of the canal, the occasional bird that flies by, the ringing of the bridge opening and a big boat pushing the water infront of it, the church nearby signaling noon and a plain flying overhead."
Recorded in Rotterdam by Joris Frowein.
"Working with this recording by Diego Espeleta of howler monkeys and birds taken at dawn at the Reserva Conchal in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, was an exercise in recalibrating expectations of musicality in sound.
"The howler monkeys' growls and barks are guttural, not really what we conventionally associate with singing or music, and indeed sound quite scary in their unfamiliarity. Or is it that they sound scary because of their similarity to horror movie sonic tropes? Apparently howler monkeys are not aggressive or scary animals and, this being dawn, assumedly their sounds, as with the birds, are those of family and friends waking up and discussing what's on for the day in the jungle, a place of opportunity.
"So, for a human listener perhaps there's a mismatch between hearing and expectation, one that is culturally constructed. Given that human music is a human construction, this problem carries over into using this recording as source for a musical composition, although I'm not sure why I decided it had to be a 'musical' composition. Anyway, the sounds of the monkeys seem to range over three semitones in conventional well tempered tuning, so I used this as the basis for the chords in the composed piece, which is constructed entirely from the sounds in the recording, no other sounds are used. Such a chord, of three semitones next to each other, is often used in horror movies and such to give a sense of tension and scariness, and generally is completely avoided in music for its fingernails-on-blackboard effect. Instead, I've used it as the basis for what I hope is an immersive sonic journey of awakening to the possibilities of a new day in an unfamiliar place, where paying close attention causes senses to slow down, and unlearning what we've learned about sound might make music more malleable or momentous, to make time, or even perhaps provide a portal into other inner worlds. But it takes time, so if it just sounds like fingernails, just turn it off."
Costa Rica howler monkeys reimagined by Adam Nash.
The sun is rising fast and bringing in the heat. It is very early in the morning, but you can start to feel that it will be a hot day. The crickets are chirping, creating a constant melody in the forest, birds are calling and moving around the trees and a gentle breeze hits the leaves. A howler monkey emerges from the canopy, eating leaves and stretching from the night sleep. The sound of her call makes all else irrelevant.
Recorded by Diego Espeleta.
Monks and Buddhists chanting during the evening prayer ceremony, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Recorded by Alex Boyesen.
"The birds singing inspired me to imagine a dystopian world, where they made their appearance for the first time. When the people in the village immediately developed a strong dislike for them we listen to a man planning to return to force them to leave..."
Birds in Vumari, Tanzania reimagined by Giovanna Iorio.
An informal evening meditation among falling leaves.
Chiang Mai monks reimagined by Joel Graham.
"The original field recording by Alex Clifford featured a live jazz festival on Bourbon Street - one of the most iconic streets in the world. Although well known for it's 'buzzing' atmosphere, I wanted to try and evoke the rare times when Bourbon Street is quiet - maybe early dawn; the spring sun just rising, and the streets and hotel/bar fronts being washed down and prepped for another busy day and night..."
Bourbon Street, New Orleans reimagined by Rod Dykeman.
"With the soundscape of that forest near the Thai city of Chiang Mai, I have reimagined a new space of natural tranquility with granular textures that process the original recording and playful random melodies imitating bird songs and tiny ambient noises."
Thai forest reimagined by Marco Maril.
"An old man is riding the sleek new CAT train from central Vienna to the airport. He drifts and dreams, of trains and trams and railyards he has experienced throughout his long life. At one point he falls asleep and finds himself in a station, where he can’t understand a word of what’s on the public address system. Finally the announcement comes of arrival at the airport. Is he relieved?"
Vienna CAT train reimagined by John Tenney.
With the CAT (City Airport Train), Vienna offers a rapid connection between city centre and airport. In only 16 minutes, the City Airport Train brings you nonstop from the airport to the Vienna city centre and vice versa – without stress and traffic jams and in an environmentally friendly way. It’s relaxing and soothing with minor hums and clicks and not overcrowded. Let’s take a ride!
Recorded by Rebecca Goldberg.
Early morning forest sounds with insects and birds, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Recorded by Alex Boyesen.
Live jazz plays outside on an evening walk along Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Recorded by Alex Clifford.
"The filed recording runs quietly in the back ground having had sections copied and brutally mangled / filtered / granulised to make musical sounds. Synths added for flavouring."
Manchester overpass reimagined by Simon Woods.
"Trams pass overhead as we stand under a bridge in Manchester. In this urban recording, you can also hear loud construction sounds, passing traffic and nesting pigeons cooing in the quieter moments. Industrial Manchester."
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Deep in the city of HCM children can be heard learning simple sentences from their teacher.
Recorded by Kit Wilmans Fegradoe.
"This piece evolved out of the orginal field recording. I processed the original recording within Logic Pro and added some instruments that I felt fitted the sound. It seems to have a slight religious overtone to it due to the organ sounds I've used."
Screamer kites in Bermuda reimagined by Richard Watts.
The sound of dogs and the traditional Bermudan "screamer" kites – big kites designed to stay up in strong winds and make as much noise as possible. Also the noise of wind in trees.
Recorded by Mark Wilden.
"The recording from the hotel balcony captures the city's atmosphere together with lessons in a nearby school. I manipulated the voices of the teacher and children in their classroom and combined them with percussive sounds together with an additional street vendor's call."
Ho Chi Minh City balcony recording reimagined by Roland Pyle.
"In Oxford, Stuart Fowkes runs the Cities and memory site, one of the world's largest sound projects. Among other things, it is a large world map where you can listen to over 6,000 sounds from 115 countries and for each point on the map there are two sounds - a field recording and a variant of that sound interpreted by an artist. The sounds sometimes become albums and we listen to a humpback whale that has become music in the song Majestic Mammalia from the record Polar Sounds."
Broadcast December 2023 on Sveriges Radio, Sweden.
"For my composition La Mer Gelée (The Frozen Sea), I used a field recording from a frozen beach (Munkkiniemi Beach) in Helsinki, Finland. I was immediately drawn to the the idea of sound coming from ice crystals that literally touch the sea. My head filled with ideas for reimagining these frozen sounds into music.
"I was focused on glitching sounds, using fragments of electronic and minimal acoustic tones along side the original field recording. I was seeking to find the beauty of a frozen world within a microsound environment. Not mechanical, but an organic world containing interferences and errors that reveal harmonic undertones from the natural world. Enjoy!"
Finnish frozen beach reimagined by Jeff Dungfelder.
Action from the Wimbledon tennis tournament on 9 July 2023 - here we are on Court Two for the Mixed Doubles, watching Boulter and De Minaur (who have the home crowd on their side as Katie Boulter is British), vs. Vliegen and Xu. This is a tie break in the third set.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
The delicate creaking and cracking of the sea ice at Munkkiniemi beach. The ebb and flow of the sea water pushes and pulls the ice blocks. Its almost as if the frozen sea is breathing. I had to place the recorder deep into a crevice of the ice to pick up these tiny sounds. The faint rumble of Helsinki city sounds in the distance.
Recorded by Chris Bradbury.
"Wazirpur is one of the 29 industrial areas spread across Delhi – NCR. The place is overrun with hundreds of small-scale factories which have attracted thousands of low-income migrant workers – usually from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Bengal. Scattered among the factories are the jhuggis/ slums which these workers call home.
"The recording is made one evening on a busy street in the Wazirpur Industrial Area. Vendors walk by, selling all sorts of things from clothes, slippers, utensils, cosmetics, old radios, meat, vegetables, and bangles. Most vendors have smalls mics or recorded tapes through which they advertise their prices. One such vendor is heard through a mic saying ‘Pyaaz das rupiya kilo’ (Onions 10 rupees per kg), whose sound by the end gets mixed with its own organic delay."
Recorded by Bariya.
Photo credit: Jignesh Mistry.
"I wanted to use the rhythm and tones of the New Delhi voices and then add something melodic as the track progressed. Its relatively chaotic with all the voices/sounds and the ambient undercurrent anchors and balances this. The voices are the sound of life and I found this inspiring cos its real - unlike a lot of Western noise I am exposed to which just seems to be easy to ignore and filter out."
Wazirpur Industrial Area, New Delhi reimagined by he didnt (Nick Peel).
"A tennis match is a clash under the sea."
Wimbledon doubles match reimagined by Leonardo Santiago.
Cities and Memory founder Stuart Fowkes talks to The Art Newspaper's weekly podcast The Week in Art, discussing our brand new project Migration Sounds, and how Cities and Memory uses sound to offer new perspectives on the world. Broadcast on 27 October 2023.
"Music for sleep"is an almost hour-length composition constructed from carefully-selected contributions to the Cities and Memory global sound project Music for Sleep.
The piece contains excerpts from the following compositions, all of which can be found in full at www.citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep.
- Stirring by Keira Simmons
- Warming ghost by Nicolo Scolieri
- Adriatic moons by R. Seiliog
- Watch your step as you exit the dream by Kit Monteith
- Një endërr Gjipe (a dream of Gjipe) by Moray Newlands
- Lullaby89 by Jenn Howd
- Glacial exhale by Michael Reiley
- Whispers of slumber by Firephly
- Dreamscape 08.07.23 by Baying Ridges
- The empty hours by Andy Cartwright
- Oxford to eternity by the void inclusive
Credits:
from Music for Sleep: soundscapes, releases October 23, 2023
Compositions by Keira Simmons, Nicolo Scolieri, R. Seiliog, Kit Monteith, Moray Newlands, Jenn Howd, Michael Reiley, Firephly, Baying Ridges, Andy Cartwright and the void inclusive.
A soundscape of thunderstorm recordings from the Music for Sleep project, including:
- Abbazia Pisani, Italy
- Levpa, Slovenia
- Ontario, Canada
- Readyville, USA
Explore the full collection of sounds at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep
A soundscape of wave recordings from the Music for Sleep project, including:
- Krorez Bay, Albania - recorded by Rafael Diogo
- Hilton Head, USA - recorded by Jake Carnley
- Vis, Croatia - recorded by Roberto Vodanovic
- Gjipe, Albania - recorded by Rafael Diogo
- Hermosa Beach, Costa Rica - recorded by Marcel Gnauk
- Sirolo, Italy - recorded by Cities and Memory
- Port Noarlunga, Australia - recorded by Alan Cook
Explore the full collection of sounds at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep
A soundscape of forest recordings from the Music for Sleep project, including:
- Uppsala, Sweden
- Mont Serin, France
- Glasgow, Scotland
Explore the full collection of sounds at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep
This reimagining is made entirely of the sound of the Wylfa Waves. Filtered, edited, Wavetable synth etc to make a double tempo, upbeat, dancing on the beach tune!
Waves at Porth y Wylfa reimagined by Simon Woods.
This field recording of sea waves was made at Porth y Wylfa on the island of Anglesey, North Wales by Phil Cunliffe.
This reimagined composition centres around the carnival sound clip, but it seemed important to include the newly commissioned and controversial Rampion off-shore wind farm’s presence. The short sound sequence follows an electron’s journey from wind turbine through waves lapping the shore, and into the machinery and candy coloured lights of the carnival funfair situated east of the pier, only to recede like the tide as demand for power diminishes as the evening fades and happy revellers wander home, leaving the ever-present herring gulls to forage for fallen fish & chips and abandoned burgers.
Worthing carnival reimagined by Steve McInally.
The sound is of the 2019 summer carnival as it passes Worthing pier (England); a joyful event with drums and parades, the recording is intended to capture the happy carefree atmosphere of the carnival and sense of relaxed fun, with locals and visitors happily jostling and dancing along together with their ice creams and children, all blissfully ignorant of the muted and fearful COVID 19 driven social isolation that was to come.
Recorded by Steve McInally.
Waves in Anglesey reimagined by Simon Woods - "the reimagined composition uses waves of synths and white noise to complement the sound of the waves."
This field recording of sea waves was made at Porth y Môr on the island of Anglesey, North Wales. Recorded by Phil Cunliffe.
"This is a remix of the sounds recorded at the Mexico Punta Nizuc reef underwater at night by Heather Spence. For the piece I was aiming for the feeling as you wake up from a good night's sleep."
Mexican reef reimagined by Doom Scrolling.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Underwater recording of coral reef at night recorded autonomously (no human presence to change the soundscape). Punta Nizuc is a marine protected area off the coast of Cancun. At night, there are no loud boat motors. The primary crackling sound you hear is snapping shrimp. There are a few subtle fish sounds as well. The overall experience is somewhat like brown noise, which is excellent for sleeping! Perhaps this is even better because this reef soundscape is non-random.
Recorded by Heather Spence.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"A thunderstorm at 5.00am already has a faraway, mysterious quality, as if you're not sure if you're really hearing it or whether you've dreamed the storm. This piece is an extension of a dream about a thunderstorm, with the arpeggiated synth lines representing the interplay of the falling raindrops.
"The synth lines that emerge later in the piece represent the momentum of the storm as it passes overhead and leaves us behind, and the slight rise in intensity over the piece stands in for the ominous rumbles of thunder that crackle into life. Changes in the piece are minimal, allowing the listener to lock into the piece and drift away with the storm."
5.00am thunderstorm in northern Italy reimagined by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
As nighttime blankets the majestic Rugova Mountains in Kosovo, the symphony of sounds crescendos into a mesmerizing cacophony. The enchanting blend of insects' melodies and the haunting calls of night birds transforms a magical full moon night into a captivating experience. Secluded in a cabin amidst the wilderness, with no one for miles around, the solitude amplifies the ethereal ambiance, immersing you in a truly unforgettable encounter.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Agim Mala, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rumassala Sanctuary (Jungle Beach), insects + birds +road traffic far away + passages + man talking + waves, and a monkey towards the end of the recording.
Recorded by Stéphane Marin/Espaces Sonores.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Raveenhw, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A huge thunderstorm passes overheard at 5.00am in northern Italy - this recording is made from an open patio door directly out into the storm. Pouring rain clatters against the wooden shutters, while cracks of thunder rumble ominously and break overhead.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Using the sound of the bridge as ambience and texture I re-imagined this piece.
I sampled part of the sound to mimic the sound of breathing. The beat mimics the heart beat as we drift into sleep.
The “tune” represents the awake mind .
As we drift into unconsciousness our subconscious takes over and reimagines the “tune” in a variety of ways.
As we drift into deep sleep we enter the dream.
As with most of my dreams they are repetitive and seemingly never ending.
Finally we awake and become aware of our surroundings once again.
"The narrative / poem dictates the transition from drowse into a deep sleep.
The chorus sings “ When we fall asleep, our awareness of the surrounding world fades. Yet, the sleeping brain is far from being dormant.”"
Salt River, Tempe reimagined by Daniel Chudley - Le Corre.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"My recording from Julia Innes was of melting snow. My soundscapes gravitated towards climate collapse and a sense of deep time hearing solid ice turn to liquid. The idea of the earth exhaling and inhaling the cycles of life through the vast oceans of deep time emerged as a sculpted around Julia's field recording."
Snow in Montreal reimagined by Michael Reiley.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"I got to work with the sounds captured at Rumassala Sanctuary in Sri Lanka. I was enchanted by how bustling the jungle beach actually is - it is absolutely packed with sounds. I was especially drawn to the tweets and chirps of the birds and insects, which inspired me to record a simple, peaceful, lullaby-like song. I don’t know what time of day it was when these sounds were captured, but I imagined it was night - hence the idea for a lullaby.
"The lyrics were inspired by one of the singers I admire, the late Chuck Mosley; I imagined singing a farewell lullaby to him, far beyond our Earthly realm, joined by a choir of birds and insects whose voices are filtered by the many layers of the Earth’s atmosphere."
Rumassala Sanctuary reimagined by Jelena Perišić.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Raveenhw, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Though many of us seek calming sounds or voices to quiet our bodies and minds and to soothe us to sleep, our actual experience of sleep is rarely a still or tranquil one. Indeed cultures across the globe have long appreciated sleep as a dynamic, active domain. It is a space of dreaming, creating, processing, and remembering in which the conscious self of the waking world gives way to a very different register of experience.
This field recording of a pedestrian bridge over a dammed portion of the Salt River in Tempe, Arizona (once Hayden’s Ferry) explores this phenomenology of sleep. Two geophones, a contact microphone, and a hydrophone are deployed to capture the less accessible aspects of conscious auditory experience. In turn, the recording evokes the familiar, yet otherworldliness our sleepscapes and the “clanging” of memory as we move across a world of sleep and across a river of dreams.
Recorded by Thomas Catlaw.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The recording made me think of night soundscape in rural Italy, a childhood memory of a sonic picture that I feel has changed significantly today. As part of my work is to improvise with non-human animals I improvised a melody on guitar along the crickets, and then I improvised some chords on a midi keybpard on which I developed another guitar melody. The cricket sound has been modified and used for other sounds and effects, such as the chirping sound that can be heard throughout the composition. I also chose to leave the original soundscape mostly unaffected to give this idea of night soundscape."
Rugova Mountains at night reimagined by Luca Gambirasio.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Agim Mala, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The soothing melody of rivers cascading down Lengarica Canyon in Albania is profoundly calming, inducing a sense of tranquillity that harmonizes with your hiking journey. There is a remarkable quality to nature's sounds that effortlessly lulls you into a state of peacefulness as if nature itself has the innate ability to foster inner harmony with both yourself and the surrounding environment. It is in these moments that taking a natural nap amidst the gentle embrace of nature becomes an alluring invitation.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Klejdi Shtrepi, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"I truly enjoyed participating in this project, where the beautifull sound of the stream served as my muse right from the outset. Upon hearing the field recording, I was immediately transported to a vision of myself, reclining in the soft grass by the stream's edge, resting, almost sleeping while friends wove spontaneous music into the canvas of a summer evening. It brings me a melancholic and peaceful feeling
"The process of crafting this track became a serene journey, offering solace and a profound sense of peace. It was an oasis of tranquility in the midst of life's constant motion.
"I wish to express my deep gratitude to my friend, Daniel Fisher, whose beautiful recording of the handpan added a touch of enchantment to my creation."
Lengarica Canyon reimagined by Chacana.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Klejdi Shtrepi, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"Close your eyes and step into a world where dreams become a soothing lullaby and sleep turns into a healing sanctuary. Meet "Dreamcatcher," your trusted companion for a peaceful night's rest.
"When I created this sound journey, my goal went far beyond just helping you sleep - it was about igniting your inner strength, reconnecting you to your roots, and nurturing spiritual healing.
"Picture this track as more than just a bedtime lullaby. It's a shamanic soundscape, meticulously crafted to usher you into deep, rejuvenating sleep and awaken you fully refreshed.
"When I composed this sound journey, I had a loftier goal than mere drowsiness. I aimed to make your sleep profoundly healing and restorative. Yet, in my quest, I sensed there was something missing.
"So, I embarked on a quest, engaging in conversations with folks who've struggled with sleepless nights. Their tales were filled with phrases like, "I've been tossing and turning for weeks," "I've tried everything, nothing seems to work," and "I just can't sleep." These stories ignited a realization within me.
"I discovered that how we converse with ourselves holds tremendous power. We would never say to a friend or a child, "You won't sleep, no matter what you do." So, why do we impose such limits on ourselves? Even though our intentions are not unkind, these words inadvertently shackle us. Instead, picture whispering to yourself, "I can't wait to have the most incredible dreams and wake up feeling utterly refreshed," or "Imagine your cherished haven, snug and secure. Let your thoughts drift there, embracing the love and joy. You can sleep and unwind; you're surrounded by safety and love," or even "You will sleep soundly and conquer any dream that dances through your mind."
"Our words wield immense power. They trigger our bodies to release specific chemicals. In moments of security and love, oxytocin, the feel-good hormone, reigns supreme. Yet, in moments of unease, cortisol, the stress hormone, takes command.
"Now, within this track lies a hidden gem - a mantra, a unique phrase that gently guides you. But don't stop there! Craft your own loving mantras to program yourself for a night of blissful slumber. "Dreamcatcher" unfolds like a shamanic journey. You'll embark from your happy place and travel into a whimsical realm, guided by benevolent spirits and loving guides.
"The musical tapestry also weaves special isochronic tone frequencies: 258 Hz, anchoring you in safety and grounding; 432 Hz and 528 Hz, conduits of love, regeneration, and healing; and 852 Hz, enveloping you in an aura of safety, love, and freedom.
"In this endeavour, I enlisted the talents of my friend Nico Meyering, a master of audio mixing and mastering. Nico's touch extended beyond perfecting the mix. He crafted a subtle, grounding pad that harmonizes beautifully with the track's healing frequencies. But that's not all - he transformed the kick into a heartbeat, the very first sound that graces our ears, both humans and animals. It's the comforting echo of our mother's heartbeat in the womb – a universally healing sound that blankets us in serenity and safety.
"As an extra layer of enchantment, the track features a field recording of woodpeckers at dawn. Across diverse ancient cultures, the woodpecker symbolizes not only inner fortitude but also a profound reconnection with one's origins and a pathway to spiritual rejuvenation. Just as the woodpecker's rhythmic taps echo through the awakening forest, let this soothing symphony guide you toward inner strength and a deeper connection with your authentic self.
"So, get ready to embark on this remarkable odyssey. "Dreamcatcher" speaks to your soul, encouraging you to harness your inner strength, rediscover your roots, and embrace spiritual healing. Let the heartbeat of the universe serenade you, and may your dreams unfold like the wings of a sacred woodpecker, guiding you to newfound realms of tranquillity and transformation."
Fermansbo Urskog Nature Reserve reimagined by micca.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"I am a traditional Turkish reed flute ney player. Our traditional music is modal music and it has different maqams for different emotions. I have used one of them which has calming qualities. Selected sound were the nature sounds at the sea side evening time. This gave me some inspiration to improvise this melodies with my Ney to express this common and collective field where all the dreams are coming from as an original source. I called the piece "entangled dreams" just like the concept in quantum physics. Quantum physists call this concept as "quantum entanglement". Also Carl Jung call this field collective unconscious."
Wind in Saint Pierre d'Argençon reimagined by Özgür Önal.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"After listening through to the field recording a number of times, closing my eyes, I imagined I was there. I wanted to convey the moments between awake and sleep - those hypnogogic states in which auditory illusions can happen. The field recording includes insects, birdsongs, the gentle rusting of grass and the calm atmosphere. Initially, I used the sound mostly unprocessed but as the composition developed, I began to sample and loop small phrases to created subtle rhythmical patterns and when put together with the musical elements, began to create a wash where all of the sound slowly began merging into a soundscape reminiscent to me of a dream state. "
Mont Ventoux reimagined by John Rushton.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Dawn chorus recorded in May 2023 at a nature reserve in Oxford - binaural recording.
Recorded by Giulia Biasibetti.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"I love dawn choruses, but as I considered this one for a sleep project, I realized that dawn choruses are waking sounds, not sleeping sounds. This is my response to the challenge of turning daybreak into sleep time.
"Sleep music for me usually means drones, long, slow tones, and an emphasis on timbre, inviting the flywheel of the daytime mind to spin down."
Oxford dawn chorus reimagined by Circling Crows.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"I started with the name of the sound "Aphrodite's Rock", which inspired a story: at the beginning, there was nothingness, then Aphrodite emerges from the sea foam and establishes herself first as a woman (indicated by the harp sound) and then as a mother (represented by the piano). Thus, she sings her lullaby to her child until the nightfall. The entire story is accompanied by the wind, which I chose to symbolize through the sound of the Bansuri.
"In the central section, I utilized the original sound, from her self-affirmation to the conclusion of the lullaby. Here, the sound transforms into the "sound of silence" and of night (I created that sound using a Noise Gate, Fuzz-Wah, and Delay).
At the inception, I employed granulation to modify the sound of Aphrodite's Rock and a Bendir for rhythmic elements.
"The Celtic harp was performed by Angela Cosi, the Bansuri by Giorgia Santoro, the Bendir by Roberto Chiga and the piano by me."
Aphrodite's Rock reimagined by Valentina Marra.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"I chose the sound recorded by Marcel Gnauk at Hermosa Beach - Jaco, as I love the sound of the ocean and by chance my son had recently visited Costa Rica. After experimenting, I decided to keep the beautiful sound of the sea just as it was with a little reverb added. I then created a sound that I felt would be like light shimmering on the water and improvised the whole track in one take whilst imagining lying on the beach at sunset, the moon rising and phosphorescence dancing on the ocean, feeling safe, relaxed and drifting away into a glorious sleep."
Hermosa Beach reimagined by Amanda Stuart.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: diego_cue, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Shortly after dawn in the heart of the Fermansbo Urskog Nature Reserve, woodpeckers begin drumming on tree trunks. The forest is extremely calm. A perfect soundscape to calm the mind, body and soul
Recorded by Colin Hunter.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Recorded in my garden on a day when the mistral wind was constant, blowing through a pine tree. A single cicada had been present, hiding in the garden all week. There are occasional clucks from the neighbours chickens.
Recorded by Andy Cartwright.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
This gentle summer soundscape was recorded in the forêt domaniale du mont Ventoux in the Vaucluse region of France. Listening back, we can imagine drifting off to sleep whilst swinging gently in a hammock hung between trees.
Recorded by Colin Hunter.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
This large rock formation off a pebbly beach is the birthplace of Aphrodite in Greek mythology.
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The relaxing sound of slowly breaking waves on Hermosa Beach on the west coast of Costa Rica. The occasional birdsong can also be heard.
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: diego_cue, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"“Stirring” explores the process of waking as the sun rises. Recently I’m trying to shift my circadian rhythm and wake up early each day, and in seeking ways to wake my brain up gently I have found that (of course) music is the answer. For this project I wanted to create a track I would happily set as my alarm, to rouse my brain and senses as I resist the day.
"I created instruments from the recording using granular synthesis an arpeggiated sampler to highlight the elements of Antoniadou’s original field recording that I find most delightful (the insects and frog chorus), then imitated the recording’s stippled quality using arpeggiated synths and gentle drums. With quick stereo and binaural panning to provide enough sonic interest that the listener is engaged but not overstimulated, “Stirring” could also soundtrack a short nap or meditation."
River Kwai delta soundscape reimagined by Keira Simmons.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
This recording was made late in the night at my house in the country over a decade ago. I couldn't sleep and went out to the sunroom to hear the night sounds. A storm started rumbling in the distance, so I grabbed my field recorder, opened the doors, and started recording. This excerpt captures the intensifying of the storm over the course of 20 minutes with thunder, wind, and heavy rain. After spending a long time listening, I stopped the recording and went back in to go to finally sleep. The rain had soothed me and the sustained focus of listening had put me into a relaxed trance.
Recorded by Heath Webb (thevoidinclusive).
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The piece is built upon a field recording from Heath Webb, with slowly shifting drones coalescing over rain, wind, and thunder sounds. The added drones explore a range of frequencies, aiming to create a relaxing and soothing ambiance in conjunction with the natural white noise."
Readyville rain reimagined by Kevin Leomo.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The quiet recording had light snoring, covered in noise and the faintest suggestion of music in the background. I amplified these elements into the dream of a sleeping louse (I think Louise was a typo), where the sounds of that room are mixed with imaginary electrical turbulence and unformed parasitic thoughts."
Sleeping baby soundscape reimagined by Sam Taylor.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"As this project is the polar opposite of what I usually try to achieve (i.e. keeping my listener awake!), I found it very challenging. I doubt I have sufficiently suppressed my usual approach, and thus failed miserably to fulfil the brief! Anyway, here it is, with thanks to Libravox and 'Newgate Novelist" for the reading of Caroline Leakey's 19th C poem. The piece comprises mostly the original field recording and re-workings of same, plus a few extras."
Rye Harbour reimagined by Nick St. George.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
This is my 9 month old baby Louise sleeping. On the background there is the music of Ólafur Arnalds, which has been her sleeping music since she was a newborn, and the fan that we are using in these hot summer days.
Recorded by Késia Decoté.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
This soundcape was recorded on February 2023 at Little Machaba Safaris Lodge at the banks of river Kwai, at the vast area of the Delta of Okavango in Botswana.
Imagine this: you find yourself nestled in the heart of the wilderness, surrounded by a symphony of sounds. Frogs croaking in perfect harmony, birds chirping their melodic tunes, and insects buzzing away. Ah, bliss! And as if that wasn't enough, you can even hear the gentle pitter-patter of raindrops, adding to the enchanting soundscape.
Recorded by Soundquest/Christina Antoniadou.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Rio Napo flows from Cotopaxi volcano to Amazon river. A 668 miles long sine wave which has inspired this composition where slow sine waves flow along with the river itself."
Rio Napo reimagined by Sine.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: SabineDeviche, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
It is the soundscape of a saltmarsh nature reserve - the daytime flora and fauna, birds, insects and landscape winding down before night time, a watershed between one part of a 24 hour cycle and another. It hopefully communicates that peaceful wave, interupted by a small moped going past on a track. I left this in as a reminder of how human noise invades the sonic world.
Recorded by Mary Hooper.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Entering the theta state where you slide into sleep and things start to happen as you are part of the start of your dreamings. Made with added vocals, bass, guitar, and sampled recording. Best with eyes closed."
Cotigao wildlife sanctuary reimagined by Michelle Breslin/Lostworldsounds.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
July 2017, 12pm, sounds of the Rio Napo river.
Recorded by Mark Wilden.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: SabineDeviche, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"I love the sound of the wind through the trees, the rising and falling sweeps of air, the gusting swooping swirling sounds feel exciting but calming too. I find this strange contrast inspiring.
"I made minimal changes to the original recording, modifying it only to maintain its meditative quality and mixed it to wide stereo to allow for the most emersive experience. I kept melodic phrases sparse and used layered spoken words to provide focus and texture.
"Using the metaphor of walking a path, the narrators encourage the listener to cast aside their cares and let their imagination drift down a forest track, to be curious, relax and soak up the ambience and amble deeper along the forest path that leaves wakefulness far behind."
Portuguese wind in the trees reimagined by Claire Pearson.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
This sound was recorded at night in a wooded area during the summer. Crickets are the main act here. As a diurnal species, in much of the habitable world we've associated crickets with night, and night with sleep.
Recorded by Daniel Braun.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"A very slowly evolving piece that loops the source recording into a rhythm, which slowly drifts away. The track follows a progression of falling asleep, as elements fade away and the listener moves from a space with the familiar sounds from the recording, to a space in which those sounds are abstracted and dulled."
Cemetery in Vienna reimagined by Peter Flint.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
June 2022, 10pm Netrevali, Goa, India, sounds of the night - insects chirping, air conditioning drone.
Recorded by Mark Wilden.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The beautiful sounds in this rich night-time scene of the original recording made me think of how busy the microscopic life is in the natural world while we are sleeping. I wanted layers of sound to represent the different insects and animals as they go about their business of taking care of their microenvironment, all while we are in our cosy cocoon of sleep.
"The piece starts with the original recording that is gradually diluted with so much reverb that the crickets become a pitched sound which is eventually depicted by violins. The listener is distracted from this transition by small punctuations of sound that develop, and lead the other animals into their nightly routine. Sweet dreams!"
Dell Creek wildlife area reimagined by Elise Plans.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
The droplets of this leaky pipe at a Viennese cemetery caught my attention on a stroll, because I found their melody when diving into the basin to be beautiful and calming. There's also a bit background noise and the gargling voice of the pipe itself. I think it makes for a good sleep melody when heavily processed in panning, tempo and pitch.
Recorded by Sandro Nicolussi.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Wind sounds on trees in Serra de Montejunto, a classified area in central Portugal.
Recorded by Luís Antero.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"This composition takes Oscar Marin’s wonderfully atmospheric field recording keeping its original length of 20 minutes, but cut, sampled and slowed down. I have then layered this with my own recorded and mixed and sampled sounds to create a composite soundscape that I hope creates a tranquil space for relaxation and sleep.
Research indicates that pulsing and repeating sounds out of sequence can help the brain and body relax before sleep, I have also included sounds to occupy the mind to distract from any temporal thoughts of daily life and things that need to be done!
The ‘hiss’ is intentional to help create a constant thread of texture and tone."
Mexican dawn chorus reimagined by Mary Hooper.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Our assigned field recording, captured in a Portuguese natural area near Vila Velha de Ródão, lulled us into daydreams that morphed into a short and pleasant nap. The familiar and comfortable feeling of bobbing up and down between conscious listening and unconscious sleep became an inspiration for this composition. Research into the human sleep cycle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_cycle) provided a template for construction of a sonic journey that compresses this natural 90-minute cycle into three minutes of auditory metaphor.
"Initial pulses of transition to shallow subconsciousness give way to deeper sequences of resonant drone layered with smears of tonal abstraction. A sudden and disorienting period of REM cycle dreaming flashes bright and loud, a cloud of chopped components sourced from the original recording. The listener arrives back into the realm of conscious listening, their ears refreshed and receptive while lingering vibrations from the nap continue to rattle."
Portuguese nature reserve reimagined by Neal Johnson and Anders Pollack.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
My mother passed during the production of this theme. I dedicate this music to her and may she rest in peace.
Portuguese nature reserve reimagined by June Lopez.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The roaring sound of the water inside the Coin Caves prompted me to express the idea of a perpetual swaying motion, which is communicated through the sloshing of the water inside the cave. The flow conveys a sense of tranquility and serenity, which I wanted to reconstruct by processing the sound of the water, which is perceived by the left ear in a natural way, while on the right it is in reverse. The synth complements the input given by nature and at the same time recreates the ideal dream environment."
Portuguese cave reimagined by 42.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"As a Classical Indian musician, my musical tradition is rooted in the natural environment. As such, I hear music in both the human and natural environment. There is always a medley of songs, notes and rhythms to be found in every landscape. The soundscape of the recording is no different. The bells, symbolic of the Church, represent for a Caribbean citizen as I, the European world, the world of the colonizer. It marks the centre for many Caribbean citizens. For others, like myself it is the place from which we must free ourselves as we create our own roots and tradition. For me, the Caribbean is liminal space, like sleep. Sleep is that state between death and life, the closest we are to life and death simultaneously. It is rejuvenating space where the subconscious has the space to express itself. I describe the Caribbean as a liminal space because liminality presents immense creative possibilities. Like sleep, it is in-between, transitioning, in a state of becoming. As West Indian/Caribbean people we are transplanted communities with remembered traditions, a people who have re-created and continue to re-create, from the fragments of memory passed down through generations. As such, I have used fragments of the recording and re-ordered them to lay a rhythmic bed that is a combination of rhythms that are similar to the Indian classical musical tradition. The rhythm is the centre of the piece, on which the bell's melody pivots. It ends in a release of rhythm where the melody, now whole again, drifts off."
Portuguese nature reserve reimagined by Sharda Patasar.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Sounds of a natural classified area in central Portugal. Tranquility, water, wind.
Recorded by Luís Antero.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Nature sounds from a natural classified area in central Portugal. Birds, wind, tranquility.
Recorded by Luís Antero.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Nature sounds in a natural classified area in central Portugal. Water, birds.
Recorded by Luís Antero.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Water sounds from a cage in a natural classified area in central Portugal - tranquility.
Recorded by Luís Antero.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The piece is reflecting the feeling of falling in and out of consciousness just before deep sleep. I've manipulated the bird call recording throughout and interwoven several melodic ideas using various machines. Produced and mixed in Ableton Live."
Lille lockdown reimagined by Alex Hehir.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"I’ve been familiar with this this nocturne since childhood, and loved the timing and the dissonant resonances produced by the piano in this recording.
Slowing it down and adding layers of effects emphasises the resonant sounds, and adding a “player piano” in the form of a flawed audio-midi extraction adds to the dream-like atmosphere."
Lockdown piano practice reimagined by Andrew Tulloch.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"During the pandemic I moved to Liverpool, UK to live on a park that has a lake. Each day birds, bats and insects sounds surround me as I balance in a fatigue state. I was excited to hear the recordings Fernando Gonzalez Garcia's made from their own terrace in Vera Cruz, Mexico. They felt alien yet familiar. The act of listening and capturing the wildlife of another ecosystem drew me into a state, much like a daydream. For the duration of my listening I was suspended in another space and time, able to relive it on loop at my discretion. There is something incredibly intimate about this exchange, I chose to elevate this state with improvised violin recordings, playful, uncertain, full of motion and dissonance."
Veracruz terrace recording reimagined by Lola de la Mata.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"This composition uses only the noises of birdsong, recorded one night in Portugal during the Covid lockdowns. I find drones and low frequencies incredibly restful, so this composition mixes individual bird calls with heavily processed versions of their songs to create a deep, sonorous, and hopefully restful environment."
Portugal quarantine night reimagined by Scott A. Wilson.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"When originally choosing the field recording I went for something that was rich and textural and not obviously relaxing, as I wanted to portray a different side to the normal calming idea of sleep.
"Recently with hot nights and stress, I’ve been in exactly the right state to complete a piece that hopefully in some way represents the slow dread and rush of insomnia and broken sleep.
"I took the original recording and “broke” it apart by using noise reduction and heavily band passed certain frequencies to create a delta wave binaural frequency which runs throughout the piece. This frequency supposedly induces calm and sleep.
The noise reduction created some lovely happy accidents, namely the percussion sounding loops and the odd accompanying bass. I then further processed the original recording through a chain of resonators and gates to create the synth top line and the band passed and separated “vocals” are run through various chains of fx to create a drowning and underwater feel, neither asleep or awake, the feeling I hope the piece provides overall."
Bath air conditioning drone reimagined by The Quiet Wood.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Agadant, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"Working with my own sensor triggered instrument Fågelbord (Bird table) and field recordings of Swedish forest birds and the sounds of the jungle in Unawatuna, Sri Lanka, I have created a composition that hopefully will put you to wonderful sleep. Also inspired by the fact that science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke spent many years in Unawatuna and probably there wrote the epic film script for Stanley Kubrick's "2001 - A space odyssey"."
Unawatuna morning reimagined by Eva Q Månsson.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
An air conditioning drone outside the ancient Roman Baths in Bath, England - the confluence of ancient history and the more industrial sounds of a modern city.
Recorded by Lee Riley.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Agadant, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Villa jungle paradise - Unawatuna, Sri Lanka, insect drones and dawn chorus.
Recorded by Stéphane Marin/Espaces Sonores.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The recording I chose was the resonance of beach wind from inside a flagpole. I live on the coast (hence the track title name) and this sound connected with me whilst having a unique character and energy; which I thought would be a good foundation to work with. The raw recording is intense with lots of low end frequencies, this was subdued using a dynamic EQ so it wasn’t too overbearing. I added some EQ filter modulation for interest, reverb for ambient space and chorus modulation for a more cosmic inspired atmosphere.
"I played around with some chords and musical sounds I liked and built the main melody, keeping plenty of space between notes in the arrangement. This helps to give it a sense of space and calm in the structure.
"Some of the synth pad layers were processed through hardware pedals like the Hologram Microcosm for added texture. A 1 Hz beating tone fades in slowly, made from a 120 Hz sine wave and a 121 Hz sine wave, the perceived difference being a 1 Hz monaural beat. This can help some people stimulate a Delta brainwave state that can be beneficial for mediation or sleeping. Hopefully the composition reflects my interpretation of music for sleep and allows people to switch off and drift away."
Kogalla beach, Sri Lanka reimagined by Ideosound (Nick Granville-Fall).
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Sleeping on a ship. The thrum of the engine is the pulse of the body is the breathing of the sea. The ferry is the bourdon for a dance between cello and voice, outside and inside the body, outside and inside the skin. The title is a line from "Turbine Turns," an ode to an ocean liner by the Greek poet Andreas Embeirikos. Cello improvisations by Theo Guttenplan."
Lullaby on a ferry reimagined by Maria Margaronis.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"In this piece, dreams and reality blend together to transform the world, i.e. "the world is our oyster".
"The source recording (i.e. reality) is chattering in a bar in Washington DC. Conversations are a basic form of human interaction, a powerful force that has transformed the world into the Anthropocene. Washington DC, as the capital of the United States of America, is one of the most powerful political centres in the world. Who knows how this conversation might change the world?
"When we sleep, we dream. Dreaming is a powerful creative tool that provides us with the visions to transform the world. Therefore, I have transformed the chatter to vague echos and whispers and blended a universal F# major chord and white noise (i.e. dreams) with it.
"A serendipity from the composition process is that the overtones from the source recording interact with the universal chord to become part of the harmonic structure.
As we fall asleep with this music, we allow our reflections from waking life to interact with our wildest dreams, and ready ourselves for a new day in waking life to transform the world."
Washington DC bar reimagined by Raphael Mak.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"I love the power in the field recording and I wanted to use that to describe the feeling when you have a nightmare - how the brain fires off and the images you 'see'. I processed the original recording adding some distortion and tweaking the EQ. Then I overlayed some pads and sounds. I wanted to create something that was on the limit of overload."
Farmoor reservoir water treatment reimagined by Richard Watts.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"As a person that struggles with sleep, this has been a soothing piece, meant to be a "sub-bathed" repetitive sequence. Almost all elements (bass, kick, melodies, ambient creature) have been derived from the sample itself using granular synthesis on DAW.
"Intended to keep the entire project sample based at first, but towards the end of the project, vocal sample and modular synthesizer drone has been added in order to include some external live elements to the ensemble.
"The minimal muffled kick has been added as a tribute to the kick that exists in usual dance tracks, yet faded and misplaced. The vocals added were a snippet from an original poem called "Dreams" describing the idea of falling asleep and how the minds moves into this secondary internal realm."
Farmoor reservoir reimagined by Shoomb.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Imagine robots, equipped with sensors, monitoring your sleep patterns and mimicking the conditions of REM sleep. Here the Moog Subharmonicon emulates the original fan, and the field recording, mangled by the Octatrack, signifies Robot REM."
Ceiling fan reimagined by Alan Cook.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
My sound "Pond & Frogs & Cicadas" is a field recording from a night I spent sleeping in an artwork (a small cubus made of plexiglass with a bed inside) on a pond. The surrounding sounds of the animals, small ones and big ones, each pursuing their inclinations completely undisturbed, had a very soothing effect on me and I did relax and sleep.
Recorded by Sylvia Hinz.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
I've been suffering with insomnia for most of my life but I have figured out how to ensure that I can get a good night of sleep: no coffee after 12 noon, drink plenty of water throughout the day (except towards the end of the evening, of course), refrain from alcohol & streaming services before bed. It's almost impossible. But there's one other method that works for me: listening to the radio with the volume turned down low. I don't know why it works but I believe it stems from my childhood where I would feel safe laying in bed hearing the distant chatter of my older siblings. So, this file is a bit unusual. It's the din of a sparsely attended happy hour at a small Georgian bar which I could guarantee would put me to sleep, except I might need to delete some of the unexpected noises in the recording that cut through the mild cacophony.
Recorded by William McKenna.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"A quiet afternoon. Dozing off under the sun, lulled by the surrounding sounds.
The noises slowly turn into a distant resonance, a hazy soundscape to a late spring dream, and then slowly regain their shapes.
"I have simply processed Sylvia Hinz’s sounds through modular synths and effect pedals, trying to transform her recording into a blurred, remote memory."
Pond with frogs and cicadas reimagined by Manuel Carbone.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Koggala beach, contact mic recording the resonance of the wind in a flagpole.
Recorded by Stéphane Marin/Espaces Sonores.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"I wanted to make a piece comprised of smooth shifts with the occasional lift/twist to tickle the ear... I took the original bird sound source and gave it a slowly undulating base/bass to emerge from and be absorbed back into."
Spring Peepers reimagined by Suzi Lamb.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Peter Paplanus, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A lullaby on the ferry from a father to his little daughter.
Recorded with Tascam DR-05X.
Recorded by Hatiye Garip.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
The thunderous pulsations of huge amounts of water moving beneath us at a water treatment plant at Farmoor Reservoir in Oxfordshire, England. The intensity rises and falls in dramatic pulses, which moves this soundscape away from the blanket white noise of constant water flow to something much more dynamic and varied. Industrial-scale water treatment as a relaxing soundscape.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Sheltering inside a bird hide looking out directly over Farmoor Reservoir, as a rainstorm sweeps in and across the water, we listen to the roar of the wind, the pounding rain and the calls of swifts flying in front of us, all from the safety of this wooden shack, which creaks periodically as it responds to the rainstorm.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
This is a recording of my ceiling fan and me turning in my sleep. You may hear an airplane passing by too. Each night, I fall asleep to the sound of my ceiling fan. It's there to keep me cool and maintain my rest. It may be just brass and metal spinning in the air, but I am grateful for its secret hypnotic and sedating powers.
Recorded by Xavier Johnson.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
I grew up in a swampy rural area where Spring Peeper frog calls were a prominent and peaceful sound of early spring. Their peeping starts at just about my childhood bedtime. For a blissful few weeks in March or April I'd fall asleep to their persistent drone. This delicate whistle-like call is one of my favorite sounds on earth.
Recorded by Neal Johnson.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Peter Paplanus, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"The recording I worked with felt extraordinarily sparse, and after several listens brought to mind how the night is a vast blank canvas in which the ordinariness of the daytime world can segue into a realm of dream-like potential - culminating in that world our dreams build for us, only for it to be dismantled in the morning. I responded musically by building something similar; a melody (itself written, in its earliest stages, on the edge of sleep) that rises from almost nothing, builds and fits itself with arches and spires, only to dissolve again, belonging to a different world and only able to exist within that other place."
Austin insect sounds reimagined by de Velden.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
""Saving Fish From Drowning" is a profound soundscape serving as a manifesto on the impact of commercial fishing and the urgent need to protect the local minority of fishermen who safeguard Portugal's cultural heritage and maintain a sustainable connection with the sea.In this enchanting track, a dreamy and airy atmosphere gracefully unfolds, artfully capturing the beautiful connection between the hardworking fishermen by the dock and the cunning seagulls attempting to steal their prized catch. To accomplish this artistic vision, I skilfully employed tape loops, which evoke a profound and heartfelt connection to the realm of sustainable fishing. Additionally, the delicate use of granular loopers serves as a poignant symbol of the fishermen's ethical and harmonious coexistence with the seagulls, creating a truly mesmerizing auditory experience."
Baleeira fishing port reimagined by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Kolforn (Wikimedia), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
""The Tides Of Memory" is an incredibly powerful and personal soundscape. It evokes nostalgic feelings of my youth spent by the sea, observing the fishermen who lived their lives dedicated to the ocean. This piece reflects my everyday thoughts of returning home and carries a sense of deep nostalgia. I crafted it using tape loops to create tension and distortion, along with granular loopers that beautifully capture the glitchy essence of our memories."
Baleeira fishing port reimagined by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Kolforn (Wikimedia), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"My approach to reimagining "music for sleep" was deeply inspired by the serene ambiance of the water's gentle cadence and the harmonious chorus of birds captured in the field recording. I delved into the realm of frequencies, particularly focusing on the number 120. Using a checksum of 3, I crafted delta frequencies around 3 Hz through binaural beats and isochronic tones, aiming to induce deep sleep and trance states.
"Interestingly, 120 Hz represents a lower octave of the Pythagorean tuning's B tone at 480 Hz, forming the foundation of this composition through strict mathematical relationships derived from my tuning fork recordings.
"To enhance the sonic landscape, I carefully incorporated elements such as a grounding drone from a massive TamTam gong and the brain's tuning fork. Additionally, distant voices were introduced to bridge the gap between the natural world and human experiences. The resulting track invites listeners on an awakened journey into other realms, resembling an invitation to embrace tranquility, reflecting my interpretation of "music for sleep.""
Bentonville stream reimagined by Evenaris.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"With my piece I want to invite someone into a cosy room during a thunderstorm: there is a thunderstorm outside, soft rain, birds and crickets.
Cat Helene joins purringly and mellow music and singing can be heard. In this stormy night one can fall asleep to a verse from german "Abendlied" from 1790.
"The source recording is the thunderstorm - outside, nearly unchanged by me.
I created the room inside by playing a sparse electric piano and singing.
Helene is a dear cat, whom I take care of sometimes. She likes to sleep on my legs.
Her owner sent me a recording by her purring, so she could also joins this snipped of a night."
Slovenian storm reimagined by Judith Mann.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The sea as enveloping, floating; freeing tethers, allowing a quietude, a sleep."
Teignmouth waves reimagined by Nimmi Naidoo.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The starting point for the composition was the intention to preserve the wonderful, atmospheric field-recording and try to artistically enhance it and add new dimensions. For me, rain and thunderstorms are background sounds that help me sleep. I was happy to have the opportunity to work on this audio.
"The following techniques were used: the recording was split into different frequency bands that represent important aspects of the storm (the thunder, the rain, etc.).
Various effects were applied to bring out the special qualities of each of the
elements of the storm. These influences were adapted over time, illustrating different phases between waking and sleeping.
"Melodies were created by using methods to extract Midi-notes from these parts.
The melodies were assigned to different instruments and mixed with the recordings.
They emphasise the idea of thunderstorm as an orchestral piece, an instrumental lullaby. With the introduction of the slightly spooky choral parts, the strange moment just before falling asleep is included here."
Poole thunderstorm reimagined by RabMusicLab.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Rather than make music that listeners would fall asleep to I used, in part, the waves and the child's voice from the field recording to make, for want of another word, a dreamscape. Irrespective of whether dreams have a psychoanalytical value or a more prosaic 'defragging' of the brain they are essential to sleep.
"I invite my listeners create a space to listen and allow this piece to bring imagery from the unconscious mind to experience, without judgement or understanding, whatever arises. They can use their internal voice in a monotone way to describe any images (a practice advised by many sleep coaches). They can continue until their mind begins to drift, sleep beckons."
Lapa das Pombas fishing port reimagined by Richard Gadd.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Immerse yourself in the ethereal soundscape of one of the most enchanting and ghostly fish ports within the Vicentine Coast Natural Park, Portugal. As a lover of fishing ports, I am captivated by the serene symphony created by the gentle lapping of water against the ropes of boats, evoking tranquility during those precious moments of gazing out at the vast sea.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"This piece is entirely derived from the original recording (Port of Lewis 14th Jun 2023 by Rod Dykeman) with all the pitched parts created by spectral processing of the original field recording. I was immediately drawn to this sound for two reasons #1: 114 (the number of the sound) has always been a favourite number and I have a large collection of photographs of this number where I have encountered it before. I have also made other pieces which use this number as titles/ material. #2: The location is a place that I visited many years ago and regretted not having a portable recorder with me at the time so when I found this it seemed perfect. The original recording play several times, each time various other things are added and taken away. Slowing down to a state of rest in the sound of the sea."
114 sleeps reimagined by Duncan Chapman.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Our piece recreates that moment in the darkness where one person restlessly relives the trauma of yesterday and anticipates the dramas of tomorrow. Meanwhile, their partner sleeps soundly beside them. Additional field recordings include the sleeping man, recorded at 4am in London, UK; the sound of the wind and mechanics at Maryport Harbour, Cumbria, UK; a busker playing the piano in Amsterdam, Holland.
"The soundtracks have been interwoven to present the peace of the sleeper, juxtaposed with the agonising fear of the listener. The original soundtrack, with the sounds of the city and birds at dawn, feeds the angst of the listener, who longs only for silence. This builds to a crescendo of frantic sound patterns, underpinned with the repetitive piano soundtrack. Finally, the listener is released from the torture (they fall asleep) and the sleeper continues aware."
Lisbon singer reimagined by Caroline Grimshaw & Stephen Mugford.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Being an aficionado of fishing ports, my visit to Baleeira in Sagres was a revelation. As I immersed myself in its ambiance, I became mesmerized by the symphony of various breeds of Atlantic seagulls, gracefully scavenging the remnants of mussels being cleaned by two diligent fishermen, who maintained the rhythm of daily life in Portugal in perfect harmony.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Kolforn (Wikimedia), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"I used the full recording, of what sounded like a Mexican rainforest/forest, in the morning with sounds of rain and birds. I imagined the kind of sleep being the kind when you fall back alseep after first waking up - not a deep sleep, but one that gets deeper the longer it goes. I purposely didn't 'resolve' the ending of the piece - the same way that if you listen to music before sleeping, you never get to hear the end. The composition is sparse and simple, as you would expect for a 'Music for Sleep' inspired piece - some synths, piano and violins. The original field recording was also lightly processed with some drone textures."
Rain in Palenque reimagined by Adrian Williams.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
In much of the United States, insects start calling in the evening in late summer and into autumn. This sound is to me in equal measure soothing as a drone but also filled with melancholy... we're listening to the mating calls of things that won't be alive in a week or two. They represent a reflective, restful part of the year, a transition from one season to another.
Recorded by Neal Johnson.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas is named for the nearby Crystal Spring. During wet seasons, the spring is more active and its burbling sound soothes the ear. I worked at the museum took breaks to walk up the ravine, sit awhile by the spring, and feel rejuvenated.
Recorded by Neal Johnson.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
During a visit to Lisbon, I was cooking with the window open. a singer can be heard practicing through the courtyard, but the exact flat was impossible to place.
Recorded by Timothy.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
The distant thunder and gentle rain weave a symphony that speaks to the calmness and tranquility sought in moments of sleep and relaxation. They create an environment that embraces and cradles, inviting you to let go and find solace within the rhythms of nature.
Recorded by Simon Serc & Martina Testen.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
The rhythmic dance of waves crashing on a beach in Teignmouth, then falling back over the stones. The motion of the water creates soothing fizzing and trickling sounds.
Recorded by Thomas Ellison.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Tucked up for sleep and hearing the coming storm just outside.
Recorded by Alex Wegman.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Taken around 10am on the morning of Wednesday 14th June 2023. A The tide slowly going out, oystercatchers calling and a springer spaniel calling for its ball. An extraordinarily hot summer morning, ideal for nodding off and letting the sounds of nature lull you away.
Recorded by Rod Dykeman.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Rainy morning in the jungle of Palenque, Chiapas. Tiny drops and early morning birds waking up after three days of heavy raining, where sleeping was mostly the best thing to do.
Recorded by Erick Ruiz Arellano.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The original field recording is quite restful in itself. I converted it to midi information, using it's transients to trigger a series of string pads and further randomly automated the midi information using a probability generator. So no 2 versions of this are ever the same, a bit like our night's sleep."
Rugova mountains reimagined by Kitty Turner.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: YllkaFetahaj, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"With background rain falling on the alley and with artificial intelligence resources, to sleep, I have built a lullaby in which, my stuntman and me, we look for each other and try to find inside the dark dirty room."
German cave reimagined by osvaldo cibils.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"This field recording of a song thrush in Oxfordshire, England inspired me to set out to create a piece of 'music for sleep' which evoked a sense of crossing a threshold between two adjacent contrasting landscapes, and of boundaries gradually blurring and warping. My idea was to emulate the sensations of hovering between waking and sleep. The sounds I used for my reimagined piece were all ultimately with this aim in mind.
"I wanted to invite a sense of physically letting go, of being carried effortlessly, of surrendering to a dream-smudged images and sensations, to capture a beckoning twilit embrace of the forest air, a gentle mysterious unfolding.
As someone who often finds sleep elusive, I designed this piece to perhaps help me to wind down before bed. I hope that maybe it might even help someone else achieve this too..."
Song thrush in Oxfordshire reimagined by Fiona Conn (doodledigital).
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The piece was a field recording of a park, containing both natural elements such as birdsong and an overhead biplane and passing emergency sirens. I wanted to imagine drifting off for a short while whilst lying in the park, imagining the way my brain works just before sleep. I took the least natural sounds, such as the siren, the plane and the sound of a passing train horn and isolated them, using sound design and turning them into a deep percussive rhythm, a light airy pad and an almost heartbeat sound. I combined these sounds with a piano and some gentle strings to create a piece that floats in and out of thoughts and sounds as I imagine myself drifting off whilst lying on the grass, only to wake up slowly a few minutes later . Other sound elements were added by manipulating the source material in different ways, including time stretching or adding delays and interesting reverbs to slices of the original sound."
Hogacre Park, Oxford reimagined by Ophertho.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"I view this piece as a bridge connecting Roberto and I. Although we haven’t met, we are connected in some way via the the project and recording. Living in a coastal city, I often visit the sea for some calm. I feel Roberto’s recording captured that sense excellently. The combination of hushed felt tones, vinyl crackles and the clarity of Roberto’s sea recording insist it’s time to take a pause."
Croatian waves reimagined by Lastboss.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"An ambient piece of dropping off to sleep to the sound of waves."
River Thames boat traffic reimagined by Simon Woods.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The fact that this was recorded in Egypt triggered thoughts of pyramids and pharoahs. The rhythmic feeling and the crackling sounds felt percussive to me so i sampled it, processed and used it as a drum track basically. The piece starts with the original recording through an alien type processor then the sampled sound kicks in. Other voices slowly join in.The slow tempo is soporific and i am visualising a small , slow dance between various parties as they try and coordinate with each other."
Red Sea coral reef reimagined by guntis sics.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Occasionally, I find solace in submerging hydrophones beneath the gentle currents of flowing rivers, longing to perceive the world as a fish does, attuned to the symphony of water. The Rugova Mountains in Kosovo proved to be the perfect haven, devoid of human presence for miles on end, allowing nature to unfold exclusively for my own delight.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: YllkaFetahaj, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Water dripping inside a cave of a abandoned mine in my area. The acoustic properties of a cave eliminates any traffic, airplanes or other sounds and the natural reverb is just so calming and serene to me.
Recorded by Ben Reichstein.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
A song thrush sings its complicated songs in a tree high above the River Thames in rural Oxfordshire, captured on a hot, close summer's day.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
An old-style biplane flies overhead, as some light city noise intrudes gently into a recording of birdsong and passing, buzzing insects in an eco-park in central Oxford, a city much beloved for its many urban green spaces, parks, gardens and nature reserves.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
The gentle, repetitive sound of the sea can induce a state of relaxation and reduce stress. The rhythmic nature of the waves can be meditative, allowing your mind to focus on the sound and let go of racing thoughts or worries that might keep you awake.
Recorded by Roberto Vodanovic.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
The low throb of almost constant boat and ship traffic on the Thames in central London creates a relaxing background low-end drone to sit benath the highly active sounds of waves splashing and crashing against a set of stone steps leading down the river. The Thames at its most urban and industrial can still exude a strange kind of meditative calm.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
This is the soundscape of a healthy coral reef in the Red Sea in Egypt called the “Islands”. Is actually made up of two huge coral formations which only break the surface at extremely low tides, which made it easy for me to capture such cathedral sound quality.
It may sound like popcorns popping and hitting the lid of the pan, but the sound is actually produced by snapping shrimps. These small shrimps use their unique pincers to produce a very loud 'pop' of bubbles that's so powerful it can stun or kill small fish, which the shrimp eat. The popcornish sound is the result of lots of these shrimp hunting in the same area.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Anton's recording of a night time storm in Ontario is excellent. He captures the drama of a distant storm catching up with the listener. As the thunder peals grew closer and the rain increased, I felt that intensity.
"For the music score, I wanted to retain that sense of growth and power. It was also very important that the field recording not be overshadowed by the music. In order to achieve that, I wrote the score as if the listener is drifting off to sleep. The storm rages in the distance and the ticking of clocks is replaced with the dreamlike fluttering of windchimes as we sink into the Astral realm.
"In the dreamspace, we hear the storm as a backing piece amongst piano, strings and angelic voices. Inevitably, we are pulled back into reality by the downpour outside which draws us out of that dreamspace and into the drama unfolding outside, with the thunder and lashing rain dominating the night.
Written by Sean Holland - Addditional production by Paul Caboche."
Ontario thunderstorm reimagined by Holland & Caboche.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"This source recording came from Little Ontario, Canada, but growing up in Southeastern Louisiana I was very familiar with the chorus of peeper frogs emanating from the night swamp. I used the frog calls to build a subtle, repetitive, rhythmic drone that is the backbone of the piece, while rolling melodic and harmonic phrases imitate the twinkling of stars through the clouds in the night sky. I don't usually listen to music when I'm trying to sleep, but when I do, this is what I'm looking for -- slow, methodical, atmospheric, ever changing."
Ontario peeper frogs reimagined by Elizabeth Joan Kelly.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"I love the sound of water and the complex textures that are produced in the vast and infinite combinations of tides, currents, swirling eddies and lapping shores. This beautifully captured recording of gentle water was too perfect to resist. After several listening sessions I simply allowed the flow of the water to guide this composition."
Ontario pebble beach reimagined by Tom Thompson.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The original hydrophone recording made me think of what it must be like to be within a womb, and this inspired the composition, with the heartbeat and other sounds that may be within or without the womb, all helping to ease the fall into sleep."
Ontario hydrophone stream recording reimagined by clusterfact.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"I wanted to honor Anton Pickard's beautiful field recording "Awenda Waves" in its wholeness, so the idea of playing a lullaby by the water emerged early on.
As a counterpoint to his sound I used my own recording of a 432Hz A drone (played as harmonic on the D-string on a double bass and slightly tuned down from 440Hz) that is sustained throughout the entire composition. Additionally, there are five separate voices (a synthetic bass, low strings, and a few other synthesizer sounds) that divide the piece into seven separate sections that are each roughly two minutes in length.
"The work is arranged in a quasi mirror-like fashion, culminating at the centre (around 8 min. 20 sec.), after which point the voices and their melodies return opposite of the way they entered the composition. This symmetry device was used to enhance balance and instil calmness."
Awenda waves reimagined by Susanne Maurer.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The composition takes a departure from traditional musical structures, embracing the realm of abstract and free-form musical experience. At its core lies the new granular engine of the Microfreak Synthesizer, which ignited a sonic adventure of inspiration.
"The piece is comprised of two live recordings. The first part is a tranquil drone-focused jam, with embedded elements from the field recording that came through the Microfreak, creating a soothing undercurrent with the sound of peeper frogs from the field recording by Anton Pickard. In contrast, the second part introduces a whirlwind of bioelectric glitching sounds, symbolizing the interplay of thoughts during sleep. The two contrasting parts are harmonized to reflect the duality of the sleep experience.
"The composition offers an immersive journey into the unpredictability of sleep. It's a unique interpretation of music for sleep, inviting listeners to embrace the night guided by the transformative power of sound exploration within the composition."
Ontario peepers reimagined by Zeyad Al Balushi.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"A rhymical piece with plenty of Guiro action."
Insects in Bolivia reimagined by Simon Woods.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Thunder to heavy rain - backyard recording.
Recorded by Anton Pickard.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The original sample was a recording of ocean waves as heard in Belize. Sleep imagined as water is a very inspiring vision. But this brought the Sirens to my mind. Dangerous, mythical creatures that may allure you to join them in the waters and stay there forever. What if something in your dreams would try to keep you there forever? Would it be tempting or scary? Both, I guess. And such is the mood of my piece, at least that is what I tried to achieve with it."
Belize waves reimagined by Synthotherapy (Artur Kinal).
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Location: Corrie Hamelin Park, Tiny Township, Ontario, Canada.
Recorded by Anton Pickard.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Waves recorded on the shores of Georgian Bay at Awenda Provincial Park. The waves are restful - recorded as a wide soundfield.
Recorded by Anton Pickard.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Peeper frogs mating calls - the calls are more individual with gaps in the recording. Recorded at the side of a gravel road at night.
Recorded by Anton Pickard.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
image: Peter Paplanus, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This is a recording made of Peeper frogs in a marsh at night. This is a mating call that happens during a very short season in the Spring. The high whistles at a low volume can be very relaxing and hypnotic. Recorded at the Tiny Marsh Conservation area in Tiny, Ontario.
Recorded by Anton Pickard.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Waves on a pebble beach - Awenda Provincial Park.
Recorded by Anton Pickard.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Insects and frogs at midnight in the jungles of Bolivian Amazonia create a beautiful symphony that gets me in the mood for relaxing or taking a long nap.
Recorded by Erick Ruiz Arellano.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Small waves at the beach in Placencia, Belize. I find this sound very relaxing cause its natural slow rhythm and its wonderful stereo panning creating a mild flanger.
Recorded by Erick Ruiz Arellano.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"I was instantly drawn to Alan Cook's recording of waves crashing into the sea wall rocks at Port Noarlunga in South Australia. I manipulated the original field recording in such a way as to reimagine the state of wakefulness leading to sleep, otherwise known as hypnagogia. As well as working with the original field recording, I added various synthesiser parts to the composition."
Port Noarlunga reimagined by Jase Warner.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Adriatic Moons is an explorative-ambient composition inspired and incorporating a field recording by Rafael Diogo from Kororez bay, Albania. After researching the location of recording, the cyclical nature of the tides and circadian rhythms - sonic convolution and granular synthesis were applied to the source sounds and the piece was composed around the ebb and flow of the tidal movement.
"The intention of the piece is to abstract lucid harmonic narrative and entwine the compositional flow with tidal movement to reflect circadian rhythms and explore how the nature of sleep responds to our environment."
Krorez Bay reimagined by R.Seiliog.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"For this project, I left the field recording largely intact because the pulse of the crashing waves already felt like being rocked to sleep. Listening to it felt like breathing. I wanted to create music that reflected this peaceful feeling of being lulled to sleep. I think low frequencies can be relaxing so I employed a rocking motion that reflected the pulse of the waves in the bass, but kept it very soft. I used electric guitar to add a dreamy quality that would induce a relaxed state to get ready for sleep."
Krorez Bay reimagined by aimless ohm.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Inspired by the already profound sense of calm the field recording instilled in me, I added a few simple sound beds and wove in some minimal piano notes to create a serene soundscape that will (hopefully) help gently lull the listener into a state of gentle slumber."
Belarus bird tower reimagined by Jenn Howd.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Sounds of rain and birds layered with non-linear hardware synths improvisation. Recorded during the midnight thunderstorm in the forest not far from the field recording area."
Belarus bird tower reimagined by nWave.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The sounds of the Albanian Lengarica Canyon inspired me to create this piece where the gentle murmurs of the river intertwine harmoniously with the ethereal notes of a bass flute and electronic sounds, conjuring a tranquil ambiance. My adjustments to the field recording have been minimal, preserving its raw essence. The sustained, airy notes are thoughtfully woven throughout, guiding the listener towards a meditative state, gently encouraging slower breaths, and ultimately, fostering a profound sense of peace and serenity."
Lengarica Canyon reimagined by Carmen Terol.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Klejdi Shtrepi, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"The source field recording of waves washing over Albanian rocks conjured the beauty of both white noise and organic tidal repetition, that was kept entirely in tact as the foundation of the work, adding the sounds of twilight birds giving way to cicadas in the swelter of a night in Sungai Petani, Malaysia.
"I added gongs and bells recorded from the Longplayer project at the listening post at Michael Faraday's Experimental Lighthouse in London and underpinned the piece with some gentle repetitive drones."
Krorez Bay reimagined by Michael Agar.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"I wanted the sea to bridge the work and thought of the reimagined piece as being a number of destinations on the way to falling asleep. I, like many have to work hard to fall asleep, either counting backwards from 10,000, breathing exercises to settle or achieving a state of exhaustion through exercise. Anything to escape the screen and interruptions to "healthy sleep habits" being formed. I used a number of re tracked and collapsed samples feeding them haphazard into a Chase Bliss Habit pedal and then adding Lyra 8 drones and freestyle organ parts ( i am yet to learn chords preferring to rest my fingers on the keyboard that feel just about right). It felt important to remove what I thought could be a cliched "neo ambient" approach to the field recording of the sea and felt obliged to no achieve spa level nirvana. I wanted the listener to work on getting to the last few minutes, navigating a track that is constantly changing with only the hint of a refrain."
Gjipe nightfall reimagined by Andy Billington.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Leeturtle, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"The field recording is from Gjipe, a secluded beach on the Albanian Riviera. The piece, Një Ëndërr Gjipe (A Dream of Gjipe), draws on the whispers of the sea communicating with us, drawing us into a sleepy dreamy state, the ebb and flow of the soft piano mimicking the sea lulling us into this serene reverie."
Gjipe waves reimagined by Moray Newlands.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Pudelek (Marcin Szala), CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Ocean surging against sea wall rocks.
Recorded by Alan Cook.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
While staying in the village, the best time for sleeping is when it is raining. This recording was made by myself during a sound expedition with ornithologist Vitaly Kosheev. We where planning to record the signing of cranes that where on the other side of the lake, but rain started and they didn't sign at all.
Recorded by Anton Anischanka.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
While hiking along the unexplored paths of Lengarica Canyon in Albania, one cannot help but be awestruck by the gentle murmur of small river streams. These delicate sounds weave a soothing melody, creating crystal-clear natural pools along the way. As you pause to admire the breathtaking majesty of the canyon's limestone walls, a sense of wonder envelops you, immersing you in nature's grandeur.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Klejdi Shtrepi, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
It is a truly captivating experience to listen to the gentle caress of waves as they tenderly kiss the shoreline, and then extend their affectionate touch to embrace the caves within the canyon. This rhythmic dance, a back-and-forth response to the water's elemental embrace, unfolds in the remote splendour of Gjipe Canyon in Albania. It is a harmonious symphony that epitomizes the enchantment of this remarkable natural wonder.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
The melodic sound of waves gracefully traversing through rocky crevices along the coastline of Krorez Bay awakens the senses. The rhythmic movement of the water produces a refreshing symphony that entices anyone to rise and behold the captivating expanse of the sea. This remote location in Albania beckons with its serene allure.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
The melodic sound of gentle waves upon the shoreline orchestrates a serene dance on this blissfully warm day. Here I stand, alone, amidst a captivating desert coastline — one of the hidden gems nestled in the remote corners of Albania. To reach this secluded paradise, one must embark upon a journey either by boat or through an arduous trek that demands a few hours of dedication.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
The nightfall over Gjipe’s Canyon is an experience in itself, where the waves gracefully dance to the rhythm of the nocturnal sea breeze. It is a solitude soundscape, an enchanting symphony that echoes through the untamed wilderness of Albania.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Leeturtle, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
When the sea communicates in whispers, it is in those moments that the sea breeze gracefully embraces and hushes the bustling sounds of the ocean, crafting a serene and delicate soundscape. This melodic symphony, found along the coastline of Gjipe, hidden within the remote canyons of Albania, possesses the power to lull one into a state of tranquility, inducing a sleepy and dreamy ambience.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Pudelek (Marcin Szala), CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"The piece is an attempt to represent my peculiar sleep experiences in recent months. I perform as a percussionist with the band Foals and when the Music For Sleep project was announced I was midway through a 5 week tour of the US. Instinctively, I selected a field recording made back in my hometown of Oxford. During the tour I've so often fallen asleep on various modes of transport, dreaming of home, before waking up to discover my reality is quite different; stuck somewhere in a Dallas airport for example. The piece blends the original Oxford recording processed as part of a floating dream sequence, which is then interrupted by another field recording, taken by myself in a Dallas airport train. Why the announcer seems to say 'Dream' and not 'Train' is strange and unexplained and quite beautiful...who knows if it actually happened...I was half asleep when I recorded it."
Stonor Park, Oxfordshire reimagined by Kit Monteith.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The inspiration for »lwrcs« was mainly driven by the feedback-like howling of the wind in the original field recording. It’s rich in frequencies but also has something eerie yet warm to it. When being played silently it sounds like a sung melody. Digital and analog feedback loops and warm tape noise create the framework for the heavily processed fragments of the field recording. Here and there you can catch a glimpse of recordings from my collaboration with AM (in paseule) as well as an inaudible voice reading a poem about the conquering of nightmares.
"As studies indicate that it takes (healthy) people about 15 minutes on average to fall asleep, the piece is exactly 15 minutes in length.
"To add to the idea of creating music that aids your sleep, the overall mix and master of »lwrcs« peaks about -30dB. Thus, you won’t be able to draw any rewarding experience from listening via phone or laptop speakers. »lwrcs« is meant to be listened with earphones while in bed with the volume turned all the way up. But be cautious that it’s the only track in line – otherwise your sleep will end abruptly. Good night!"
Toronto storm reimagined by BYDL.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"How does one create a sound to help others to sleep and not make it tedious? I enjoyed the "bubbling, hot pool" of Tim Kahn's field recording and tried to create something that takes someone on an exploration but can also possibly induce a feeling of calm and serenity."
Field, Oregon hot pools reimagined by Bill McKenna.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The recording, a waterfall, reminded me of the white noise I would sometimes use to block intrusive noise to help me sleep and where I might have imagined I would like to have been. I live in a city and use to work as a paramedic. Attempting to sleep in the day, or to suffer insomnia at night was challenging, there was much noise and I could feel the vibration and sound of construction and hear antisocial behaviour. Although disruptive, I sometimes enjoyed uncomfortable sounds and have collected many field recordings from my street. I became skilled at listening for soothing elements that were familiar from childhood, distant trains, birdsong, a ticking clock. This piece aims to give an audio snapshot of the soundscape in my neighbourhood, which never stops to sleep..."
Crecy-Couve waterfall reimagined by Rachel Henaghan.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Since first reading about the Music for Sleep theme for this project, I have spent quite a bit of time talking to friends and family about their sleep patterns and the techniques they use to help them get to sleep. I have also been doing some reading on the sounds, tones and patterns that can sometimes help people achieve the state of being asleep. Within “Ripples on the Surface of the Absolute” there are six movements. Each movement is inspired by my research and on my own personal experience with sleep. The field recording I chose for this project is used in almost all the non synth-based sounds.
The six movements are:
I Breathe
II The Storm Before
III The Calm
IV Counting Electric Sheep
V Ripples
VI Lullaby"
Crecy-Couve river reimagined by NAHTHAN.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"When I consider 'music for sleep' I immediately consider water and 'less is more'. This piece contains my own continuous field recordings of the Holy Brook (flowing through Devon) in real time (recorded on 30/07/2023 with Sony PCM D100) featuring sounds presented by Jamie Bell."
Glasgow woods reimagined by Tulse Hill Fields.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"This piece is a playful attempt to portray hypnagogia in an individual entering an increasingly hallucinogenic resting state. Here we have a front row seat in witnessing the sounds of body rhythms and firing neurons meshing with the fleeting perception of environmental sounds as awareness eventually slips away from perceived material existence."
Oxfordshire woods reimagined by Gerald Fratzl (Absturtzt).
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The soft thunder and rain and birdsong in the recording were so transportive, I wanted to tint that environment with a drowsy theme that loops in one’s mind while drifting into sleep. I kept the original recording and layered in another copy at half speed to add to this dreamy state and to allow the bird melodies to be drawn out into melancholy cries. The entire piece is a loop itself, and can be used as a warm blanket of sound that never lets go."
Oxford thunderstorm reimagined by the void inclusive.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"I've used an underlying rhythm which is supposed to reflect the breathing while you sleep, then a layer of sweeping synth-like dreams coming and going, and finally the birdsong over the top as if thoughts are interrupting the sleep. I've treated the original recording with some clipping distortion and echo."
Paris birdsong reimagined by Richard Watts.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
I love listening to the wind and its voice as it travels around, and the constant drip of the tap is comforting reminder that I'm home.
Recorded by Michelle Breslin.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
A bubbling geothermal pool in the middle of a sagebrush desert surrounded by crickets. The gentle bubbling sound is very relaxing, the crickets are a classic evening sound, everything is still and peaceful and no one else around to interrupt. Distant thunder punctuates the moment.
Recorded by Tim Kahn.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
The time in which the river is changing, following the upcoming night. The last sounds of the birds, while the flow of water doesn't stop.
Recorded by Cristian Estrella.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
The time in which the river is changing, following the upcoming night. The last sounds of the birds, while the flow of water doesn't stop.
Recorded by Cristian Estrella.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
In the woods among the huge grounds of the Stonor Park country house and park, two rows of bushes form a tunnel over a small footpath - perfect for leaving our binaural recording device to pick up birdsong and buzzing insects from all angles.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
On a summer walk in the Oxfordshire countryside, we pause in the small but perfectly-formed Summerheath Wood to record a moment of forest-bathing calm among the birdsong.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
A summer thunderstorm over Oxford in June 2023. The rain hits the tree canopy, softening the sound to a relaxing bed, with almost constant, low key rumbles and grumbles of thunder rather than loud, infrequent cracks.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Birdsong, a bee or two, and slight background ambient 'world' noise. Recorded using 3D immersive Binaural mircophones
I submitted this new version as I tidied up the track information on the file itself etc rather than just sending the title. Sorry for the inconvenience but this WAV version is the better one to use. Thank you!
Recorded by Jamie Bell.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
I woke up in the middle of the night and heard this beautiful birdsong in the courtyard of the apartment I was staying in.
Recorded by Stefana Fratila.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"I find birds chirping very relaxing. This is why I've chosen to work with this particular sound recording.
I imported the original sound into Ableton Live. I recorded a few pad improvisations using my 1010music lemondrop granular synth. I then recorded some piano that I processed with a few effects (Puremagnetik Fragment, Spaceship delay and PaulStretch).
Overall, I tried to write a piece with a calm mood, a slow pace and a smooth instrumentation where no instrument stands out too much, a piece where the textures, melodies and harmony float gently together with the birds."
Hilton Head reimagined by Stephanie Merchak.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Meditative and calm. This source recording is in the water, and I think water and breath are related. Breathing in and out reminds me of waves crashing on a sea shore. This song should evoke the breath and the sea together as you drift off to sleep."
Carkeek marsh reimagined by Galen Spikes.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Inspired by the recording of Vietnam Tuy Hoa Beach at Night, I composed a 4hz ambient binaural beat. I created it with the intention of helping listeners relax and ease into sleep.
I set the piece to 50bpm, mirroring a human's resting heartbeat. I then created a lo-fi ambient pad and wrote a chord progression to evoke the sense of a dark night. I slowed-down the audio recording, creating a better interaction between the chords and waves. Lastly, I incorporated the binaural beat beneath the other elements."
Tuy Hoa Beach reimagined by Ross Burns.
IMAGE: Christophe95, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"I’ve been enamored by wind chimes for quite some time. There’s something about the contrast between the percussive strike of the clapper and the ringing vibrations of chimes I find very centering and calming. Sometimes I visualize the sound emanating from the chimes like ripples on a calm lake.
Collaborating with Meghan Fohl’s original field recording of wind chimes I composed a set of generative rules and probabilities for new scales, harmonies and rhythms within Wotja. Then I created a variety of synth sounds to enhance the chimes and added effects and field recordings of rain and thunder to create a dreamlike environment. I set the process in motion tweaking the rules as the sounds evolved to shape the piece you are listening to now.
Unlike most of my music where I seek to create new, previously unexperienced worlds, in this piece I wanted to evoke the sensation of drifting off to sleep while listening to wind chimes during a rain storm. Who doesn’t love floating off to sleep with the sounds of chimes and a distant thunderstorm as soundtrack?
This is an excerpt from an infinitely evolving generative piece."
Wind chimes reimagined by Aric Attas.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Spring peepers (chorus frogs) in full chorus shortly after sunset in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in northern Michigan, USA. The persistent, lush and mesmerizing symphony of the spring peepers makes for a perfect backdrop for sleep and relaxation.
Recorded by Darrin Wassom.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The sound piece Pizzicada takes on the, sometimes very loud, cicada sounds in the rainforest.
My idea was to put artificial cicadas into the sound of the natural biotope. The sounds of the "artificial cicadas" are samples of a prepared piano and are played as pizzicati and arpeggios. From the combination of the words pizzicato and cicada, the title of the track is born: Pizzicada.
It is a tribute to a surreal dream. Dreams of spaces that do not exist in the real world. Jumps into different dimensions. Sometimes a turn of the head in a dream is enough to find oneself in another place. Sometimes objects simply appear that raise big question marks. Pizzicades are "objects" or "insects" that are suddenly there. And then gone again."
Phong Nha national park reimagined by Peter Simon.
IMAGE: Thang Nguyen from Nottingham, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"This piece attempts to replicate the experience of falling asleep and into a dream. It starts with the field recording of calming, repetitive wave sounds and slowly edits and manipulates it to create a dreamlike, unfamiliar soundscape to demonstrate how our sleeping state can provide us a version of the world that is similar, but a bit strange and disorienting."
Thousand Steps Beach reimagined by A Thousand Plateaus.
IMAGE: Kevin.Daniels, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The tone of the recording inspired me. It has a nostalgic feel with the warm synth tones and the sound of chimes. I took pieces of the recording and stretched them out and layered them to create a vast sounding atmospheric space. I wanted to emulate white noise but in a musical way to bring the listener into a state of relaxation and allow for traveling into a sleep state."
Lakewood synth piece reimagined by Firephly.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
This recording was made using a hydrophone in the marsh at Carkeek Park in Seattle. The surrounding soundscape is muted as it is filtered through the water, much like thoughts in dreams. This track has always been very soothing and relaxing, with the water taking the edge off of reality.
Recorded by Steven Barsotti.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"I was allocated this piece - as opposed to choosing it - and I was quite surprised to find birdsong as my sound, which didn't initially seem to me to be very sleep related. But as I first started processing the sound, I began to think more about a daytime nap, perhaps in a park, with the sounds of nature in the background. I find sleeping in the day can be quite dreamy/hallucinogenic and I ended up reflecting that in the music, with the random sounds of nature occasionally seeming structured and then slipping away into a tuneful chaos."
Kansas birdsong reimagined by fennerpearson.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Frogs singing through the night - looped and treated and tuned and treated and looped."
Spring peepers reimagined by Alex Vlad.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Sleep is a naturally relaxing and sleep inducing sound. I reversed the sound and added reverb before adding echoed and reverbed whispers together with the repeated sound of a whitethroat."
Hilton Head Island reimagined by Xqui.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Insects and amphibians dominate the nocturnal soundscape in this recording from Phong Na national park, Vietnam.
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
IMAGE: Thang Nguyen from Nottingham, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Nestled in Bay Gall, one of Hilton Head Island's historic Gullah neighborhoods, Fish Haul Beach is perhaps one of the hidden gems on the Island. This trail is a wooded trail that leads to the beach. This area was full of birds, plants, and mushrooms.
Recorded by Jake Carnley.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Wave sounds from Tuy Hoa beach, Vietnam.
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
IMAGE: Christophe95, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
The sound of wind chimes moving in the breeze. The tonal quality of the chimes brings a sense of calm and is pleasant and soothing.
Recorded by Meghan Fohl.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Crashing waves on Thousand Steps Beach, Los Angeles.
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
IMAGE: Kevin.Daniels, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
This was recorded in 1981, in my bedroom at my parents' house. The synth is an ARP Solus overdubbed two or three times on a broken cassette deck. I was obsessed with Brian Eno's "Discreet Music" (obviously) at the time. Equally obvious: the title of this track is taken from an Oblique Strategies card (Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt's deck of "over one hundred worthwhile dilemmas").
Most of the other sounds are from an elementary school recess across the street from my house. You can also hear wind chimes from my patio. Unfortunately, also audible is the woman next door yelling at her child for 10 seconds or so. This was not planned. Other than the latter, I used to find the sounds of the kids playing across the street to be soothing. I was working long hours at a record store all day, then going to see live music at night, and was often sleep-deprived. I recall taking naps in the middle of the day, and falling asleep to the sounds of the school yard and the wind chimes, as well as light airplanes overhead (Long Beach Airport was just west of our home).
Recorded by Funharm.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
This recording was taken on a cool morning in September just after sunrise in my hometown of Salina, Kansas, USA. I opened the window for the breeze and set my phone down on the ledge because the bugs and birds were particularly noisy, but it was very peaceful. My cat silently stared out the window next to the phone. I wanted to keep the sound, as I was going to be moving and wanted to have it to refer back to. I thought it would be perfect for this site.
Recorded by Ricky House.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Nestled in Bay Gall, one of Hilton Head Island's historic Gullah neighborhoods, Fish Haul Beach is perhaps one of the hidden gems on the Island. This beach overlooks Port Royal Sound.
Recorded by Jake Carnley.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Having heard the cicadas of SE Asia first hand, I was immediately drawn to this field recording. They have an other world quality, and the sound can be quite powerful. I did some research on cicadas and discovered that though they moult, they have no pupal stage. They transform from one viable organism to another. An adult becomes another adult. The process reminded me of reincarnation, and I remembered a dream I had where I was reincarnated into another form of existence. It was an uncanny and incredible dream. This piece is an attempt to express it."
Doi Suthep reimagined by Pyrrh.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Apisit Wilaijit, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Recorded with the exceptional Lewitt Subzero microphone, this recording showcases the immersive power of nature's symphony.
Experience the enchanting world of extremely loud cicadas during sunset, as their mesmerizing chorus fills the air in Doi Suthep national park, Thailand.
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Apisit Wilaijit, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Little Cahaba is a major tributary of the upper Cahaba River Basin watershed, which includes 190 miles of bluffs, shoals, and sharp ridges before entering the lower Cahaba Basin on the Coastal Plain.
Recorded by Jake Carnley.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Temperature is the element I focused on when composing this piece. The source recording is of fire, specifically a fire that is constantly burning. It’s fall in Seattle, which means nights are starting to cool down, and I’m adjusting to falling asleep with a blanket on again. I recorded flute through a delay and reverb pedal direct to cassette tape - tape has a particular saturation that is often described as warm, and the tape I used was an old 1980s Ghostbusters soundtrack that had been sitting in the back of my car for months, soaking up the summer heat. That heat caused some tape warble and a few dropouts - just classic cassette funk. I dropped the recording into Ableton and played it back through the software sampler Granulator II with four second grains and some slightly randomized playback position (called Spray) to create warm ambient tones that I hope will remind the listener that there is always warmth inside you."
Flaming stones of Olympos reimagined by Nicolo Scolieri.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The counterpointed elements and the dynamics variations of this piece, aim to take the listener between alternate states of tension and release; with the final goal to stimulate relaxation and to lull one into sleep."
Peepers calling reimagined by Andrea Callea.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Yanartaş ([janaɾˈtaʃ], Turkish for "flaming stone") is a geographical feature near the Olympos valley and national park in Antalya Province in southwestern Turkey. It is the site of dozens of small fires which burn constantly from vents in the rocks on the side of the mountain. Directly below the fires are the ruins of the temple of Hephaistos, the Greek god who was associated with fire through his role as the blacksmith to the gods. To see the fires and the ruins, visitors must first go to the entrance at the foot of the mountain. The site is at the top of an easy one kilometre climb. Most people visit at night, when the fires are at their most spectacular.
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Unlike living water, still water does not move and remains silent. However, it is listening to the flow that causes a feeling of suspension, rest and stability. Starting from the soothing recording of the current of a river in which a few distant voices just emerge in its middle, it was populated with electronic sounds which could represent the evanescent images which are born from half-sleep. Rhythmic cycles, drones evocative of unstable weather, the ghosts of a fantastical fauna surround this aquatic moment."
Little Cabana river reimagined by Guillaume Loizillon.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The original recording of wind in the forest with the trees creaking inspired thoughts of dozing in the wood. The original file is processed into a tonal bed and other textures were added. Half awake, half asleep."
Canyon, CA forest reimagined by Joe Pino/narcosislabs.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The gentle murmur of the river as it meanders through the tranquil landscape has always been a profound source of inspiration for me, particularly when it comes to creating music for sleep. There is an undeniable harmony in the way the river's flow mirrors the soothing melodies that fill my mind, harmonizing together to create an environment of serene tranquility."
Cabana river reimagined by Roberto Vodanović Čopor.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
A peaceful morning in a forest, just a few miles from the suburbs but with a tranquility that could be from another world.
Recorded by John Tenney.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
The Cahaba River is the longest substantially free-flowing river in Alabama and is among the most scenic and biologically diverse rivers in the United States. It is a major tributary of the Alabama River and part of the larger Mobile River basin.
Recorded by Jake Carnley.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Waves crashing on the sandy shore. The "noise" of the waves contain frequencies that can help mask loud sounds that stimulate your brain. The expectant rhythm of the sounds of those waves can help support a cadence that allows for relaxation and sleep to occur.
Recorded by Meghan Fohl.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
This is the mating song of spring peepers and other frogs (the double-bass GUNG of a bullfrog can be heard near the end) in a rural beaver pond, recorded on my iPhone using Voice Record Pro the evening before my son and daughter-in-law celebrated their marriage there. The green sound speaks of life and desire, but also deep tranquillity: faith in continuance.
Recorded by Maria Margaronis.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"I layered Meghan's field recording of the crashing waves across the stereo field and then added my own slowly evolving pads to invoke the listener beyond a state of shallow slumber into deep dreams."
Bodega Bay reimagined by Michael Lilley.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The underwater atmosphere of Singapore Hydrophone Underwater Labrador Park at night reminded me of the sensation I had for years as a kid to dive into the darkness of my sleep. I later learnt about Hypnagogia, the transition between wakefulness and sleep. I was experiencing visual and auditive hallucinations, which are still feeding my creativity today. The field recordings I have been inspired from is a sound I have already heard in that state and it was both strange and therapeutic to dive into. Sleep has always been a mysterious struggle in my life so it was a great opportunity to explore it and plunge into the darkness of a temporary death once again."
Singapore hydrophone recording reimagined by Jeremt Moors.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: See page for author, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons
"The composition is inspired by one of those daydream moments that gets interrupted by a storm which then becomes part of the daydream. The idea was to use sparse orchestration and percussive sounds to create an ambience that compliments the storm and integrates it into the ambience."
Singapore storm reimagined by Andy Lyon.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Underwater hydrophone recording taken in Merlion Park, Singapore.
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Ank Kumar, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"Teals, mallards and green sandpipers come down to a small forest pond to bathe and drink water at dawn. Droprig recording close to the water surface. A relaxing background chorus of thrushes, warblers and tits can be heard throughout the recording."
Recorded by Bo Soderstrom.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The composition is inspired by the birdsong heard throughout the original recording, and the practice of unihemispheric slow-wave sleep. Some migratory birds use this as a way to allow one hemisphere of the brain to rest during flight. Similar to how, if we take a long flight, we may rest while flying without sleeping completely, only to sleep deeply at the first opportunity after landing. The composition includes a synth with a white noise filter and recordings of water."
Swedish forest reimagined by Symbal.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
" Main interests in the recording?
Bugs,noise,frogs.
Distractions?
Noise, footsteps,dogs, masking.
Filtered footsteps, and dogs.
There are two main frog sounds that appear late in the recording. 3:30-3:45.
The first 2 sounds were used as a kind of time keeper. the nest 6 sounds made a series and were used as themselves and also processed to make the midrange drone phrases.
The low drone is a low chord synth.
The bell is a Japanese temple bell.
1600-7000 hrz is where the bugs/frogs live and what a swarm! (lol)
A bit of filtering brought them down to a workable chorus of a dozen or so."
Thailand frog sounds reimagined by Joel Graham.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The lilting music from the end of the recording comprises the bulk of this piece. The synths applied, very loosely follow the voices, and a harmonious tuning between the oscillators and the recorded voices naturally drifts out, but comes together towards the end. Percussion runs through the piece to try and tie this all together."
Taipei temple sounds reimagined by Finlay Wright.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Residing in Singapore during its rainy season allowed us to experience frequent thunderstorms, yielding a rich archive of natural sounds. En route to Decathlon from the Ju Koon MRT station, a distant rumbling caught our attention. Armed with my audio gear - a Zoom F8n, DPA 4060, and Zoom H3 VR for ambisonic recordings, I seized the opportunity to capture the impending storm.
Stationed at a bridge's end, I recorded the rhythmic patter of rain on the roof, its subsequent fall onto the street, and the encroaching thunder. The soundscape evolved, introducing distant thunder echoes, explosive lightning bolts, large thunder cracks and rolls, and fluctuating rumble intensities."
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Underwater hydrophone recording taken in Labrador Park, Singapore.
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: See page for author, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons
"The original hydrophone piece is part of the backing, played unedited, as received. Overall the piece forms the soundtrack to a dream which, like a lot of dreams, is not entirely comfortable."
Merlion Park reimagined by Ian Evetts.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Ank Kumar, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"This was recorded in our rice paddy. Super muddy and will steal your sandals given half a chance! The rice had just been harvested so it was full of birds and insects foraging, mating and just having fun. Right now the sound is changing to a heavy duty frog chorus as the paddies are being flooded for a second harvest. Nothing stands still here. Over the past few days I have encountered two golden tree snakes, a cobra and a python, big and small scorpions, frogs in the bathroom, herons, moorhens, squirrels, rats and our chickens have had three more chicks."
Recorded by Alex Boyesen.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Sound of chanting of first morning prayers in Lungshan Temple, Taipei.
Recorded by James A. Holland.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"I wanted to convey deep, simple and sleepy underwater sounds to go along with the waterflow field recording for a calm and dreamy effect."
La Reunion river sounds reimagined by Andy Cartwright.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: JoKerozen, CC BY-SA 2.5 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
"The composition starts with the flowing water track recorded in Hiroshima by Gretchen Jude. The beginning symbolizes pleasant dreaming. The middle section contains an audible "explosion" sound to indicate the dropping of the first atomic bomb in Hiroshima, Japan. Chaos and nightmares result and are musically represented in the middle of the piece with dissonant electronic loops and sporadic percussion. The end indicates healing- the flow of water returns. Here, the percussion beat becomes more stable (and is in a "heartbeat" pattern). The return of pleasant dreams occurs here symbolically in the music and tapers off into the ending."
Hiroshima water memorial reimagined by Frank Ferraro (The Back Channel Project).
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Balon Greyjoy, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
"I live within hearing distance of the Southern Ocean, and fall asleep to the sound of the waves every night, and wake up to them every morning. I was inspired by Marcel's recording of waves on a Penang beach, and wanted to let their sound take the listener on a journey into the depths of sleep by stretching and twisting the recording and bringing out the harmonics 'sleeping' within the sounds of the waves just as time is stretched, twisted and harmonised when we sleep, before reassembling itself into the original sound of the waves as we re-emerge into the waking world."
XXXX reimagined by Adam Nash.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Marek Slusarczyk, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"For my composition Malta Lullaby, I reimagined a field recording of folk songs being sung by old men at a cafe in Malta. This was my starting point for opening up memories of tranquillity, gently leading one to rest and sleep. My approach of spoken word combined with ambient textures and calming electronic patterns lure ones thoughts to take a back seat to total relaxation and sleep. I was inspired by a recent visit with my 11 month old granddaughter, watching her drift when she was tired. I imagined deep relaxing sounds that would would aid her travels into slumberland. Just by watching her eyes slowly close, my sonic approach became clear. Close your eyes, listen, relax and sleep."
Maltese folk songs reimagined by Jeff Düngfelder.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"My intention was to create a musical soundscape that suggests the phases of sleep. The original recording was done at Muracciole farm in Canino, Italy. We hear a gentle stream, crickets. Incredibly peaceful and relaxing. The perfect starting point to enter into a dream state."
Canino soundscape reimagined by Eulipion Corps.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"This is a a chance recording of two old men singing folk songs for my mother when we took her to see the town where she was brought up."
Recorded by Mary Hooper.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Waves recordings from Batu Ferringhi beach, Penang.
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Marek Slusarczyk, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"River flowing sounds recorded in Langevin, La Reunion.
Its an incredibly beautiful area and I started recording at the Grand Galet waterfall."
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: JoKerozen, CC BY-SA 2.5 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
"The sound in itself is very soothing to me, a pleasing combination of abstract and organic, as rushing water pours down over a textured surface in a reverberant stone stairwell, creating a density of natural white noise. The artistic intention, as a memorial to those who died there in August 1945, is poignant and even painful. Yet as a tribute to those who suffered long ago, I find it to be a sonic balm, an offer of healing to past and present alike. Our embodied human commonality can be found in this elemental sound."
Recorded by Gretchen Jude.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Balon Greyjoy, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
"This gentle insect chorus was recorded late at night on the Muracciole Farm on the outskirts of Canino in the Lazio region of Italy. We hear stridulating insects and the constant flow of water from a trickling stream, a delicate balance resulting in a calming natural soundscape."
Recorded by Colin Hunter.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"I really like the movement and the almost textural quality of the hydrophone recordings. They have a physicality that recording via microphone doesn't capture. The recording also captured a clear relationship of immersion, movement and depth, which I immediately associated with the levels of consciousness in sleep. I took apart the recoding and separated zones of equalisation into lows and midrange and highs. The separations were assigned reverb which was adjusted throughout the length of the piece to suggest movement and changes in depth of the hydrophone and subsequently the listeners perceived spatial relationship. I felt a keen sense of trying to equate the the water flow and depth with levels of sleep , that of slow immersion and depth. The harmonic structure is made from the original recording, synthesizers and sampled tingklik, a percussion instrument from Indonesia."
Pengempu waterfall reimagined by Robert Dansby.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Credit: Photo by Lena Shekhovtsova
"After choosing my audio recording, I created a background drone with a coastal/nautical feel to accompany the field recording in some way…
I imagined what it might be like to be suspended in the sub aquatic world… I used a synthesiser that uses granular synthesis to create the drone and textures.
I especially liked the little pops and squeaks in the underwater hydrophone recording, I visualised sea flora and fauna, waves and bubbles… so tried to emulate these with the synth;
I also created 3 audio loops of the field recording that ran at:
quarter speed
half speed
original speed
These were played through several reverb and delay effects chains to add to the sub aquatic feel. Finally all elements were composited to create the finished track."
Harbour sounds in Bali reimagined by id_23.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas
"The sound of the sea hitting the shore is brings with it an inherently sleepy feeling. So I used the pure sound, then doubled it and applied some effects to push it back off to ‘sleep’ in the background. I added a couple of tracks I had kicking around that had a dreamy quality to them and effected them as well. I then put it all together to create a wash of sound that induces - to me at least - a feeling of drifting and floating, sometimes noticing but resting and fading into sleep. Music is a gateway to sleep, the link between being part of the day and then finding no reason to keep being a part of it, music helps to convince us that it’s time to shut down and reboot."
Beach in Bali reimagined by Mandy Hampson.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Sententiosus, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"The piece is inspired by an ambiance of meditative dream. It is a construction of harmonies and modified sounds that invite us to go into the details of listening and the passing of a liquid time of the body."
Indonesian waterfall reimagined by Elena Castillo / Elentric.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Credit: Photo by Huy Phan
"I enjoy listening to water sounds and the given recording was taken as a constant background that sometimes is totally occluded by the music, but it is still there, flowing along the musical flow. I wanted the music could be used to soothe oneself or even inducing sleep, but I always like to introduce dissonant or noise elements in my tracks so, who knows if the music will help or not? Maybe it could be used to induce nightmares, instead? I started working with something representing awakeness, then I also came up with a dreamy melody that reminded to me Ravel's "Pavane pour une infante défunte", and finally, several dreamy sections were growing organically, like the remnants of REM dreams mentioned in the title."
Indonesian waterfall reimagined by fectoper.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Andreas Tille, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"Pengempu waterfall, Bali. As a field recordist, I've traveled the world to capture the sounds of nature at its finest, and Bali's waterfalls are some of the most breathtaking I've ever recorded.
I've made recordings from three of Bali's most iconic waterfalls: Tegenungan, Tibumana, and Pegembu. Using great recording equipment, I've captured every nuance of these cascading waterfalls, from the roar of the falls themselves to the gentle sounds of the surrounding environment."
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Credit: Photo by Lena Shekhovtsova
Hydrophone recording from a beach in Bali.
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas
Sanur is a seaside town in the southeast of the island of Bali, in Indonesia. Its long stretch of beach offers shallow waters. Colorful jukung fishing boats rest on the sand, backed by a paved cycling path.
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Sententiosus, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"Tibumana waterfall, Bali. As a field recordist, I've traveled the world to capture the sounds of nature at its finest, and Bali's waterfalls are some of the most breathtaking I've ever recorded.
I've made recordings from three of Bali's most iconic waterfalls: Tegenungan, Tibumana, and Pegembu. Using great recording equipment, I've captured every nuance of these cascading waterfalls, from the roar of the falls themselves to the gentle sounds of the surrounding environment."
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Credit: Photo by Huy Phan
"Svartifoss - Thin, 20m-high waterfall tumbling down the centre of a dramatic 3D wall of hexagonal basalt columns."
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Andreas Tille, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"I'm not particularly religious or spiritual, but I have always found the experience of attending Evensong to be comforting in a way that continues to surprise me. I leaned into that comfort, and the theme of tranquility that comes with it for me, in this composition (though I have to admit that I do have enough theological knowledge to know whether the original recording was even of Evensong in the first place!)."
Basilique Saint-Sernin de Toulouse reimagined by Emmy Tither.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Sound space immerses us into his environment."
Recorded by Dan Capture.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Some bird sounds are from the field recording and some are synthesised."
Napo Wildlife Centre reimagined by Simon Woods.
Insects and birds at the Napo Wildlife Centre, Ecuador in 2014.
Recorded by Phil Cunliffe.
"For this project, I wanted to use techniques and tools that I found helpful in my personal quest for healthy sleeping.
The loss of the natural ability to rest peacefully and reload seems evident: the recent major shifts and events in our lives eventually took their toll, resulting in a somewhat drained battery existence.
Still, it's no secret that our brain can restore itself, reinstate peace, recalibrate if you like, tune off from life's constant cacophony, and, well, enjoy different kinds of noise. The brain surely can transform the very issue of noise and use it as a "blessing in disguise".
What works for me is a "wall of sound", pink noise, white noises; constant, fierce, wide-range tones which reduces the agility of unwelcome, sudden sounds.
The sonic environment keeps the mind focused on itself and doesn't make it filter individual noises.
The Dettifoss waterfall recording was a choice made due to these qualities present. On my trip to Iceland, I experienced such effectiveness in person, which resulted in addition to the collection of "working" sounds.
Waterfalls and streams are indeed sonic walls with a rich frequency range, and able to cancel or lower the impact of unexpected sound intruders.
I approached the piece conscious of that, creating a fusion between enveloping patterns, shuffled sound mosaics, and field material, bringing just enough new nuances to build on the spiral.
Still, keeping the structure intact for the brain to dwell in and fall into the loop of relaxation.
The mind does enjoy slight musical detours under circumstances, yet all of it comes to a designed peaceful resolution. Sleep might as well be engaging, colorful, and almost hyper-dimensional, which the right music can aid.
Now, per design, if the sounds do come in, they are met with a different set of rules that do not harm the existing harmony and add to the music sculpture.
Based on various experiences with exhaustion levels I found white/pink/brown noises and pattern-istic melodies click well with ASMR, certain textured sounds do enhance relaxation.
Moreover, I used all the findings in the production, hoping it worked toward the goal.
Another principle was the creation of a track that is not designed for headphones exclusively (although the benefits and experience from a headset are undeniably broader).
I discovered that listening to the material through speakers, including lo-fi ones or cellphones, is equally efficient.
Therefore, I would encourage diffusion of the following creative wall of noise, through whatever device comes in handy.
Think of it as a sound pill to keep your mind steady, imagination in line, visualization ready, and vibe present, while being taken to places of your choosing.
The intention is to help you sleep. Colorfully. "
Dettifoss reimagined by Serge Bulat.
IMAGE: Superbass, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Goðafoss, meaning "waterfall of the gods," carries with it a tale of tranquility. When Iceland was initially settled during the 9th and 10th centuries, the majority of its inhabitants were Norwegian, adhering to the Old Norse faith and venerating deities like Thor, Odin, Loki, and Freya. However, as of AD 930, the pressure to adopt Christianity began to mount from Christianized Europe.
By the year 1000 AD, it became evident that Iceland risked invasion from Norway if it clung to its pagan beliefs. The pivotal question was deliberated at Þingvellir, the annual meeting place of the Icelandic parliament. The legislator at the time, Ásatrú, a priest of the Old Norse religion, found himself facing a momentous decision.
He spent a day and a night in silent contemplation beneath a fur blanket, beseeching his ancient gods for guidance. Ultimately, he emerged from his vigil and declared that, in the interest of the people, Christianity would become the official religion, but that those who adhered to the old ways could practice their faith in private.
Ásatrú then returned to his home in northern Iceland and cast idols of the Old Gods into the waters of Goðafoss.
The field recording inspired me to create a two-octave digital instrument, sampling different fragments, isolating them to find stable frequencies, and then pitching them to reach the corresponding notes. The idea was to make the waterfall "sing". Then I added a pulse coming from the same soundscape, with a similar method, and some synthesizers to help me create the dreamy feeling. Finally, the virtual string instruments of the BBC orchestra completed the work."
Godafoss reimagined by Cristian Estrella.
IMAGE: Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
""Slumber (Opium Den)" seamlessly blends the recorded essence of shoreline night waves with rhythmic elements, resulting in a hypnotic and calming soundscape. Inspired by the organic tranquility of the recording, PureH transformed these gentle waves into a rhythmic foundation, enhanced by soft ambient textures. The composition draws listeners into a tranquil state reminiscent of a smoky atmosphere found in an opium den, aligning with the theme of "music for sleep" by providing a soothing and immersive sonic experience conducive to relaxation and a dreamlike state."
Amarynthos waves reimagined by PureH.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"An experimental piece intended to convey the experience of gradually descending into a nightmare. Percussion provided by the reference clock tick-tock transformed into the sound of a sledge hammer against a metal anvil."
Keitum ticking clock reimagined by Scott Lawrence Whitman.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Samuel Kudjodzi's field recording of wetlands at midnight in Ghana interested me because it was just very beautifully done but also because it made me feel peaceful and alert--that odd combination-feeling you get for example when being awoken from a deep sleep. (Hence the title, which is taken from a chapter in Jacqueline Risset's Sleep's Powers.) Looping part of the original recording is paired with the use of samples from recordings of Brahm's famous lullaby, Wiegenlied.
Ghana wetland insects reimagined by Joseph Chaves.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"What does the time 3:46 mean, without an am or pm behind it?
Maybe it exists as a reference point. Maybe it is a time suspended in time before finally falling asleep. But what if sleep doesn’t come, easily or at all? Is someone awake at 3:46 or…awakening? Does the time 3:46 connote sleep during the day or at night?
Listening deeply to the field recording of an Icelandic waterfall inspired the realization that people all over the world could be awake and falling asleep at different times. Or, all at the same time. 3:46 is night and day. One person could be awake, trying to fall back asleep at night but another might be trying to take a nap during the day. Music for sleep…when?
Whatever the case, this simple, gentle arrangement of the sound of a waterfall in Iceland provided by Cities and Memory: Music for Sleep mixed with a Croatian sea organ provided by Adam Danz (freesound.org) works like a lullaby. . .whenever."
Gluggafoss reimagined by JE Sawyer.
IMAGE: Anonymous Dissident, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Gluggafoss (Merkjárfoss), Gluggafossavegur, Iceland. During my three-week journey through Iceland in a camper van, I was in awe of the country's breathtaking beauty.
I had the chance to capture the natural sounds at several locations, including Dettifoss, Godafoss, Gluggafoss, Dynjandi, Svartifoss, Fjaðrárgljúfur, Thingvellir, Goðafoss, Seljalandsfoss, Glanni, and Haukadalur.
Using the Zoom F6 and an ORTF stereo set of Sennheiser MKH 8040, I recorded 49 tracks of the natural ambiance of Iceland's waterfalls and rivers.
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
IMAGE: Anonymous Dissident, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Goðafoss Waterfall, Iceland.
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
IMAGE: Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Dettifoss. Take a journey into the serene and tranquil environment of Iceland through the sounds of its cascading waterfalls and flowing rivers. During my three-week journey through Iceland in a camper van, I was in awe of the country's breathtaking beauty.
I had the chance to capture the natural sounds at several locations, including Dettifoss, Godafoss, Gluggafoss, Dynjandi, Svartifoss, Fjaðrárgljúfur, Thingvellir, Goðafoss, Seljalandsfoss, Glanni, and Haukadalur.
Using the Zoom F6 and an ORTF stereo set of Sennheiser MKH 8040, I recorded 49 tracks of the natural ambiance of Iceland's waterfalls and rivers.
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
IMAGE: Superbass, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Constant pulsating calls and songs of frogs, toads and subtle insects.
This particular location, space or settlement could have been used for educational purposes for future generations to:
I. Learn about the importance of wetlands and aqua-habitats to the ecosystem.
II. Document individual species and ecological functions on site.
III. Observe and research the sonic structures, communication complexities and the meaning of communication of the species.
Unfortunately, this is not possible due to human settlement/encroachment on these lands which will render the species and its accompanying soundscapes extinct in a year or two. On the other hand, preserving this recording will serve as a useful material for generations to come and learn how the extinction of these wetlands and its species has affected biodiversity in the neighbourhood and would also preserve an aural memory of the space. Schools in the community, Ghana and the world are a major target for awareness on this ongoing environmental crisis through sound archives and with a caution that building on wetlands and waterways not only causes wetland species to go extinct, but also human lives and properties are lost due to constant flooding.
Recorded by Samuel Kudjodzi.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
The sound of the sea can help slow down the mind and help promote relaxation. Late one evening I recorded this soundscape of gentle waves lapping onto the shoreline just outside Amarynthos Village on the island of Evia in Greece.
Recorded by Colin Hunter.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
This is a recording the soft and relaxing ticking of a historic wall clock exposed in the museum of the island Sylt in Keitum, Germany.
Recorded by Martin Juenke.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"This piece is built on top of a nocturnal insect drone, and takes its rhythm from the insect chorus’s irregular cycles of pulses and swells. Those insect rhythms can be simultaneously soothing and a little unsettling, and the result is a piece that feels languid and sleepy even as it is also pulsating with the sounds of nocturnal activity."
Grand Bornand soundscape reimagined by John Savarese.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"The seconds pass with cricket song...
Exploring the stretch and pulse of time at night, led by the rhythmic crickets in the field recording and enhanced with gentle piano interjections."
Crickets in Bad Boll reimagined by Sarah Keirle.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"This is how I imagine the sounds heard in almost-sleep, in which the real world can still be sensed along with the hazy recombinations of sounds stored deep in the brain. I used a few swelling rain excerpts from the Bijilo recording (including one with the meow) in a custom granular synthesis program (https://github.com/jimkang/graphback/). I also added some synth trombone and a field recording of a back yard and of my own cat and filtered them to blend in."
Gambian cat sounds reimagined by Jim Kang.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Cathedrals can be places of calm. Here, someone seeks peacefulness and rest, and finds them. Medieval music, then a chorus of penitents (from a Palm Sunday procession in Portugal), the mumbles of a priest’s sermon during mass (in Krakow, Poland), and finally the Blessing Of the Animals (here recorded in St. John the Divine Cathedral in New York City). Our seeker hears neighbors starting to snore, and drifts off into quiet sleep."
Toulouse cathedral reimagined by John Tenney.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Have you ever had one of those nights when you just can’t get to sleep no matter what you do? As always, there’s a story behind my track about insomnia.
At first, when I was allocated this sound, I thought I might create a lullaby from the chirping noises of the toads, since they were Midwife Toads. Something quiet and ambient that would lull your baby to sleep.
However, also as always, tracks seem to want to go their own way. They want to be what they want to be. In this case, noise and competing noises.
I was thinking about how our minds and ears pick out the slightest noise(s) when we are struggling to get to sleep, as in my case, having been caught up in Storm Polly in the Netherlands. The hurricane outside the room, rain lashing on the windows and the water dripping and pipes clanking all night from downstairs' air conditioning, just made it impossible to get a good night’s sleep. Tossing and turning, every sound was magnified and my brain just couldn’t switch off.
That feeling of total exhaustion when you’ve not only battled the night but also every tiny squeak, bang, rasp, drip, flush, cough, of your darkened room….Oh, and there’s always a fly or moth buzzing or flitting about.
This is where the idea of a track of many sounds competing against each other came from.
As the night begins, the distant chirp of a toad is soon overtaken by birds and insects and that annoying fly, all competing with each other, all getting louder, and all vying for space in your head as you struggle to get to sleep.
The track was created from the original soundfile, either by using samples, midi info, sound shaping and changes in frequencies, to create a sound world of flying things, midges, birds, crickets, insects, rain, water drips, unknown origin sounds and an underlying mechanised drone of some sort of machine. It is a cacophony of competing noises. New sounds can be heard each time you listen to the track, as your mind highlights and wanders to and from noises, in desperation to find some peace.
In the end, it goes silent, as eventually you fall asleep out of sheer exhaustion.
Best listened through headphones to get the full effect but beware loud sounds."
Toads in Lorraine reimagined by Museleon.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
The Church of the Jacobins, Toulouse - "Sound space immerses us into his huge reverb."
Recorded by Dan Capture.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
A gentle soundscape of crickets stridulating late at night whilst gentle summer rain falls on the surrounding vegetation. As I sat quietly to record along an abandoned railway track in Bad Boll, Baden-Württemberg, the nearby village remains in silence.
Recorded by Colin Hunter.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
This recording captures the numerous flute like calls of Common Midwife Toads in an old disused quarry. The toads begin calling at dusk and when the conditions are right, continue on throughout the night. Recorded just after midnight when hundreds of toads were calling simultaneously at slightly different pitches, resulting in a beautiful soundscape.
Recorded by Colin Hunter.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
This gentle summer soundscape, featuring bees, grasshoppers and crickets, was recorded in an open meadow near the Col de Châtillon at an altitude of 1680 metres above sea level. A perfect summer soundscape for an afternoon siesta.
Recorded by Colin Hunter.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Rain falling on the balcony of our room in The Gambia with a cat behind the glass.
Recorded by Michael Lilley.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"While listening to my chosen sound while reflecting on the theme I became inspired to create a sort of log of a dream, or a Dreamscape. Dreamscape 08.07.23 is a live improvised piece based on a dream I experienced on August 7, 2023, or was it July 8, 2023, hmm. The original sound can be found in the bass pad (a wavetable was created from a short snippet and used to make the bass pad), and then throughout the song at certain points. It is music from sleep, for sleep."
Cyprus shipwreck reimagined by Baying Ridges.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Jiannacone, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"Twilight's Serenade is a short ambient soundscape composition intended to promote sleep. As the sun's warm embrace begins to yield to the cool embrace of the night, this piece captures the gentle, romantic essence of that fleeting moment. The white noise, pink noise and binaural beats give a calming background - while the soft choir sound and gentle flourishes which feature are like whispered secrets exchanged between lovers under a canopy of dusky skies."
Peak Distrcit thrush reimagined by Eileen Mc Loughlin (misindigo).
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Taco Meeuwsen from Hellevoetsluis, The Netherlands, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Sierra Leone-flagged EDRO III ran aground off Pegeia on 8 October 2011 in heavy seas, during a voyage to Rhodes, from Limassol, Cyprus with a cargo of plasterboard. At the time of the accident, the ship had nine crew members – seven Albanians and two Egyptians. The crew were rescued and airlifted to the safety of Paphos by a local British Military helicopter.
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Jiannacone, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"The original recording is by definition disembodied and, (as someone who has never visited Australia), I found it to be familiar yet alien. Taking this ethereal sound as a starting point I built up a track that hopefully has a dreamlike quality."
Yulara light field reimagined by Dead Kousin.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
Coastal sounds at the Tomb of the Kings archaeological site, Cyprus.
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Mgiganteus1 at the English-language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons
Mainly songthrush, accompanied by a wren. During lockdown. Longest unbroken song ever heard by a thrush.
Recorded by Ian Evetts.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
IMAGE: Taco Meeuwsen from Hellevoetsluis, The Netherlands, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Wildlife in the uluru field of night after sunset with harmonic processing.
Recorded by Michael Lilley.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
I liked the impression of walking, moving around, as if we were following someone's walk in sound with voices, noises, wind, a breath. I liked the title of the piece too. An evocation of a distant land.
From there, I imagined a stroll through a city wetter, more oragnic and with a pale glow. Noises, muffled sounds, textures, voices, the wind create another more incongruous or surprising density. I let my mind wander in this new landscape.
Estacio do Oriente reimagined by Philippe Neau.
IMAGE: david prieto from Spain, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"The rhythm of waves on the coast can calm our restless brain. Looking for patterns helps with that. Yet there is always that little bit of static in the back of our minds that never quite goes away. Focusing your concentration on the calming effect of sounds, that is the art of it..."
Bermuda Great Sound reimagined by Molenari.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"This piece is about where we go when we are asleep and the different states of our sleep.
I began by listening to the original sound which is described by the recordist as a 360 degree recording of a waterfall. I was intrigued by the subtle changes to the sound as the microphone moves around.
I decided that I would keep the recording intact as it would be very difficult to break it up. My thought then was to find something to go underneath. I began to go through my library of existing recordings – flute and other melodic instruments, to see what might work. I came across a collection of experiments I had done while ago using synth instruments and began with a low drone sound.
The drone sits underneath as a constant – like a heartbeat. I added a melodic line in and began to think about the different stages of sleep – the restful deep sleep and in contrast the active REM sleep where dreams can happen. I also decided that the waterfall could also sound like waves (gentle waves lapping are often used in relaxation music so have links with sleep). I experimented with volume levels of the waterfall and created some upsurges. The only other sound is an urgent rhythm with a marimba beat which sits under these REM moments."
Azores waterfall reimagined by Jessica Rowland.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"'Nightmare (behind the yellow line)' is the story of someone waiting at a train station for a lover who will never arrive. I interpreted the theme "music for sleep" by playing with the presence of nightmares. The original sound has been slightly modified to accentuate the haunting ambiance and melancholic tones of the composition, used to set a sombre mood that ideally, resonates with the listener's subconscious mind during sleep.
The anticipation and yearning conveyed through the narrative become intertwined with the unsettling nature of a recurring nightmare, the fear that the loved person will never arrive. The minimalistic soundscape evokes the depths of one's subconscious fears and inner anxieties, amidst the haunting landscape of dreams."
Distant Canadian train reimagined by Cristina Marras.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"I did minimal edits on this magical field recording from Australia, composing musical cells that directly connect to its sound-structures, adding multi-track piano with multi-track e-bows on piano strings, in static and traveling spatialisations. "Giant Sleep" feels to me like all kinds of literal or metaphorical sleep, where we exist in and outside of ourselves, like slumbering giants, where sleep offers a brief respite from, and brief hints of, the terrors of being alive within our climate crises."
Australian hums reimagined by Tessa Brinckman.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"This is a recording from a night of open air camping that captures different relations to sleeping outdoors: the momentarily interrupted sleep of the recordist, the sounds of a distant train that occasioned this late-night recording session, and the snores of other campers resting uninterrupted."
Recorded by John Savarese.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Overlooking Cavello Bay which overlooks Great Sound. The sound of waves on the shore."
Recorded by Mark Wilden.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Standing directly above a waterfall in the Azores, with a slow 360 degree sweep of the recorder to capture different aspect and angles of the soundscape as the recording develops."
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
"Longtime listeners might recognise the hum of Leeton's rice facility from previous projects and this recording includes my army of wind organs, which were installed in the front yard for an Art Trail last weekend.
I find their gentle chortling relaxing and my partner Jo described how they became a soundtrack to her dreaming, possibly because of the strong southerlies at that time."
Recorded by Bassling.
Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
This piece is a duet between the summer song of the cicadas on a hot afternoon in Santarcangelo, and an unusual miniature orchestra of brass, strings and synthesisers. The long, sometimes juddering pulses of bass, brass and strings signify the slow lengthening of a hot day, while the bubbling arpeggios are musical mirrors of the cicadas themselves.
Cicadas in Santarcangelo reimagined by Cities and Memory.
IMAGE: N.monte, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Cicadas in the afternoon playing in a camp site that was especially set up for the Santarcangelo Festival in the backyard of the city's Ethnographic Museum, in Santarcangelo, Italy. Recorded by Alexandra Genzini.
IMAGE: N.monte, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Perpetual motion. Railways that never sleep. Logistics, supplies, people, transit - these silver bullets fire north, south, east and west across the country, but they bring life, bring communication, bring energy. This piece takes a single railroad crossing in Japan as its starting point and zooms out, first to view every train making its way across the city, then the prefecture, then the island of Honshu, and finally the entire country. Expanse, momentum and energy.
Railroad crossing in Imizu City, Japan reimagined by Cities and Memory.
"This is the sound recorded near the railroad crossing. It was recorded at night, so you can only hear the sound of railroad crossings and trains passing by."
Recorded by Sekifuji Naotaka.
"The original field recording of lapping waves has an extraordinary relaxing quality to it, and I was captivated by recordist Rafael Diogo's introduction to his sound: 'We all have our dreams about special places and it feels like my past self had the dream to visit Perast.'
"The composition is therefore based on the idea of a dream emerging from one's subconscious, as the waves of bass and synthesisers represent memories from one's past self, while the recordings from the wave sit underneath as a real-world counterpart, as both dream and reality coexist in this piece. A tribute to the confluence of dream and reality."
Waves in Perast, Montenegro reimagined by Cities and Memory.
"This piece serves as an example of sound art created from the soundscape I recorded at Liqeni Artificial i Tiranes. In this work, I have replicated the acoustic environment characterized by the presence of numerous cicadas, enhancing it with a cinematic effect."
The sound of numerous cicadas at Liqeni Artificial I Tiranes, Albania reimagined by Uğur Aslan.
"This soundscape was captured at Liqeni Artificial I Tiranes, Albania. In this vibrant acoustic environment, the voices of numerous cicadas blend harmoniously, emanating from all directions. To capture this immersive experience, I stood in the center of a dirt road while making the recording."
Recorded by Uğur Aslan.
Muezzin call in Mahdia, Tunisia reimagined by Andy Cartwright.
"I blended some layers of minimal pulses from a synth to create the effect of trance and breath."
"For this composition, developed on a beautifully sunny weekend with the warm summer air blowing in through open windows, I set myself the challenge of working on something optimistic and upbeat.
"Having been reading Walt Whitman recently, I started with his poem "Song of the Open Road" in mind (from which the title comes) and wanted to convey some of the feeling of that work in this piece.
"Starting with a field recording from a station in Lisbon, the composition imagines setting out on a train journey on a bright, sunny morning, full of hope and optimism for the day ahead.
"Acoustic guitar lines intertwine around a simple bassline, with light, jazzy drums and airy synths building up an atmosphere of positivity, light and forward movement."
Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.
Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,
Strong and content I travel the open road.
The earth, that is sufficient,
I do not want the constellations any nearer,
I know they are very well where they are,
I know they suffice for those who belong to them.
Estacio do Oriente, Lisbon reimagined by Cities and Memory.
IMAGE: david prieto from Spain, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"I took the already dense source material and layered it in reverse, before improvising the melodic parts. The glitchy finale is the original sample mangled."
Bob's Bar in Bengaluru reimagined by Michael Lilley.
"Bob's bar, where the sound was recorded, is central to the social scene of the city. As the week comes to an end, numerous city folks, most of whom are youngsters, occupy the tables at the bar. In this phone recording, we hear multiple conversations and youthful laughter, all merging together into a trance-like sound , as if coming out of the mouth of a giant organism. This, further merges with the sounds of car honks and traffic movement, creating quite a crowded and chaotic soundscape."
Bob's Bar, Bengaluru, India recorded by Manu.
"In this track we hear the wonderful variety of Earth’s natural radio emissions captured by the Halley VLF receiver on the day of the first sunrise after the long austral winter. We hear the crackles and pops of spherics, the descending tones of lightning generated whistlers and the rising and falling tones of whistler mode chorus. We have worked with the 'sounds' of Halley before but here we focus on emissions recorded on the day of the Sun's first appearance after the long Antarctic ‘night’, adding a poignancy to the sound of the chorus emissions whose source is ultimately the Sun.
The music is written for virtual choir and felt piano in an expansive scale known as the Lydian mode. This mode is like a major scale with an additional sharpened note, and augmented 4th, which allows a feeling of expansion in the intervals of the music. All of us know the sensation of seeing first light, and we can imagine together how incredible this would be after the long ‘night’ of the Antarctic Winter."
Sounds of space from Halley VI research station reimagined by Sounds of Space Project.
A compilation of the 'sounds' of Earth's natural radio emissions as recorded by a remote VLF receiver at the Halley VI research station in Antarctica. Recorded by the Sounds of Space Project.
"The sounds of Earth's natural radio emissions as recorded by a remote VLF receiver at Halley VI Research Station in Antarctica accompanied by ambient music on a grand piano."
Sounds of space from Halley VI research station reimagined by Sounds of Space Project.
Just as the patterns of falling rain create their own rhythms and melodies almost like a generative process, so this piece uses generative chord and melodic patterns as the basis of a piece that aims to reflect the mood of gazing out of the window at falling rain and losing yourself in thought and contemplation.
As a quirk, in the original field recording we can hear the recordist saying one word at the beginning of the piece - “rain”. This has been folded back into the reimagined composition to mark some of the structural builds in the piece.
The title of the piece comes from Tomas Transformer’s poem “The Tree and the Sky”:
There’s a tree walking around in the rain,
it rushes past us in the pouring grey.
It has an errand. It gathers life
out of the rain like a blackbird in an orchard.
When the rain stops so does the tree.
There it is, quiet on clear nights
waiting as we do for the moment
when the snowflakes blossom in space.
Rain in Newcastle reimagined by Cities and Memory.
Rain falling under a metal drum, recorded in Newcastle, England in 2015 by Tim Shaw. You can hear the rain hitting the metal surface fairly gently initially, before building in intensity as a rhythmic crescendo.
"This is a loose piece built from a scene in an airport waiting area. The soundscape is sparse: low background conversation; the chirps of either birds or sneakers; an idly whistled tune; and toddler jargon - from a phase of speech where words are beginning to come into coherence. Those sounds provided the main musical cues and phrases. I started at the middle, learned and played the vocal phrases on a few different instruments, and then worked backwards to build the piece around them.
"Having recently spent my first day in airports since 2020, I was surprised at what seemed to be a slackened pace and generally lower tension than I remembered from pre-pandemic airports. Likewise this field recording, from the baggage claim at LAX, already seemed to have the feel of what Brian Eno called “a calm and a space to think.”"
Los Angeles LAX airport reimagined by John Savarese.
IMAGE: Andre m, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"I loved the sound of the church bells so I made a small Spring Equinox song based on the melody. I made a field recording of the song with my friend Bárbara de Sá in the Jardim Gulbenkian in Lisbon, then put the two field recordings together."
Sete Cidades bells reimagined by Melaina Barnes.
The recording includes sounds from train station platforms - announcements of approaching and arriving trains and sounds of standing and passing trains. You can hear a lot of word "pociag" there - it means "train" in Polish. The recording was made with a Free Space Pro II binaural microphone (3DIO Sound). Link to map: https://goo.gl/maps/JahBCKjsfH7ZbPEF8 Recorded by Artur Olejarczyk.
"The oldest stadium in Perm, Russia. The main football club of the city. The most loyal red-black fans and their support. Amkar Perm FC." Recorded provided by Amkar Perm FC.
Sounds from inside the terminals at the major Los Angeles LAX airport. Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
IMAGE: Andre m, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"Railway stations always have a particular quality of sound. They are reverberant and boomy but they also have a particular rhythm. Artur Olejarczyk’s original recording made me think of all the times I have arrived in a new station, in a new city. I wanted to compress his timing into a more hectic mix by layering the sounds of the trains accelerating out of, and passing through, the station and adding delay and abstract noise to intensify the sense of the unfamiliarity of the space."
Wroclaw station reimagined by David Cowlard.
"The only sound source is the provided sample. Transposed, stretched, sliced, filtered, reversed, cut and stitched.
"A poem comes with the piece: "Localized globality. Scattered citizen participation processes. Cold commodification of the cities and subjects. Demonstrations. Surrogate actions. Privacy as spatial oppression. Be homeless, fear your shelter.""
Oxford housing protest reimagined by sine:noise.
The church bells in Sete Cidades in the Azores ring out - they are somewhat atonal and out of tune, making for a less harmonious soundscape than you would usually expect from church bells - birds nesting in the trees either side of a path leading up to the church provide a more melodious accompaniment. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
A protest by the Acorn organisation on the theme of "Housing is a human right", Oxford, UK, July 2021. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"This experimental piece is primarily comprised of the original chant with the addition of an excerpt from the Russian folk song "Kalinka" and a few orchestral elements processed via tape loops and various effects."
Amkar Perm FC crowd reimagined by Scott Lawrence Whitman.
"The recording was one of all the sounds that make up a reverent silence. I started layering that recorded silence, placing accents, finding sounds that I liked and started building from there, responding, first with piano, then other elements, to the sounds that I heard, and built the resulting track from there."
Hallgrimskirkja reimagined by de Velden.
"Created entirely out of waveforms from the climate demonstration field recording and a violin; mainly using a sampler for some kind of granular synthesis. Messy, saturated, noisy, frantic; urgent climate crisis."
Edinburgh climate protest reimagined by Jeremy Sklad (rtfct).
"I remember the Paris subway with some fondness, from the time I was studying philosophy in France. The sound was mostly noise and clamour, and the busy hours were full of images and encounters. The field recording reminds me of the speed and the rush of novelty I felt as I moved through the city, finding new places and new experiences. There is excitement and anticipation in the sound, and I've pushed that into a kind of pressurized electronica that sometimes runs wild with the sound of the underground."
Paris metro reimagined by Pyrrh.
"Mythologically, ravens are often tricksters. They can also be associated with healing. We live in tricky times and the world is needing a lot of healing. As I understand it, Bosnia has suffered from a great deal of conflict. I thought it would be good to let the calls of the ravens be a call for peace. I used a lot of granular synthesis of the original ravens recording and added some kind of electro-shamanic drumming. The piece ends with serene vocal motifs blended in with the ravens going through a 100% wet reverb effect. May conflict pass and may peace prevail around the planet."
Ravens in Mostar reimagined by Gareth Williams.
On Saturday 12 November 2022 in Edinburgh, a coalition of climate groups marched through the city to demand Climate Justice in solidarity with the Global Day of Action called by Egyptian groups at COP27. Performances, songs and chants featured throughout, some of which captured via field recordings.
This recording was from St Andrew Square and is of a demonstration by Red Rebels, a single bass drum is played throughout. Recorded by Bobby Jewell.
Tourist moving inside the Hallgrimskirkja church, Reykjavik, Iceland. Recorded by Richard Watts.
The Parisian metro between Hotel de ville and Chatelet. Door closing signal, the doors close, it accelerates, some people speak in the background, the next station is announced, the metro breaks, the doors open, I get out, some announcements are heard in the distance, then the door signal -which is cut short. Recorded by Dialekti Valsamou-Stanislawski.
"For the production of this piece, I just imagined being by the sea, at night, with a full moon, just like in Diogo's original recording, contemplating the soundscape and the landscape and in contact with a state of mind full of tranquility. for its construction I used electric guitar and some of the many effects of Guitar Rig."
Sea in Mahdia reimagined by Luis Antero.
"It is always a privilege to hear foreign languages. We are so lucky to have access to a rich variety of languages in our world. In languages that we cannot understand, our brain automatically listens for patterns and rhythms to try to interpret the sounds. Market traders also bring a musical magic to their phrases. This original recording is so rich with patterns and musical phrases I barely needed to make any modifications, but I am also personally attracted to vocal sounds that have been speeded up or slowed down.
"In a way I feel that it highlights the de-humanisation that we are experiencing through various measuring and labelling that pervades our current society. If this sounds negative, maybe we are moving towards an era where this categorisation of a human being for the sake of digital data will truly bring us benefit and not just a means to further our path along the road to ultimate capitalism. I would love to hear a similar remix of english words created by someone who does not have semantic understanding of the words in the same way that I cannot understand this vietnamese but can be in awe of its rhythms and musicality."
Street vendors in Vietnam reimagined by Elise Plans.
"The fieldrecording of an art fair inspired me to think about the art world and the social event of an opening itself. A word to Text AI discovered some words in the mumbling. Those became the text line of my sketch. I call it a sketch because my goal is to perform it with a real choir."
Madison art fair reimagined by Anna Schimkat.
"I have kept the main chatter of the cafe echoed and slightly adjusted repeats of the chatter and added some music to give ambience which I like to feel gives the sense of moving around the cafe."
Cafe in Mahdia reimagined by Stuart Renshaw.
Recorded discreetly on July 9th, 2022 in Madison, Wisconsin, USA while walking though a crowed art fair using a pair of LOM mikroUši Pro microphones. Recorded by Daniel Braun.
Banh mi SaiGon seller sound, Banh gio seller sound, Hot ga nuong seller sound and ve chai seller sound in Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam. Recorded by Maei.
"A composition built around the concept of ascension, using a field recording of a hot air balloon ride.
"At each blast of the burner, the balloon rises, and the composition responds by building in a new layer of sound.
"The palette of sounds has been kept to spacious, airy synth pads, open brass notes and a colouring of piano notes and strings to communicate height, space, freedom and to visualise the blues and whites of an open sky dotted with light clouds.
"The balloon rises still further, and the pieces builds still further, until both reach the very summit of the heavens, looking down at the Earth below."
Luxor hot air balloon ride reimagined by Cities and Memory.
"I really thought about the ambience of the original recording , the setting and what kind of memories it triggered.
I wanted the track to be really earthy with acoustic instruments and singing.
A song if you like.
It reminded me of the feeling you get when meeting a fellow traveller, a kindred spirit, which, at the time, seems so improbable in the grand scheme of things.
The words came as the song developed. A real love story, a chance meeting on life’s open road.
The blossoming relationship - an exotic land to travel, not alone, not anymore.
"The original recording is used throughout, giving a buzzing ambience that energises the track.
"Those critters really can sing."
Insects at night in Ghana reimagined by Daniel Chudley - Le Corre.
"The record brought a feeling of the ancient and modern synergising to create a blend of culture that attracts modernity towards it rather than fading. The processed recording acts as an instruments that blends with various traditional instruments from the world."
Western Wall, Jerusalem reimagined by Wahinya Mwirikia (Riqi).
Repetitive melodious calls of insects in distinctive channels recorded at a roadside in the evening. Distant frogs, human voices, movements, autos and distant music can be heard.
The beautiful melodies of the insects in the foreground are marred by loud entertainment centres near quiet settlements. There is however an idea to involve the community in listening to these melodies in archived forms in order to aid informed decisions on loud music in public spaces which affects what would have been a pristine listening environment for cognitive development.
The rapid development of this area would definitely affect the soundscape. In a few years to come, these melodies shall cease to exist but a preserved recording makes it easier to keep an aural memory of the space.
As an archived piece, it will serve as a reference material for an empirical study on loud music in public spaces in sub-urban communities in Ghana.
Recorded on 6th March, 2022 in Binaural format. Headphones recommended for best listening experience.
Men audibly praying at the Western Wall which is particularly quiet other than the occasional shuffle of seats and prominent birds chirping at the site. Men and women are separated upon entry to the wall so the chanting men sound further off in the distance.
Recorded by Rebecca Goldberg.
"For me Alexandria is a city of nostalgic imagination, the dream of a lost cosmopolitan world. I've mixed the recording with "Voices," a poem by the Greek Alexandrian poet Constantine Cavafy, read in 1972 by the painter Yiannis Tsarouchis, and lapped two of the city's other languages against it like the waves. The French version is my adaptation; the English one is by Daniel Mendelsohn. I am still searching for an Arabic translation. The final voice is that of an Egyptian melon seller. The 1972 recording is used by kind permission of Agra Publications and the Yiannis Tsarouchis Foundation."
Seaside at Alexandria reimagined by Maria Margaronis.
"The lingering sound of an event that one has missed. The manufactured memory of a person who has, in fact, failed to experience the performance at all. The text, spoken for me by Pham Jatabut, reads:
I fought traffic for over an hour to get there
how was I supposed to know that there would be construction?
when I finally arrived it had ended
all that was left was the debris of discarded food containers
paper programs plastered in the wet gutter
and the occasional kid trailing behind their parents on the way to the bus
very disappointing
I was interested in the blend of music and voices in this recording, particularly the captured moments of adults and children. All of the other sounds in the work are either from the field recording or are synthesized tones triggered by the pitches in the festival music."
Performance at a Thai night market reimagined by John Roach.
calflier001, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"I couldn't get my original idea to create orchestration around the bells to work at all. So I used the rhythmic element of bells in a percussive way. I created a groove with Shaperbox and layered glitchy, percussive and delayed bell sounds over the top. It's quite chaotic at times with sync'd and freeform sounds creating variations in rhythm with glitch and stutter elements."
Padova mass bells reimagined by Andy Lyon.
Mass bells heard at 7pm on Christmas Eve 2022 from multiple cathedrals at the same time in Padova, Italy. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
A children's ensemble led by a teacher performs folk music at the Lamai Night Market on Koh Samui in Thailand in May 2017, Thailand, where about 20 children in festive folk costumes perform folk music before entering the market. In addition to the musicians, we hear people passing by.
Recorded by Grigory.
IMAGE: calflier001, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The original Cities and Memory sample inspired the creation of this work about ship wreck. Telemetry gathered from ocean buoys at the location of a well documented 19th century ship wreck is used to ‘notate’ the sound work, modulating parameters such as key, timbre, pitch, pan and velocity. Consider the telemetry as a field recording informing the creation of the work.
This 20 minute version of Floß Fleisch Fluss is a shortened form of the sound work, without the spoken narration.*
Floß Fleisch Fluss is a sound and spoken word prose poem, composed and written in seven scenes. The literal translation of the work title is Float Flesh Flux, but Floß more accurately translates as raft.
Scenes include:
Aground and abandoned
Despair and delirium
Paternoster prayer
Mutiny and murder
Cannibalism and contrition
Devotion and death
Rescue and resurrection
Background
It is estimated that since 1700 (when verifiable records were systematically kept by naval and merchant fleets) until the present day, three million people have died in maritime disasters.** A maritime disaster is defined as the loss of 20 or more lives. The very nature of a wrecked ship usually leads to catastrophic loss of life, more significantly so before lifeboats, flotation devices and sea rescue was professionalised in the 19th century.
Telemetry
Telemetry gathered from ocean buoys at the location of a well documented 19th century ship wreck is used to ‘notate’ the sound work, modulating parameters such as key, timbre, pitch, pan and velocity. Telemetry data used for this work includes: wave height and period, barometric pressure, air and sea surface temperature as well as wind speed and direction. A fuller explanation of telemetry is below.***
Instrumentation
Instrumentation used for this work includes field and found sound, voice, polytonal tubes and percussion, amplified cello, prepared piano, prepared guitar, no input mixer and modular synthesis.
The original sample opens and closes the work and is included in various ways. Spectral analysis is used to parse sonic details, isolating timbral and tonal layers such as bird song, wind and waves. The sample is also used throughout the work as carrier signal, frequency modulator and convolution reverb source, working with the telemetry to control pan, pitch, timbre and other parameters such as key and chord progressions.
———————
- A selection of the prose poems are below. In the complete work their narration is interspersed with the sound pieces.
**
Statistics on loss of life from maritime disasters is taken from the publication 'Shipwreck: A History of Disasters at Sea', author Dr. Sam Willis.
Telemetry
Telemetry is the automatic measurement and wireless transmission of data from remote sources, in this case from buoys gathering data in the ocean. Sensors at the source measure physical data such as temperature, pressure, height, amplitude, velocity and direction of ocean waves and weather. More information available at
https://www.sofarocean.com/posts/the-use-of-buoys-in-the-ocean-and-what-weather-conditions-they-measure
Below is a sample of data gathered at the location of a well documented 19th century ship wreck at 20:16 on 29 April 2023. This data gathered over several days and weeks provides several ‘wave form’ modulation sources used in the sound work.
01° 23.7' N — 006° 38.1' E
Wave Height
1.3m, 206.1°
Wind
6kts, 213.5°
Currents
0.8kts, 0.2°
Pressure
1012.3mbar
———————
A selection of the prose poems.
In the complete work their narration is interspersed with the sound pieces.
Despair and delirium
A lived fragment of feeling.
Ten thousand unknown currents.
An unspoken trust. A reflex action of the spirit.
The muscular twitchings of a corpse.
We cuttlefish camouflage the past.
Is anything left then?
Not a trace.
Is the void profound?
It enfolds the whole ocean.
Soft tissues distend with ease. Helpless in extreme lightness.
Like revelations, from the retort feelings begin to leach.
Some cauterise themselves, stem the flow.
The weak go mad, saying we can flex and grow. That weighted them down.
They must not remember the streets in spring and canals in winter.
Hold back the surge as it overwhelms.
They come wearing shoes of salmon skin.
One brings sunburn, another eschar for a surgery, a third makes obsidian blades, fingers white and numb.
Take them, I don’t need them now.
On a warm Sunday in July we reach the Plashledge.
Go then and seek asylum for your selfless love.
————————
Paternoster prayer
The sun is frozen black.
An eclipse like this happens once in 73 years
I hope there will be no clouds.
Held close to the flame, the candle soot blackens the glass.
It is awful that things are like this.
I should stay to tell you how it will be.
The sun will drain away like zinc.
It is overcast.
There’ll be no spectacle today.
Is the sky clear?
Yes. Dark cerulean in the east.
Where are we going? To the edge of the raft?
Lean against the mast. Hide from the wind.
Is the sky really clear?
Yes. Pale carmine now.
It must be beautiful.
I am glad you can see it.
You are not lying?
I can see the stars.
It happens during an eclipse.
Starlight in daytime.
Phosphorine stars I cannot name.
Awful that things are like this.
I’ll stay to tell you how it will be.
Rain begins to fall.
We wait together. Feel together. Lie together.
Paternoster.
————————————
Mutiny
Ganzfeld. The cessation of sound, a moment of stillness.
An experimental action of which the outcome is unforeseen.
Analysis of reality before its entry into existence.
Lucent patterns without pulse or meter.
The wayward son turns the sabre.
The shaft cranks, the blade plays.
Lefebvre swops dirty stories with Moreau.
Le bruit de fond.
Voice your suspicions.
Is the intonation correct?
The first howls multiply and thicken the effect.
Colouring the signal to concentrate strong sensation.
Rhythm quantised in serial tones.
Amplifying waves, vibration and hertz.
It haunts their tradition, without reaching the centre of our concerns.
Violence expressed through instrumentation, dynamics and ornamentation.
Articulation delivered by the performer’s punch.
Fearing a few false notes, they capitulate to barbarism.
Mistaking a triad studded ‘dirty’ for immoral atonality.
Stimulus is maximised but rather unstructured.
No matter how impossible the desire might be
We agree that this pitch-black night cannot evade history.
————————————
Murder
Inchoate.
Milk fed, sour skin.
Legs raise, head turns, trunk twists.
Bare footfall.
Confused crush, oily haste.
Name spelled out in leaves of wild herb.
What sacrifice the flower makes when a vacuum captures its essence at dusk.
Substance from a scented shadow.
Use your knife to harvest the sap.
It is not always painless when the pneuma’s soft.
Not always painless.
They call it easing the spring. Open the breech. As you reel.
The piling swivel. A point of balance.
The woollen must protects the sear.
Fat runs. Bunt slick.
Soaked in through our cheeks and chest.
The thumb of amber resin burns.
These flames resile then collide and unite.
The spine breach splits with a jet of musk.
The plash smelts scoriae to our skin.
This will scar them.
Like all other want, disease, ignorance, squalor and idleness
We are convinced that this assault is a fraud. A sewer victory.
————————————
Cannibalism and contrition
Under the trough of the naos.
Full paps ooze.
Never in their lives had the taste in their mouths been so bitter.
Ill at ease. Eructate. Bilious. Emetic.
The fleets salute as they embark.
Sulphurous flume. Visceral pleasure.
Lodging here, chambered there, embedded in crenelated pockets.
We sucked and sluiced each other’s limits.
A bone broth rich with pulsing decay.
A necessary easement yielding the leigh.
They were finally laid low by the scourge within them.
The infection protests ‘we are here because you were there.’
Just as you have destroyed what was long before.
So we slaughter the great to survive as the small.
————————
Devotion and death
Bundled hull of raft floats five thwarts:
Umibōzu’s breath, Capricorn’s hoof, Tiamat’s eye, Morgawr’s tongue, Ligeia’s call.
As these creatures emerge two sailors entwine their minds of salt.
Ervan and Deniz seek haven for their love’s retreat.
Instead the sea buoys them to the bight of the dead.
What songs they sing as their world becomes distant?
Harmonies that scald throat, eye, lung and ear.
Above, in night’s forest without trees, many animals roam.
Our sailors trust these beasts with their future.
And like them the ocean takes the name of its parent.
Bodies submerse in a bed of their making.
Startled awake with new words and feelings.
A scrimshaw scene falls from their hands.
Ascribed ‘cette amour’, our lovers drown before dawn.
Birds in Bermuda reimagined by Simon Kennedy.
"I chose my recording at random. Upon looking at the title, I imagined a quaint parade of geese, being marched around a town, as is the custom in the ‘ganzenfanfare’ seen in some Dutch and Belgian towns…. I couldn’t have been more wrong…
The goose here is suspended upside down from a sort of gallows, with it’s neck well buttered, the ‘ganzenrijden’ or goose riders are men on horseback who gallop past and underneath the unfortunate goose their aim is to pull the head off of the goose whilst on horseback.
The King’s Parade is for the victorious ‘ganzenrijder’… the victor who manages to remove the goose’s head….
My track is a requiem for this goose.
Track Method:
First I processed the entire 19 minutes or so with Borderlands Granular; using several animated grain clouds to create a background texture that distilled the field recording and condensed the parade into around 7 minutes of audio.
Next I chose four short sections of the field recording that had some differences in tone and timbre. One of these sections about a minute long, was stretched to sevenfold using PaulXStretch, this formed the background drone approximately seven minutes in length.
Another two short sections were chosen to loop using Gauss Field Looper. One looped at regular speed whilst the other was triggered and looped at different speeds and lower bit rates.
All these tracks/loops were then layered together recorded in one take with minor tweaks applied manually.
Added compression/ EQ / minor spatial enhancement etc.
Recorded on iPad Pro."
Goose running ceremony reimagined by id_23.
Goose-riding is a popular entertainment game that belongs to the early medieval games of torment with animals that were then widespread in the countryside of Northwestern Europe. These games came in various forms, but at the beginning of the 21st century, it is mainly goose riding on horseback that is concerned. In the Middle Ages, the games were rather rough and a live goose was used. In the present day, the use of a dead goose eliminates the cruelty to animals and the cruelty to morals. The main objective of each game is always to separate the head from the body of the goose while it is hung on a gallows.
By the middle of the 19th century, protests against the game of torment were growing, because not everyone saw the game as entertainment. In the Flemish polder villages (Berendrecht, Ekeren, Hoevenen, Lillo, Stabroek and Zandvliet) north of Antwerp, the so-called goose-riding game takes place in the period from Carnival to Mid-Lent. The rider of the association who pulls the goose's head may call himself "King" for a whole year. Every year, the 'Kings' of the different goose-rider associations of the last three years gather to fight for the 'Emperor's crown'.
This year, after two long Covid years, the spectacle could finally take place again. The event is preceded by a parade through the streets of the village of the 'ruling Emperor'. This year 'it took place in Zandvliet. The winner of the spectacle may call himself the "Emperor of the Goose Riders". A real honour, both for the rider and for his association. Next year, the emperor's crown will be fought over sportingly in the beautiful and picturesque village of Lillo.
Recorded by Tony van Dorst.
"I started with the core recording and layered it until it was dense, before using the texture to inspire the chordal/ melodic structure."
Neretva river reimagined by Michael Lilley.
"I used the original field recording and stretched it in several ways using Paul's Extreme stretch software. I also crop the sound in small samples to make rhythms with it and finally i processed it with a hardware sampler. Then I mixed the results with some real instruments, an electric keyboard, a flute and a melodica as well as some bass sounds and synths. The tiltle of the piece refers to a thing that once I heard from a Taoist person. The concept was that "behind the noise pollution that affects our world, you could still hear birds singing if you knew how to listen"."
Denver airport reimagined by Carlos Devizia.
IMAGE: Peterquinn925, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A species of noisy yellow-chested birds in St. George, Bermuda. Recorded by Mark Wilden.
Ambience from Denver International airport, including rolling bags, security clearance, checkins, beeping sounds and the sounds of lots of passengers making for a very busy soundscape. Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
IMAGE: Peterquinn925, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"This piece is a collaboration between Cristian Estrella (It Rises All Nectar), and the Catalan guitarist Javi Alcalá. It was composed in Carcassonne (France), recorded in Barcelona, and mixed and mastered in Plovan (France).
"The original idea was to use the soundscape as a painting, with which different elements could be joined together. The birds, originally recorded in the Gatwick Airport reservoir, are segmented by frequencies, and coexist with Spanish guitar, celesta, violins, violas, piano, clarinets, pads, basses, rhythmic sequences, the howling of wolves, the sound of water, and electronics that mark a change of states.
The lyrics appear in spoken word format, and refer to the awareness of our watery condition. It is intended as a call for attention to the care of water, and is articulated with sounds of a branch of the river Hron, in the small village of Nová Baña (Slovakia), where the composer is based. The vacant throne in heaven is that unattainable, utopian place, for which it is worth taking care of our life on earth, which is the only real and concrete thing we have."
Gatwick birdsong reimagined by It Rises All Nectar and Javi Alcalá.
"Drums and voice are both universal elements in human music, which made them ideal to use in the context of the Void Sigil project. To mirror the hypnotic and hypnagogic properties of the original recording, I tried to lean into a more trance-like atmosphere in my reimagining."
London Hare Krishna band reimagined by Angus Hull / Void Sigil.
"I didn’t have any preconceptions or ideas for the piece I would like to make prior to listening to the sound, as I wanted to avoid confining the piece within any predefined structure, theme or vibe.
"Listening to the sound of the boat motor changing pitch, density and volume, interspersed by conversations in a language unknown to me, I decided to temporally stretch the sound, i.e. make it several times slower than the original recording. I wanted to see how the sound itself would change by this, and how that would affect my perception of the sound.
"The result of the temporal stretching was a rather ominous, dark, demonic-like rumble, which I cut into different pieces, shuffled randomly and non-chronologically across different channels and positions between 2 speakers, and edited with reverb and delay. This became a music backdrop, to which I added funny, satirical lyrics and vocalizations, spoken/sung in 3 different vocal lines: church-like reverberated, distorted and child-like.
"The aim of this piece was to play around with contrasts and seemingly disparate sonic/music elements, to create a parody. The deliberately obscured, seemingly dismal lyrics are a parodic metaphor for making whipped cream with a mixer, as a spontaneous tribute to one of my favorite bands, Tool. The line “O Lord, if there is a Lord, save my bowl, if I have a bowl” is a parody of Ernest Renan’s quote: “O Lord, if there is a Lord, save my soul, if I have a soul”."
Nile boat ride reimagined by Jelena Perišić.
Gatwick Airport has 75 hectares dedicated to nature and biodiversity - here we listen to linnet, song thrush and chiff chaff singing in the airport's western biodiversity zone. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
One of the few remaining iconic red London telephone boxes that still contains a functioning pay phone rings out on a weekday afternoon. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
A Hare Krishna troupe performs in the rain outside the Royal Albert Hall in London for visitors attending the Killing Joke performance, March 2023. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"The field sample of the phone ringing but nobody answering conveys a sense of loneliness that speaks to me. The soundscape I painted tries to capture the feeling of life happening all around me, but nobody is really there."
London phone box reimagined by Jenn Howd.
"I took a few excerpts of the wildlife sounds, treated those, then built the music up with acoustic instruments and a lo-fi kalimba sample. I was aiming to create and then process sounds to complement the ambience of the original recording, which plays throughout most of the piece, and to add my own 'creatures' into the mix. That said, I just really like frogs. I spend a quantity of time taking pictures of the denizens of my pond - @frogwatching if you are interested - but mine tend to be quieter."
Amphibians in Ghana reimagined by Alex Vald.
"I chose this recording because it was made less than a mile from my house and I also visited the well during lockdown with my family - making the most of some bad times! I tried to add to the feeling of being inside the well, listening to birdsong etc whilst being surrounded by dripping water. I mixed the raw field recording with a half speed version run through the "Treemonster" effect in Bitwig Studio to create this sound. The whistling lead was intended to sound like some kind of bird in the trees (and also features the Treemonster effect). This was inspired by a discussion about how best to use Treemonster (a wild and ridiculous effect)."Alice well, Oxford reimagined by Jarn Wood.
"I love this sample of the Colin Hunter Bastille Market -- the sounds of the voices calling out is so powerful -- they're trying to create sales, and they're trying to sell food, so fundamental. Working with this piece, I time stretched it so that the sounds are drawn out as if they continue live for a time. I also chopped up the sample through an interesting M4L device in Ableton to give the sample a granularity and gnarliness that would echo the condition of that outdoor, human-scale market."
Bastille market, Paris reimagined by Wayne DeFehr.
"The musical theme is based on the powerful cadence of the speakers voice at the Kurdistan protest at Pancras station in London England.The composition includes fragments of the every "day to day" hustle and bustle, to the tension of the protest and the lingering memories resonating throughout the space."
London protest reimagined by David Leith.
Melodious and pulsating calls and voices of insects and frogs by the side of a road under construction in the Bonya community in the year 2021. Occasional autos, human voices, and light music can be heard far and near.
Recorded by Samuel Kudjodzi.
A pro-Kurdistan protest recorded outside King's Cross station in London, 2022. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Sounds from inside the well that inspired part of the Alice in Wonderland story by Lewis Carroll, recorded in the peace and quiet of the April 2020 lockdown. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"Vocal samples can be really fun to work with in musical pieces. This is what stood out to me in this particular field recording. There was a lot vocal material to choose from that included interesting phrases and ideas that were very thought-provoking. I wanted the vocals to sort of lead the piece and have the music moving around them to create a dreamlike feel to them that lingered, representing how thoughts can move around in the mind."
Manchester Home exhibition reimagined by Firephly.
"When I listened to the source field recording, which contains many different voices, it became clear that I wanted to add more voices, singing voices, my voice. Then a man in the recording says " Können Sie das nochmal machen" (it is german and means : can you do it again) "Sure!" I thought and of course I had to repeat parts of the file. I did not use any equalisers or filters on the original sound, I did not want to change its natural sound, only in the beginning I slowed one short part down. My aim was to change the sound through layering, repeating, doubling, reordering , dynamics and the collation with the musical part I then added. Singing and instruments, these sounds in contrast are filtered and manipulated. When I heard steps in the source recording I wanted to emphasize them, thinking of the wooden bridge over the Canale Grande (which is a 6 minute walk from Campo San Barnaba). In the end, I repeat all the voices and sounds which were most characterising for me, which gives my piece its name : Campo San Barnaba - all in."
Campo San Barnaba, Venice reimagined by Judith Mann.
"An ongoing pulsating nature buzz that dominates the recording portrays a rich sonic environment. This textural richness is gradually demonstrated in the work, which consists of spectrally analyzed parts. The work unravels through fragmented narrative references to suspicious activity near a marshland. The piece could work as a three-movement soundtrack to a short film that involves a script with no significant beginning or ending, in the sense that it symbolizes a capture in time."
Ghana pond soundscape reimagined by Dimitris Batsis.
For a while now, I have been strongly pulled towards investigating the possibilities of using feedback from natural sources combined with digital sound-tools in order to trigger and generate collaborative bio-melodies. So this remix brief seemed like an excellent excuse to begin to tentatively explore some of these ideas further.
Using a fair bit of persistent coaxing and with a combination of various VCV rack modules, selective spectral filtering and some randomly tuned digital resonators reacting to the rich frequencies of the recorded flowing Italian stream sounds - much to my delighted surprise, I discovered that the stream seemed to want to sing these strange meandering contrapuntal melodies to me...No, I was not expecting bagpipes either.*
- I subsequently discovered that there is a type of dual-chantered Italian bagpipe called the 'zapogna' which does not sound entirely dissimilar to the mysterious stream instrument that emerged here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Zampogna_romana_alla_serrese_(Pazzano_2_settembre_2012).ogv
Stream in Vicenza reimagined by Fiona Conn.
A video and sound installation at Home in Manchester, February 2023, with an interesting accompanying soundscape crested by a member of 808 State. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Binaural recording at dawn: Melodious vocalisation of frogs and insects in diverse densities and depths of field, granular textures of individual toads and frogs in the foreground. Subtle prayer calls of a Muezzin in the right channel.
*Intense melodious calls of frogs join in for a short period in the 9th minute.
Recorded in Koforidua, Ghana by Samuel Kudjodzi.
The typical sounds of a busy piazza (known as a campo) in Venice, with two or three bars full of customers, passers-by, dogs and occasional boat traffic. Binaural recording. Recorded by Cities and Memory on Good Friday, April 2023.
A binaural recording of a weir stream that runs at two different levels, in Parco Querini in the city centre of Vicenza, Italy.
"I felt inspired by the unusual bird call in the original recording and used it as a starting point, editing it into distinct notes and making a melody out of it. Then adding some instruments, such as electronic vibraphone, and vocals to harmonize with it, as well as harmonica and recorder to make different melodies that would fit. I also used sounds of cicadas and other birds from the original recording."
Birdsong in the Thai jungle reimagined by Symbal.
"I wanted to use the recording as a whole unedited. I set myself a limited amount of time to respond to the work in the moment, using the source sound like another musician. I found that I focused on echoing, shadowing and building on the sounds that were there. I feel like I definitely had in mind the idea of waiting, there's a slightly eerie mood, those echoes and shadows bringing to the forefront feelings lurking in the existing recording."
Boston T train reimagined by Dinah Mullen.
IMAGE: Adam E. Moreira, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons
In the jungles of Thailand, in the center of Koh Samui, we hear not only the singing of a bird, but also other sounds: some kind of transport, other animals, but the singing of a bird remains unchanged against the background of all other sounds.
Recorded by Grigory B.
Waiting for The "T" at Copley Station, Boston. Wind, mechanics, bells and light conversation fill the air in the middle of the day waiting for the train. Recorded by Rebecca Goldberg.
IMAGE: Adam E. Moreira, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons
"A watery theme runs through this, with a title taken from Joan Didion's 1965 essay “Notes from a Native Daughter”. My first recordings with a stereo guitar effects set-up seemed to fit the hydrophone recording made in February 2022, in addition to which I grew up on a riverbank."
Winkwell Lock reimagined by Plastic Beam.
An underwater recording made at Lock 59 of the UK’s Grand Union Canal via a home-made hydrophone. Recorded by Andrew Petrie.
"The recording's focus on sound was an inspiration, as was the tour guide's description of himself as a conductor and the museum visitors as instruments. He seemed a bit like a magician conjuring a thunderstorm, so I augmented the sounds of the participants with recordings of rainstorms to enhance the effect. I added some piano to create a bit of tension and lend a slightly sinister air to this visit to the science museum."
Manchester Science Museum reimagined by Elizabeth LoGiudice.
"The First Pass Under Heaven is a stronghold near the eastern end of the Great Wall of China. The percussion here is built from hammer blows on scaffolding and the drones from the calls of workers. A major pentatonic scale and Chinese instrumentation were chosen to evoke the feeling of the location, although no attempt was made to emulate traditional performance techniques."
First Pass Under Heaven reimagined by Gavin Inglis.
"The recording from Karnak is a startling display of different scales of time, contrasting transient birdsong and human sound with the deeper, patient history of the temple complex in which it occurs. “Birdsong in the Ancient Stone” is a composition grounded in the appreciation of these two times.
"An accordion was used to produce the dominant frequencies from the spectrum of the original recording, and the original was also layered with altered versions to create a sense that birdsong, voices, and temple echoes emerge from the accordion spectrum and recede back into it."
Karnak Temple, Luxor reimagined by Graeme Dyck.
"Refugees in Turkey want to go to different parts of the world due to poor living conditions in Turkey. I have been collecting the conversations of refugees that appear on the streets or in the media for a while now. I mixed a sound recording that reflects the bistro atmosphere in Iceland with a rap beat and a refugee's confessions.
"A refugee near the Turkey border speaks to BBC News Turkish: "Because our lives have been destroyed. I am 28 years old, and have never had a happy day in my life. I want to experience life. I don't know where I will have the chance to live.""
Reykjavik brewhouse reimagined by Serdar Kökçeoğlu.
Inside the Science Museum in Manchester, a sound-based entertainment show for children called "The Noisy Show" teaches them how to imitate the sounds of rain, thunder and storms using their hands. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Scaffolding being erected at the the first pass in the east part of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall of China. Recorded by Mark Wilden.
IMAGE: Caitriana Nicholson from 北京 ~ Beijing, 中国 ~ China, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"The original recording had a very etherial and meditative resonance to it. I replicated this ambience using synthesizers and lined it up with the recording. A rhythmic beat brings the entire thing together and fades out with a merger of electronics and recorded ambience."
Sunset in Alexandria reimagined by Rebecca Goldberg.
"This piece uses a field recording of the ‘Fontana dei Cavalli Alati’ from Vicenza, Italy.
"The original sound can be heard as the piece opens, the sound soon becomes increasingly processed and synthesised using granular synthesis of the original fountain audio, combined with short melodic passages from the piano and harp and a layer of ambient synthesiser. The listener can experience an immersive auditory journey that captures both the calm meditative flow of water surrounded by a busy city environment."
Reimagined by Eileen McLoughlin.
"The cafe in the source field recording is warm and complicated and full of character. The car horns and conversations and everything else that sticks out are somehow woven together. I got to thinking about convolution reverb, a new-ish addition to the workstation I use that allows the acoustics of a space to be reverse engineered. “Horns and Bells, Alexandria” is the introduction and integration of non-real sounds to the cafe using that technique.
"I played short melodies using the software version of the KORG M1 digital synthesizer, abstracted them into shorter snippets to mimic words, beeps, snaps, clangs, and other tones using Ableton’s Granulator II, and then passed them all through a very non-standard approximation of a convolution reverb based on a less eventful section of the source recording. It was a challenge and lots of fun - I like the way such discrete sounds can exist together. "
Ahwa Downtown Coffeehouse reimagined by Nicolo Scolieri.
"Footage of Stari Most being destroyed was, for many years, instilled in my memory in a misconstrued way. A time capsule in which the recollection and the reality was distorted by nostalgia, restructuring and rearranging narratives to create psychological bridges to the past. It was only later that I found out that my own memory of this footage was misguided, initially believing it to have taken place in a different location entirely.
"For this piece I recorded the original content onto cassettes transferring them between various tape players, making tape loops, and Incorporating vignettes of my own past recordings and artefacts of the medium itself to create a collage on the themes of fragmented memories."
Stari Most, Mostar reimagined by Daniel Nulty.
"This piece was inspired by the faint sounds of insects and birds in the original recording. When I listened to it, I could imagine the real location in which the recording was made. In fact, I chose this sounds because I am from the Midwestern USA and have spent many fond summer evenings in Wisconsin forest and prairie preserves.
"To create the instruments, I took the original recording and combined it with sine waves to create the synth pad that sounds through work of it, and then added flutes and flute-inspired synths to fill out the texture. I decided to create a "lo-fi" inspired ambient track to fit the mental calm of an evening overlooking a Midwestern forest or fen.
"With deforestation and development, many of the woodlands and prairies of the Midwest have unfortunately been lost. There is even a current controversial proposal for the state park system to turn a large section one of my favorite parks in Wisconsin into a golf course (and there is an existing golf course less than a mile from the park gate!) Those delicate ecosystems can never be fully restored once destroyed. We all lose when natural places are lost. So, this piece is meant to Mother Nature's gentle voice calling us back."
Dell Creek, Wisconsin reimagined by Janae Jean.
"This piece arose as a search for "loneliness and coldness" took hold. The first listen to the ambience felt cold, concrete, metal and sterile. The principle of "Aleatory emergence" began occurring as the composition was forming and was followed gently with the embrace of chance minimalist ideas surrounding the disruption and editing of normality."
Hakone Kanagawa museum reimagined by JDC.
"Our piece is inspired by a recording of the Lake Kivu Fish Market in Rwanda. We incorporated sound recordings from Crossbones Memorial Garden in London and intertwined a piano melody and additional guitar strings and bells. Crossbones commemorates and honours the outcasts of society and the birdsong from the garden presents an evocative reminder of the souls buried in the unconsecrated ground there. The sound of an airplane soaring into the sky breaks the peace. Rwanda has a history of conflict and pain and merging sounds from both sites brings together a shared history. The voices of the Rwandan folk going about their everyday business create a powerful backdrop to the soundscape. The melancholy piano drives the piece forwards, suggesting that conflict must now be forgotten."
Lake Kivu fish market reimagined by Caroline Grimshaw and Stephen Mugford.
"These types of recordings always take me to a dreamy place. The original recording is there in its entirety, unaltered. Almost every sound besides the recording is taken from the original and modified with pitch and granular synthesis and dreams."
Piazza dei Signori, Vicenza reimagined by Timothy Kahn.
Bells at 12 noon recorded in the magnificent Palladian Piazza dei Signori in Vicenza - binaural recording also featuring the surrounds sounds of passers-by and children playing.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
A fish market on the shore of the Lake Kivu, mostly populated by women: constant and loud women talk, subtle water sounds and fishermen's voices on the background.
Recorded by Maria Conterno.
Crickets and other distant things from within a state wildlife area at Dell Creek, Wisconsin, USA. Recorded from a stationary location with a pair of LOM MikroUsi microphones by Daniel Braun.
"The Pola Museum of Art in Hakone has an atrium, a space characterized by a stretched reverb. Distant sounds of children's voices, dishes from the café, and footsteps are tactile and induce a micro-sleep."
Recorded by Padartha.
"When I heard the bell ringing sounds of Notre Dame I immediately imagined a drone and tight sound scape. As my grandmother decided to leave this planet just a few weeks ago, the words formed while improvising with this field recording and over the sound scape of this many bells. So I want to dedicate this track to life with all its facets."
Notre Dame bells reimagined by Steffi Baron-Neuhuber.
"I used a small piece of the sample as a pulsating backbone, as well as some other clips fed through Tone Transfer to add a deeper throb and some wistful noises. I added in some violin as a nod to the scale and history of Venice but I also wanted to capture the oppression of the industrial mechanical nature of the original recording. There is conflict here, do we love the city or are we simply trapped here? The drilling subsides. Peace is restored."
Drilling work in Venice reimagined by Pettaluck.
"Then somebody spoke and I went into a dream… The original recording, with the long reverb from the tunnels, and the way the singer fades in as we approach, felt dream-like, and I wanted to emphasise & build on that. Since childhood I’ve been a fan of strange dreamy interludes and effected/modified recordings.
"I loved the loose timing and tuning, and didn’t want to “rectify” that, or try to make it conform to a grid, so played all the additional sounds in freeform, and tuned synths on the fly manually by tweaking the pitch wheel.
"The entire piece was composed within Logic, using no external hardware. Plugins used include UVI Falcon, Sculpture, Little AlterBoy. Reverb came from Valhalla Supermassive & Space Designer."
Lisbon metro singer reimagined by Andrew Tulloch.
"Listening to the pure sound of recorded cicadas, I was struck by the way sonic interference could sometimes cause pulsing, phasing and even clapstick type toned clicks – all rather reminiscent of traditional Australian musical instruments. It made me wonder just how much the sound of those instruments may have been influenced by mimicry of the cicada sound – cross-species cultural appropriation, or an homage to its spirit? I chose to embrace the latter view, and in a similar mode I have felt free to electronically tease out harmonic overtones from the cicada sound."
Australian cicadas reimagined by Simon Le Boggit.
Drilling work in Calle Salamon, one of the narrow streets of Venice, Italy. Industrial, noisy sounds. Venice is constantly undergoing maintenance, repair and regeneration - though the city remains broadly the same in terms of how it looks, the sounds of industry and construction remain common across the island. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"I was in Roma metro station in Lisbon, Portugal; and there was a woman walking around the station singing and I started to record it." Recorded by Hossam Hilal.
"Cicadas chirping outside my window at dusk." Recorded in Wollongong, Australia by Jake.
"I loved the football recordings that were available from Cities and Memory to reimagine. There is so much in a football chant; collectiveness, connection, emotion, belonging, passion. I used parts of this recording in its original state, processed others and used parts of some of the tunes of the chants more tonally utilising virtual instruments."
Arsenal vs. Brentford reimagined by Laura Hills.
The home crowd at Arsenal celebrates wildly after a goal against Brentford, February 2023 - huge loud cheering plus selected Arsenal songs and chants, including "we've got Super Mik Arteta", a chant popularised from 2022 in honour of manager Mikel Arteta. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"The track "Astr" was made entirely from the sample sound, (a recording of a train station in Egypt, with trains, trainhorn, people talking and hammering or perhaps chiselling), using only the Elektron Digitakt sampler. Using a combination of sampling techniques the sound was sculpted into this little concrete banger at 139.2 BPM."
Train journey in Aswan reimagined by Yoni Den.
"This was based on an imagined trip to the Jardin de Luxembourg on the RER B from the south of Paris. The sound was cut up and stretched to create the background sound of the RER B and then I wrote a piano part over the top."
Jardin du Luxembourg reimagined by Tim Waterfield.
Michelle Maria, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
"Clark Smithy reveals hidden aspects of sounds by slowing them down. These elements are further enhanced by the use of reverbs and echoes."
Kujundziluk in Mostar reimagined by Clark Smithy.
"Field recording, aeroplanes taking off at Gatwick: distancing the listener from the traveller (the passenger taking flight). Reinforcing a sense of being left behind. Separated. A narrative emerged once I'd added the piano loop, of melancholy. Of words unsaid."
Gatwick Airport runway reimagined by Rachael Adams.
"The piece was inspired by my own memories of traveling through the medinas of North Africa and the Middle East, whilst the recording was a repeat phrase, I chopped it up into various sections which were then manipulated using pitch and distance to create an immersive dream like space, where voices rise and disappear into memory.
The underlying drone was also made from the original clip by processing and time stretching it, then adding reverb and some other effects to create a haunting yet etherial drone, symbolic of a dream like state. The clips were then added into Ableton and using a generative process were triggered at random, meaning each version of this piece is different and unique."
Tunisian street sellers reimagined by Neil Spencer Bruce.
"I wanted to use what I saw as the two very distinct feelings of the original field recording to make a contrasting piece. In the first part using the background voices and sounds I wanted to make something mellow and melodic to go along with the friendly sounding chatter. Not knowing what the voices were saying also made me want to try and somehow make a neutral accompanyment. I then used a section of the live sounding music and took the piece up to an energetic level using lots of electronics and additional samples. I hope you enjoy the journey."
Rade Bitange, Mostar reimagined by Susanne Lambert.
"Most of the percussive sounds here are samples from the original field recording. To me, train journeys feel like slightly strange spaces filled with endless possibilities, where time stands still whilst also moving forward incessantly."
Blackfriars tube trains reimagined by Kitty Turner.
"A lot of my work is inspired by geographical locations and I was greatly intrigued by the idea of using sound recorded in a city that I have never visited. My approach then was to try and create an atmosphere of what I thought the city my present me, as if I visited it in my dreams."
Al Medina tram reimagined by Paul Beauchamp.
Recording of aircraft taxiing, taking off and landing at Gatwick Airport, London, recorded from extremely close to the northern runway - loud, clear aircraft sounds. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
London Underground trains come and go in and out of Blackfriars station, along with platform announcements. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"The single repeated note in many of the bird songs served as the inspiration for the melody, comprised of a piano with a staccato delay. The interplay between the different birds, bees, and other natural elements is replicated in the pianos, bass, drums, and field recordings that use repetitive phrasing to create a similar wall of sound where the different layers overlap and speak to each other. The actual field recording was split up into clips that were panned in the stereo field. A separate clip of the bird song was processed into the bass sound through timestretching and filtering."
Tainter Creek, Wisconsin reimagined by A Thousand Plateaus.
"I selected a few segments of the recording and sampled it as different ''phrases''. The result is a track that touches on both ambient and a heavier hip hop type beat built around said pieces of the recording."
Qaitbay Citadel, Alexandria reimagined by MVD0AE (Rigoberto Gallardo).
Repetitive and prominent clicking sounds of frogs in the left and right channels and a layer of constant and intermittent singing of 3 species panned to the right channel in space.
Aesthetically, this recording has the feel of an orchestral arrangement where species join in to sing at certain frequencies at different times. The stereo-field is vidid and one can recognise the placement of the voices. There is also a sudden appearance of a motor engine with low frequency sounds.
This particular location, space or settlement could have been used for educational purposes for future generations to:
I. Learn about the importance of wetlands and aqua-habitats to the ecosystem.
II. Document individual species and ecological functions on site.
III. Observe and research the sonic structures, communication complexities and the meaning of communication of the species. Unfortunately, this is not possible due to human settlement/encroachment on these lands which will render the species and its accompanying soundscapes extinct in a year or two. On the other hand, preserving this recording will serve as a useful material for generations to come and learn how the extinction of these wetlands and its species has affected biodiversity in the neighbourhood and would also preserve an aural memory of the space. Schools in the community, Ghana and the world are a major target for awareness on this ongoing environmental crisis through sound archives and with a caution that building on wetlands and waterways not only causes wetland species to go extinct, but also human lives and properties are lost due to constant flooding.
Recorded by Samuel Kudjodzi.
A furiously busy late spring evening beside a creek and a bush full of bees. Recorded by Daniel Braun.
"I have used Samuel Kudjodzki's recording of amphibians in the wetlands of Ghana. The music of frogs and night time insects inspired me to play a simple improvisation of sounds made by a Buchla. Amphibians are the most threatened group of vertebrates on Earth."
Ghanaian wetlands reimagined by Eva Q Månsson.
“Visiting ancient Egyptian temples is an awe-inspiring experience that allows you to travel back in time and witness the wonders of the past. Inspired by this dreamlike journey, I have crafted a musical piece that evokes the spirit of this adventure.
"A tribute to the timeless allure of ancient Egypt and a celebration of the human spirit's unquenchable thirst for discovery and adventure.
"An opportunity to reimagine yourself as an intrepid adventurer, crossing the vast desert in search of new lands and ancient treasures”.
Temple of Hapshetsut, Luxor reimagined by Rafael Diogo.
"I wanted the denizens of creek and forest to have a visitation which included a bit of harmony and a bit of conflict, with a return to the status quo."
Wombat Creek reimagined by Eulipion Corps.
The recording took place in Daylesford in Australia on June 3rd, 2021, during a state-wide Covid-19 lockdown, where most people were restricted to only leave their houses within a 5km radius. During that time, I started a field recording project documenting the sounds of nature around my neighbourhood. These recordings have been later released as an album by iubar project, titled 'Daylesford Naturalis: During Covid Lockdown #4' and available at: https://philosophyofsound.bandcamp.com/album/daylesford-naturalis-during-covid-lockdown-4
This recording is also taken from the ''Daylesford Naturalis' album, and among the tranquil settings you can hear some more dramatic sounds, such as loud Cockatoo bird voices and the rumbling sound of a large branch falling off from a very tall eucalyptus tree (at the 5.21 mark). I was directly under the tree when it happened, looking in a different direction and with my headphones on. While I could hear the rumbling sound of the falling branch, I couldn't immediately position where it was coming from and only when the branch was already on its way down, I noticed how large it was. Luckily it fell a couple of meters away from me.
Recorded by Martin K. Koszolko.
"An exploration of the soundscape of the Levant: the drones of the source file were used as a basis for revisiting and recontextualizing field recordings made during a 2022 trip to Jordan."
Nubian Village, Aswan reimagined by Michael Trommer.
"Manchester in a poem, from industry, to the destruction and rebirth, where history is washed away.
Transistors did clash
Through ones and zeros
From thermionic heat to
Compute through brick
Spires and forgotten mills
and putrid
Whistles and punched faced
cards
Crash!
from the unforgiving
Managed trash
only to be
Sold down that Medlock
To emerge
Through troubled
Culture to produce that
hacienda excess to some
striped factory floor
Producing that firework for
the world to become just a
blue plaque
To high rise ideas
where
Misguided Discarded
Manufactured
Memories
are forged into Living spaces
for those
who spicerly dissaprove
of this and that
Noisy past
To this now where
What?
To the next when
Where?
Manchester has and
always will
Become"
Cathedral Gardens water feature reimagined by Jonathan Ogara.
Outside the National Football Museum, a modern water feature recorded during a tranquil lunchtime in Manchester.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"I recorded a number of versions using cut up and layering techniques. The original recording is busy, full of life and different rhythms. I honed in on the voices and used these along with some of the wilder sections to build layers adding soft synth guitars, re-recording and reversing.
"I then played live on an SP 404 sampler the main sections and added back in some of the earlier re imagined recordings. I imagined everyone chilling after a day of frantic folk festivities on the beach as the sun sank into the water."
Muay Thai fight reimagined by Andy Billington.
The recording was made during the fight in the traditional Muay Thai style at the Chaweng Stadium in Koh Samui, where folk music was performed during the fight. We hear Thai folk instruments and the shouts of the crowd, and everything ends with a bell about the end of the fight and the referee's shout.
Recorded by Grigory.
"I love field recordings of nature, and find birds especially beautiful and inspirational. Therefore I wanted to accentuate what I Iike about the forest - but also to use the elements to imagine a time-lapse during nightfall.
"My goal was to use solely musical elements I can extract from the recording with whatever method, but change the mixing between these elements to create a more variied picture of the idyllic moment captured with the recording - as kind of a a time-lapse recording.
"I started out with creating filtered versions of the recording containing each only a certain frequency band. Then I used tools to extract musical informations from this recordings These were then assigned to different instruments. No additional notes were added to be played by the instruments - but certain new notes are introduced by echoes and delays.
"In addition for two track playing nearly constant notes random pitches in a close range were created.
"In a third step I used PaulXStretch to manipulate the audio by stretching, FFT-filtering, adding harmonics, etc. Three versions of this process with different parameters were performed. Then I again extracted musical information from those and assigned them to instruments.
"The composition now consisted of 24 tracks created with the approach described so far.
"In the last step I determined the mixing between all these 24 tracks - the filtered original audios and all the derived versions. By fading in and out these different tracks and setting changing volumes different ambiances were created, with the aim to present the imagined time-lapse travel through the forest."
Swiss forest reimagined by RabMusicLab.
Typical Swiss forest sounds in summer. Birds and insects, far traffic noise. Recorded in a small forest between Kirchlindach and Bremgarten, near Bern. Equipment: Røde NT5 mics with omni capsules on a Sounddevices MixPre-6 recorder. June 2021.
Recorded by Oliver Schar.
"The original sound was recorded on a windy staircase at a nature reserve in Bermuda. I have included the original track plus some exaggerated sounds based around it - exotic birds cheep - actually a manipulated track of electro magnetic sounds from a NASA satellite, the rhythmic sound of footsteps up and down the stairs which echo in response, wind noise of different intensity. These are future sounds of a place that does not exist yet."
Iron staircase in Bermuda reimagined by gasmantell.
The unique sound of an iron staircase being oscillated by strong winds in the Cooper's Island Nature Reserve, St. David, Bermuda. Recorded by Mark Wilden.
"The port of Alexandria is by some accounts the oldest port in the world. I find a port to be both a threshold where sea meets land but also a way of meeting and connecting with people. In that sense, ports are among the most important places in human civilization, enabling us to communicate and transport both ourselves and goods between countries and continents.
"A seaport can also be a sanctuary from troubled seas. In this piece we are invited to embark on an imaginary journey, with the help of a recording of waves at the port of Alexandria. It may transport us through our memory to many possible places of connection, both places and people."
Alexandria port reimagined by Stefan Klaverdal.
"When I saw the sound sample titled 'Luxor Stone carving' I immediately imagined the sun gazing down on ancient Egypt, with the hustle and bustle of everyday life driven by the rhythmic sound of masons hammering shapes from stone. Upon hearing it, I was transported there inexplicably and wholly.
"I have had a fascination with ancient Egypt since I was young, reading about a place so different from my own experiences in both distance in time and geography, fed my insatiable curiosity. Even to this day, watching a new documentary or hearing about a new discovery from this region is thrilling.
"And so, it was a great pleasure of mine to utilize this field recording and pay tribute to something that has inspired me my entire life. Named for the ancient title of the region, Waset begins with the sample itself. Instruments of antiquity fade in as a voice calls out in an echoic transition to the past. Global percussion dances along to the now modulated stone carving in an oscillating dance, speaking to ages past and the traditions and rituals carried through time into the present."
Stone carving in Luxor reimagined by Bānhūs.
Inside the Sao Miguel chapel in Coimbra, a quartet of musicians warms up and practises in preparation for an imminent wedding ceremony about to take place in this beautiful and highly-reverbed space.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"The original audio I choose creates a wonderful spirit of place. I struggled with how to re-imagine the track in order to respect the sprit of the recording and to play with the sensory pictures that it conjured for me.
"I used clips of the original piece with a few FX applied, reversed, repeated and overlayed and added clips of my recordings taken from journeys and places over a number of years.
"I wanted to create a feeling of how memory jumbles up events time and place into a rolling timeless canvas that is dream like and often more potent in a sensory way then the (t)here and now."
Coimbra's Sao Miguel chapel reimagined by Mary Hooper.
"'Sa'id Is Sad (And Equally Untroubled)' features the field recording from the Luxor Temple, Egypt.
I came up with the title, imagining the life of a local who deals with life's drama, while interacting with the ever-changing world around him, in which cultural clash is not just a term but a reality.
I also reminisced about landing in Luxor and thinking about what my life there could be.
My visit to Luxor was in the fall of 2021, and it was an unforgettable experience, to say the least. During my stay, I made friends with a few residents and was introduced to East and West Banks.
My obsession, of course, was with all the sounds Luxor had to offer. And there were many to collect... Despite the absence of my field recording in the track (due to the concept), I tried to recreate the experience as closely as I could.
I think of Luxor as a beacon of past and future greatness, a place where even one's frequency is changing. One feels the weight of all the ages in making, and being there does alter your thought process.
To express that state/impression, I used synths and sampled acoustic instruments but was as much interested in making that contrast as perceivable via the progression and polarizing motives. Yet it had to be delicate.
I used vocal samples to create beautiful sonology a walk in the village on the left bank can offer; random, abrupt words/chops from passing motorcycles, kids playing, and prayer calls merging.
It was equally important to recreate the experience of visiting the temples such as Luxor, Medinet Habu, Karnak, and others.
(Birds flying between the ancient constructions added another dimension to what one could imagine. Locals and guides explaining what visitors were seeing in from of them, offered exclusive insights.)
The audible extravaganza from random reverberation was simply delicious.
Lastly, there was a feeling of awe from encountering something that Was, Is, and likely, Will Be, for a very long time. The existing reminder of the essential if not the most beautiful "becoming" of civilization in our history is surely a moving experience.
With 'Sa'id Is Sad' I am paying tribute to that moment."
Luxor Temple reimagined by Serge Bulat.
"Hearing the original field recording from Venice, I was inspired by the sounds we can hear by the water. They are distant, transfixed and deformed to some extend. What if we would send these deformed sounds to be listened to by another water? And another? So I was wondering about sound travels, and it's deformations along the way.
"My approach to the reimagined track was based on these thoughts. I manipulated the chosen samples from the source track, to accumulate several layers of deformation. The results sounded mysterious, hence I've added some bits of music made on my synths to enhance the mood even further."
Venice lagoon reimagined by Artur Kinal (Synthotherapy).
"My starting point is the observation that both orchids and the Princess of Wales are and were capable of enchantment by their beauty and attractiveness and have led to an obsessive fascination for them. Every sound, except the percussion track, uses to a lesser or greater extent sounds sampled from the original recording."
Princess of Wales conservatory at Kew Gardens, London reimagined by Richard Gadd.
Recording from the edge of Venice, with large and medium-sized boat traffic in the lagoon, waves caused by boat movements, passers-by and distant construction sounds. Binaural recording.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
After hours in the Princess of Wales Conservatory at Kew Gardens, we explore the Kew orchid festival in silence, with the only sounds being running water and the sprinklers keeping the atmosphere humid in the tropical plants section.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"Such an evocative sound on the original field recording of the old city of Aswan in Egypt. Footsteps, birds, cars all evoke a nostalgic feeling while the call to prayer resounds overhead. I tried to keep the original sound to the foreground and add background elements which further enhance the sense of atmosphere."
Aswan old neighbourhood reimagined by Derek Barlas.
"I treated the printing press sound as a "percussion instrument" and embedded it within my recorded percussion tracks. The printing press from Egypt inspired me to play African drums (djembe) and add middle eastern loops. If you listen closely (and with headphones) you'll hear the rhythmic printing press sounds enter at about 0:37. The press sounds then fade out at the very end of the track as the percussion instruments end."
Alexandria printing press reimagined by Frank Ferraro.
"This piece considers the interaction of time, people, and points on a map, as they slide past each other, and documents the anxiety and excitement of the death of a Monarch in sound. It contrasts people passing a point (in the Mall) with points (the entourage) passing the people."
Procession of the Queen's coffin on The Mall, London reimagined by Alan Cook.
"Whilst any tourist guide to Paris will inevitably point to Sacré Coeur as a ‘top ten must see’ location, both the experience of the visit and the history of the site are worlds away from the grace, beauty and spirituality promised by the online guides.
"To reach Sacré Coeur it is impossible to avoid the crowded tourist markets offering all manner of cheap souvenirs, over priced food and dubious street entertainment. The church itself, whilst being a glorious example of 19th century Romano-Byzantine inspired architecture, is stripped of any real reference to its purpose by the crushing crowds, signage and noise.
"One hundred and fifty years after it was built it’s now a theme park without the flashing lights and rides.
"This sonic portrait is an expression of the visitor experience and the chequered history (full of political revenge, repression, uprising and death) of the site utilising field recordings of the surroundings streets and the grounds of Sacré Coeur, samples of the churches incredible grand pipe organ ( currently in desperate need of repair), a religious mass including grand pipe full choir and sounds of Parisian riots long associated with the site. The echoes of reverence and submission mix chaotically with anarchic voices, forgotten ghosts and the chatter of everyday
travellers searching for authentic experience amongst the mundane reality of the 21st century tourism."
Sacre Coeur reimagined by Mat Ward.
A walk down the length of the Mall, London, from Buckingham Palace to Admiralty Arch on the morning of 14th September 2022, about 3 hours before the procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II from Buckingham Palace to lying in state at Westminster Hall. The sound of the many people who had arrived early to watch the procession on a grey, overcast morning.
"A reflective piece remembering the train disaster of August 1974."
Zagreb station reimagined by Simon Woods.
IMAGE: Rangan Datta Wiki, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"The cock crows, the day breaks, the sun rises. The atmosphere changes from calm to agitated. Another day for us to cherish. The field recording is the basis of this track. One layer after another is added to it. Bells, soft piano, percussion, rhythmic guitars, synth melody. A musical wake up call."
Bermuda birdsong reimagined by Martin Juenke.
"I was intrigued by the constant of the temple bells ringing , and the chaotic sounds of the village, such as the traffic etc., and how these elements became interwoven, and at times become synchronous. This is what I wanted to show in my composition. This was recorded using Ableton Live and various synth plug ins to produce the piece."
Cambodia Banteay Chmar village sounds reimagined by Rod Dykeman.
Early morning in the village of Banteay Chhmar, western Cambodia. The gentle tinkling sounds of the Buddhist pagoda (temple) were drifting across ancient ruins mixing with traffic sounds. Recorded by Scott Wilson.
A fountain designed by Carlo Scarpa in the gardens at the art gallery at Fondazione Querini Stampalia, Venice. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Sound following a goal being scored for Millwall against Sunderland in February 2023 at the New Den. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Soundscape from inside Zagreb train station - recorded by Mark Wilden.
IMAGE: Rangan Datta Wiki, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Birdsong heard in the early morning in Sandy's Parish, Bermuda, recorded by Mark Wilden.
"When I heard the field recording for the first time, I think of it as a white noise. The sound from the people at the stadium took over the whole spectrum, and only a few voices where able to stand out.
"That's the reason I treated the sound as drone synthesis and granular process. a massification of sound. dense, but whith a few elements from the original recording to stand out."
Millwall football crowd reimagined by Eduardo García.
"I used the field recording to guide experiments with probabilistic composition and sound design. the results of these experiments were then assembled and processed alongside the original recording."
Fountain in Venice reimagined by Spielgut.
"Taken at a macro level, this field recording with its regular pulses of planes landing and taken off has a regularity and slow rhythm to it that reminded me of the heartbeat of the airport, when extended out over a long enough timeframe.
"This inspired the low, steady bass pulse in the composition, which represents the relentless, steady flow of air traffic, while a blend of synth lines mimic the sounds of aircraft engine (with added melodic content) - the high-end arpeggiated Buchla line towards the end of the piece adds a dreamlike quality to this sonic representation of the lifeblood of an airport."
Airfield traffic at Gatwick Airport reimagined by Cities and Memory.
Recorded on the airfield at Gatwick Airport, an extended take of planes taxiing, taking off and landing over 15-20 minutes, with airfield vehicle traffic periodically driving past.
Recording taken from directly out on the airfield to offer an unusually clear soundscape of daily life out on the airfield of a major international airport.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"I chose the sound of children playing in the street in Paris, France and heard this as the sound of spring, not just in Paris, but here in New York City as well. Spring moves from the harchness of winter, days of rain and yet, the sound of birds returning to the city marking a rebirth, a chance to slow down and take in each new moment as a breath of fresh air. To tell this story further, I included a series of spoken word recitations of the following poems on spring:
Spring, Christina Rosetti
A Light Exists in Spring, Emily Dickerson
Sonnet 98, William Shakespear
In Just, ee cummings
"I approached this composition as a more minimalist, open concept using my horn and silence as the primary elements while utilizing the field recording both as is and recontextualized with the spoken word poetry acting as a guided meditation on life beginning anew marking the season of spring."
Children playing in Paris reimagined by Bill Stevens.
"I liked the journey that the original field recording had so I've tried to keep that in my reimagined piece. I have used samples of the original recording to create the drum beat, which I have put through various filters and slowed down samples to create that various sounds. I have also added some melodies using a synth."
Fiesta de la Trashumancia reimagined by Richard Watts.
"The bells provided a rhythm for the guitar. I wanted to keep the singing quality of the voices and for the whole thing to have a ramshackle feel. I fed the field recording through a granular processor/looper. Rubber bands were involved. I resisted the temptation to quote from the theme to Steptoe and Son..."
Rag 'n' bone man call reimagined by Andrew Spearpoint.
Image: By Eugène Atget - kunstmagazinberlin.de/0711/art_fotomalerei.shtml, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4164658
"One thing I love particularly about flying is the moment of lifting off, getting rid of gravity and the relief of being disconnected from permanent availability on the cellphone. Being half asleep, listening to the mixture of sounds slowly merging to an abstract drown.
"For this piece I processed the chosen recording and combined it with other processed recordings (of my own property) such as a countdown of the start of a space shuttle, or radio waves and finally an abstract melody played on the strings of an upright piano. The whole piece explores the different stages while transitioning into a daydream."
Buenos Aires takeoff reimagined by Gloria Damijan.
Image: Lcachero, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The sound of an aeroplane taking off from Buenos Aires international airport, recorded from on board the flight by Tim Waterfield.
Image: Lcachero, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"A long time ago, when I were a wee lad, recycling was done by independent collectors, scrap merchants and rag-and-bone men, rather than by local government.
"The rag-and-bone man in particular would ride the streets, usually in a horse and cart, shouting for people to bring out unwanted goods.
"This is an almost extinct occupation but recently two men with a van have started travelling Sussex collecting mainly unwanted furniture and electrical or "white" goods, thereby saving the erstwhile owners the expense of having them taken away by the official refuse collectors.
"This is a recording of their street cry."
Recorded by Allan Brewster in Worthing, England.
Image: By Eugène Atget - kunstmagazinberlin.de/0711/art_fotomalerei.shtml, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4164658
The sound of children playing in the street in Paris, in the 4th arrondissement, at Quai de la Seine, recorded by Thomas Smette.
"During the Trashumancia festival, ancient customs are remembered in this town, such as the arrival of the flocks or the shearing of the sheep, all in a festive atmosphere."
Recorded by ArtOfNois.
"As a young boy, my father would take me to watch the planes take off and land at our local airport. I remember the wonderment of seeing these big machines lift and land off the ground. In "Der Flug," I try to capture that innocent and exciting energy and create a sonic snapshot of that childhood moment."
Luebeck station reimagined by Paul Beaudoin.
Image: Ref-lit, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"This was one of the most ‘challenging’ field-recordings I have worked with to date. It was not originally my own field-recording. I reflected upon the fact that there was a minute’s applause for football supporters who had passed-away. The announcer says “May they all rest in peace” and “The applause will end on the referee’s whistle”. With this in mind I created an electronic requiem, or lament, for the football fans who had passed-away. I also wanted to capture the awesome waves of energy that flow through a large human crowd, balancing flows of chaos and order in almost equal measures.
"I employed a number of Granular Synthesis methods and sample manipulation techniques (hardware and software) to create the electronic instruments, melodic content and atmospheric sounds, using harmonic tones found during the manipulation of the football crowd’s sonic content. There are also organised ‘chance-operation’ hardware Modular Synthesis methods and techniques employed within elements of the soundscape."
Millwall FC chants and songs reimagined by ‘Zoundskaap’ (Alan D. Miles).
"I have always felt the connection between the animal world and human existence. We have metaphorically connected to so many animals. The crows carry away the dead and watch over the souls.
"There must be birds that carry us into other realms as well, so why not base a track off this concept, and let birdsong take us other places. I used the field recording and some Ableton Inspired By Nature along with a few selected samples to create my piece, and I hope it carried others to places they might not have gotten to without this piece."
Chios birdsong reimagined by Mike Benoit.
"Recorded under a palm tree that fills with birds at dusk. They sing until nightfall when the tree falls silent." Recorded by John Perivolaris.
A traditional introductory song at Millwall FC, followed by a minute of applause for Millwall fans who have passed away, and an unusual "siren" tone chant across the crowd, unique to this team's fans.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Sounds from inside Luebeck's main station, with trains, passengers moving around the station and announcements being made across the tannoy system.
Recorded in 2015 by Annika Jahnke-Bornemann.
Image: Ref-lit, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"A vivid snapshot that captures the emotional turmoil of a woman traveling to meet someone after a long absence. An exploration of the emotional complexities of human relationships, about the uncertainty and ambiguity that can accompany long-distance love."
Oakland airport reimagined by Cristina Marras.
Photo by Aaliyah W on Unsplash
"I was attracted to the field recording from Hanoi, Vietnam of an old French wall clock playing the Westminster chimes because of the immediate surreal quality it had for me. Different levels of different cultures and places embedded into such a simple sound. So I wanted to express that surreal quality in my springtime composition.
"I was also thinking about the Lotus flower, the national flower of Vietnam. It is known as the flower of the dawn: a symbol of purity, commitment and optimism for the future.
"At night the flower closes and sinks underwater and rises and opens again at dawn. I thought the field recording of the chimes had this sinking and rising quality, along with the underlying multi-cultural origins. My hope was to express these feelings through my composition. So here is “Hanoi Blossom,” my slightly surreal take on springtime in Hanoi."
Hanoi clocks reimagined by Jeff Dungfelder.
A train coming from the Charing Cross station passes the Hungerford Bridge. Recorded from the northern Golden Jubilee bridge using a Tascam DR-05X device (internal mics) in April 2022.
Recorded by Oliver Schar.
Image: Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"Starting with a short rhythmical section of a train on the Hungerford Bridge, the sounds build up with more and more added as the rush hour becomes more congested."
Hungerford Bridge reimagined by Simon Woods.
Image: Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Odo France old wall clock Westminster chimes recorded by Danh Khoa Nguyễn.
"I felt so nostalgic whenever i heard these chimes."
"Recorded on Jan 5th 2008 while walking around the baggage claim of Terminal 2 at Oakland airport, USA on a drizzly evening. Airport announcements, people talking, children talking; the sounds of people waiting before they can proceed."
Recorded by Mahlen Morris.
Photo by Aaliyah W on Unsplash
Camels in Aswan reimagined by Mario van Horrik.
"I am working with long strings producing feedback. Here I made a recording of such a long string that has qualities similar to that of the camels; they mingle very well. In the first part I used a little wah-wah effect on the camels; in the second I reversed the camel recording and lowered the pitch down 6 half notes."
Mahdia sea at night reimagined by Jakub Rokita.
"The source track reminded me of a field recording sound performance I performed a few years ago on Kent coast during which I played a combination of basic, sine waveforms in the direction of the sea. The reimagined source track has been overlaid with recordings of a sonic performance which combines basic waveforms with the sounds of acoustic instruments. For best results use headphones."
Gate to the old town in Mahdia reimagined by Manuel Carbone.
"For this piece I've resampled and pitched down Rafael's recording of the surroundings of Mahdia's Skifa El Kahla. I've added synths and tape loops and used reverb and distortion to create something that might suggest the memory of a spring daydream, the illusion of a moment suspended in time."
"The sound of the sea in a picturesque fishing port can be a calming and soothing experience. The waves of the Mediterranean Sea crash against the shore with a gentle and rhythmic sound, creating a mesmerizing symphony that transcends time. The gentle lapping of waves on the shore blends together harmoniously, forming a unique and enchanting soundscape.
"As the water moves with a fluid motion, ebbing and flowing as the tide changes, the soothing sound of the sea washes over you, transporting you to a place of serenity and peace."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Mahdia city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"In Mahdia, the muezzin's call is an integral part of the city's soundscape, a symphony of sound that reflects the city's rich cultural heritage and deep sense of spirituality.
"The melodious voice of the muezzin resonates from the minaret of the mosque, carrying the essence of faith to every corner of the town. With a voice that is both powerful and gentle, the muezzin's call rises and falls in a mesmerizing cadence, invoking the divine and calling upon the believers to join in prayer.
"As the muezzin's voice fades away, the air is filled with a sense of serenity and calm. The echoes of the call linger in the air, creating a serene ambience that envelopes the city in a peaceful embrace."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Mahdia city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"As the evening approaches, the bustling sounds of the medina slowly fade into a hush. The clanging of metal doors and wooden shutters being closed, and the sound of locks being clicked into place signal the end of the day. The occasional sound of a car or motorbike passing by adds to the atmosphere, but otherwise, the medina becomes a peaceful and serene place.
"Amid this tranquil setting, the sound of birds chirping can be heard, piercing through the otherwise muted sounds of the medina at dusk. Their voices are clear and melodious, and the notes they sing are repeated in a rhythmic pattern, adding to the enchanting soundscape of the city.
"In Mahdia, the medina is not just a historic district, but also a living and breathing part of the city's culture and identity. As the sounds of the medina become quieter, the city prepares for a new day, filled with new experiences and adventures. The sound of the birds chirping at dusk serves as a reminder of the beauty and harmony of nature that can be found even in the heart of a bustling city."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Mahdia city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"From a distance, the sound of the sea can be heard, a distant murmur that fills the air with the promise of the ocean's vastness. As the moon rises high in the sky, the sound of the sea becomes more pronounced, a symphony of sound that captivates the senses.
"The waves seem to be larger and more powerful, creating a deep rumbling sound that can be felt in the air, even if you are not directly on the beach. The sound of the sea is a constant reminder of the immense power and beauty of nature, a force that is both mesmerizing and humbling.
"In Mahdia, the sound of the sea is an integral part of the city's soundscape, a melody that echoes through the streets and alleyways, reminding the inhabitants of the city of the vastness and wonder of the world beyond their shores."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Mahdia city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"As the seller cycles through the streets, his voice and the sound of the speaker fill the air, creating a persistent and repetitive soundscape that captures the attention of all those around. The seller's voice can be heard over and over again, repeating the same phrases, sometimes in a singsong-like manner, as he announces his goods to the passersby.
"The ambient sounds of the city, such as the chatter of pedestrians and the distant sounds of traffic, form a backdrop to the seller's persistent and rhythmic sales pitch, blending together to create a unique and captivating soundscape. It is a soundscape that is hard to ignore, drawing one in and creating a sense of excitement and anticipation. A persistent and repetitive soundscape that serves as a reminder of the energy and liveliness that reflects every corner of the city."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Mahdia city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"Upon approaching a traditional cafe, the chatter and excitement of the natives can be heard emanating from the street. Upon entering, the sounds of the football match and the passionate cheers and jeers of the local fans fill the air, accompanied by the occasional outburst of joy or disappointment as the game progresses.
"In the background, the sound of the commentator's voice and the aroma of strong coffee can be heard and smelled respectively. Overall, the sound of a traditional local cafe can be a thrilling and immersive experience, with the lively energy of the locals and the excitement of the game creating a unique and memorable soundscape."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Mahdia city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
The evocative source field recording painted a beautiful picture of a hot, hazy night in Luxor, with a call to prayer drifting in over the wind as the city settled down towards its nighttime rhythms.
The composition is written in response to the feeling the field recording evoked, weaving in lines from the call to prayer as an instrument in amongst guitar, bass, piano and synths, as the city's night time soundscape nestles in the background. A crepuscular composition for a nocturnal source sound.
An extensive feature on CBC The Current (Canadian national radio) on 6 March 2023 on the Polar Sounds project.
Features interviews with Stuart Fowkes, a sound artist who curates the global database of sounds called Cities and Memory; and Geraint Rhys Whittaker, an artist-researcher at the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity and the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research. There are also interviews with contributing artists Elissa Goodrich and Alex Abahmed from the project, and clips from multiple compositions from Polar Sounds in this 27-minute special feature.
"Kujundziluk is a historic bazaar located in the Old Town of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is also known as the "Copper bazaar" due to the large number of copper crafts that were once sold there. The bazaar dates back to the Ottoman era and is characterized by its narrow cobblestone streets and traditional wooden buildings.
"The bazaar is also known for its lively atmosphere, bustling with street performers, local musicians, and vendors offering a range of goods and services. In the Old Town, you may hear the sound of travellers and locals walking on the cobblestone streets, vendors selling souvenirs and traditional foods, the sound of the Neretva river flowing nearby, the sound of street performers playing music and singing, and the sound of the call to prayer from nearby mosques."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Mostar city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"The Neretva river is a river in the western Balkans, flowing through Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. It is the largest river in the eastern part of the Adriatic basin and one of the largest in the Balkans.
"The Neretva is known for its diverse ecosystem and is home to a variety, for example in the summer the cicadas might be more active, and in the winter the sound of the river flowing and the water moving over rocks and through rapids. It's worth noting this is louder because of the snow melting.
"At the Neretva River, you can just walk by the margins and immerse yourself in the sound of the water flowing and splashing underneath the bridge."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Mostar city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"Ravens are found throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina and are known to be common in urban areas such as Mostar. They are known to be scavengers and opportunistic feeders, and can often be seen foraging for food in urban areas. The ravens in Mostar can often be seen around the Old Bridge, and the sound of their calls can be heard echoing through the city's narrow streets. They are a common sight in the city, and their presence is a reminder of the city's connection to the natural world."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Mostar city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"The Old Bridge is one of the most visited places in Mostar, and it can be busy during the day and even more in the summer season, so the sounds that could be heard at the Old Bridge might be diverse and lively.
"At the Stari Most, depending on the level of activity around the bridge one might hear a variety of sounds such as the river flowing below, the sound of people swimming and jumping from the bridge, the sound of boats and rafts moving along the river, and vendors selling refreshments and souvenirs."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Mostar city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"Light rain in Mostar can provide a peaceful atmosphere for the city. The sound of raindrops hitting the pavement and the cobblestone streets, the sound of water flowing in the Neretva River, and the sound of the Old Bridge's arches getting wet can all add to the ambience of the city. The light rain can also provide a nice contrast to the warm summer days and cool the city down. The light rain can also bring out the scent of the vegetation and flowers, adding to the overall sensory experience of the city."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Mostar city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"Rade Bitange is a street in the city of Mostar, a well-known pedestrian zone in the heart of the city, running parallel to the famous Neretva River. The street is also a hub of cultural and social activity, with street performers and musicians often entertaining passersby.
"Rade Bitange is surrounded by some of Mostar's most famous landmarks, including the iconic Stari Most (Old Bridge) and the medieval tower of Halebija. As a result, it is a popular destination for both locals and travellers alike, who come to enjoy its vibrant atmosphere and soak up the rich cultural heritage of this historic city. In the city centre, you may hear the sound of cars and buses driving on the streets, people talking and laughing as they walk through the streets, music and singing from restaurants and cafes, and vendors selling goods in the markets."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Mostar city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"Karnak Temple is a complex of ancient religious buildings located in Luxor, Egypt. The temple is situated on the east bank of the Nile River and is considered one of the most impressive examples of ancient Egyptian architecture.
"The landscape of Karnak Temple is characterized by towering columns, massive stone structures, and intricate carvings and sculptures. You can expect to hear the sounds of visitors exploring the temple complex. This may include the sounds of footsteps echoing on the stone floors and people speaking in different languages.
"The temple's gardens and courtyards provide a suitable environment for birds to nest and forage for food, so you may also hear the sounds of various bird species, including pigeons, sparrows, and doves. The sounds of birds singing and flitting through the temple complex can add an extra layer of life and energy to the otherwise quiet and contemplative atmosphere of the temple."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Luxor city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"A hot air balloon ride can be a peaceful and serene experience, and the sounds you might hear while on the trip can vary depending on the location, weather conditions, and altitude. Some possible sounds you might hear while on a hot-air balloon ride include:
- The sound of the burner as it heats the air to keep the balloon inflated
- The sound of the wind as it moves the balloon through the air
- The sound of the basket creaking and swaying as the balloon moves.
"It's important to note that sometimes silence and peacefulness may be the most prominent sound during the trip."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Luxor city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"Luxor is home to many ancient stone carvings, including those found in the Temple of Luxor and the Temple of Karnak. At a stone carving store in Luxor, you may hear a variety of sounds depending on the stage of the carving process.
"Generally, it can be a loud and abrasive process, with the sound of chipping and grinding as the stone is shaped and carved. The use of power tools such as angle grinders or chisels can also create a loud, high-pitched noise. When you are using hand tools such as hammers and chisels, the noise will be less and more pleasant to hear."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Luxor city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"The soundscape of the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor is a mix of the sounds of tourists and visitors, as well as the natural sounds of the surrounding desert environment. The temple is located in a remote area of the desert, so you may hear the occasional rustling of desert vegetation.
"In general, the soundscape of the Temple of Hatshepsut is relatively quiet and peaceful, with the sounds of the temple adding to the sense of being in a place of historical and cultural significance. The peaceful atmosphere is broken only by the occasional sounds of visitors exploring the temple and learning about its history and cultural significance."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Luxor city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"The soundscape of Luxor Temple in Luxor, Egypt is a mix of the sounds of tourists and visitors, as well as the natural sounds of the surrounding city and the Nile River.
"The temple is located in the heart of the city, so you may hear the sounds of urban life, such as the honking of car horns and the chatter of street vendors. Within the temple, you can expect to hear the sounds of footsteps echoing on the stone floor, and the occasional sounds of camera shutters clicking as tourists take photos.
"In general, the soundscape of Luxor Temple is a mixture of the sounds of the city and the temple, creating a unique and bustling atmosphere, which adds to the sense of being in a place of historical and cultural significance."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Luxor city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"The night time in Luxor is a magical and mesmerising experience. As the sun sets, the city comes alive with the soft glow of streetlights and lanterns illuminating the ancient monuments and temples.
"In the old town, you may hear the sounds of the occasional call to prayer from the local mosques, as well as the sound of the muezzin calling the faithful to prayer. You may also hear the sounds of people walking and talking in the narrow, winding streets, and the occasional sound of doors opening and closing.
"Overall, the soundscape of nighttime in the old town of Luxor is a mix of the sounds of the city, the Nile River, and the occasional sounds of nocturnal animals, creating a peaceful and atmospheric atmosphere."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Luxor city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"The hot haze of the Egyptian air is thick, almost opaque with heat - on hot days like these, it seems as if even sound waves are struggling to make their way through the air without wilting. Battling through the heat, the traffic noise, the sounds of markets, streets and city life, the muezzin’s call is a beautiful thing to hear, but on some days you have to strain to make it out.
"This composition is about picking out the call to prayer through waves of hot, arid air as it drifts across the late afternoon sky."
The title comes from an ancient Egyptian hymn to the sun:
OPEN the gates of Heaven, raise the gates of the sky! Open
the gates of the sky, raise the gates of Heaven for the Horns
of the gods, when he comes forth at break of day, purified in the Field of Reeds.
OPEN the gates of Heaven, raise the gates of the sky! Open
the gates of the sky, raise the gates of Heaven for the Horus of
the East, when he comes forth at break of day, purified in the Field of Reeds.
OPEN the gates of Heaven, raise the gates of the sky! Open
the gates of the sky, raise the gates of Heaven for Osiris, when
he comes forth at break of day, purified in the Field of Reeds.
OPEN the gates of Heaven, raise the gates of the sky! Open
the gates of the sky, raise the gates of Heaven for the King, when
he comes forth at break of day, purified in the Field of Reeds.
Call to prayer in Alexandria reimagined by Cities and Memory.
"This is a warning.
"And these sirens become a clattering cacophony of distorted drum beats and ominous arpeggios, with a composition that uses the air raid siren as part of the array of instruments for a pulsing techno track.
"There’s so much energy in the original recording of the siren that this track is an attempt to harness some of that excess energy and pour it back into beats, synths and arpeggios."
Marden air raid siren reimagined by Cities and Memory.
"If you listen to the monks’ mantra-style prayer chanting for an extended period of time, you become locked into its world, trance-like and utterly absorbed.
"This recomposed piece imagines what happens if you become so absorbed in these wonderful chants that, like a synaesthetic experience, you begin to hear things that aren’t there around the outside, like extra choirs of heavenly voices coming down from the skies and the gentle clinking of wind chimes and fluttering of prayer flags.
"The piece attempts to make this hyperreal experience a reality, extending the monks’ chanting out into something that represents our own aural experience when becoming locked into this recording."
Wenzhou monk chants reimagined by Cities and Memory.
Buddhist monks chanting at Miaoguo Temple, Wenzhou, China, Saturday 28 January 2023. This temple is located in the centre of Wenzhou City. Founded in the Tang
Dynasty (705), and was built by a generation of Master Sujue. Sheng Yu Song, Master Zeng Zhuoxi abbot, Master Jizhong, Master Zeng Zhuoxi, and Da Zhenzongfeng, and once was the most famous temple of the southeast coastal pilgrimage.
Recorded by Rob Burton.
The History Group’s air raid siren at Marden Heritage Centre, Marden, UK, 9 November 2014 (Remembrance Sunday) - the signal is "all clear".
Recorded by Chris Gosling.
"The sounds you might hear at a night market in Aswan, Egypt, would depend on the specific location and the time of day.
Some possible sounds you might hear include:* The sound of cars and other vehicles passing by on the nearby streets * The sound of vendors calling out to attract customers and promoting their goods * The sound of bargaining and haggling as customers negotiate prices.
You can also hear the sound of people moving around and browsing the market and the sound of goods being handled and examined."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Aswan city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"You would likely hear a variety of sounds in a Nubian village. Once you arrive at the Nubian village, you may hear the sounds of people going about their daily activities, such as children playing, animals, and possibly music or singing coming from the village.
"However, the most intricate sound on my trip to a Nubian Village was the sound of old aircons. They would produce a low, steady hum or buzz as it operates. This sound is created by the vibration of the compressor and fan motors as they work to cool the air. The sound of an air conditioner is generally considered to be unobtrusive and is not typically perceived as disruptive to daily activities."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Aswan city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"You can't visit Aswan without doing a Nile River cruise. Here you can enjoy dinner on a traditional felucca boat and watch the city lights twinkle along the riverbank. The Nile River is an iconic feature of Aswan and the nighttime cruise offers a unique perspective on the city and its surrounding islands. On a boat trip to a Nubian village in Aswan, you might hear the sound of the boat's engine or oars as you travel along the Nile river and the gentle sound of water lapping against the boat."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Aswan city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"The national trains around Aswan, Egypt are part of the country's railway system and connect the city of Aswan with other parts of the country. Aswan is a popular tourist destination, known for its ancient temples, monuments, and beautiful Nile River, so trains serve as an important mode of transportation for visitors and locals alike. Overall, national trains around Aswan provide an opportunity to experience the local culture and see the natural beauty of Egypt while traveling in comfort.
The sounds of trains in Egypt would depend on the specific location and type of train. Some possible sounds you might hear include:* The sound of the train's horn or whistle, which is used to alert people and vehicles that the train is approaching. * The sound of the wheels on the tracks as the train moves and sound of the engine as it powers the train. * The sound of doors opening and closing as passengers board or exit the train and the sound of people talking and moving around inside the train."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Aswan city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"Camels are known to make a variety of sounds, including growling, which is a low, guttural sound that is often associated with aggression or discomfort. Camels may growl when they feel threatened or when they are trying to assert dominance over other camels.
"They may also growl when they are in pain or when they are experiencing other forms of distress. In the context of a Nubian village, you might hear camels growling if they are being led through the village, if they are being loaded or unloaded from a vehicle, or if they are being groomed or cared for in some way."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Aswan city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"A typical old neighborhood in Aswan would be filled with a variety of sounds that reflect the bustling, lively atmosphere of daily life. Some of the sounds you might hear include:
- Children playing and laughing in the streets or the sounds of animals, such as chickens, goats, and donkeys, roaming the streets.
- The call to prayer from local mosques, echoing through the neighborhood several times a day, and people chatting and socializing in the open air, as many homes have large courtyards that serve as gathering places.
- Vendors selling their goods at the market, shouting out to attract customers.
Together, these sounds create a unique and lively atmosphere that is characteristic of the traditional Nubian culture of Aswan."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Aswan city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"Ahwa downtown coffee house is a coffee shop located in the heart of Alexandria, Egypt. It is a popular destination for coffee lovers, as well as for those who want to experience the lively atmosphere of downtown Alexandria.
"Visitors can sit and enjoy their coffee while watching the hustle and bustle of the city's streets or take a stroll through the nearby market to immerse themselves in the local culture. Overall, the sounds at Ahwa Downtown Coffeehouse create a lively and vibrant atmosphere, making it a great place to relax and enjoy a cup of coffee."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Alexandria city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"The Qaitbay Citadel is a medieval fortress located in Alexandria, Egypt, on the Mediterranean coast. It was built in the 15th century and served as a major military defense for the city, guarding the entrance to the harbor and protecting it from invading forces.
"Visitors can explore the various buildings within the citadel, including the mosque, the barracks, and the towers, and learn about the history of the citadel and its role in the defense of Alexandria. At the Qaitbay Citadel, visitors can expect to hear a mix of natural and man-made sounds, but most likely they will hear the sound of footsteps and voices of visitors exploring the citadel, as well as the sounds of street vendors and vendors within the citadel."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Alexandria city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"The Zanket El Setat night market is a night market in Alexandria, Egypt, where vendors and street food stalls come together to create a lively and bustling atmosphere. It is a popular destination for locals, who come to enjoy the food, shopping, and entertainment.
"The variety of distinct sounds is vast, such as vendors calling out to attract customers, people bargaining for goods, the hum of chatter from shoppers, and the sounds of goods being sold, such as the clanking of silverware, the hiss of frying food, and the chatter of ice in drinks. It might also have background music or live music performances, as it is very common to hear street musicians playing traditional Egyptian music."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Alexandria city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"The Al-Medina Tram is a tram system in Alexandria, Egypt, and it makes several different sounds as it moves through the city. Some of the sounds you might hear include: 1. The sound of the tram's wheels clacking on the tracks as it moves along.
2. The sound of the tram's electric motors and gears as it accelerates and
slows down.
3. The sound of the tram's bells or horns as it approaches intersections or
other areas where it needs to warn pedestrians and drivers of its presence.
4. The sound of the tram's brakes as it stops at stations or intersections.
5. The sound of passengers boarding and exiting the tram, including the sound of doors opening and closing.
Overall, the Al-Medina Tram is a unique and distinctive form of transportation in Alexandria, and its sounds are a part of the city's transportation landscape."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Alexandria city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"At the seaside, you can just roll solo as the tide splashes your ankles. The sound of waves is proven to relax the mind, as waves come in, crash, and then recede again, like a “trigger telling your brain you’re in the right place”.
"Simply being near the ocean and engaging in fishing alongside some of the locals familiar with the waves of the Mediterranean can be so enjoyable and calming you forget you're traveling. The soothing sound of the waves relaxing your mind and the fisherman's tales being told by the locals will mesmerise you with their beauty and will make your day full of happy memories."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Alexandria city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"The view of the sunset over the Mediterranean sea can be quite picturesque and the colours of the sunset can be quite vivid.
"It is also worth noting that Alexandria has a long history and many historical landmarks, such as the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Montazah Palace, and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, which could make for a great backdrop for viewing the sunset. A strong religious atmosphere is always present, as the resounding voices of the minarets of the mosque can be heard in the distance."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Alexandria city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"Today, a newspaper pressing print in Alexandria is a rare and unique kind of labour, representing a glimpse into the rich history of printing in Egypt and the city of Alexandria.
"At a press print, you may hear the sound of the presses running and the sound of paper being fed through the machines. Depending on the type of press, you might hear the whirring of electric motors or the clanking of gears. There may also be the sound of ink being distributed onto the paper, which can vary depending on the type of press. Additionally, you may hear the sound of people talking or shouting as they work. The sound of the presses running is often a constant hum in the background."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Alexandria city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"The old town of Alexandria is a must-visit for anyone interested in the history and culture of this beautiful city and is a great place to experience the traditional way of life in Alexandria.
"You can just stroll around the market in the streets of the old town, where rabbis, Muslim women in scarves, and pilgrim Christians live together. You can occasionally hear the sound of people praying or singing and If you are near a mosque, you may hear the sound of the call to prayer being broadcast over loudspeakers."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Alexandria city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"The port is situated on the eastern coast of Egypt, along the Mediterranean Sea, and is known for its long history of maritime trade and commerce. Throughout the centuries, the port has served as a gateway for goods and people traveling between Europe, Asia, and Africa.
"Overall, the Alexandria Port is a busy and lively place, and you can expect to hear a constant din of activity and movement but at this specific time, it was quiet and we could just hear the sound of waves lapping against the sides of ships and the dock."
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Alexandria city sound guide. For more city sound guides, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides/
"In the original recording you hear the voices of a multitude of frogs croaking. My associations around frogs led me back to a term, that I first encountered in march 2020, around the time the first Covid-lockdown started: catastrophic metamorphosis. A catastrophic metamorphosis is the final transition from the last larval stage to the adult stage. This profound remodeling often takes place in an immobile pupal stage, when the larva's body turns entirely liquid and the rudiments are being reassembled into a new shape. As Ovid wrote in his famous Metamorphoses: everything changes, nothing perishes. I used this phrase as a metaphor for my composition. The voices of the frogs constantly change, and reappear in modified ways, yet they never disappear completely."
Canada Prince George frogs reimagined by Nathalie Anne-Marie Rosenbaum.
Cities and Memory founder Stuart Fowkes is interviewed on BBC Radio 4's flagship news programme Today, discussing the Polar Sounds project and how it aims to bring a new perspective to the impact of climate change on polar habitats. Broadcast on 6 February 2023.
A news clip about the Polar Sounds project by Cities and Memory - presenter Mary Ann Hobbs talks about how it's nice to hear "seals covering Aphex Twin".
There's always something special about the sound of bells in a forest, somehow adding a magical aspect to both the forest air and the sound of the bells themselves just by being heard in the same context, the crisp forest air lit up by the chimes of the bell.
For this composition, we've filled in the gaps with how we felt while making the original recording, with gratitude for the day and for the beautiful scenery. Warm drones of brass contrast with the cold of the day itself, with a feeling of belonging, while celebratory peals towards the end of the piece emphasise the emotions brought up by the original sound of the bells, which continue to make themselves known throughout the piece. The tiny coda of the composition - my own footsteps in ice.
Cesuna forest bells reimagined by Cities and Memory.
Cesuna, northern Italy: church bells ring in the forest just outside the entrance to a long pedestrian tunnel that is part of a footpath made from an old train track. The train track ran from Asiago to Rocchette and has now been converted into a walking trail. On this cold December day, there was the crunch of ice underfoot, and the bells rang atmospherically through the clean, crisp forest air.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
“This piece was composed by attempting to build something physical and layered out of sound. The Ross seals’ calls sit high in the frequency range, which here is imagined to be towards the surface level of the Southern Ocean, with the seals swimming and whirling gracefully beneath the waves.
"Beneath that is a construction made up of kick drums and many thick layers of drone and synthesiser, which take us much further down into the weight of the ocean - and which represent some of the many threats and menaces to the Ross seals’ existence, of which they are unaware as the piece progresses. There is ship noise, there are the jolting impacts of seismic surveys, and there is the calving, the devastation of climate change, on the horizon and becoming ever more menacing as the piece progresses.
"Usually when reimagining a field recording, there is some degree of processing to add atmosphere or musicality to the recording, or to draw out that element of the recording that has my attention, so I can also draw the listener’s attention to it. On this occasion, however, the field recording itself is so entirely perfect that it sits ideally in the mix with virtually nothing done to it.
"The crackling ice in the middle section (and at the close) comes from the sound of a melting iceberg in our Obsolete Sounds project - surely the most terrible of all sounds to be labelled as obsolete or disappearing. Here this represents the dwindling habitats of the Ross seals.
"There is sadness for and fury on behalf of the Ross seals for our contribution to their suffering - that is the true bedrock of this contribution to Polar Sounds.”
Ross seals reimagined by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The field recording (An Arctic Storm) gave the feeling of peace, lonesomeness and calm: An alchemy of emotions that (although poles apart) give a feeling of balance.
"Without intending to change the recording too much that it lost its effect. I cut off unwanted frequencies, added reverb and delay and used it as a bed for my composition.
"The composition; titled Thayù is an inspiration to search for oneself within oneself as is the case with the Arctic; A place alone in the world. But although it is on its own, it has found peace by finding itself within."
Stormy ocean reimagined by Wahinya Mwirikia.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"In an effort to add to the bridge of science-art being made by this project I worked together with Art|Scientist Vivien Reichel to work with me on the concept for the piece and help me with my understanding of the workings of the arctic environment.
"Our conceptual starting point was to never cut/take away from the original sample, but rather add to it. We as a species have taken away enough of the natural environment. When composing/constructing the piece, the sample formed the base layer of the sonic landscape I was trying to construct. To me the sample conjured up images of (animal) life and movement and I wanted to juxtaposition this with the natural elements at play in the landscape, the other instruments and sounds I used are meant to sound out other layers of the arctic landscape.
"The only melody I wrote for the piece is heard in the melancholic saxophone line meant to sound out the wind across the silent landscape. After the line the piece grows darker and comes to a rough conclusion, symbolising the dire situation the whole natural system is in."
Rubbing sea ice reimagined by Baz Laarakkers.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
The sound of the stormy ocean can result in what sounds like white noise.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
The clicking and whistle noises most likely belong to odontocete species.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Striped_dolphin_in_the_Ligurian_Sea.jpg
The clicking and whistle noises most likely belong to odontocete species.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Striped_dolphin_in_the_Ligurian_Sea.jpg
Many sounds recorded cannot be identified by scientists. Often it is not even possible to tell if the sounds originate from animals or if these are abiotic.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"What would happen if in the practice of listening to the sounds of the Polar Circle we identified the climatic changes that this territory is going through? The sound piece POLAR ELECTRO-ICE born from a reflection on the transformations that the Polar Circle undergoes through documentary and sound research. The sounds you will hear were taken from the Polar Sounds project and soundscapes in the Arctic, these were transformed through analog and digital processes to find a new form of territorial listening, a sonority that invites us to recognize that in the last 20 years the Polar Circle has been affected by global warming in a rush.
"The melting of the polar cap and the increase in snowfall are the axes of this piece, generating a dystopian sound, a prelude musicality to this global warming, the field recording was used in its natural form and with sound effects processes generating harmonic layers of sounds and their transformations. It is important that the meaning and effects of climate change be known, since what is currently being experienced in this territory will happen in the south in a few years and in the rest of the planet in the following years.
"It is recognized that there is a longer period of time when the sea is not frozen, generating an invasion of new animal species and a reduction in the population of lemmings, as well as the potential extinction of bears, seals, walruses and seabirds. It is predicted that by 2040 the ice of the Polar Circle will melt if global gas emissions continue."
Unidentified Arctic sound reimagined by Elena Castillo / Elentric.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"My allocated sound for this project had the mysterious description of "Unidentified Artic Sound 3". Before setting down to work, I listened to the sound a number of times with my eyes closed, and I was immediately drawn to an eerie pitched resonance amongsts the relentless hiss, crackle and ice-white noise. I wondered what the source of this strange creaking resonance could be. Some of the descriptions for the other sounds offer possible clues - whale song, ship noises, rubbing sea ice - but it is impossible to say for certain.
"My first instinct was to reach for spectral analysis, to take a footprint of the noise floor and remove that from the signal to hone in on the salient spectral information (like in iZotope's RX software). While the result gave me no more insight into the identity of the original sounding body, it did give me a point from which to begin the composition.
"I would describe the approach taken with this piece as spectro-timbral, in that I begin with spectral analysis and extraction of the starting sound, and used this to define the overall structure, tonality and seed material for all the other sound organisation. I gathered some other field recordings that I captured a long time ago of a cold day and my feet crunching on ice, along with some bowed violin and bouzouki. Using custom software in Max/MSP, the isolated unidentified sound is analysed in real-time and used to combine and layer the other sounds and samples according to their timbral descriptors and tonal character. The result is a slow, steady movement of material, not unlike an icebreaker crashing through endless, frozen landscape with fractured, shattered musical elements interjecting."
Unidentified Arctic sound reimagined by Cárthach Ó Nuanáin.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"In hearing the delicate sounds of the odontocete in the recording, i started to wonder what a full conversation between these kin could sound like. The piece begins with the recording in its raw form and is transformed through the use of granular synthesis, resonators and many layered effects. I imagine this piece as a dialogue, a sub-aquatic flirtation between our kin. Thank you for tuning my ears to this underwater kingdom, it took my heart with it..."
Odontocete clicks reimagined by Ruby Singh.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Striped_dolphin_in_the_Ligurian_Sea.jpg
"I used reverbs and other effects on the original track. Than I try to listen to the sound frequency suggested by the process, as in a improv mood. I listened for a while playing with commands and when I found a connection I started to dream and fly.
"This track describes a lucky encounter between man and odontocetes."
Odontocete clicks reimagined by Raffaele Rebaudengo.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Striped_dolphin_in_the_Ligurian_Sea.jpg
"Between 79°00'00.7"N and 5°40'07.3"E
an answering machine
is drowning in the Greenland Sea.
Down here, a toothed whale swims along
and leaves a message – or a song?
For who? What did it say?
Up there, nobody knows a way
how to make sense of that strange noise.
A speaking whale? A whale-ish voice?
Yet, up above the surface high
the human world brawls in reply.
A clicking, whistling, rattling way -
all misconceived and gone astray.
"When I first heard the material, my immediate association was the idea of receiving a voicemail from this odontocete that left its acoustic trace on the recording. Throughout the composing process, I encountered different situations, where humans tend to communicate through rhythmic, pulsing noises. I ended up collecting some of them and arranged them in a juxtaposed pattern. What developed was a kind of dialogue, within which communication always fails, despite the fact, that similar techniques are being used by both sides. Aside from the original recording of the whale, you will hear a multitude of human sounds, that share the characteristic of varying rhythm and tone, in order to be used as a tool for communication.
"In my view, that is one central question, in which the arts and sciences are closely related to one another – even if they tackle the issue with differing tools: both share the quest to describe our world and to communicating their respective findings through specific ways to a certain audience."
Odontocete clicks reimagined by Nathalie Anne-Marie Rosenbaum.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Striped_dolphin_in_the_Ligurian_Sea.jpg
"I manipulate the original recording with some granular synthesis and mix it with wind on trees from a place near my home called "the island", in the middle of a water dam. Even being far from the Arctic, I found similarities between this and the sound space (of) the island."
Odontocete clicks reimagined by Luís Antero.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Striped_dolphin_in_the_Ligurian_Sea.jpg
"More than anything else, I wanted my composition to be transportive for the listener... in a similar way, but perhaps more so, than the original field recording was for me. So, with that in mind, I aimed to capture the sonic experience of "being on the coast"."
reimagined by Emmy Tither.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"I listened for a long time to the field recording. There is the haunting sounds of the Bowhead whales, buried deep within the ambient sounds surrounding them. I was inspired by the melody and musical slides (or moans!) I could hear in the whale calls. The constant ambient sound of the environment, and perhaps of scientific equipment also, was a sonic companion within the field recording, and I imagined a seascape of musical ideas playing with the whale sounds under the ice, for the composition. I sampled acoustic musicians to create a composition to weave around and play with the whales' calls, at times imitating the various melodies and ambient noises. I also played with subtly panning the various sampled instruments - as a kind of echo to the whales' songs which often signal geographic locations to others. All the while, also informing the composition, is the tragic rapidly changing environment these beautiful animals are navigating.
Sampled musicians:
Gideon Brazil: saxophone & bass clarinet
Rodrigo Salgado: double bass
Elissa Goodrich: vibraphone"
Bowhead whale reimagined by Elissa Goodrich.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"In times of global warming, the risk of melting ice poses a multitude of threats from sea-level rise to reduced albedo. Large parts of the oldest ice have already disappeared, and what remains is found in one of the thickest and oldest areas of the Arctic known as the "Last Ice Area" — considered to be the last source of ice in a rapidly warming Arctic. The last Arctic ice is proving vulnerable to the rapid warming occurring in the northern latitudes and monitoring the ice cover has found some new, troubling signs of continued changes taking place in the polar region: thinning of the Arctic ice, which could accelerate the formation of polynyas, pools of open water surrounded by sea ice.
"In the future, polynyas may occur more frequently as the last Arctic ice melts. In the short term, these open areas can be oases of life: sunlight hits the ocean water, allowing for more algae photosynthesis, which attracts fish. But this burst of life is only temporary - in the long term, as the ice melts and moves offshore and species like walruses and seabirds lose access to it, we lose that benefit and eventually, it gets so warm that species can't survive anymore.
The composition "Polynya (Arctic Unidentified)" starts out fairly quiet with the layered sound of ice cracking, fracturing and melting, then builds into a slowly progressing soundscape that draws the listener deep into the Arctic environment, to the formation of large polynyas and otherworldly screams of unidentified extinct species at the end."
Unidentified Arctic sound reimagined by Simon Šerc.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Many sounds recorded cannot be identified by scientists. Often it is not even possible to tell if the sounds originate from animals or if these are abiotic.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Many sounds recorded cannot be identified by scientists. Often it is not even possible to tell if the sounds originate from animals or if these are abiotic.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
The behavioral context of ringed seal calls has not been confirmed; however, on the basis of their presence in winter and spring, Stirling et al. (1983) hypothesized that the calls are involved in intraspecific competition to maintain social structure around breathing holes in the sea ice and that they may also serve a reproductive purpose.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Bearded seals produce typical downsweept trills underneath the Arctic sea ice. Calls are produced by males in spring to defend underwater territories. Specific trajectories and areas are patrolled by males under the ice while producing these acoustic displays. Calls are thought to attract potential mates and repel potential rival males.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
The tonal sounds are produced by bowhead whales. Males produce song to attract females and vocally compete with potential rival males.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"Bowhead whales are magnificent creatures that can grow to 60ft long and can live to around 200 years. They are predominantly solitary creatures or found in small pods of up to six. These aspects of age, solitude and memory (they were commercially whaled up until the 1960s) have inspired my submission.
"I've created a chord progression and used layered orchestral sounds with a fairly sparse arrangement. Part of the whale's call from the recording has been processed with delay and reverb but I wanted to include the whole recording in its entirety to highlight their vocalisation."
Bowhead whale reimagined by Andy Lyon.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"There was something melancholy about the descending trill and the moan from these bearded seals that I wanted to capture and elaborate on. But there was also a distance to the seal sounds so I knew I wanted to keep the composition simple and subtle and not overpower their sounds. I used the original file in two different ways.
"On one track I extended the time, stretching out the sounds while also doing some aggressive de-noising to get rid of the background and white noise of the recording. The high-pitched pops and squeals and chirps are all from this track. The other use of the original used less aggressive processing to deal with the white noise, but enough to help focus on the sound of the descending trill and the soft moan of the seal. The music was created without the use of a strict tempo and instead responding to the two different altered tracks of the original file. I hope to have created a feeling of beauty, but one with a sense of loss and distance haunting it."
Bearded seal reimagined by Pria Wood.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"What is it like to sing under the ice? This question was inspired by the image of the bearded seal’s glissandi that came to mind and was the guiding line for the composition. The meaning of Entrelinhas (betweenness; between the lines) goes deep into the idea of living between places; of suffering interference from machines and naturals, struggling against them and sometimes incorporating them. I explored the proposed sound file as a medium itself, looking for betweenness spaces, the encounters, the resonances. The file was manipulated to reveal features and/or digitization errors present in different spectral bands. They would become the main digital material for making sounds. It is as if we were exploring the gestuality underneath the noise. The sinusoidal sounds were recorded from an audible ecosystem environment where harmonics emerge from acoustic-digital feedback-loop: another kind of betweenness. Synthesis and granular approaches were applied to create overlapping sound layers so ambience sensation, melodies, beatings, spectral movements and spatial correlations emerged as resonant gestures breaking through the multiple layers and sewing up between the lines of sounds at once. This is a stereo reduction version of a multichannel composition aiming for an immersive sound experience."
Bearded seal reimagined by Ricardo Thomasi.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"I tried to use slight manipulation on the sample. On the one hand, these manipulations symbolize our influence on the climate of the planet, Original sound is manipulated artificially with resonators, no any other instrument was used. on the other hand, with these manipulations, I wanted to create a cold and harsh atmosphere that is under the Arctic ice, where ringed seals are living and building their social structures."
Ringed seal reimagined by Rati Baramadze.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"This miniature piece evokes an imaginary Antarctic soundscape inspired by the marvelous ringed seals. Some reflections in a poem form emerge as a prelude to a question that pretends to make consciousness about the climate warming effects. The contrast in the second section ends with a glimpse of hope to revert part of the damage done to our home, Mother Earth. There is no more future if we don't take action in our present."
Ringed seal reimagined by Ana Mora.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The idea is that sounds make up the texture of a landscape. Because this field recording was labeled as an unidentified sound, my impression of it was more about the whole soundscape, as opposed to whatever animal was breathing or barking or scraping. The feeling of the noise became the focus. I included digging sound effects and home field recordings of rocks and sticks and other objects, processed with Ableton’s Granulator II and Grain Scanner plug-ins to create rhythms of physical sounds, the up-close grit. Over those rhythms I recorded flute processed through various reverb, delay, and pitch-shifting effects from an Eventide H9, to create harmony in the breathing, wind-like sounds, and also as light."
Unidentified Arctic sound reimagined by Nicolo Scolieri.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"My inspiration was to create the sensation you navigate under a big ice floe. At first just moving under the water you pass through the ice floe and sometimes ice collapses and crashes. I used only field recording sound with some audio process to create the sensation. ice, underwater movement etc. So basically I recorded some different foley texture and try to pre-design different elements I needed (ice melted, cracking, ice block moving, impact, explosions etc.)."
Unidentified Arctic sound reimagined by Arnaud Noble.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"When I listened to this polar recording, I felt goosebumps - it is so mysterious but very beautiful and magical at the same time. Sounds that never came to my ear before.
"Then I decided to elaborate on this Arctic soundscape with delicate sine waves, reverse guitar, Javanese Gong, and synthesizer pads to create a dreamy atmosphere. I composed mainly concentrating on the sound's spectrum, to trust the beauty and energy of the sound itself, with hope for our icebergs in the future."
Unidentified Arctic sound reimagined by Gardika Gigih.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"I was mesmerized by this field recording. The bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) is the only surviving member of the genus Balaena. The song is inspired by my own encounter with a bowhead whale in the coastal Alaskan Arctic. I was on station in an ice field in September 2018, to do some field research. I remember seeing some object in the water and pointing it out to my colleagues. We decided it was a floating log. A few minutes passed; our boat had drifted closer to the object, bringing it into clearer view, transforming it into a sleeping bowhead whale. Each of us took a great pause and marveled at its breath just a moment before it gently disappeared into the depths.
"The first part of the piece has a sort of muddiness to it that plays off the separation between us and these massive oceanic mammals. In the second part of the piece, there is a clarity which echoes one I’ve had when experiencing the imaginative leap required to enjoy something like whale watching. We really see so little of these creatures, even during the rare breaches. To seek out a whale is to seek out a glimpse made powerful through imagination and understanding. The last part is what I imagine swimming in the ocean as a whale is like.
"The sort of negative space heard in many underwater recordings is so full and encompassing. I thought it was important to leave some of that “noise” in with an added filter and slow modulation to simulate the ocean waves. Beyond the noise, the song of this bowhead whale was also quite majestic and inspired me to harmonize with it while allowing the original bowhead song to fade in and out. There was also some interesting aliasing going on with the field recording which I mirrored in the first part of the piece. There are many layers to this piece, and, for me, it is quite fitting knowing that the ocean is deeply multidimensional and dynamic."
Bowhead whale reimagined by Daniel Koestner.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"My collaborator Hansine and I were surprised by the expressiveness of the Bowhead Whale call and how the spacing between the calls seemed to be awaiting a response. Our idea initially was to have a conversation with the whale, with Hansine's vocals personifying a responding whale.
"We were recording alone in a cabin in the hills of Santa Cruz with just ourselves, a bass, a drum machine, and the sample and the song came together in just a few hours, eventually becoming a sort of love song. It ended up making sense, as Bowhead Whales are typically most vocal in mating season, and otherwise are often solitary, and maybe lonely?
"Based on the love song aspect and the species latin name Balaena mysticetus, we named the track. The whale call can be heard looping throughout the track, is sampled to create percussive elements, and also feeds a granular synthesizer to create textures."
Bowhead whale reimagined by Avery Bick.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"My field recording is a two-minute recording of airshots that occur at regular intervals of about 12 seconds. This regularity is only noticeable in the course of time, and then seems a bit like a ticking clock running down in super slow-motion. The deep bass of the explosions lingers for a relatively long time, and can still be heard well during the following crackling and hissing. It is a dark, dystopian soundscape that is more reminiscent of war, machinery or factories than an underwater landscape or even flora and fauna. When I first heard the sound, I didn't find it particularly exciting in terms of sound, but extremely strong in terms of content. It touched me emotionally, and above all I felt regret, disappointment, frustration and anger.
"I wanted to contrast this sonic, dystopian abyss of field recording with another pole that would tell the story and clothe this harsh reality in emotion. I am a classical guitarist and my intention from the beginning was to dedicate this instrument to the task. The idea for this field recording was to compose a piece for guitar to go with the field recording, so that both can be heard continuously and accompany each other, and sometimes the listener's attention can alternate between the two.
"A first rather technical approach was to tune the guitar into a scordatura, i.e. to partially retune the strings. This allowed me to detach myself more from what I usually play and think and allowed me to feel freer and more open towards field recording. It also prevented me from being too controlled by technical, music-theoretical thinking. The tuning of the guitar is as follows: 1= e, 2= b, 3= f sharp, 4= D, 5= G, 6= E. As a chord, this results in an Em 7 9. Not a really special sound at first sight. However, it is exciting because of the dissonance between f sharp and g, and because of the D, which radiates a constant dissatisfaction.
"At the beginning, I tried to write passages in which the guitar noisily approaches the field recordings or becomes a field recording itself through extended playing techniques. In the end, not so much of that remained, just the intro and outro, which feature fast rascuados without a nail and hitting the strings with a finger. The flagolets, which should sound like echoes and have a different structure with each repetition, are partly dissonant, unresolved and should already contain the whole drama of this subject.
"One idea was to play a quick succession of notes after each explosion, taking cover like a swarm of fish, changing direction, darting apart. Although this is no longer the case, it has developed into the fast, repetitive attack that forms the basis for the first part after the intro. The second part consists of similar chords and a similar structure, but is now struck in somewhat punky rascuados and deals even more strongly with the feelings of frustration and anger, whereas the first part gives more space to the emotions of sadness and regret.
"I only lightly processed the field recording itself with an equaliser and a compressor. The aim was to reduce the noise and to better bring out the interesting clicking, crunching and cracking sounds. I also wanted the bass range to be a little more precise and the focus to be a little more on it. I also edited the field recording so that it is now distributed in stereo in the room, it has more depth and spatiality. I once recorded a field recording for a project in a huge former Nazi bunker. I wanted to represent this sonic atmosphere in the mix. The underwater explosions as if they were outside or in a lake inside the bunker, and the guitar plays in this monstrous, abysmal sound space above. The result should not be like guitar here and field recording there, but like an improbable, imagined common sound space where both happen at the same time. More like a documentary atmosphere than a concert."
Seismic airgun reimagined by Jannis Wichmann.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"Simon Holmes: The start of the project revolved around the sample itself and the pulsating rhythm of the seismic shooting. I wanted to manipulate the sample to create other sounds representative of the natural rather than the human underwater world, aware of how man has generated such destructive sound pollution in the Arctic environment. Firstly I was interested in evoking ideas of sonar and echolocation linking the piece to endangered marine wildlife and secondly creating a sound of the ocean floor where scuttling crustaceans roam. Both of these sounds can be heard in the final piece. The project then evolved into generating an ekphrastic response to Paul’s poem ‘Ghost Nets’, particularly focusing on the line, ‘Our plangent requiem welling up like a whale’s lament from the depths’. The idea of these abandoned nets causing such suffering and destruction really focused the creative process, helping to generate a soundscape reflective of this.
"Paul Nash: Further manipulation of the seismic shooting sample led me to explore a deep sense of ‘inner extractivism’ during an ‘age of exhaustion’ in this track. With the addition of electronic beats and a foghorn bass line representing the insidious creep of human technological advance, it became clear to me that the tensions between the human and non-human worlds that are so damaging to our planet would inform the unease at the heart of this soundscape. The final mix attempts to reify the shadow biosphere of the polar ocean floor – a dark nexus of seismic shooting from above and the plaintive infrasound of whales welling up like a lament from the depths. ‘Ghost Nets’ may not only be the dying cry of a ruined Earth, but also in our carbon profligacy and perhaps now inevitable subsequent extinction, it is one hopes the beginning of the end of anthropogenic noise that blights marine environments."
Seismic airgun reimagined by Simon Holmes / Paul Nash.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The soundscape I composed tries to reflect and highlight the clear threat associated with the exploration and exploitation of natural resources (oil and gas), in areas of high biological diversity and with a strong presence of indigenous communities.
"First, I investigated the resistance of Greenlandic Innuit communities to the exploration work near the site where the sound sample was recorded. These communities oppose extractivist mining as a threat to their way of life, which in many ways depends on their ancestral relationship with their environment.
"When I listened to the recording assigned to me, I immediately related it to a storm or to the deployment of heavy artillery. This sound can be "read" in both ways, but what is interesting is that in my composition it is configured as an antagonist, a presence that comes to disturb the peaceful coexistence between the communities and the ocean.
"On the other hand, the constant sound of the drones enhances this sense of threat and uncertainty. In the composition I have also added the sound of sensors and small beeps, which try to account for the dehumanisation inherent in hypercapitalism and which is the root cause of this tragedy. I also used some personal recordings of the sound of the sea, processed with a glitch filter, to give a sense of strangeness and transformation.
"This imminent danger approaches and surrounds the communities, which are represented acoustically through the improvised recording of the programme of a local radio station in Greenland, close to the coordinates where the assigned sound sample was recorded. In the face of all these threats, everyday speech, expressed in the recording of local radio voices, represents sanity and honesty in the face of barbarism and greed.
"Technically, to compose this work, I transformed the assigned recording into a sample, from which I worked on its presence-absence within the composition. I also used other samples, generated through various pieces of hardware, together with an effects processor for the vocals and field recordings. To get the sound of the local Greenlandic radio, I used an app that allows you to listen to AM radios on a planetary level."
Seismic airgun reimagined by Rodrigo Romero-Flores.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The sound I chose to work with was the Airgun pulse that is used to explore the ocean bed for oil and gas. As soon as I heard the clip, it sounded to me eerily like bombs going off. Wondering what impact this had for the acoustic soundscapes of the Arctic (where the clips were recorded), I then did some reading around the topic and although research is still it’s in its early days, it is suggested that airguns do impact life in the ocean, in particular masking communication and impacting the travel routes of whales.
"I then wondered, as the Arctic Sea ice melts and shipping and airgun exploration intensifies and these bomb like noises become more frequent, what impact will it have on the acoustic environment, and those living in it?
"So, I decided to create a dystopian future narrative as if we were talking to the whales in the future and asking them how the airgun noise has impacted their lives.
"I am from Swansea, a city which was severely impacted by bombing in the second world war, and so for the voices of the whales, I decided to search the archives of Swansea Library for interviews of people talking about the devastation the bombing had on them and the city.
"Surprisingly, their descriptions on some of the ways the bombs impacted their lives matched with what research suggests is happening to the whales and so I used the clips from the archives to represent the whales’ story.
"I then merged these interview clips with the sound of the airgun pulses, keeping it a constant throughout the piece and then created a brief narrative at the beginning, introducing us to a future world where we are now made aware of just how damaging the airguns have been.
"The great thing about using dystopian storytelling like this is that it gives us the flexibility to explore potential possibilities of what could happen to the environment. As such, it is great for asking questions that we do not know the answers for yet.
"When people hear the piece not only do I want them to think about the acoustic world of the seas, the sound of the airguns, and the politics of what this means for the future health of our oceans, but I also want to emphasise that there is also still time to prevent these impacts becoming irreversible."
Seismic airgun reimagined by Geraint Rhys.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"As I became familiar with the scientific recording, I experimented with ways to to coax out its particular elements. My relationship to the sounds became more playful as this process evolved. When I isolated, filtered, spliced, reorganised and recombined them I considered how they might coexist with my own sounds - in particular those from my ongoing solo saxophone recording project.
"In this composition I use my instrument to respond to the deconstructed recording, which is subsequently manipulated further in ways to punctuate textures produced by the saxophone.
"Sometimes the recorded sounds and those imitated on the saxophone are intertwined. Variously filtered broadband noise segments are combined into ambient layers which shift against each other, often in the background, but occasionally overwhelming those more organised sounds.
"The piece begins with icy bursts of colliding sonic objects. Permutations of the narwhal calling are featured in the middle. The adventure ends traversing the ice and sinking into the Arctic depths."
Narwhal reimagined by Reuben Derrick.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
""study for a stranding in 1861 (kia tūpato/beware)" uses the recording as the basis of a composition that explores the phenomenon of seismic shooting for oil exploration, and the link to both whale beaching (via sonic disorientation of finely-tuned Cetacean communicative channels) and Anthropogenic Climate Change. In the process, the piece draws on longer histories of the mediation of the oceanic environment by anthropogenic sound, a cultural development itself arguably indebted to the extraordinary communicative and navigational abilities of Cetaceans and other non-human creatures at home within the different ecology of this medium/media, inhabiting a sphere (sense of planet) that sees them use the ocean like a telephone or a shortwave radio, a non-human cultural practice that pre-dates the European experimental investigation of radio waves, sonar, radar, etc, by millions of years.
"In addition to the use of this sound, which can be heard as a dull, monotonous distant thud throughout the piece, source material for "study for a stranding in 1861 (kia tūpato/beware)" includes ocean field recordings made at Taroona and Verona Sands on the coast of lutruwita/Tasmania, a region that has seen several unprecedented mass whale strandings in recent years, the most recent of which, resulting in the deaths of over 200 pilot whales, occurring while the piece was being composed. Instrumentation includes accordion and zither recordings that have been harnessed to provide a range of textures and tones, partially in the service of mimicking polar natural Geophonic phenomena such as sea ice and aurora "natural radio" sounds, as well as Anthropophonic/Anglo-Western cultural sounds such as the creaking hulls of 19th century ships. Several recordings made at the offices of TMR (Tasmanian Maritime Radio), the state's official Coast Radio Service, whose services routinely include providing a listening watch on VHF and HF distress and calling channels, pay homage to the state's pioneering (1911–1914) Antarctic radio link, established when Radio was still a new technology. Other source sounds from the artist's extensive physical record library of the mediated history of anthropogenic ocean sounds, and related cultural material, include a recording of a Sofar (Sound fixing and Ranging) bomb and other demonstrations of undersea communications audio from the 1968 album "Sound in the Sea" produced by the Electro Marine Sciences Division of Marine resources, and the run-out grooves of a 78rpm recording of the song "Asleep in the deep" recorded in 1913 by Wilfred Glenn and the Victor Orchestra.
"This last record's refrain "many great hearts are asleep in the deep, so beware, beware..." is the key to the title of the piece, which is a reference to a report of the stranding of a massive white sperm whale, washed up on the black sands of Whatipu, a remote beach on the west coast of the Auckland Region in the North Island of New Zealand in 1861. Local Māori, who in their role as kaitiaki (guardians of the land, sea and sky), had arrived to greet the whale, reported that on the second night of their stay, the whale gave an enormous groan, then spoke to them. The creature said, “Kia tūpato” ("beware"). These indigenous guardians, believing the giant, ancient, battle scarred whale, that had over 20 harpoons embedded in its flesh, had prophesied the end of the world, and that death and destruction were coming, immediately put a rāhui (a form of tapu) on its carcass, but this wasn't respected by a group from Auckland Museum, who arrived to remove its gigantic teeth and 10 of the harpoons, mutilating the carcass in the process. Some sources say this ancient sperm whale's beaching on an Auckland shore may have been the last resting place of the whale that earlier inspired Melville to write 'Moby-Dick; or, The Whale' (1851), a story that remains as tantalising as it is potentially fanciful. What perhaps remains more pertinent, on the other hand, are the whale's apocalyptic predictions, that continue their relevance in a world where the rich nations of the West are still intent on mining fossil fuels for profit, endangering not only themselves but the less culpable, including indigenous cultures and the nonhuman, and indeed all life on earth."
Seismic airgun reimagined by Sally Ann McIntyre.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The idea was the use of the sound of the seismic airgun as a conversation with the life of the sea. I have used a process of sonification of a painting that I did, which I imagined the beautiful colours of the sea bed. This sonification was to change the image into a sound representation of the image. This created unusual clicking, which made me think of the conversations of dolphins. I have also used a sound of a groan from a plane in flight, this reminded me of the whale conversation.
"Overall, I think it is a reply to the seismic airgun, perhaps a request for silence, not to interrupt the idea that the sea is silent. In the end the creatures leave the space, just the seismic airgun remains. Perhaps this suggests loss, as we explore the seabed with out intention of extracting resources, with little though as to the environmental consequences. Perhaps a lament by the sea, as it tried to tell its story?"
Seismic airgun reimagined by Jon Ogara.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Seismic shooting is used for exploring the seafloor for oil and gas deposits. It involves ships travelling along the ocean blasting soundwaves through an airgun. These sound waves echo back and are captured by hydrophones. This process can be harmful to marine life.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"This piece is about the struggle between different rhythmic forces – the natural (organic) and the made. But also it is a struggle between the large, loudness of ice breaking up against the quietness of the lonely ice land.
"I was initially struck about how rhythmic the sound was, and when thinking about how to create the piece I began by thinking about other similar rhythmic patterns I have come across – steam trains and weaving machines – both made and industrial. These seem a good contrast to the natural and organic sounds from the original recording and fit with an idea of a struggle between nature and human intervention.
"I isolated one other sound that I could make out from the recording – a sound that made me think of a foghorn. I used this a signal sound.
"Lastly I decided that there should be a contrast section which echoed this big expanse of remoteness, and as I have built up quite a collection of ‘wind’ sounds created on my flute I used some I recorded binaurally for another project.
"I used Logic X to edit the sounds and remix and as with many of my pieces I used a mixture of reverb and delays to change the sounds. I also used automation control of volume and panning in my mix."
Narwhal reimagined by Jessica Rowland.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
The tonal sounds are produced by bowhead whales. Males produce song to attract females and vocally compete with potential rival males.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Seismic shooting is used for exploring the seafloor for oil and gas deposits. It involves ships travelling along the ocean blasting soundwaves through an airgun. These sound waves echo back and are captured by hydrophones. This process can be harmful to marine life.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Seismic shooting is used for exploring the seafloor for oil and gas deposits. It involves ships travelling along the ocean blasting soundwaves through an airgun. These sound waves echo back and are captured by hydrophones. This process can be harmful to marine life.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Narwhals produce a variety of vocalizations, including echolocation clicks, tonal-pulsed signals, and whistles.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"What was striking to me about the field recording was the different layers of sounds. Although I can’t say for sure what the sounds are, I could hear (at least) water, the boat, different animals, different kinds of electronic static. To separate these different layers, I used the tool spectral clipping in TS, an Ircam sofware.
"I then organized all of the layers in Ableton Live, where I used very minimal automation to shape the sounds. The lower frequency bands I could use as a bass beat, and the higher ones I could use as melody. I wanted the composition to be solely made from the field recording and to center the given sounds since the field recording is already incredibly complicated and mesmerizing, but also have a little fun."
Narwhal reimagined by Julie Zhu.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication ("CCO 1.0 Dedication”), New York Public Library
"My process began by redesigning some things I heard in the recording like ship noise, and some sounds that I thought were missing such as the underwater atmosphere. I imagined that the narwhals were so vocally active in the recording because the ship noise disturbed their ability to use echolocation. I then did some research to learn more about narwhals and what threats they may face because I wanted to try and compose a soundscape from the narwhals’ perspective. I learned that they swim around and underneath ice sheets for protection and to feed, but can also die from getting caught in it if it freezes very quickly, and that they are indeed affected by ship noise.
"In trying to figure out what an ice flash sounds like, I came across some recordings of singing ice and found that it’s caused by deep cracks in the ice due to extreme temperature changes. I then began designing the sound of the singing ice. As the onset of the sound is laser-like, and the body is variable in pitch, similar to the doppler effect, I figured synthesizing the sounds made sense. However, all of the ice-cracking sounds and most of the other sounds are created by layering, editing and processing field recordings. I additionally used some instruments to provide harmony and dissonance, which I’d like to leave up to the listener's interpretation along with the form of the piece. I used processed cello recordings of natural harmonics and bowing sul-ponticello (near the bridge) which I believe shares properties with the arctic in that its hollow, slightly fragile sound subjectively resembles the cold. The original recording of the narwhals was high-pass-filtered to remove low frequency ship/recorder noise from the file and used as a texture along with the underwater atmosphere."
Narwhal reimagined by Alex Abahmed.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication ("CCO 1.0 Dedication”), New York Public Library
"My biomusic composition was inspired by the sounds of the mysterious narwhals rhythmic clicking, chirping and mystical vocalizations.
"This sound project provided the motivation to research the effects of ocean anthrophony (sounds generated by human activities) and how it affects marine animals on multiple levels. Most human-created sounds in the ocean have a far ranging negative and dramatic impact on marine life. The physiology, feeding and mating behaviors as well as their very survival are impacted by human intrusion and climate change.
My compositional goal was to feature the mythical Narwhal’s communication sounds by creating an underlying ambient soundscape, one that reimagined both anthrophonic and biophonic deep water sounds of the Arctic region."
Narwhal reimagined by Tom Thompson.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication ("CCO 1.0 Dedication”), New York Public Library
"Inspiration for 'Reflect & Melt (71°S 008°W)' came from research into the role of Antarctic sea ice in maintaining cooler polar temperatures by reflecting much of the sunlight back into space.
"By emulating, following and processing the shifting frequencies and sonic properties presented in the field recording - The harmonic content, musicality and shifting structures were derived directly from the source sound which was then layered using granular synthesis, sonic convolution techniques and various delays to create the composition."
Sea ice reimagined by R.Seiliog.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"For my composition “I Sing The Ice Electric” I chose the audio sample “Singing sea ice 2”, which was recorded at the PerenniAL Acoustic Observatory in the Antarctic Ocean, AWl's listening station north of the German Antarctic Neumayer station. The concept of Ice Singing definitely caught my attention and interest, but upon hearing the actual recording I immediately started to imagine a musical world where these sounds are born.
"The sounds are the actual release of energy from the ice in the form of vibrations, in a range of frequencies is similar to the Doppler effect. A high tone right at the start rapidly drops in pitch, this high-frequency vibration hits your ear first, with the low-frequency tone right on its heels. Wind blowing over the rough surface of Antarctica's Ice Shelf causes the frigid expanse to produce a nearly continuous series of tones. The Ice Shelf's rough surface, called the firn layer, is almost constantly vibrating. The frequency of the vibrations changes in response to changing weather conditions.
"The firn is “alive with vibration,” interacting with the intrinsic roughness of the ice surface called sastrugi. The ice is almost constantly “singing” at a frequency of 5 hertz — five cycles per second. The frequency is too low to be heard by human ears and, according to the American Geophysical Union, it was only made audible by speeding up the recording about 1,200 times. Imagining this sound producing process enabled me to create a composition whose textures and vibrations would feel right at home in the Antarctic. Thus “I Sing The Ice Electric” now lives too."
Sea ice reimagined by Jeff Dungfelder.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The sounds of this recording of sea ice were such that I wanted the recording to sit within a body of sound so that it felt at home and where no sound takes over. I created some nice ambient synth passages with the field recordings sitting nicely within. I further added string parts which blended well and further electroic effects."
Sea ice reimagined by Audio Obscura.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The Antarctic sea ice recording 037 captures a vast and rich spectrum of sonic events, ranging from low booms at <50Hz to siren-like shrills 10kHz and above. Antarctic sea ice is much thinner than Arctic ice and is subject to constant change as this frozen landscape is continually evolving at different temporal scales: From gradual and cyclical seasonal changes to sudden and more sporadic cracking and separation events. The recordings appear to breathe and sing as a reminder that the sea ice is not as static as it appears in the satellite imagery that we have become so familiar with. The sea ice is a living organism in itself, as well as providing a food source, and habitats for other living organisms. The cracks and fissures that we hear evidence of in the recording, allow animals to feed and whales to breathe. Frazil ice (formed at the points where the ice meets the ocean and made of quick-freezing and chaotically organised crystals) also acts as a winter food store for penguins, seals and whales, trapping many nutrients and small organisms through the cold months, and releasing them again during warmer months.
"The location at which the recording was made (71°S 008°W), is close to the edge of the ice shelf, where movement between the ice and the ocean is likely to be particularly turbulent, with solid and liquid states engaged in a constant state of negotiation. The 'Singing Sea Ice' recording captures this rich and ongoing conversation, which may one day become a sound of the past if climate change continues to erode this highly-active frozen landscape.
""Conversations at the Edge of the World" imagines into the tonal and rhythmic potential of the original recording. A slow 50Hz heartbeat acts as a reliable temporal framework from which shorter cyclic episodes and sporadic sonic events are aligned (only audible on headphones or speakers with good bass response!) A higher pitched conversation between ice and ocean is isolated, re-pitched and spatialised using binaural panning production techniques, to create a harmonically-rich texture which immerses the listener at the heart of its song. Both of these sounds are extracted directly from the original recording and demonstrate the wide-range of frequencies captured in the sonic events that occur at the edge of the ice shelf. Other abstract textures and acousmatic instances appear as 'imaginary' audible hallucinations, triggered by the ethereal and ever-evolving content of the conversation at the edge of the world.
"This ~5 minute composition is best listened to on headphones and in a very quiet environment, as many of the sounds are very subtle and delicately layered."
Sea ice reimagined by Emma Kate Matthews.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"For my piece, I wanted to do something that conveyed the rhythm of the original recording. My first step was to use noise reduction software to separate the background noise from the rhythmic clicking. I then loaded those as samples onto my Elektron Octatrack and Analog RYTM. On the RYTM I created a drum kit layering samples of the recording with the drum synth engines. I used the Octatrack to sequence and play back the recording through my modular synthesizer where I used resonators, filters, a sequencer and effects to create the bass-line, melody, and background wash of sound. The result was this dreamy, hypnotic, swaggering beat that conjures images for me of toothed cetaceans foraging, hunting, and frolicking beneath the ice."
Odontocete sounds reimagined by Scott Riesterer.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"Taking inspiration from the sound source where echolocation is used by odontocetes reverberating off the sea ice, the sound wave emitting from the nasal cavity bouncing off ice walls was imagined from the subjective point of view of an odontocete. It recaptured and structured the relationship between the odontocete and the ice sea from various perspectives.
"The clicking sound from the nasal cavity is used as a trigger for the start of two human voices. The bass sound from the ice sea can also be heard. And the human voices bounce off the reverbs created with elements of the sound of the ice sea. These create an impression of a person singing multiple songs simultaneously (or as if casting a spell).
"The synthesizer was mixed into the pitch extracted from the sound of the ice sea, creating an accompaniment.
"I also imagine the odontocete traveling as a story that runs through the piece.
"Odontocetes visit Japanese coasts every winter. Culturally speaking, we still have the tradition of eating whales, which for some appear barbaric. American whaling ships arrived in Japan around 1853 in search for whale oils. This led Matthew Perry to force open the country, and turn Japan into a western style civilization.
"It was shocking to learn that whales were one of the major factors for Japan to end the pre-modern era. Consequently, the country became civilized and imperialized, which eventually led to the invasion of neighboring countries, and ultimately, loosing the war after the atomic bombing.
"I had a disturbing thought, as if the whale’s intelligence was knocking on the door of civilization.
"Whether it knows it or not, the whale sings as it travels through the sea, leaving echoes on the sea ice wall."
Odontocete sounds reimagined by Kentaroh imai.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
These clicking and whistle noises most likely belong to odontocete species.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Narwhals produce a variety of vocalizations, including echolocation clicks, tonal-pulsed signals, and whistles.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication ("CCO 1.0 Dedication”), New York Public Library
Narwhals produce a variety of vocalizations, including echolocation clicks, tonal-pulsed signals, and whistles.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication ("CCO 1.0 Dedication”), New York Public Library
"Whales use different sounds for communication and sensation, which are also known as the "whalesong". The three main types of whalesong are clicks, whistles, and pulsed calls. Although it is also called whalesong, the clicks made by some toothed whales are not strictly songs. It is believed to be for navigation and identifying physical surroundings.
"The click sounds are throughout the piece. They are like codes. The whales are murmuring, showing some messages. The music not only shows the activities of the whales but also describes the scenes of the Arctic and Antarctic regions, the animals, collapsing shelf ice and colliding icebergs, etc.
"I picked some of the patterns of the clicking sounds created by the odontocete species and turned them into a few rhythmic patterns played on the percussion instruments. I used percussion to imitate the whales. The woodwinds and brass instruments represent the ship horns and whales under the sea. The whole piece shows the audience a mysterious but beautiful area that hasn’t been widely explored yet."
Odontocete sounds reimagined by Anna Vienna Ho.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/DAUPHIN_AILES_MARINES_6.jpg
These clicking and whistle noises most likely belong to odontocete species.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/DAUPHIN_AILES_MARINES_6.jpg
These clicking and whistle noises most likely belong to odontocete species.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Striped_dolphin_in_the_Ligurian_Sea.jpg
Many sounds which are recorded by PALAOA, cannot be identified by scientists. Often it is not even possible to tell if the sounds originate from animals or if these are abiotic. The acoustic example displays a mysterious low-pitched sound. Scientists verified that this sound was recorded when no ship was present within a radius of 1000 km.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Twice a year, the German research vessel Polarstern visits the Atka bay to deliver supplies to the Neumayer Station. These visits leave clear acoustic traces in the PALAOA recordings.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
The Southern Ocean is one of the last pristine areas of the world’s oceans. Only few fishing and research ships venture into the Southern Ocean (with tourist vessels sailing primairly along its northern perimeter along the Antarctic peninsula and adjacent island chain) and commercial exploitatation of Antarctic natural resources is currently (still) prohibited under the Antarctic Treaty. Hence few anthropogenic acoustic sources exist in this region while the sea ice cover absorps sound more efficiently than the open water surface, reducing ambient sound levels further.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"We were drawn to working with the silent ocean recording– an increasingly rare location of minimal ‘human’ activity.
"The ‘soundtrack’ to this ‘silence’ was an in-the-moment capture while staying in rural Maryvale QLD, and after a community gathering. Clearly resonating was a genuine simplicity and appreciation of life and nature – a joy of living on country unencumbered by the wasteful conversation noise about material life crammed into metropolis living.
"The ocean recording is repeated throughout the work with no editing to honour its consistent presence.
"Nature sounds from around our home are embedded in all of our work. This is an ecocentric reminder that nothing is removed from nature – we are all nature. It’s a human concept that we own this block of land yet this concept has no meaning for the ecosystem that share this location.
"For us our music is inherently personal and an outcome of a particular moment, recorded simply on mobile phone. The music itself represents how human activity can at times reach a state of harmony with nature, where at other times it imposes and overshadows, leaving what is divinely natural barely discernible yet still existent.
"On our current trajectory this balance will reverse – the current catastrophic anthropogenic impacts in nature will eventually decline. Life will persist long after we are extinct...
"This work was created across the lands of the Githabul, Keinjan, Jagera, Yuggera, and Urgarapul peoples of South-East Queensland – we pay our respects to elders who have guided the past, walk with us in the present and lead us into the future. These lands have never been ceded."
Silent ocean reimagined by Sherman and Field.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"RECORDING PROCESS:
Composed using 8 layers of digitised ambient recordings:
The original field recording (#31 “A Silent Ocean”) and two time stretched versions of the same recording.
A homemade field recording made to the length of the longest ‘stretched’ version of the original, capturing environmental noises & sounds from my garden studio with door and window open.
3 improvised and contrasting recordings of an unplugged electric violin.
* sustained arhythmic, atonal bowed noise.
* harmonic drone tones.
* slow modal melody.
1 recording of a traditional, upright piano played using only the pedals.
"TECHNIQUES USED:
The stretched versions were created by transposing the original down one and then two octaves, producing recordings double and quadruple the length. These were essentially left untreated whilst each other layer was heavily processed, the results further passed through various digital effects.
The final mix was created by fading each layer in and then out over the duration of the composition.
"INSPIRATION:
My first reaction to hearing the original recording was one of complete surprise. I had expected it to be quite eventless, barren and empty. I listened to it a few times on different devices before I was confident the file hadn’t somehow become corrupt in download, or that my sound card was distorting resulting in relentless noise I heard on playback. I looked to the map coordinates of where the recording was made and felt a bit foolish. What was I thinking this place would be gentle, but considering my love of Japanese “Noise”, this was also perfect as a starting point. I’ve consciously tried to re/create this exactly with the bowed electric string many times set to this task enthusiastically!
"THE STORY BEHIND THE COMPOSITION:
The thought of working with such a remote sound, so far from normal human daily experience instantly inspired the idea for my piece:
As the original recording was a snippet of an unending ‘sameness’ from somewhere inhospitable to life, I would capture something the same from my surroundings, directly. Being in my town garden studio with daily life audible all around, such as birds singing; planes, cars & motorbikes passing; people going about their business; and most notably, the construction work immediately near by. The complete opposite of the original stimulus. The juxtaposition of the two and with digital manipulation yielded interesting blends of timbres and textures.
The idea developed further, exploring the character of the original field recording through extended bowed string technique and experimental piano."
Silent ocean reimagined by Ben Heaney.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"I originally picked the ship sound because it had a naturally organic industrial sound. I enjoy the drone it provides. I ended up stretching the sound out to create the base layer of this track. Once I had that down I added some wind to add to the chill.
"I layered some wind harp and frequency waves to go along with everything. I added some old recordings from a phonograph to give the element of outdated tech. Throughout the piece I placed the original sound file and faded in and out of it. I have always been a fan of the Franklin Expedition story. I figured since the sound files were recorded in such a cold climate; it would be a great time to create a track based off the cold and dark story."
Ship noise reimagined by Mike Benoit.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"After hearing PALOAO (Perennial Acoustic Observatory in the Antarctic Ocean) clip that I was provided with, I did some research to find out what sounds the project are capturing as they explore the Antarctic underwater soundscape. Whilst their recordings are of underwater marine life and strange acoustic events, the clip to me had the quality of a small survey plane as it flew over the vast polar wasteland, examining the damage caused by humans on the fragile ecosystem.
"The piece tries to conveys the soundscape and emotional impact of being on that plane, staring into the vast whiteness as you slowly drift in and out of consciousness, unsure if you are dreaming or awake.
"All of the sounds in the project are from the original sound recording, and are processed to give a dreamlike quality, with the occasional jarring of reality as the listener becomes aware of where they are. There are some additional sub-sonic recordings from the LOM Geofon, to resemble the cracking elements of ice shelves, moving, sheering and breaking in the distance, denoting the consequences we have forced on the environment."
Unidentified sound reimagined by Neil Spencer Bruce.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"“There exist other kinds of thinking selves beyond the human”.
- Eduardo Kohn
"One of the instrumental figures in bringing the music of the drone to the West is the
Sufi musician Hazrat Inayat Kahn. His musical treatise from the early 20th century,
simply titled Music, is an incredible sonic-spiritual composition on the potentials and
possibilities of music as law, as cosmology, as harmony. “Music is behind the whole
working of the universe”, the Sufi Master wrote, “We live and move and have our
being in music”.
"In contemplating natures music, in finding ears to hear it, a body to feel and dance it, a mind to celebrate and (re)think it, and -all together- a spirit to create it, I fatefully
encountered this incredible ‘unidentified sound #1’ from AWI’s PALAOA observatory
in Antarctica. This strange, long, low frequency drone from somewhere in the
Antarctic Ocean has an unknown origin. Is it from a creature? From water? From
some geological feature? A nearby machine or ship? All that is known about the
origin of this sound is that no ship was within a thousand km radius when it was
recorded. What we can say for certain is that it is a subaquatic sounding of Earth, of
universe, captured expertly and offered for us here to resonate with, to find
resonance in the unknown of the sonosphere.
"When I first heard the recording, I immediately felt that it was already so beautifully
strange that it required only very little to elicit its charms. I only wanted to amplify its
qualities, saturate its mysteries. Considering it as a vocalization of Earth I simply play
along with it, in amity and community. To get there, I put myself into a trance through
a listening meditation and recognize the sounder. I reflect the sound multiply into the
eternal of drone. I play back to the sounder an image of itself that is also me. This
track operates as an attentional strategy for rediscovering ourselves in the more-
than-human world.
"Water, amongst other things, is a specifically acoustic environment. Sound travels
faster than light in water, and whale song is thought to produce holographic ‘images’
within the mind of the ancient creatures as they communicate with one another
across vast distances. Creatures both aquatic and terrestrial use sound as a form of
sight: sonar. If we consider this ‘sonic sight’ in an expanded sense, then when I
deeply listen to this sound, I am, in a sense, recognized by it, or whatever emanates
it. In coming to witness one another -over time- we come to recognize each other. In
that unspeakable recognition between myself and the sound, I believe we have a
camaraderie, we are in, of, and as the thought(s) of the world beyond the human.
"If you take a look at the wave/sonogram of this composition, you will see an audio
Rorschach figure swimming or flying out of the vibration. This has to do partly with
the way the structure of the composition was prepared: first playing the original
recording backwards (to get to know it better), and then forwards. In that reflection
between the polar edges of the Earth and my Farfisa (an electric organ) I
acknowledge and celebrate mystery as mystery. I find solace in what is
immeasurable, intangible, uncertain. It is there in the musicality of resonant Earth
that the radical plurality and multiplicity of worlds and thought resides and resounds
in a relational dynamic that exists beyond experience."
Unidentified sound reimagined by Jol Thoms.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"This is a composition that explores and develops the natural structures in a polar soundscape. It was created with electronic production techniques, combining synthesizers and drum machines with samples of odontocete species and sea ice found in the Polar Sound field recordings.
"When listening to the recorded sounds, I found that clear acoustic and rhythmic environments emerged. A combination of deep-toned repetitive percussive hits and high-pitched staccato accents can be heard in a mysterious, yet peaceful, acoustic space. These were my main inspirations for this work.
"The composition was directly built around the field recording elements, which were later processed to match the resulting music. The rhythm was designed to complement the percussive sounds produced by natural phenomena. The timbres were set to capture the resonant vibrations of the main components of the polar environment (ice, water, wind). The cadence is meant to match the animal sounds.
"From a technical perspective, the "odontocete species and sea ice" recording was cleaned from background noise through a processing algorithm and then split into frequency ranges to separate the components and place them independently in the composition. Some of the sounds were used to build the sonic environment and some as part of the rhythm.
"The natural structures of the polar sonic environment also inspired many other creative choices in this composition. Indeed, in my scientific research, I am very interested in the emergence of criticality in nature, in which many physical and biological systems live at the edge between order and chaos. Music also develops at a critical state between order and chaos (in a balance between being too repetitive and too confusing) so the recorded passages were used to guide artistic choices of sounds and structures, to project the same balance of robustness and fragility that is found in the polar environment.
"Finally, I was also inspired by the mysterious nature of the recorded acoustic space, which reminds us that polar exploration is still a journey into the unknown. The composition is meant to capture the cadence of an adventure, where the endeavoring pace of a sustained beat is interrupted by the wandering explorations of unexpected passages."
Odontocete sounds reimagined by Cristián Huepe.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Striped_dolphin_in_the_Ligurian_Sea.jpg
"Initially I chose other field recordings but they were taken over by other composers. I thought that if a soundscape contained harmonic sounds it would have been easier or more inspiring. But then, already during the creation process, I found that even in the sound of dolphins' teeth biting, there are small microtonal differences. Rhythms that suggest continuity, but change. Jazz. And there I started with an idea: to take that rhythms and those different heights, to achieve a work where the ambient sound is at the same gain as the instruments, and that works as a roadmap for the development.
"Harps, synthesizers, bells, voices, bass, strings, theremin, some percussion. Everything adapts and fits together like a puzzle, depending on the field recording. The beat definitely emulates the throat sounds of whales. The strongest part of the track is then assembled on this rhythm. A melting ice works as a snare drum and the voices copy the sound of the dolphins. They speak their language. Everything was assembled in Ableton Live, using some virtual instruments, but above all, the greatest work consisted in accentuating and accompanying at the same precise and exact time, each of the sounds expressed by the animals. At the end, the instrumentation game is revealed, being alone without the original track for a few seconds.
"The name "The frozen OASIS" is an anagram of the initial letters belonging to Odontocete Species And Sea Ice, and is used in two senses: oasis as a place to rest, to breathe, to reset. But also as a place in the desert. An alarm of what could happen even in the Arctic, if global warming continues."
Odontocete sounds reimagined by Cristian Estrella.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Striped_dolphin_in_the_Ligurian_Sea.jpg
"My top two choices were odontoceter recordings, because they both felt familiar in a sense of everyday life. In both recordings you can hear many conversations. And when listening to the chosen recording a couple of times, a lot of conversation topics from daily life got to my mind. I had to include my thoughts and small talk that lately surrounded me. So my inspiration followed the story of marine life, told through clicking and whistling. The crashing of sea ice seemed to be a situation that pushed all daily talks, dreaming and chilly feelings aside and united all into survival comunity, that is deciding to leave the place at once.
"For the composition I used only the chosen file and my voice. I manipulated some special sounds with delays, pitch corrections and reverb to make some kind of rhythm. All in all, the whole story tells the original recording itself. I just added some human drama and translated it to one of many versions of how we interpret the world around us."
Odontocete sounds reimagined by Mojca.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/DAUPHIN_AILES_MARINES_6.jpg
"When an iceberg collides, the gate that connects the ancient and the present opens, and the song is composed with the idea that ancient travelers would travel.
As a gayageum performer, a traditional Korean string instrument, I tried to give an unknown and mysterious feeling by using the gayageum, invented in the 6th century, as the main instrument, and Korean jing and other Asian instruments.
"With the motif of the ritual music of the Joseon Dynasty, when an iceberg collides and the ritual music is played, travelers come from ancient times.
"Ancient travelers travel gracefully and quietly as if dancing. When an iceberg collides again, they return to ancient times to which they belonged through a gate."
Colliding icebergs reimagined by Hwayoung Shon.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"A lament. The sound of the end of the world. The cataclysmic cracking in the recording of the far away glacier is foreboding and deeply saddening. I've weaponised it."
Colliding icebergs reimagined by David Lol Perry.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"I wanted to create the sound of the rubbing sea ice as a background to a chilled-out track. The sounds was chopped up multiple times to create the percussion track along with pad sounds. Then parts of the sound were imported into Quanta 2 by Audio Damage and the grains used to create the music along with several of instances of Lounge Lizard by AAS. This then had a simple hi-hat and kick pattern added to finish the track."
Rubbing sea ice reimagined by Karhide.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
The most intense sounds recorded by the PALAOA station originate from the collision of two icebergs.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
The most intense sounds recorded by the PALAOA station originate from the collision of two icebergs.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
The underwater soundscape of the Southern Ocean is dominated by the sounds of ice. These sounds are generated when ice floes rub against each other or bend.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
The underwater soundscape of the Southern Ocean is dominated by the sounds of ice. These sounds are generated when ice floes rub against each other or bend.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"My aim with PALAOA dreams was to enhance the feeling and mood of the original recording made at the acoustic observatory. Without my additions and embellishments getting in the way or worse, overwhelming the mysterious Antarctic ice sounds, I want to transport listeners to a polar wilderness whether they are aware of the technical background to the piece and project or not.
"I slowed down the original field recording to reveal more sounds, detail and character. Apart from EQ and noise reduction, the only editing was to repeat the sound of what I assume is breaking ice near the end. In the original recording it only happens once.
"The soundscape and music I tried to keep as organic-sounding as possible, with the exception of deliberately adding a hint of chaotic digital noise. This represents PALAOA beaming its recordings back to base."
Rubbing sea ice reimagined by Flexagon.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"About my composition: The first thing I noticed from the field recording was that there was a sense of movement. I imagined big masses of ice moving, most of the time slowly but sometimes in a violent way. So, I thought that this was a good starting point. There are several ways to add movement to a piece of music. I used some of them. First of all, there is the panning. There is one sound that repeats from the start of the piece to the end of this that moves slowly from one extreme of the stereo field to the other (in Addition this sound appears on and off the beat constantly). There are also a couple of sounds (a flute and a melodica) that sometimes appear panned to the right and some other times panned to the left or, moving slowly from one side to the other. The second thing to give a movement sensation was to make the instrumentation more dense in some parts and more light in another parts. Also, though the pulse of the piece is always the same, there are parts that sound slower and some other parts that sound faster, because of the way it was orchestrated and the sounds and rhythms involved. Another way to add movement was to use several suspended chords (the harmony of the piece repeats over and over, and in a cycle of eight bars i included three suspended chords, a SUS2 and two SUS4, one of them moves to a dominant chord to finally resolve in the first grade). There is also a bass line that that is very simple but has some notes off the beat to also give the movement sensation.
"About the use of the provided field recording, as it was long enough, I decided to use it to give frame to the music. The piece begins with the field recording and then the music begins and in the end the music gives space again to the field recording. I thought that the nature was here before humans and, will remain after humans. This was the idea of organizing the piece in that way."
Rubbing sea ice reimagined by Carlos Devizia.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The field recording of colliding icebergs sounded naturally rhythmic in places so I used it as a loop to begin the composition. This is overlaid with a piano phrase and an obscured audio track of someone describing their views on climate change in which they say they are not worried about it and that they are hopeful. This audio is directly followed by an upbeat musical section which quickly gives way to a more thunderous section that combines piano, bass, and drum phrases, the looped iceberg collision, and audio of a person struggling to breathe.
"The central idea of this track is that human voices and opinions about nature, weather, and climate change will ultimately be obscured by the phenomena themselves."
Colliding icebergs reimagined by Patrick Mark Duffy.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"Fissure is a piece of electronic music that incorporates synths, electric guitars, flute and drum samples, and a field recording of two icebergs colliding off Antarctica. I was drawn toward this particular field recording because of the intense and very dense rhythms produced by the two icebergs as they clatter off one another. I immediately started to imagine this cacophony emerging within a dense drone piece, the shuddering delay of synths and guitars giving rise to the almighty clattering of ice.
"I wanted to conjure up a sense of both space and dread, so drew on the musical structures and techniques of electronic composers such as Fennesz and Tim Hecker, carving out sonic space only to fill it with highly processed instruments and granular effects that decay certain pitches into the fuzz of white noise. The icebergs themselves come into the piece at around the halfway point. The music builds in intensity, then suddenly drops away for a second, and the icebergs finally appear alongside a distorted bass line. Initially I present the field recording as I found it - or a portion of it at least - and then later slow it down and remove a large selection of frequencies, making it less intense as the piece winds down into silence."
Colliding icebergs reimagined by Christopher McAteer.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The thunderous sounds of the glaciers breaking and colliding with each other allow us to determine certain “important” moments in the composition. Full of serious and submersible hits within a base sound; what is running water.
"The strong blows of the icebergs were great, but by modifying them, a more serious, variable and imposing sound object was obtained that transported to a cold and enigmatic sea, where there was nothing but the giant ice falling into the darkness.
Some concrete music techniques were used to give the necessary time to each sound of the icebergs colliding, thus unleashing a symphony that emulates the rough sound of the French horns. These variations allowed the construction of a soft but exasperating soundscape, since listening to the crash of the enormous ice in the water and the melancholy sounds of a digital synthesizer that appears as a sample to rhythmically connect with the person who listens to it.
"Little by little the blows become more frequent and violent in the water, later, without warning, the digital rhythms culminate and allow the passage to the chords of the acoustic guitar recorded directly to a handheld recorder. We hear notes dancing over and over again that accompany an announced ending, while the little that was left of the icebergs and the hope of a tomorrow that will not come, fade into the depths of the dark and forgotten bottom of the sea."
Colliding icebergs reimagined by Josué Jaramillo Romero.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"Antarctica is the most uncharted place on Earth, which makes it the ideal place not only to research the past encased within the ice and to understand the causes of our present, but also to dream of possible futures where we can preserve these impressive natural architectures sculpted on ice.
"The sound of the icebergs’ collision inspired me to compose ambient music where one can feel and listen to the calmness of the frozen entourage. A sea of icebergs meet, formidable in front of us while the water, the shattering of the ice as well as the wind, surround us in an infinite calmness. In “Blue Icebergs”, we can then listen to the ice silently singing while, little by little, we begin to realize that these masses of ice, fallen from a glacier are truly in danger because of global warming. They are endangered, and if we don’t do something about it, we will lose them forever.
"“Blue Icebergs” was created with the soundscape recording as a starting point, and from there, the ambient was composed using digital instruments, always looking to show the coldness of the environment through sounds and crystal notes, as well as through vibrations of strings and metals."
Colliding icebergs reimagined by Pelayo Del Villar.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The field recording of rubbing sea ice was of mediocre quality and there were a lot of noises on the recording. I couldn’t quite distinguish the origins of sound. First there is something like a litte boat motor, then wind, then rustling and something metallic touching some other surface, then there it was: a squeaking, haunted sound, heavy and deep, possibly the large mass of ice tissue touching and rubbing against each other. It sounded almost like aching, like the interior of a living house, a body, a being, ancient tissue that is rubbing against each other and slowly sinking back into comfortable position.
"I decided to deliberately use everything that was there and echo all the noisy parts back into my composition and treat them as perfectly valuable sounds. So I imitated the noise through sound.
"What I heard made me think of the different timelines that meet within the various states of water. I perceive water as a being with different limbs stretching out in various densities and shapes: water, steam, fog, ice, cloud, rain, snow. All libraries of all the events of time, just presenting in a different time signature.
"The water underneath the ice might speak to the humid air above the ice sheet. The snow speaks with the melting drops of water that run back into the ocean body. Bubbles of air move towards the ice and collect underneath it. The ice itself acts as a wordless library of years and years, centuries, possibly millennia of information. It releases bits and pieces into its surroundings and the informations become alive again. A forever cycle.
"I treated the sound recording of the rubbing ice with different filters, pitch modulations and echoes. I took a certain part of the original sample and looped it, then added small time signature changes to the loops and also added more sound. In an attempt to recreate the formation of ice by layering sheets of water, the loops were created in one long session and then edited together with the samples and field recordings."
Rubbing sea ice reimagined by Katrin Hahner.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"Polar Sounds, moving, melting, breaking ice floes. Cracking sounds, crunching noise. Two small tones as a counterpoint in the noise of the dissolving ice.
The recording of the rubbing ice inspired me to experiment with real ice.
My own filed recording with hydrophone of rubbing, crunching ice becomes a dense tapestry of sound togetherwith the samples of the ice from the polar sea. Composed with Appleton Live, a Roland SP404 MK II and a Shbobo Shnth.
What is the power of the ice, when does it lose its power?"
Rubbing sea ice reimagined by Anna Schimkat.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The process of calving initially suggest a violent phase, but -as one of the meanings of the term - it surely gives birth to other things. We certainly know that Anthropocene, global warming and all these consequences are a painful phase, but I think that we could not miss the chance to positively engage ourselves in creation of something new.
"From a sonic point of view, the composition takes shape entirely from the sample: it's been processed with a modular synthesiser, granuralized and became a sort of microsound feedback tone which reminds me sub water sounds/ whale chants.
So all the harmonic and melodic sounds derive from this. The title suggests that there is necessary descent phase to become something else."
Collapsing shelf ice reimagined by Alessio.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
“The World Is Passing Away and So Is Its Desire” is part of a soundtrack to the end-of-the-world horror film we are currently living in. In this scene, the polar ice shelves are stalked and devoured by a terrible beast, the embodiment of the human consumption driving climate change.
"I had two sources of inspiration for my piece, the first being the general fear surrounding the disintegration of polar ice, the effect on coastal areas and sea waters, along with the loss of human and animal life. In particular, I had recently been reading about the Thwaites Glacier and its Ice Shelf, which is part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. It is likely to collapse within the next decade due to climate change and when it does, sea levels will rise dramatically. It is hanging on by a thread, but is only part of the larger problem.
"The second is the Native American mythology of the wendigo, which are monsters formed by gluttony, greed, selfishness and cannibalism. The wendigo is an emaciated, skeletal creature, making whistling sounds, and mimics human voices. It consumes and is never satisfied. The human that it once was is frozen inside where the heart should be-and the only way to free them is to kill them. It speaks to the darkest parts of humanity, and feels like what we have inadvertently become.
"In the theatre of my mind, I imagined a giant wendigo, created by collective greed, selfishness and denial, chewing up everything in its path- here, the ice of the poles. Our humanity, goodness and best intentions are frozen inside this monster of consumption, that is endless and unstoppable. The ice cries as the monster approaches, and its heartbeat stops as it is torn apart with only the wind remaining. The base sample (024 collapsing shelf ice) is utilised as both the sound of the heartbeat and as it is consumed at the end.
"I would also like to mention that the sound of cries in the piece were made by the howls of wolves recorded from the Wolf Conservation Center in New York, which cares for Mexican grey wolves and red wolves, both on the brink of extinction by human hands. There are 186 and 8 remaining in the wild, respectively.
"The title comes from the Bible verse John 2:17, which talks about the end of the world- as do the accompanying lines in the piece itself from “The End of the World” by American poet Archibald MacLeish- two different views of the end of things brought into the context of this piece."
Collapsing shelf ice reimagined by Gabriel Edvy.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"This composition is created around the sounds of Weddell seals recorded in Antarctica.
"The seals have determined the development of the composition in terms of tempo, pace, key, rhythmic and melodic phrasings, and thematic content in the lyrics.
Part of this process was a desire to “morph”, from human to seal, from land into water, from reality into dreams.
"I was fascinated by the fact that seals need to breathe, but on land their bodies are awkward and vulnerable, whereas they can fully express themselves as soon as they submerge underwater. The shift between these two very different elements is crucial in the piece, and it explores many fundamental contrasts that the environment and living conditions of the seals inspire to, e.g.:
ice – flesh
air – water
hurt – heal
soar – sink
up – down
firm – fluid
light – dark
awake – asleep
reality - imagination
Lyrics:
your eyes are so alive
they see with clarity
crystals in my lungs
ice melting on my tongue
your lips are sealed
your wounds will heal
and the waves will wash away my tears
in your dreams
I morphed into a different being
floating makes me lighter
soaring in a tidal stream
our ears are so alike
they hear disparity
whispers in the air
wavy currents in my hair
your fate is sealed
your soul will heal
and the wind will brush away our fears
in your dreams
I morph into a different being
floating makes me lighter
sleeping in a tidal dream
we morph into illusive beings
drifting, clinging tighter
sink into eternity."
Weddell seal reimagined by Hauman.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia
"Aquatic Echoes is my interpretation of an underwater recording from the PALAOA observatory on the Antarctic Ice Shelf. The recording is a very dense one, with sounds from an Antarctic Minke Whale, Weddell Seals and even distant Leopard seals. The recording also contains a lot of noise. I don’t know the source of this noise. Maybe it’s a ship, maybe it’s the ice, maybe it’s the self-noise of the equipment, maybe it’s an overhead storm. These animals are unfamiliar to me; I don’t even know the circumstances under which it was recorded. But it evokes a strange, alien world. A world consisting more of sound than anything else.
"I was struck by the thumping of the Antarctic Whale. A repetitive low pulse almost continuously present in the two minute long recording. Other than he very clear and present calls from the Weddell seals, this thumping was buried in the noise floor, almost hidden. The unseen fundament of the soundscape. I wanted this sound to form the backbone of my composition. I admit that I actually don’t know if this low thumping is the Antarctic Minke Whale, it sounds lower than the few samples I found online. But the title of the track is Weddell seals chirping + thumping Antarctic minke whale.
"For all I know, the thumping I isolated is a distant ship. I decided not to care: it was obviously a very present part of the soundscape recorded here, and there is still a lot we don’t know about the vocalisations of the Antarctic Minke Whale, so who knows. And if it was a distant ship, it goes to show how rare a truly pristine soundscape is. I decided I would build my composition on this uncertainty, this mystery. I split up the recording in a few pieces, isolating the thumping, isolating the seal calls, some other high frequency content, and isolating the noise I filtered away as well. Then I started building with these components, taking the structure from the sounds I heard. I decided to also use two recordings I made myself. Two recordings that include this mystery. The first was an underwater soundscape I recorded in the fjords of Norway. As with all underwater recordings, it is difficult to tell what you are hearing exactly. The other recording was a call I recorded in a dense and remote African rain forest. For quite a while I did not know what made the call was, so just called it ‘desperate bird’. Now I do know (it’s not a bird), but the feeling of mystery has never left me. These are also two recordings closely related to water, and both of them also come from ecologies at risk.
"In the composition I wanted to create this otherworldly atmosphere, sounds of places we don’t know, worlds unknown to us, but of which can get an inkling through sound. I wanted to sounds to be open and claustrophobic at the same time, and used some processing to dive into the very intricate and complex seal calls. I even used the noise I had filtered away in the composition as well, further highlighting the mystery. This composition is not a translation of the Antarctic Ocean, but an exploration and evocation of worlds foreign to us. I think listening is a great way of trying to understand what these places could mean, and by expansion, what unfamiliar places can mean to us. This is why I was looking for these aquatic echoes."
Weddell seal reimagined by Stijn Demeulenaere.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia
"The work is inspired by the communication of the Weddell seals who use the ice and the sea to communicate and locate themselves and each other over long distance. At the same time the meditative chanting from the Song of the Selkie enhances the beauty and poignancy of “the last great wilderness”. Physicist Ben Keitch explains how sound propagates which is how the mysterious space sounds also find their way to Antarctica… The haunting melodies invoke the emptiness of Antarctica, but remind us this is not a lonely place but how it has always been…
"There is a link between Weddells, Space weather and humans, all trying to use the best frequency to transmit along a resonant path in the medium they are in. The Weddells find their frequency by “chirping” up and down. The Space weather naturally gets funnelled to Antarctica, and humans have to tune their radios to the correct frequency each day to find a long-range transmission. It all results in strange pitch explorations.
"There are some of the very subtle beats and clicks and whistles within the recording but quite a lot of muffled hiss, which I tried to reduce without losing details. Some of the stronger call sounds I isolated, and experimented with putting through a MIDI controller keyboard for the first time. By playing just one call sound through the octaves and shifting the pitch, I created many other sounds that are within the piece – the long drawn out polar atmospheres, that cross the boundaries of underwater and over ice, with some subsonic rumbles; melancholy drawn out moaning scales and drones, and some stretching of sounds. Additions were the space sounds of spherics, whistlers and chorus picked up from the magnetosphere by the Halley Research Station, some pewws of ice, and underwater bubbles. For the most part, the piece is made from the Weddell seals hydrophone recording, and a couple of other reverbed key players: The Sing Your Heart Out Stroud choir, and physicist Ben Keitch who spent 18 months in Antarctica with the British Antarctic Survey as engineer.
"Each time I make an audio piece I am experimenting and learning something new. On a practical level I find myself trouble-shooting a lot of basic audio tech. Too many late night ‘how to’ video tutorials – how to make ambient music and drones, use a MIDI controller keyboard, noise reduction and effects, techniques of my DAW reaper, update my OS so that new and existing apps were compatible!
"For the project I got drawn into a lot of research, and spent several hours interviewing Ben, reading through all the transcripts, with my head overflowing from stories and ideas, how to do them justice. There is so much potential in this material, and I’m inspired to weave the conversations into future chapters.
" In the end, I have 2 versions of this piece, one which only includes a few emotive quotes, and focuses on the sounds and atmosphere, the other interweaves snippets of the musings of physics that underlie the mixing of sounds, and is the work in progress. The whole subject of being in Antarctica and all the research that happens there got under my skin. Warning – sound pressure level - some subsonic sounds.
"Many thanks to:
Ben Keitch and the British Antarctica Survey for all his stories and insights shared, and passing to me the sounds from space.
And to my sister and the choir she sings in, Sing Your Heart Out Stroud, for the recording of them singing ‘Ionn Da’ - ‘The Seal-woman’s Sea-Joy’
"At the beginning of this year I met Ben and was fascinated with his stories of living in Antarctica, and a shared interest in radio. Soon after I visited the RSS Discovery in Dundee and exhibitions about shipbuilding the great expeditions and the work of the British Antarctic survey. As an artist I am always interested in finding different ways to bring stories to life, and have been exploring radioart. I also find it important to connect with nature and environmental issues.
"This callout was a wonderful serendipitous opportunity to dive into the underwater world of sounds of Antarctica, and find out more from Ben about his experiences, knowledge of the physics of frequencies and waves. I was drawn to the a theory and spacey sounds of the Weddle seals, and have always loved the Scottish tales of the Selkies – drawn onto land and a half human life, rediscovering their skins, dive back to their underwater world – there is a quality of both joy and melancholy in those tales. In this piece, the song of the Selkie emerges in a half human half weddell seal choir, and the different frequencies and pitch changes interweave, of environment, elemental, animal and human sounds transmitted and received.
"The mix of bio marine research, the science of sound, radiophonic spaciness, mythology, exploration, the strangely peaceful and wild isolation of the melting Antarctic all resonate in a strange and poignant ambience."
Weddell seal reimagined by Tara Downs.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia
"This Blue Distance is composed using hydrophone recordings from the Antarctic seas and vocal improvisation. Taken at the PALAOA observatory, the recording features the vocalisations of Weddell seals, the ‘thumping’ of Antarctic minke whales, and distant calls of leopard seals.
"I approached the recording in the style of a call and response from afar. Improvisations echo and interject with the chirping of the seals; the use of breath evokes polar winds, blurring into the hiss of the hydrophones; humming attunes to the low frequency thumps; pitch bends and fragments of melody emerge out of the descending trilling figures from the seals above.
"By recording the vocal improvisations in a chapel with marked reverberation, this grants the voice a feeling of breadth and reach. The space and materiality of the architecture amplifies, reflects, echoes and cradles the single voice, just as the medium of the ocean allows sound to transmit across great distances. The bloom of the sacred acoustic space suggests transcendence and otherworldliness, from one hallowed ground to an environment equally precious and revered.
"Spectral manipulation highlights different bands of frequencies in the recording: shifting from mid-range to high and then to low boosted ranges in three overarching sweeping gestures of the piece. As the piece unfolds, low frequency oscillators with varying determinacy modulate the peak of boosted frequencies to produce a surging, swelling, wave-like effect. The addition of accentuated delay on the recording later in the piece enhances the sense of distance and the ripple effect of small changes. By intervening in the recording in this way, this highlights the exciting vitality of the antarctic sounds across different registers, whilst also recognising the imprint of human-driven changes on the sound world as the recording becomes progressively distorted.
"At the climax, the wave of sound breaks and dissolves into spray, softening into a gentler surge. Beneath it, the voice emerges once more, echoing the ebb and flow of the recording with layered textures of the motif from the beginning, blooming and dispersing. The sounds of the antarctic gradually fade into the distance over the waves, leaving only the voice behind.
"The title references Rebecca Solnit’s essay ‘The Blue of Distance’, from A Field Guide for Getting Lost, which speaks of desire, remoteness, and the quiet cherishing of longing without possessing:
“Blue is the color of longing for the distances you never arrive in, for the blue world.”
As I listen to the worlds of polar seascapes, I think of the power of communication from afar, the sensitivity of hearing impact across incredible distance, and the striving towards global coexistence that sits at the core of the climate change crises: a coexistence that may be found in a continual, attentive response to the calls that we hear."
Weddell seal reimagined by Lara Weaver.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"My research has taken me across all of the world’s oceans, but I haven’t made it to the polar regions yet. I imagine them as the magical worlds where time is frozen and ice holds memories of the past. With climate change and melting ice these memories are fading away.
"Even though I haven’t been there, this recording evoked a strange feeling of nostalgia in me. Maybe in my previous life I was there, perhaps as a whale, which is why I chose to study them in this life. As a marine biologist and bioacoustician I worked with different species of marine mammals, focusing on their social learning, vocal communication and culture. The longest I spent studying the songs of humpback whales, which inspired two electronic music albums that I released. As an artist I find endless inspiration in the sounds from the ocean. It is the place which feels like home, but at the same time like another reality. To these mysterious polar sounds which are new to me I added some of my own recordings in order to capture this feeling of familiar yet strange and mysterious environment. I used lots of reverb and delays to represent the sound propagating through the ocean, and echoes of ancient times coming from ice. I hope that my composition with its enchanting sounds will inspire people to think about our impact on this planet and all its beautiful and fascinating creatures."
Weddell seal reimagined by Sara Niksic.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
From time to time, large pieces of the Antarctic shelf ice break off (calve) and crash into the ocean. This process is called calving. The animals in the water seem not to be disturbed by these sounds, already shortly after these loud noises, pinnipeds are heard again in the recordings.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
The Weddell seal lives in fast ice areas, close to the Antarctic ice shelf edge. At PALAOA we can hear its vocalizations almost year-round (few/no calls in February). Weddell seals have a large vocal repertoire, of which 14 call types were recorded at PALAOA. Their repertoire is known to differ between breeding populations. Some of these sounds are thought to be produced by males to defend underwater territories. The most typical calls are the 'Falling chirp sequence' (well visible in the snippet) and the trill. The sound examples also contain distant calls of leopard seals.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia
The Weddell seal lives in fast ice areas, close to the Antarctic ice shelf edge. At PALAOA we can hear its vocalizations almost year-round (few/no calls in February). Weddell seals have a large vocal repertoire, of which 14 call types were recorded at PALAOA. Their repertoire is known to differ between breeding populations. Some of these sounds are thought to be produced by males to defend underwater territories. The most typical calls are the 'Falling chirp sequence' (well visible in the snippet) and the trill. The sound examples also contain distant calls of leopard seals.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia
The Weddell seal lives in fast ice areas, close to the Antarctic ice shelf edge. At PALAOA we can hear its vocalizations almost year-round (few/no calls in February). Weddell seals have a large vocal repertoire, of which 14 call types were recorded at PALAOA. Their repertoire is known to differ between breeding populations. Some of these sounds are thought to be produced by males to defend underwater territories. The most typical calls are the 'Falling chirp sequence' (well visible in the snippet) and the trill. The sound examples also contain distant calls of leopard seals.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The sound of the Ross seal is quite unusual, it's almost like a synthesizer in itself, so I knew I wanted to incorporate some electronic sounds in some way. The sound comes in waves, or 'whooshes', so I had it ever-present in my piece, doing its own thing, with only very minor compression, EQ and reverb.
"I wanted to start with something quite minimal, and perhaps a little mysterious, given that this seal is not sighted often and lives only in Antarctica - a place where there is so much mystery. My idea or thought pattern was to start minimal, build and then return to minimal, as if you are on a journey in the Antarctic - seeing nothing for miles in endless white and then suddenly spotting a Ross Seal, only for it to disappear again into the cold ether.
"After building the piece with some synth tracks and guitars, I added some processed drums, strings, bass and more synths and guitar to build to a peak around the guitar line, and then for everything to fade away, with the original sound of the seal remaining constant throughout the piece."
Ross seal reimagined by Adrian Williams.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Hannes Grobe, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"The calls of these seals seemed to me like the beginning of a conversation in a language I had not heard before, so I sent the sounds back as a kind of musical echo. The calls were also digitally processed, e.g. down-tuned (later in the piece). Berlin-based artist Judith Retzlik played the cello. My little son Ben spoke the coordinates of where the seals were recorded. Among other things, Ben and I used sounds created with ice particles from our fridge. With sonic means, I wanted to achieve being close to the seal and its environment."
Ross seal reimagined by Giant Skeletons.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"Reflects on how deep one can travel within sound in time, how amplified our perception of each element can become, how far it takes us in exploring unusual lands. This piece merges together underwater recordings of ross seal “siren” and synthesised sounds in order to magnify each particle of original sound source. I choose to look closer on surroundings and shapes, accompanied noises, movements of the sound waves, texture, clicks and each element of the spectrum, therefore creating a statement : beauty is always taken for granted by humans, we must look closer and acknowledge challenges of modern reality."
Ross seal reimagined by Sofia Zaiceva.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
The Ross seal is the least investigated Antarctic seal species, which is likely due to its pelagic lifestyle. Ross seals live in the poorly accessible pack ice and also in areas of open water. PALAOA provides us with unique recordings of their underwater calls. Five different call types were identified so far: high, middle, and low frequency sirens, as well as a tonal call which is often associated with the “whoosh”.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Hannes Grobe, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Ross seal is the least investigated Antarctic seal species, which is likely due to its pelagic lifestyle. Ross seals live in the poorly accessible pack ice and also in areas of open water. PALAOA provides us with unique recordings of their underwater calls. Five different call types were identified so far: high, middle, and low frequency sirens, as well as a tonal call which is often associated with the “whoosh”.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Hannes Grobe, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Ross seal is the least investigated Antarctic seal species, which is likely due to its pelagic lifestyle. Ross seals live in the poorly accessible pack ice and also in areas of open water. PALAOA provides us with unique recordings of their underwater calls. Five different call types were identified so far: high, middle, and low frequency sirens, as well as a tonal call which is often associated with the “whoosh”.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
The Ross seal is the least investigated Antarctic seal species, which is likely due to its pelagic lifestyle. Ross seals live in the poorly accessible pack ice and also in areas of open water. PALAOA provides us with unique recordings of their underwater calls. Five different call types were identified so far: high, middle, and low frequency sirens, as well as a tonal call which is often associated with the “whoosh”.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
In leopard seals, females are larger than males, which is more common in aquatic animals than it is in terrestrial animal species. During the breeding period PALAOA detects vocalizations of both male and female leopard seals. Due to the fact that leopard seals are solitary animals, they are thought to use their vocalizations mainly to find a mate during the breeding season. Seven distinct leopard seal vocalizations were recorded.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"This is my take on global warming and war, both of which are human made real threats to all life of earth.
"Named after the British explorer James Clark Ross, who obtained the first specimen during his Antarctic expedition with war ships HMS Erebus and Terror 1839 -1843, less is known about the Ross seal than any of the other Antarctic seals. The species is mostly found on the extremely hard to navigate pack ice around the Antarctic continent, sometimes called “the last place on earth”. The Ross seal often assumes a posture with the head raised, and the mouth open and pointing upwards, and it is due to this behavior that this seal has often been referred to as the “singing seal”. It displays a variety of vocalizations which may be used for communication between seals or to warn off predators. Explosive noises, pulsed chugs and siren calls are also used by the Ross seal, some of which are used during mating and in communication between the mother and pup.
"The first siren was invented by John Robison towards the end of the 18th century as a device to create a piercing sound. Various similar apparatus with loudspeakers were quickly developed before and during “the war to end all wars” WW1 and further became an all too familiar soundtrack to anyone in Europe during WW2. The wailing sound being synonymous with approaching enemy bombing from above. Most countries test the air raid sirens on a regular basis during peace time. In Ukraine during the war in 2022, the sounds of the air raid sirens are no drill. The waxing and waning wail of a siren has embedded itself in the human psyche as warning of impending danger.
"The primary threat to the Ross seal as well as the human species is global climate change. The Antarctic holds up to 86% of all fresh water on earth. Would this melt - which it already is - sea levels around the globe will rise, up to 10 meters, affecting all coastal cities and the global climate as we know it. The sirens of the Antarctic are out of sight and ears, but the warning is real.
"Siren (noun, device)
a device that makes a loud warning noise:
The terrible wail of sirens signaled a disaster.
"Siren (in ancient Greek literature)
one of the creatures who were half woman and half bird, whose beautiful singing encouraged sailors to sail into dangerous waters where they died."
Ross seal reimagined by Eva Q Månsson.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Hannes Grobe, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"As soon as I heard the sounds of the Ross seals, they reminded me of recordings of space weather radio waves that are made audible through the use of ground-based radio receivers. This so-called ‘natural radio’ from the Earth’s magnetosphere can be caused by space weather phenomena, like solar winds, as well as lightning, and even the auroras - the Northern & Southern lights. Combining the ethereal sounds of the Ross seal with the aural chorus of natural radio, the composition seeks to draw together the far-flung locales of the Ross Sea, which is the southernmost sea on Earth, and the Earth’s magnetosphere, the magnetic field surrounding our home planet. Through sonic alchemy, I seek the merging of the magnetic south with the magnetosphere.
"I hope this composition conjures a vision of small, big-eyed Ross seals swimming through a sky lit by the aurora, communing and communicating with mammals and solar winds alike. I imagine that their particular cadence and whirling pitches are conversant with the audible radio waves of space. Perhaps the unique fluency of the Ross seal is that it speaks a language that is both aquatic and celestial. It speaks to both the depths of the sky and the depths of the sea.
"Knowing that in actuality the Ross seals live in a mostly inaccessible part of the Antarctic, I imagine them swimming beneath the ice, living their lives, impervious to the impact of humanity on their habitat. But given the reality of a rapidly warming world, I was driven to envision an alternative to the image of the melting of the ice shelf putting them in peril. So, that’s why I decided to take the sounds of the Ross seal to a new location - someplace with an eternal quality - an imaginary celestial refuge where they can swim freely without impact from warming seas.
"I created this piece in Reaper. I purchased royalty free recordings by long-time recorder of the magnetosphere, Stephen P. McGreevy, and mixed in the sounds with the Ross seal recording. I created 4 tracks of the number 017 Ross seal field recording, and added different effects to each track, including reverb, delay, distortion, compressor and EQ. There are multiple tracks of natural radio, including the crackle of lightning, the whine of whistlers and the voice of the earth chorus. The piece is underlain by waves - ocean waves, sound waves and the audible radio waves of the magnetosphere. All of these ethereal sounds seemed likely to make the recording float away, so it’s anchored with a bass line melody that aims to ground the piece in a feeling of exploration, but also of comfort - because after all, as otherworldly as these sounds may seem, they are all part of our home planet."
Ross seal reimagined by Elizabeth LoGiudice.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"My vision for this project was to create and perform a composition for solo khaen, the bamboo free-reed mouth organ of Laos and Northeast Thailand, situated inside an imaginary underwater Antarctic soundscape. I have been composing and performing contemporary works for the khaen for almost 30 years and am always seeking new contexts to feature this beautiful instrument.
"The Ross seal’s remarkable vocalizations reminded me of the seductive wails of the mythic sirens that taunted Odysseus during his return to Ithaca, rising and falling over a surprising range of pitches.
"The short sample, played at various speeds between original and half-speed, is processed to make the foundation for a fictional and multilayered underwater soundscape, collaged together from various natural and electronic sources (and also including the vocalizations of Weddell seals). I composed and recorded a new composition for solo khaen and placed it within this imaginative soundscape, crafting dialogue between the music and the elements of the imaginary sonic environment."
Ross seal reimagined by Christopher Adler.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The loud calls of the leopard seal taken as they are. In their depth, in their vibration, with the trills, in their height, then added my voice. Now I, too, calling under water... My voice recorded, changed and approximated to the vocalization of the leopard seal. I listen carefully to them: Longing heard, sadness heard and I answer with a melody on my violin... a melody for all the gigantic leopard seals, these solitary animals. A short song for the loners of Antarctica...
"Mirijam Streibl, PhD is a researcher and artist. Since she was a child, she has dreamed of visiting Antarctica, swimming with marine mammals. Listening to the underwater audio recordings and work on the acoustic behavior of the leopard seal moved her. "You get very close through listening.""
Leopard seal reimagined by Mirijam Streibl.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"Leopard seals are curious creatures, they’re relatively unstudied mammals. Seven leopard seal vocalizations were recorded, mirrored by the seven instruments in the song; a drum kit, stick percussion, a Jupiter pad, acoustic strings, a piano, and two synthesizer leads played on a Memorymoog.
"The field recordings appear in various forms throughout the track. Firstly, the white noise of the recordings is used amongst the percussion for some extra sizzle. Secondly, the leopard seal sounds are filtered, pitched, and put through various granular effects to create various soundscapes of different sizes and shapes that run throughout the track.
"I wanted to create a space that was neither strictly electronic nor acoustic. Musically, I tried to capture the idea of the creatures’ solitude and monotony through a lens of mystery and intrigue; a slow collage of repeating melodies, chords that cause comfort and discomfort, and resolution found in strange places."
Leopard seal reimagined by Droja.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"I found the recordings of Ross Seals spell binding. The creative challenge was how to best work with their beautiful calls. These rare seals live out on the pack ice of Antarctica. I reflected on what the future holds for them, as temperatures rise and sea ice is predicted to disappear completely in the polar regions during the summer months. I chose a narrative approach to the piece. The story of a deep sea diver’s brief encounter.
"I put together a sound palette inspired by creatures who share the Antarctic waters with Ross seals. I wanted to try and capture the feel of the seal's environment using a modulated drone to conjure up the restless depths. I used arpeggiated sound to announce the seal’s arrival and echo their effortless movement through the water. I mixed sounds to describe the seal’s proximity and give a sense of immersion to the listener. I tried to describe the feeling as the diver descends into the icy waters of the seal’s world and their sense of wonder as they are surrounded by their swirling bodies and companionable chatter, to feel a sense of sadness as they swim away into an uncertain future."
Ross seal reimagined by Claire Pearson.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Hannes Grobe, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"Deep Blanco uses sounds from a recording of Ross seals that was captured at the PALAOA observatory 71°S 008°W (-70.516667 8.216667) (PerenniAL Acoustic Observatory in the Antarctic Ocean is AWI’s listening station north of the German Antarctic Neumayer station). The work aims to create a ‘sonic eco-system’ where the sounds made by the Ross seals encounter and are encontered by those made by humans (acoustic and electronic). Sounds in the work also feature Indonesian demungs (Gamelan) performed by Irish percussionist/composer Cathy Purcell, as well as electronic sounds from diverse synth sources.
"The piece has been designed so that the sounds of the seals surround the listener, who from the start immerses in a deep, luminous soundscape created by various layers of demungs and electronics cascadaing into each other. I see this work as representing a unique opportunity for humans to closely encounter the extraordinary sounds produced by the Ross seals while experiencing them in relationship with human-made expressions.
"By creating a sonic eco-system, Deep Blanco offers a new perspective from which to understand and interpret the seals’ sounds; a perspective that, although different in nature, is essentially and purposely not dissimilar to that offered by science. Through the gathering of scientific and artistic interpretations, and the dialogue between them, we can gain new insights about these creatures, and at the same time generate awareness of their existence and the need to protect and preserve them together with the other extraordinary beings of the oceans."
Ross seal reimagined by Óscar Mascareñas.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Hannes Grobe, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"I pretty much used the Humpback whale sound in its' entirety, employing a bit of Izotope to remove some of the extra ambient noise.
"Then warped in Ableton to create a loop out of it, adding some extra delay and reverb. I kept all the extra clicks etc. as I didn't want to take too much away from the original sound.
"The field recording has a fragile, beautiful mood to it, which is how I start and end my composition. This was the source for my inspiration. The middle section has a feeling of movement, a journey, inspired by their yearly migrations.
"(If you had to visualise my composition, it starts where they feed in the polar waters, then start their huge migration to tropical waters, finally arriving at their destination to breed and give birth.)
"To add to the immense, majestic size and feel of them, I also used some tubas and pitched the original recording an octave down."
Humpback whale reimagined by Sean Ou Tim (Mr Sakitumi).
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"While I was listening to “the Crabeater call”, I imagined to see the animal in its own natural environment and I thought that it was very nice: this was the feeling of my inspiration, from here my composition was born.
"It is divided into three parts: in the first one, I describe the environment where the Crabeater lives, in the second part I show my heartache for the current situation of polar climate, in the third one there is the ideal world where Crabeater should live.
In the first and third part, I divided “the water sound” from “the Crabeater call” using human voices to underline the human presence in the Antarctic, where it shouldn’t be. In the second part I transformed the call by a fader effect and I panned it from left to right side, so it became the base for cellos and violins that represent my pain towards the environmental disaster. The Cello is played by Marco Schiavone and the violin is played by me.
"The third part represents the ideal world where Crabeater should live, under the starry sky of heaven, alone, surrounded by water and the sound of the wind."
Crabeater seal reimagined by Valentina Marra.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
The crabeater seal vocalizes mainly during the breeding season between October and December. Although the males do not defend underwater territories, they are thought to guard a single female on the ice until she is ready for mating and conception. The crabeater seal vocal repertoire we have consists of two call types. The examples are the typical low moan which is emitted most often.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
The crabeater seal vocalizes mainly during the breeding season between October and December. Although the males do not defend underwater territories, they are thought to guard a single female on the ice until she is ready for mating and conception. The crabeater seal vocal repertoire we have consists of two call types. The examples are the typical low moan which is emitted most often. At 15s there is a Weddell seal Trill audible as well.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Sperm whales produce a variety of clicking sounds. During foraging dives they use clicks to localize prey by emitting regular clicks and so-called creaks (short series of clicks with fast repetition rate, close to prey encounter). In social context they produce codas which are repeated patterns of clicks. Different groups of sperm whales use different codas (dialects) and within a group codas can vary slightly by individuals. At PALAOA we recorded regular click trains. In the snippet you hear several overlapping regular click trains (which are barely visible in the spectrogram) as well as some faint Weddell seal calls in the background.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
The typical whale songs which are known from various popular media, are usually produced by humpback whales. The Southern Hemisphere humpback whales spend the summer in the Southern Ocean to feed as much as possible. Reproduction and breeding mainly take place in tropical waters. At PALAOA, only humpback whale social sounds such as the ones in the spectrograms have been recorded. Humpback whale song has been found present on many of our offshore recorders along the Greenwich meridian. Ongoing research is investigating to which breeding stock these singing whales can be attributed.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
The typical whale songs which are known from various popular media, are usually produced by humpback whales. The Southern Hemisphere humpback whales spend the summer in the Southern Ocean to feed as much as possible. Reproduction and breeding mainly take place in tropical waters. At PALAOA, only humpback whale social sounds such as the ones in the spectrograms have been recorded. Humpback whale song has been found present on many of our offshore recorders along the Greenwich meridian. Ongoing research is investigating to which breeding stock these singing whales can be attributed.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"I dream of being able to understand what these amazing creatures are communicating, with each other, to other sea creatures and with us. The percussive communication of the sperm whale almost sounded like an old computer keyboard, typing us out a message, trying to convey with an intense urgency some vital information.
"I put all the elements together that I wanted to perform with then pressed record and improvised with them, no editing or sequencing involved."
Sperm whale reimagined by Andrej Bako.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"When choosing my inspiration for my piece, the sperm whale sample shone through the rest. I found the way they communicate with one another fascinating - being the loudest animals in the world, their codas are crucial not only as a way of hunting but connecting with one another.
"I wanted to emulate their communicative clicks in my piece by utilising binaural panning to add a sense of depth and distance, with a massive, evolving modular patch in the centre. This cements the immense space these animals occupy and the importance of their calls in the expanse they occupy.
"Using Ableton Live and setting up a series of FX chains on a chopped-up version of the raw sample, I forced a random, generative string of clicks and pops. By modulating the BPM of the patch, I tried to emulate the flow of a typical human interaction.
"Taking the listener on a trip through the deep depths of the antarctic waves, I invite them to join the pod and become immersed in a world like nothing we know."
Sperm whale reimagined by Talie Metcalfe Wood.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The field recording is multilayered which inspired me a lot, I want people to listen to the beautiful sound of the crabeater seal calls. So, in the beginning it was difficult to create something different or reimagine it. I have not done much but just combined it with a field recording of thunder and rain from my city Kolkata. It's an imagination about the presence of crabeater seals in my city of Kolkata and how they'll respond to each other during rain and thunderstorm in Kolkata. The duration is 3:26 mins. I have used convolution reverb in some places to take the sound to a different zone."
Crabeater seal reimagined by Pratyay Raha.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"I have really enjoyed taking part in a project which involves science/art collaboration and am intrigued by the fact that scientific research is using acoustic data as a tool to understand the polar seas and marine animals.
"My chosen recording was of a humpback whale, (megaptera novaeangliae), recorded at the Alfred Wegner Institute’s listening station at Palaoa observatory in the Antarctic Ocean. In my composition reimagining this recording I have tried to capture the idea of the whale in the ocean through using spacious sounds which include a number of bass/deep sounds and field recordings of water. I wanted to maintain the integrity of the original recording and didn’t want to process or alter the key elements of the whale’s song, (other than making it clearer and reducing some of the background noise), but reinforced and developed it by using virtual instruments to reinforce the song and add harmony.
Humpback whale reimagined by Laura Hills.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The more I listened to this whale, the more I felt and wanted to communicate along with it. There has been a lot of loss this year for so many and the experience of listening to this whale sound became a special experience that I wanted prolong and accentuate. I felt compelled to add one of my field recordings of wind alongside the whale and the more I listened, the more musical and orchestral sounding the whale became so I added a bit of instrumentation and I manipulated it until I could share that vision."
Humpback whale reimagined by Michelle Breslin.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"This is an interspecies love song, it is of a polyamorous love, a response to a mating call heard via a field recording out of time and out of place, supposed for another sensory system, that of more-than-human beings. The crabeater seal vocalizes mainly during the breeding season between October and December. Although the males do not defend underwater territories, they are thought to guard a single female on the ice until she is ready for mating and conception. Unlike some other species, the Crabeater females will pull themselves out alone on the ice to give birth. An adult male (not the biological father) will attend to the mother and pup until about 2 weeks after the pup is weaned.
"Making with: After bringing the track into software and slowing it down it became really clear that this sound was a purr made up of beat ‘pips’ and there is a circularity to this purr, it circumambulates, a loop. It may be the disconnect that can come with listening to a field recording but we sat with this tension and both had this overwhelming vision of a space out of time, we were thinking of geometries, cubes and spheres colliding before we came to a sense of a horizontal plane that held the ground for these circular whirrs of purr, like loading icons sounding their way across ice. In working via collaboration there was an innate understanding of how to approach the recording, we were deep listening, being present with this call as much as our human faculties could manage. As we began to respond via sympoiesis with this sounding event, rhythm and melody that was at first forcing its way to our ears insisted on giving way to a kind of complexity of looped purrs and angular interjections. We found that we were wanting to exhale, breath - out - sharp, to pull this sound from the vacuum pit of the diaphragm because we have it too, this desire for polyamory. Once we were moving in this way we spoke to each other in exhales as the track was moving, we were intuiting our responses and simply conduiting these sounds in their release."
Crabeater seal reimagined by Briony Clarke & Aimee Lockwood.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"I found the sounds extremely interesting, they are almost like synths with an intriguing percussive and timbrical character. I first chopped the entire recording into 3 different folders: ambient sound, warble noises and grunt noises. I ran every folder in the AudioStellar software to generate sequences altering pitches and envelopes.
"Then I used some digital processes such as granular synthesis, time stretch and harmonics enhancer to create other textures with organic dynamics and also pads and ambiences.
"Finally I arranged all the sounds and composed an electro-acoustic soundscape that contains natural narrative interactions, but also within an evident musical form. I believe that art can help us to truly reimagine our worlds, send important messages, generate awareness, empathy, sensitization and take social action."
Crabeater seal reimagined by Jorge Martínez Valderrama.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The raw recording had me thinking of an underwater band of sea animals coming together to jam and make new music, thus the title of the track is Sea Creatures. As the sound of one "band member" travels through the ocean, more members start joining in and offering their contributions until a chaotic jam unfolds which then quickly dissipates through the ocean."
Killer whale and Ross seals reimagined by Baying Ridges.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"I am a classical jazz and avant-garde improviser/composer and I was really excited at the prospect of improvising and engaging with these rare polar sounds. Initially my plan was to begin with the field recording alone, using the natural sonic ideas as a base and source of material for my later improvisation, bringing in the field recording at the end in a musically symbiotic way. I felt this represented the idea that we have always taken our cues from nature and that since the industrial revolution we have forgotten her lessons and so placed ourselves in greater and greater peril; that our only way out is to come back and listen to, learn from and co-create with nature once again.
"In preparation I practiced extended techniques on the violin that most closely mimicked the sounds made by the killer whales and seals. I wanted to be able to 'join in' with the prerecorded sounds in the most natural and organic way, improvising along as the animals themselves improvised. At the suggestion of my sound engineer Jethro Harris, we recorded a track where I start with my violinistic whale and seal mimicry alone and then bring in the field recording to overlay those sounds before moving into a purely musical interpretation. This was by far the best take and captures the violin's ability to yearn for and mourn what is not yet entirely lost. Near the end, the field recording reenters but the violin keeps its human melody, a poignant call for us to learn to work together. At last, the violin fades out leaving the field recording alone: they do not need us - but we certainly need them."
Killer whale and Ross seals reimagined by Dr. Elinor Speirs.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In the Southern Ocean, three killer whale ecotypes co-exist which are specialized on different prey species and vary slightly in their visual appearance. Killer whales, also called Orcas, produce a variety of vocalizations, for example whistles, pulsed calls and echolocation clicks. In the sound snippet you hear lots of calls and mainly pulsed calls.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Fin whales produce a variety of short low frequency calls, of which the 20 Hz pulse is most prominent (i.e., a downsweep ranging from around 30-15 Hz) and produced by fin whales worldwide. We record this call most frequently in the vicinity of Elephant Island, off the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, where the 20 Hz pulse also often contains a higher frequency component around 89 Hz.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Aqqa Rosing-Asvid - Visit Greenland, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In the Southern Ocean, three killer whale ecotypes co-exist which are specialized on different prey species and vary slightly in their visual appearance. Killer whales, also called Orcas, produce a variety of vocalizations, for example whistles, pulsed calls and echolocation clicks. In the sound snippet you hear lots of calls and mainly pulsed calls.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In the Southern Ocean, three killer whale ecotypes co-exist which are specialized on different prey species and vary slightly in their visual appearance. Killer whales, also called Orcas, produce a variety of vocalizations, for example whistles, pulsed calls and echolocation clicks. In the sound snippet you hear lots of calls and mainly pulsed calls.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Fin whales produce a variety of short low frequency calls, of which the 20 Hz pulse is most prominent (i.e., a downsweep ranging from around 30-15 Hz) and produced by fin whales worldwide. We record this call most frequently in the vicinity of Elephant Island, off the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, where the 20 Hz pulse also often contains a higher frequency component around 89 Hz.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Aqqa Rosing-Asvid - Visit Greenland, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"In the development of Whale Walking, I used the recording of a killer whale as my starting point. After listening to the track on repeat over time, I decided I would try and create a broader world for the whale with the help of and a series of field recordings I had made of water flowing above ground and below ground, using hydrophones and a geofone. These recordings were made in the West Fjords of Iceland during a research trip very near to the Arctic Circle.
"I slowly scaffolded a spacial hydrosphere for the whale sounds to exist within and where they can move. Using a Haken Continuum mini I selected appropriate oscillation and synthesis sounds that would sit with and fit with the killer whales.
"These include sounds that are meant to simulate the calls of other animals under the water, and sounds meant to guide a listener on a walk underwater, a place many have not been and whose sounds when amplified, bring to life a hard to describe self contained sonic sphere, one that also mirrors back to the listener their own internal rhythms. The work uses spatialisation to move the listener, the whales, and sound waves through the water."
Killer whale reimagined by Diana Chester.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The Polar Sounds project is a great opportunity to both literally share and develop an augmented reality of the wonderful sounds of the Antarctic. It inspired me to create my imaginary sub-seascape: Oceana - The Underwater World of Orca and Ross. I enjoy bringing attention to the importance, fragility and beauty of the natural world through creations of magical soundscapes and enhancing sounds of the real world. I am fascinated by how the reduction of anthropogenic noise pollution, a positive side effect of the global Covid lockdowns, made it possible once more for sea creatures to communicate and thrive.
"The two minute field recording I chose was a mixture of Killer Whale and Ross Seal sounds - (whistles, pulsed calls and echolocation clicks) recorded with hydrophones in the Antarctic. I hoped this mixture of pitched and percussive sounds would allow me to take the listener on a journey through a believable, imaginary seascape. I knew immediately that if it was possible, I would create the piece from just this one sample and include the field recording in its original form, creating an otherworldly augmented polyphony, juxtaposing fact and fiction. It was important to me that the sounds all had an organic connection to one another and unity by sharing the same source.
"To begin with I time stretched the 2 minute field recording to 32 minutes, slowing the speed and lowering the pitch of the sample. Reversing the original sample didn’t produce the desired effect, so was not used. In developing the piece I explored many transformations and effects, searching for sounds that would belong in my imaginary world, rejecting those that for instance were too electronic, rhythmical or pitch based.
"After hours of experimenting I had 61 different sounds grouped according to their character, labeling them, Low pitched, deep, massive, atmospheric, wild, washing machines, wash high, wash steady, monster crunches, random rhythm bells, raindrops/bubbles, distant, rhythmic clacks/high birds, swoops/crazy, pitched high, pitched low twang, sliding pitch, drop. Five different reverbs were used to create atmosphere and a sense of depth and distance. Now I had my inspiring sound palette, I started to paint my imaginary seascape.
"I wanted to begin the piece with the original field recording with just a bit of reverb and a panning effect, to give it depth and movement to identify the original sample and develop the piece from that point. However it soon became clear that an immersive, mysterious world made for a more gripping introduction, from which the Killer Whale and Ross Seal sounds in the original field recording would emerge. The original sample fades into the seascape at 1:15, crescendos to 1:27 and then fades out by 2:04. It also can be heard at 2:35 as part of the texture until around 3:05.
"Oceana begins in the dark depths of the sea with pulsing sonar like sounds, building to rushing water and distant long haunting calls. Accompanied by continuous low bubbling sounds, the original field recording of the Killer Whales and Ross seals whistles, pulsed calls and echolocation clicks, is then heard. (1:15) Harmonious calling sounds lead us into a distant almost birdlike section. Strange noises of wailing and deep granular sounds move through the ocean. A storm builds and the turmoil leads to a dramatic climax - the Ross seal in their sights, the Orca pod co-ordinate their attack. Sinking to the seabed, we are immersed in powerful rushing eerie sounds that dominate our senses, until finally rising up through the layers of the ocean to gently float, far into the wild blue yonder."
Killer whale and Ross seals reimagined by Amanda Stuart.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"Exhilarated, I listen to a fleeting moment,
getting a glimpse into its magical world.
A record keeper of all time.
"Its gracefulness brings me peace.
"Limited by my senses, merely scratching a surface, I imagine a sonic sphere, the transformative vessel.
"Pulses carrying the pattern.
I dive into the unknown, creating a response to its call."
Fin whale reimagined by Þóranna Dögg Björnsdóttir.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Aqqa Rosing-Asvid - Visit Greenland, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"I composed my piece using samples of winter storms, ice cracking and windchimes, in addition to the original recording.
"I started from the idea of imagining the sound environment where the fin whale live.
The original recording gave me the idea to work with different frequencies, representing the different levels of an environment. In that way, the 20 hz pulse that the fin whale emit represent the deep ocean, and the air and the cold atmosphere is represented with higher frequencies, through wind recordings. With the sound of the ice, I created textures that are located in the middle levels.
"The fin whales produce a variety of short low frequency calls. The windchimes create a poetic response to those calls, imagining a harmonious way of coexistence with these beings of the deep sea."
Fin whale reimagined by Verónica Daniela Cerrotta.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Aqqa Rosing-Asvid - Visit Greenland, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"When first listening I was overwhelmed by the density and how alien the sounds were. I felt a need to understand them, and to do so I dissected them. They turned out to be well separable in the frequency spectrum, and I then slowed the separate sounds down by orders of magnitude, like using a microscope.
"To understand them even better, I decided to create a composition in which I put them together or contrast them with sounds that are similar but also a bit alien in nature and origin:
1. Organic sounds from a broken escalator.
2. Sounds from me playing an ultrasonic feedback loop instrument I built (with kind support from John Driscoll), whose spectrogram look very similar to the killer whale spectrogram.
"The resulting composition sounds like a nice garden, maybe underwater or in some other strange space, where different species co-exist with some interactions. I think this dissection and contrasting between organic, mechanic, and synthetic in origin and quality is my response to the question of the project: How can we understand these sounds?"
Killer whale and Ross seals reimagined by Håkan Jonsson.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"This piece features a fin whale's journey through the polar soundscape. Due to its enormous size, the fin whale (the second longest whale on the planet) produces a very low frequency (20 Hz) pulse, reaching the lower end of the human hearing range. Based on the recording of a fin whale, a tune was composed, revolving around the reoccurring low frequency pulses.
"The inspiration for this piece of music was taken from the long distances traveled by fin whales in combination with the huge diversity in marine species in polar regions. The repeating low frequency pulses reveal the fin whales point of view whilst encountering a diverse acoustic environment. Recordings from polar regions comprising sounds of various cetacean species like killer whales, Ross seals, bowhead whales, sperm whales, leopard seals and high frequency sounds produced by sea ice, present the listener with an idea of the acoustic diversity in the Arctic and the Antarctic. A synthesizer playing chords based on the sounds produced by the sea ice is the only purely artificial sound in the piece - all other sounds are taken as recorded and only slightly altered.
"The piece is a celebration of nature's diversity and beauty in yet another realm."
Fin whale reimagined by Vincent Kather.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Aqqa Rosing-Asvid - Visit Greenland, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Killer whale reimagined by Cheryl Beer.
"Siren is a warning from the core of crisis. Environmental sound artist Cheryl Beer has created a haunting soundbite from the pulsed calls of killer whales in the Antarctic. First, she reduced the revolutions, slowing down the vocalisations x100. This enabled a distinction between each individual sound & revealed some surprising textures. Everything you hear is of the Killer Whale, using its voice to compose & create a siren.
"Gently beginning by nurturing an adagio undercurrent of seemingly random & yet endless bass-like melody, this oceanic mantra morphs into a backdrop for the distinctive vocalisation of the Killer, an air aid warning of impending danger.
"With an eerie cry, the whales themselves send perilous news, a cautionary SOS to humanity from the melting ice caps.
"As the piece fades poignantly with a final cry, so too, does the killer whale. Pay heed! For if the home of Killer Whales is lost, so too, are you.
"The title of the piece is also a play on another definition of the word Siren – symbolising risk through temptation, who, in Greek mythology, sang to lure humans to their death. By following only desire, without consideration for what it may do to the planet, the siren’s song reveals our true face, reflected in the cracked mirrors of melting ice. Our saving grace, as the cause of such ghostly cries, is that we are also the key to solution."
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"I chose a very strange recording.
"On the one hand, it is natural, but on the other hand it sounds technogenic.
I decided that all the sounds will be made from one file and they filled me to the maximum, chasing the longing for the lost home.
"The name anxiety does not even refer to music, but to the situation in which the world is now.
"And in this nervous similarity between natural and technogenic, I also feel painful anxiety."
Fin whale reimagined by Daniel.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: Aqqa Rosing-Asvid - Visit Greenland, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"Last May an Orca was found to be swimming upstream the Seine. An effort to redirect the mammal back to the sea by using sound recordings failed as the animal seemed to be gravely ill and disoriented. Bioacoustics experts mentioned that the sounds the animal was producing were most likely distress calls. A decision to euthanise the whale was taken, yet soon enough, the mammal was found dead.
"“Upstream (the Seine)” utilises the recordings of the Orcinus Orca species in their natural habitat in the Antarctic provided by Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research in 2022. The piece is an effort to auralise the fact that more and more species demonstrate strange behaviours that are deviating from the norm.
"By using strictly the concrete recordings of the Orcas as source material and through the language of electroacoustic music and sound transformation techniques, the artist re-imagines the journey of the whale from the Antarctic to the Seine; from the natural to the unnatural, from health to illness as being driven by an inexplicable, almost mystifying force ultimately leading it to its demise. Through this paradigm the artist attempts to underline the alarming increasing frequency of the occurrence of such phenomena."
Killer whale reimagined by Luc Messinezis.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The idea started by analyzing the field recording, and adding more instruments to play the same notes. Then I took a part of the field recording, and analyzed its rhythm and tempo and put it as the base of the track, then I recorded percussion and guitars. The field recording inspired me in the sense of trying to use it as an instrument, and as a composition tool at the same time, with the sound of the whale dictating the tempo and the key of the composition."
Minke whale reimagined by Hossam Hilal.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The sounds themselves are very low pitched, below the human range of hearing in many cases. In order to best make use of the recording, I took chunk and pitched them up from 1-3 octaves. From there, I processed the sounds with filters, reverbs, more pitch bending, delays, and time stretching tools to create interesting pads, swells, and percussion.
"The long atonal pads you hear throughout the piece are longer segments of the fin whales making sound, as well as noise from the recording equipment. The drums are created from short chunks of the whales vocalizing, time stretched to create a short transient.
"The rest of the piece is piano and percussion, with one synthesizer line, to create a sense of long frozen landscapes and crackling ice sheets, along with some movement of the waves beneath."
Fin whale reimagined by Jeff Brice.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Fin whales produce a variety of short low frequency calls, of which the 20 Hz pulse is most prominent (i.e., a downsweep ranging from around 30-15 Hz) and produced by fin whales worldwide. We record this call most frequently in the vicinity of Elephant Island, off the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, where the 20 Hz pulse also often contains a higher frequency component around 89 Hz.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
The Antarctic minke whale is the smallest baleen whale occurring in the Southern Ocean. It is regularly sighted near the sea ice edge but also occurs within the pack ice. The Antarctic minke whale produces a very unique sound called "bio-duck" which are repetitive sequences of pulsed sounds between 50 – 300 Hz with harmonics up to 1500 Hz.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
The low frequency calls of Antarctic blue whales belong to the loudest vocalizations produced by any animal. Most likely blue whales use calls to communicate over long distances. PALAOA records different Antarctic blue whale vocalizations. The spectrogram shows the 'Z-call' which is a population-specific song produced by Antarctic blue whales in the Southern Ocean as well as on their lower latitude areas where breeding is thought to take place. Please note that we increased the frequency of the sound with 2 octaves to make the sound audible to human ears.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
The low frequency calls of Antarctic blue whales belong to the loudest vocalizations produced by any animal. Most likely blue whales use calls to communicate over long distances. PALAOA records different Antarctic blue whale vocalizations. The spectrogram shows the 'Z-call' which is a population-specific song produced by Antarctic blue whales in the Southern Ocean as well as on their lower latitude areas where breeding is thought to take place. Please note that we increased the frequency of the sound with 2 octaves to make the sound audible to human ears.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Recording credit: CC-BY 4.0 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research 2022.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"I work with chance operations/indeterminacy (among other things), so I asked to get assigned a random sound clip (which I hadn’t heard in advance) to work with. My aim then was to build a sonic architecture out of this sound, but without pre-shaping/pre-conceiving this architecture, working with the sound clip as a sculptor-architect would with clay, wood, stone or some other material. I edited the given sound clip using various audio effects, exploring its noise content and its melodic and rhythmic potential, without trying to pre-define/imagine the outcome.
"I audio-edited each new iteration of this (edited) sound, combining the edited versions together, then editing these combinations, cutting them into different-sized pieces. I combined these pieces at random into a sonic architecture, aiming to let it follow its own rules/structure as it emerged. Even though the sound clip I got assigned may not be audible in its original form, it is there, preserved for eternity, molded into a sonic architecture made entirely out of this sound only. It can be looped for as long as the listener wants to."
Blue whale reimagined by Jelena Perišić.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The faint voice of the fin whale is produced by shaking the sound-producing organs. The sound resonates with the resonance of wind instruments."
Fin whale reimagined by Keisuke Oki.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The sub-frequency calls of the planet's largest animal, the endangered Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus), are too low for human ears to perceive. But this inspired some questions: What might these low frequencies feel like? What new sensations might arise? Would these feelings enter our subconscious? If I could play my bass flute deep into the waters of the Antarctic, how might I converse with a Blue Whale? What would we say to each other? How might we play? This work is an exploration of what it might be like to interact, in dream-time, with these extraordinary beings, if we could use our senses, imagine, play, dream and explore.
"I used the original recording (which had already been altered by the scientists so that we could hear these sub-frequencies) and then also created versions of the whale calls with very slight pitch and time adjustments. In addition, I incorporated recordings of the Kenai Fjords off of Seward, Alaska that I collected in 2012 using both hydrophone and shotgun microphones, which captured the resonant sounds of the glacier caving. My performance on the bass flute (plus electronic effects), in relation to the Blue Whale calls and the glacier sounds, produce a kind of tickling effect in my ears. I wonder what you will feel?
"Special gratitude to the exceptional sound engineer Joe Shepard for guidance on these extremely low frequencies in the final mix.
"Blue whales are the Earth's largest animal, and therefore they also have the largest beating heart on the planet, weighing 400 lbs (or more). Will we be the cause of its cessation? Or, will we help take care of this vulnerable being?"
Blue whale reimagined by Jane Rigler.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The composition began inspired by the rhythmic part of the original recording, with the idea that the whole piece would follow that rhythmic pattern. But soon in the process this was changing and was leading to a more textural work, although it maintains some of that initial rhythm.
"In addition to using the chosen sound and subjecting it to different digital and analog processes, synthesizers and samplers were used."
Minke whale reimagined by Julian Gomez.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"Traveling through a submerged world, in "Apnea", all the threads that reach me are at a digital sonic level, because the only possibility of being able to hear is within this spectrum.
"What would be the inverse in the hearing of these ocean giants? For a visitor like me, now, here with them, is to pass through my body like vibrations of a possible translation from communication to exaggeration and description.
At that moment nothing is left but the direction to the other end, a vast fraction, and I limit myself to tuning the body with this error cell.
"In the making of this sound composition, the various plastic possibilities of communication were always present. I made decisions based on error, error as a “crisis” in communication, and digital error as a result of failure, of frequencies at unbearable levels, but also the privileged condition that offers the only possibility of listening to it and getting to know it. "Apnea" is about climate change, the environmental and social problem, marine pollution, man-made sounds and the underwater effects of globalization and heavy industrialization. But it also includes different listening places, occupation movements and human labor, such as the vast destruction of habitat for intensive agriculture and livestock in more temperate and tropical zones and the immeasurable impact it generates in the poles. Everything is connected, like the famous flapping of a butterfly's wings, everything tonifies the strength of these worrying movements in these insular places. So I ask: How can we move in the “error”?"
Blue whale reimagined by Eunice Artur.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"The first time I heard the Antarctic blue whale recording, I was amazed by its really subtle signal on my headphones. I knew I was not able to hear it entirely, because it was coming from far beyond our human scale of sensibility. So, I heard it a second time on my speakers, to help me bring the basses, and then, everything around my room started to tremble. It made me think of the Alvin Lucier’s project on “Music for Solo Performer” in which he brings to our senses his own brain waves by using percussions as a medium. I appreciate this gesture of not translating the unhearable but rather approach us to this sort of abyss from which we have little knowledge of.
"To begin this submersion, I decided to operate with “Izotope Iris 2”, to analyze the spectrum of the sound and choose the frequencies I wanted to work with. It allowed me to silence the higher frequencies and focus on the most powerful ones between 0 and 100 Hz. There was a constant beating in the singing that reminded me of a way of playing an earth instrument I build last year. Inspired by the “Udu” percussion, this instrument had two entries of air. We were two players trying to reach the same frequency with our voice inside of the vase and whenever we succeeded, there was this beating in the air making our bodies and the earth vibrate.
"I wanted to use this sound as a form of response, inspired by the work of Aline Pénitot in “Feral Interactions—The Answer of the Humpback Whale” where she was able to communicate through the play of a bassoon, I lowered the frequencies of our playing recording so it could match the blue whale’s tone.
"I started then by curiosity to transpose the whale singing from octave to octave in my midi instrument until recognizing the scale at which normally it is presented, where it is the most audible. Each time “I leveled it up” the time of reproduction was getting shorter. It made me think of the shorter life of insects and how we’re undoubtedly inside of a fractal scale play where size, sound and time are related to our rhythm of existence.
"It appears to me that the earth has a complex system to regulate itself from the micro to the macro world and we’re just a piece of it, we can only sense a piece of it. Recognize our perception limits can help us redesign our sound interactions with other species. Helping us to avoid the unconscious invasion of what’s out of our range.
"The end of this composition called “Señal profunda” reminds me of the sound of a warning, a kind of alarm coming from this depth signal asking us, if we are going to wait to be able to hear the damage we’re doing to stop it."
Blue whale reimagined by Nicole Vereau.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"When I first listened to this recording, my first thought was what a dull place to live. Upon further investigation a whole "mini" world opened to my ears.
The first manipulation of the sound was to speed it up 8x the original recording, this in turn reduced the recording from 60 sec. to about 6 sec. but exposed a whales phrase (I think) and some chatter (I think) like sounds.
"I extracted a set of sounds (4), all the sounds you hear are from the original source material with the exception of "Brownian Noise" added by me. Many years ago I developed an idea of isolating nature or natural sounds in recordings and devising ways of "re assembly" into a generative "nature" environment. I call this idea "AmbiGen" for Ambience Generation. It was to this idea that I applied the sounds extracted from Sound #003.
"I used six asynchronous clocks to trigger the sounds with random changes in pitch/time. This led me to investigate "ocean noise" which in this case I read of human caused sounds such as ships, submarines, explosions, subsonic communications. These sounds among others can misdirect migrations and interfere with the habits of all kinds of species (antarctia.gov.au). I did not use any of these sounds."
Blue whale reimagined by Joel Graham.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
Behind every fireworks display, every public celebration, things are inevitably more complex than the surface-level jubilation. In every direction there are people with their own stories, many of whom might be experiencing complicated moments of sadness, frustration disappointment or anxiety, hidden away behind smiles of celebration.
This piece reimagines a Bastille Day fireworks display with melancholy and longing, keeping in mind Tomas Transtromer's conceit from "The Blue House" that each of our lives has "a sister vessel" on an entirely different route from the one we've ended up on. In this piece, we imagine someone looking up at the sky and imagining where their own sister vessel might have taken them under other circumstances.
"It is night with glaring sunshine. I stand in the woods and look towards my house with its misty blue walls. As though I were recently dead and saw the house from a new angle.
"It has stood for more than eighty summers. Its timber has been impregnated, four times with joy and three times with sorrow. When someone who has lived in the house dies it is repainted. The dead person paints it himself, without a brush, from the inside.
"On the other side is open terrain. Formerly a garden, now wilderness. A still surf of weed, pagodas of weed, an unfurling body of text, Upanishades of weed, a Viking fleet of weed, dragon heads, lances, an empire of weed.
"Above the overgrown garden flutters the shadow of a boomerang, thrown again and again. It is related to someone who lived in the house long before my time. Almost a child. An impulse issues from him, a thought, a thought of will: “create. . .draw. ..” In order to escape his destiny in time.
"The house resembles a child’s drawing. A deputizing childishness which grew forth because someone prematurely renounced the charge of being a child. Open the doors, enter! Inside unrest dwells in the ceiling and peace in the walls. Above the bed there hangs an amateur painting representing a ship with seventeen sails, rough sea and a wind that the gilded frame cannot subdue.
"It is always so early in here, it is before the crossroads, before the irrevocable choices. I am grateful for this life! And yet I miss the alternatives. All sketches wish to be real.
"A motor far out on the water extends the horizon of the summer night. Both joy and sorrow swell in the magnifying glass of the dew. We do not actually know it, but we sense it: our life has a sister vessel which plies an entirely different route. While the sun burns behind the islands."
Photo by Arthur Chauvineau on Unsplash
Listening to the field recording of this super-talented busker, one thing was clear - his lo-fi backing track didn't do his talent justice. Therefore for this reimagined composition, we wanted to provide him with a full band back of drums, bass and organ as an appropriate backdrop for his soloing. Thus we created the all-new Luis I blues band.
Harmonica busker in Porto reimagined by Cities and Memory.
A talented harmonica busker plays an extended - and impressive - selection of blues-inflected solos to a backing track accompaniment on the top level of the famous Luis I bridge in Porto, Portugal. On our travels we're always listening out for music as one avenue of field recording and we check out a lot of buskers - but this guy was on another level from most and we stayed for several songs.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
In reimagining Sao Bento station for this piece, we wanted to foreground the feelings the space gave us in its own right, and background the distracting hubbub of tourists jostling for Instagram photos. The resulting composition is a spacious, stripped-back instrumental, in which the field recording lies throughout as a bed, held safely at a distance and only making itself known periodically throughout the piece. The music itself is a representation of the feeling we had looking up at the scenes of history on the azulejo-tiled walls, from the Battle of Valdevez in 1140 to the work scenes of wine shippers and watermill workers. The title comes from the depiction in the station of Prince Henry the Navigator.
Sao Bento station reimagined by Cities and Memory.
Photo by Rostyslav Savchyn on Unsplash
The Sao Bento train station in Porto is a stunning space and no mistake - the entrance hall is full of stunning azulejo tile images depicting scenes from Portuguese history, and the feel is more of a stunning palace than a train station.
Of course, given that it's possibly one of the world's most beautiful stations, it's full of tourists at all times, and the entrance hall seemed to be more full of people taking photos for Instagram than actual travellers. This recording captures a busy entrance hall, and out onto the platforms we hear announcements and the hissing of trains.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Photo by Rostyslav Savchyn on Unsplash
In this composition, the rhythm of the frogs' song is the centrepiece, from which arpeggiated synth lines represent individual amphibians' voices competing and communicating with one another. The piece symbolises the rhythmic and melodic complexity and beauty of the songs of nature.
The name comes from the origin of the city Koforidua's name, which comes from a man called Kofi Ofori who built his hut under a huge mahogany tree, which became a shelter for weary farmers returning after a hard day's work. Over time, it became common for the farmers to say that they were going to rest under Kofi Ofori's tree, where maybe they could have daydreamed and imagined some music like this.
Ghanaian wetland reimagined by Cities and Memory.
Sounds of frogs and toads on a hot afternoon in a laid-back settlement called Trom in the Eastern Region of Ghana. In the foreground are various repetitive textures in vocalisations against a subtle background of distant birds. The sounds seem to synchronise at some point and disintegrate into its unique tempo and amplitude within distinctive stereo-fields.
Recorded during a 3-month project assignment to Ghana between February and April, 2022. The settlement which is on a wetland is undergoing rapid development and this piece is under threat of extinction in a year or two.
Recorded by Samuel Kudjodzi.
Respect, walk, what did you say?
Respect, walk, are you talkin' to me?
Respect, walk, what did you say?
Respect, walk
Are you talkin' to me? Are you talkin' to me?
Walk on home, boy
("Walk", Pantera)
Inspired by the sounds of the watermill, which we have taken as a basis for our creation, we have developed a pattern that sounds similar to this, and based on it (carried away) set wild modulations with fm synthesis.
We use both supportive & destructive sound structures and formations as a sonic architecture, resembling the watermill.
Hannover water mill reimagined by Catenation - Jeanne Comateuse & Sylvia Hinz.
Used instruments: voice, bass recorder, Digitakt, Digitone, Reaper.
The interior of an old water mill during an open day in Hannover, Germany, recorded by Jürgen Morgenstern.
The storming of the Bastille prison on July 14, 1789 has been commemorated in France for more than a century. Today, the festivities of July 14 are as popular as ever and in Paris, the celebrations culminate with a magnificent fireworks display at the Eiffel Tower.
Recorded by Colin Hunter as part of the Cities and Memory Paris city sound guide.
Arguably the most famous museum in the world, the Louvre is said to be visited by 9 million people annually. In a long, narrow section of the Denon Wing the wooden floor panels creak and squeak as people walk over them, and with 9 million visitors per year this makes for an interesting soundscape.
Recorded by Colin Hunter as part of the Cities and Memory Paris city sound guide.
The Basilica of Sacré Coeur de Montmartre sits at the very top of Montmartre hill and, alongside the Eiffel Tower, is one of the most visible monuments of Paris.
Pilgrims come from all over the world to pray here as well as thousands of tourists that file in and out to admire its beauty. Inside the basilica is a warm soundscape with the sound of shuffling visitors reverberating throughout the vast interior.
Recorded by Colin Hunter as part of the Cities and Memory Paris city sound guide.
The Montmartre district of Paris sits perched on the top of a hill in the 18th arrondissement. Prior to 1860, Montmartre was an independent commune located just outside Paris and was the place to be for artists in the 19th century, with painters, dancers, writers, actors and musicians hoping to find success in the art world.
Today tourists flock to Montmartre to admire the beauty of this quaint corner of Paris and musicians and artists line the streets adding to the bustling atmosphere.
Recorded by Colin Hunter as part of the Cities and Memory Paris city sound guide.
Jardin de Luxembourg is one of the most beautiful parks in Paris and particularly so in spring when the many shades of green are a gorgeous canvas for brightly coloured flowers and rich blossom.
Birds sing, people walk, some sit and observe. In this soundscape recording we hear gentle birdsong with Robin, Blackbird, Chaffinch, Eurasian Blackcap and Rose-ringed parakeets, as well as distant conversations and people walking along gravel paths.
Recorded by Colin Hunter as part of the Cities and Memory Paris city sound guide.
IMAGE: Michelle Maria, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
One of the most recognisable sounds of Paris is that of ringing church bells and none more so than the bells of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, located on l’île Saint-Louis and l’île de la Cité in the 4th arrondissement.
Recorded by Colin Hunter as part of the Cities and Memory Paris city sound guide.
The French are passionate about their food and local markets are a big thing in Paris. The market at Bastille is renowned for its quality food and bustling ambience, quoted in the Lonely Planet as “arguably the best open-air market in Paris”.
Popular with both tourists and locals alike, the soundscape is a complex mix of local dialects and vendors calling out to draw in customers.
Recorded by Colin Hunter as part of the Cities and Memory Paris city sound guide.
Do you have a claustrophobic fear of antique elevators?
Well, Cairo’s antique elevators can be more than one hundred years old and date from the era when European architects moulded Cairo’s streets. They are glorious and glitchy and can either be loved or feared - feel like stepping back in time?
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Cairo city sound guide.
Egypt's skateboarding and rollerblading enthusiasm was born out of lockdown tedium and quickly spread from city to city as one of the nation's fastest-growing trends.
In Cairo, the rollerskating community has increased substantially over the last two years to raise awareness of the sport and show off the beauty of Egyptian venues such as Tahrir Square.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Cairo city sound guide.
Located in the heart of Al-Qahira, the old walled city, Khan el-Khalili night bazaar is the place to stimulate your imagination and go hunting for treasures.
Unlike many other Middle Eastern street markets, this bazaar has always been a place that mixes the commercial, religious and domestic. Spending an evening in the labyrinthine streets of this night bazaar will give you a great insight into Cairo life - immerse yourself into the cacophony of deafening sounds that the city has to offer while sipping tea in a local cafe.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Cairo city sound guide.
Eid ul-Fitr is one of the biggest celebrations in Egypt - in reality, it is a three day holiday in the country. The word Eid (from the Arabic language) suggests celebration, feast, and lifelong joy. If you were to mention Eid to any Egyptian, he would react with a sense of delight, musing a heart full of joy as if they were still a child.
The best place to immerse yourself in the celebrations is to head to one of the three Fatimid gates that remain standing nowadays. Bab Zuwayla is the most dramatic, with its crowning fifteen-century minarets. It leads partygoers to a bazaar quarter that is as full of life today as it was in the Middle Ages.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Cairo city sound guide.
Overburdened by the chaos of the older neighbourhoods, many residents are now moving to more modern and quieter compounds on the outskirts of the Islamic neighbourhood. They seek relief from congestion, traffic and, yes, noise - highways and flyovers now cut through historic neighbourhoods.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Cairo city sound guide.
No part of the city captures the vibrancy of Cairo like the old Islamic neighbourhood. It's the heart of the city, or in other words, “ the cultural spine of historic Cairo”. Nowhere else can you blend the sense of the historic with the modern so easily.
Compared with the inner peace of mosques and churches, the chaos of the old neighbourhood is unbearable and makes it obvious that a group of people at the bottom of society are neglected by society and deserve more attention. The Islamic neighbourhood hosts more than 75 mosques, madrasas, bayts, and other monuments worth of sonic exploration.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo as part of the Cities and Memory Cairo city sound guide.
St. Clement's church in London plays a special musical set of chimes each day, partially based around the famous English nursery rhyme that features the bells of multiple old London churches - the rhyme goes like this:
Oranges and lemons,
Say the bells of St. Clement's.
You owe me five farthings,
Say the bells of St. Martin's.
When will you pay me?
Say the bells at Old Bailey.
When I grow rich,
Say the bells at Shoreditch.
When will that be?
Say the bells of Stepney.
I do not know,
Says the great bell at Bow.
Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
And here comes a chopper to chop off your head!
Chip chop chip chop the last man is dead.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"Oranges and lemons sing the bells of St Clement's in reverse!
"I took a short segment of the original recording and reversed it for the unnerving opening salvo, before I stretched and warped the bells into the climactic drone/thx-sound finale."
St. Clement's church, London reimagined by Michael Lilley.
"The composition consisting of sounds by modular and analogue polyphonic synthesizer plus the processed sound of the waterfall is based on the fifth case sequence. This beautiful and simple harmonic structure reminds me of the ever running water fall where there is no beginning and no ending. The circle of fifths is the basis of all harmonics like the water is the basis of all life."
Cascata di Ru de Assola reimagined by Anneli Bentler.
"I've always been interested in Arabic chants and calls to prayers in Muslim religion. This is why I was drawn to this particular sound.
"However, I wanted to be respectful of the religious aspect of the Adhan, and so I thought about finding a way to accompany the solemn moment of the call to prayer through the sounds I added to my piece, thus enhancing the beauty of the original chant.
"I believe prayer to be both a collective and intimate moment, where one joins the divine through sound, and so I wanted to portray that in my piece, guiding the listener so that he can immerse in this moment, where everything is silent, except for the call to commune with a god we will never be able to fully comprehend."
Call to prayer in Tuzla reimagined by Pelayo Del Villar.
"A tourist wanders through Italy, listening in on café conversations that become a bit heated; the weather darkens, thunder crackles, ambulances scurry by. But eventually the rain clears, the sun comes back out, and the folks in the café return to their peaceful conversation."
Vicenza conversations reimagined by Valerie Polichar.
In Tuzla, as in many cities in Bosnia, the Adhan (Islamic call to public prayer) sounds five times a day. I caught this one after a rain shower, when drops were still gently falling from gutters and branches.
Recorded by Manu Hollard.
Conversations in Italian taking place outside a cafe by the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Sounds from the bottom of the tumbling Cascata di Ru de Assola waterfall near Borca di Cadore in the Italian Dolomites.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"I listened to the speeches over and over and I realised that they are all saying radical things to a crowd of strangers, any of who could be hostile in a minute. I imagined how it must feel like to build up that kind of courage to stand up against your homeland in a foreign land. So this piece is a music interpretation of that inner journey from the first spark, to the final moment when you cannot keep quiet in the face of injustice."
Anti-Ukraine war protest reimagined by Surbhi Mittal.
"A river is a place where a traveler rests to take water, freshen up and reflect on the journey. The streaming sound of the water, the birds singing and nearby people having conversations give the traveler the freedom to reflect on the journey past and prepare for the future journey. This composition was inspired by how the source sound made me feel: Like that traveler.
"Using the birds and the stream as instruments in the composition, I imagined myself being there and singing, chanting and humming together with the birds. The violin provides a harmonic movement, the piano and rattle kalimba give the feeling of being in a journey while the bolon bass and the sorsonet drums capture the energy from the river."
Nyabarongo river reimagined by Wahinya Mwirikia.
"This song was composed from a somewhat disturbing and dark audition.
The sound piece conveyed a feeling of bewilderment and intrigue, reminding me of a scene from the movie “The Birds” by A. Hitchcock. Generating an ideal environment to set a suspenseful rhythm with low sounds in various sound planes, as if it were a momentarily lowering mist. Submerging the voices of the two people, in an increasingly loud phonetic discussion.
"The sound texture of the mosquito played an intrusive role in the story, as if it were an unsuspecting puncture in the ear. Then getting playful. From side to side.
In the background, it was possible to appreciate the changing nature of the natural environment, where birds, people, insects and wind served as a mobile canvas to give some digital piano brushstrokes that accentuated the beat of my acoustic guitar."
Natravali hotel gardens reimagined by Josué Jaramillo Romero.
"Listening to the funeral bell tolling backwards and forwards, and at different speeds, revealed a mournful chant that became a dirge of its own, a second layer of mourning hidden within casual conversation.
"Temporally, the chant works with the bell but also at odds with it, and building the dirge around this sample led to a persistent feeling of the time being off kilter or out of joint."
Bells in Oxford for the Queen's funeral reimagined by Retranscriptions.
On 6 March 2022, shortly after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, Oxford's Ukrainian community convened an anti-war protest in Radcliffe Square in the city centre, in which Ukrainians and Russians alike gave speeches denouncing the war and talking about their own personal experiences.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Bells ring out for one hour at 10.00am on the morning of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on 19 September 2022 - the funeral commenced at 11.00am. The city was extremely quiet, with a genuine sense of sadness and occasion as people scurried home to watch the funeral on TV. At Christ Church College, the famous Old Tom bell rang out in the central quadrangle, and we were there to record it.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Recording made on the bank of the river Nyabarongo, on the southern border of the province of Kigali: on the background, the sound of the river blends with the traffic on the highway bridge, while two birds skirmish on the ground nearby. Recorded by Maria Conterno.
2022-06-17 9.16AM; The Postcard Hideaway resort gardens in the morning; the sound of morning wildlife in tropical rural India. Recorded by Mark Wilden.
Inspired by the song "Coimbra é uma lição", the first piece's part begins with a progression of chords in Fm with some electronic elements while the unique Portuguese word "saudade" is repeated in the background. The second part, the lyrics of the previously mentioned song are recited, with the soundscape playing in the background.
Coimbra shopping street reimagined by Pedro Veiga.
Under the medieval Arco de Almedina archway, traditional fado music seeps out from a souvenir shop built into the side of the arch in Coimbra, Portugal.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Gulls divebomb us from above as we accidentally walk too close to their nesting area along the stony beach of Lagoa do Fogo, Sao Miguel in the Azores. You can also hear gentle waves and a light breeze on this fine day.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
The calm serenity of Lagoa do Fogo inspired the ambience behind this slow ecstatic dance track invoking organic sounds with layers of Sitar & electric guitar. The soothing ambience takes the listening on an epic inward journey provoking curiosity to discover an unknown.
Lagoa do Fogo sounds reimagined by Matt Marsiglia.
A guitar busker plays some traditional French songs in Place du Calvaire, Montmartre, Paris - a tourist hotspot, as you can also hear from the large number of tourists passing by and listening in this recording.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Lunchtime peak in the Mackie Mayor food hall in Manchester - loud noise of diners, plates, food preparation heard from the balcony lining the upper floor of this converted space.
Reimagined by Cities and Memory.
"Having studied music at Manchester Metropolitan University, I have fond memories of Manchester in the 90s. I found the sound recording very evocative. I have tried to create a piece that represents something of my musical memories whilst also foregrounding the recording and its inherent musicality."
Mackie Mayor, Manchester reimagined by Dead Kousin.
"This song was inspired by the cultural diversity of the streets of Paris. Samples from the original recording were essential in the composition process, bringing an urban atmosphere to the song. This work consists of four acts."
Parisian busker reimagined by Magnus Carvalho.
"hairst is my remixed, reimagining of a cello improvisation sample recorded at Brookes University, Oxford, as part of Autumn Project by Cities and Memory.
'Using entirely cut sections of the original audio to create all of the musical elements, the sounds were recomposed and mingled with my own field recordings captured in the Scottish Borders over the autumn months to evoke the changeable elements of hairst, meaning harvest or autumn in Scottish dialect.
"hairst emanates from the heralding of the harvest and the last hurrahs of summer, blossoming splendours in russet and gold, the slow undressing of trees in chill northerly breezes, skeins of geese daubing darkening evening skies like Matisse sketches, the wheezy flight of swans at dawn over swollen, misty waters and the final bowls match of the closing season before the setting of winter."
Oxford cello improvisation reimagined by Claro Correcto - Claire Todd.
"I picked this particular piece feeling like this is a time to guide my movements in a more calm, and present pace. This choice of the field recording to interpret, was an attempt to practice a more contemplative state of being through working with a possibly more neutral, and meditative source material.
"While interpreting this recording, my mind, conditioned to a degree of stimuli, greater than that what our human body's nervous system, was accustomed to for the majority of it's developmental existence on this earth, still had to distort this serene, and calm recording of mostly nature sounds, and isolate specific little pieces of sound in time, and loop it over and over and over again, amplifying and distorting it, to keep the minds attention span interested. This seems like a telling analogy to the functioning of our minds today, in the technological world, well at least mine.
"Nonetheless, even if chopped up and fed back into itself a lot with feedback, at a point in the composition, it feels like there was momentary equilibrium happening, guiding the way to the imagined change in the state of being. It happened through tuning in to a particular rhythm, interesting enough for the attention, but still simple and repeating, allowing the mind to stop searching all around the place and tuning in to the present soundscape, feeling it throughout the body and through that being able to appreciate and experiment with just the slightest nuances.
"Getting to a deeper level of experience. At least that's what that felt like for me. I hope that even if a little piece of this process is stored in my body's memory, then I hope I can integrate this approach more and more to my everyday life, and try to bring a little bit of equilibrium into the world."
Goa hotel gardens reimagined by Kristaps Freimanis.
2022-06-18 10.17PM, the Lalit Golf & Spa Resort after dark. The sound of insects and rain on corrugated roofs in a courtyard within the resort complex. Recorded by Mark Wilden.
A cello improvisation performed by Oxford Improvisers in 2014, recorded by Cities and Memory.
"Upon listening to the recording, the unusual acoustics and mix of sounds in the cave made me want to zoom into the audio in detail, so initially I slowed the track down, creating even more otherworldly sounds! These inspired me to create yet another world! No synthesisers were used, just the manipulated source audio.
To create my composition I first selected a small section of the recording which I stretched; slowing down and smearing the audio, manually accentuating certain frequencies and harmonics. This created a 45 sec looping drone which forms the background texture of the composition.
"Along with this drone, I used a granular effect to break up the original audio into small pieces adding more depth and tonal variety to the texture.
"Time warping, delay, frequency shifting feedback loops and reverb were also employed. These three layers were mixed in real-time over the original field recording to create the final composition."
Nam Lod cave reimagined by id_23.
IMAGE: © Vyacheslav Argenberg / http://www.vascoplanet.com/, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"Protests are happening all over the planet in this very moment. The struggle for freedom, a decent and sustainable life is constant. To bring your messages across you have to step into the ring against the mighty and omnipresent noise of the status quo.
'This kinda eerie ambient sound design is meant to reflect on that. The protest chants of Edinburgh are accompanied with a pitched down recording of my friend CB playing the piano and some feedback chains drenched in reverb.
"Imagine sitting on a bench in a park on a windy day. Somebody plays the rusty old piano standing across the pond while a demonstration against fossil fuels is passing by. Strangers are arguing over the protest’s demands. You feel melancholic, but empowered to unite."
Edinburgh climate protests reimagined by Sandro N. (BYDL).
"As an environmentalist, I was inspired by the people who were out on the streets of Edinburgh demanding action on climate change. I was particularly struck by the sound of sirens juxtaposed with the passionate voice of a woman declaring a climate emergency, so I explored putting those sounds together to convey a sense of urgency. At the end of the original recording, there was very quiet music in the background, and I looped that sound as the basis for the song runs through parts of my piece."
Edinburgh climate protests reimagined by Elizabeth LoGiudice.
Bats and swifts, water flowing and dripping in Nam Lod cave, Thailand. Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
IMAGE: © Vyacheslav Argenberg / http://www.vascoplanet.com/, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
On Saturday 12 November 2022 in Edinburgh, a coalition of climate groups marched through the city to demand Climate Justice in solidarity with the Global Day of Action called by Egyptian groups at COP27. Performances, songs and chants featured throughout, some of which captured via field recordings.
This recording was from Hanover Street to The Mound and features a chant of 'What do we want? Climate Justice! When do we want it now' and various noises from protesters.
Recorded by Bobby Jewell.
On Saturday 12 November 2022 in Edinburgh, a coalition of climate groups marched through the city to demand Climate Justice in solidarity with the Global Day of Action called by Egyptian groups at COP27. Performances, songs and chants featured throughout, some of which captured via field recordings.
This recording was from The Mound and features a chant of 'No More Coal, No More Oil! Keep your carbon in the soil!'
Recorded by Bobby Jewell.
A commemorative service for the fallen partisans of World War II in the city centre of Padova, Italy, held in August 2022. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Pealing bells ring out from the medieval Carfax Tower in the centre of Oxford on 9 September 2022 to mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Unlike the dolorous, single and half-chimes of the other city centre bells, the Carfax Tower was pealing a more celebratory splash of bells. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"A ambient noise, sample and reflection audio composition, using active and passive audio to create a soundscape of reflection and interest. Including ironic appropriation of modern styles, long form auditory improvisations and found vocal lines, this piece documents an emotional rationalisation of the confusion, grief and confusion of a nation.
"The bells and their surplus captures are featured throughout the piece, as well as mock birdsong, and a varied take on the trio format."
Carfax Tower bells in Oxford reimagined by Daniel Pattenden.
"This piece, originally made up of a single female voice speaking at a commemoration event in Italy, has been reimagined from the perspective of a child within the audience, trying to make sense, both contextually and sonically, of what he/she hears. At moments clear, at other moments a blur, as attention strays into other worlds."
Partisan commemoration in Padova reimagined by George Edmondson.
"The work process I used recalls different techniques of sound synthesis.
"Starting from the concept and study of “soundscape” I left the track of the original audio file unchanged so as to have a sound background that acts as a glue, in this sense I kept the audio in its original form unchanged from the sound point of view, the only variations concern the length of the file where I did simple editing interventions such as cutting, making the file in fact shorter.
"The main techniques I used in creating new sound layers are granular synthesis where I synthesized all the original audio file and used some parts during editing. Other important interventions within the DAW were made with the addition of virtual instruments, which I used to create useful pads to give harmonious/melodic support to the ambient noise content.
"As for the compositional idea, I have tried to reimagine a dream landscape immersed in a ‘natural’ context, this context is being changed and sabotaged by the addition of useful electronic sounds to strengthen a transversal context that is increasingly invading the metropolitan landscape."
Bangkok airport reimagined by Giuseppe Calisti Randazzo.
IMAGE: Roger Price, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Leaving an aircraft, walking to baggage claim on a travelator, and announcements in Thai and Chinese, Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok. Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
IMAGE: Roger Price, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"As I listened to the field recording my attention instantly went to the polarity of city and nature sounds. My intention was to fuse them with each other, bringing harmony to nature and the way we humans live on this planet.
"I started off experimenting with the sample, trying to bring out different resonances and my first feel was like an ambient type song. I brought in some synthesizers, into this mixed sound of crickets and traffic. Played a bit with the sonic depth of field and opened up a realm, which I could explore.
"In this realm I could feel the energy rising, an ambient track would not represent the place from where the recording was taken. It needed more groove, it should be danceable but also relaxed at the same time.
"So I fused organic percussions and instruments with synthesizer and a beat. I also fused the original recording with the whole track, there are parts where the recording is present and gets room to come more into the foreground and on other times it is nearly totally quiet in the backgrounds, but it always adds its sonic character.
As I always tend to do, I imagined the song as a sonic journey, taking you into that other realm, showing the possibilities and gently bringing you back to reality with this new experience.
"I believe if we reconnect more with nature and let nature's frequencies get us in tune again, we may find ways to fuse our modern way of living with nature in a way that will benefit not only us humans as a species, but our Mother Earth as a whole.
"This song was mixed and mastered by Nico Meyering (Evo!)."
Goa, India river sound reimagined by Frank Fable.
9.34PM local time, 2022-06-15; the Crown Hotel Goa, India, standing on a balcony overlooking the river with casino boats cruising, air conditioning units humming, traffic, etc.
Recorded by Mark Wilden.
"I knew I needed to use the crickets as an instrument, as they're almost singing in unison. And I've been obsessed with bouncing tracks to tape mid-song. By pausing the tape repeatedly while bouncing to it, I was able to create the drum sounds. With those two approaches, this was built. 95% of the audio is from the source track."
Crickets in Croatia reimagined by Josh Evert.
"My wife and I have been to Maspalomas a few times - it reminds me of switching off, recharging. I have used only the original sound in this piece, no other instruments or sounds."
Gran Canaria lighthouse reimagined by Kitty Turner (Speed For Lovers).
I was on the top of a hill in Slatina, a small town in Croatia, as the sun was setting... Insects began their symphony, soon followed by dogs!
Recorded in Slatina, Croatia by Manu Hollard.
Most people visit the lighthouse because it is such a photogenic place. And it really is a peaceful place where many beautiful pictures have been taken. During your walk, you will pass by it in no time. But if you really take the time to listen to the calm water and you are so close to the ocean, you lose all sense of time and you can spend hours there. The true calming effect of water. I tried to capture the sound of this calming water.
Recorded by Tony van Dorst.
Airbus 380 aircraft interior and takeoff sounds from Madrid Airport. Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
IMAGE: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"In a pasture bordering a residential area, the cows are grazing. Nearby, a homeowner mows the grass in his or her garden. Maybe the cows will get a taste of freshly cut grass soon? Various distant birds from the forest on the other side of the pasture. Some traffic noice from a highway a few kilometers away."
Recorded in Astorp, Sweden by Stellan Johansson.
"The calming sound of large placid animals breathing in and out - like you are now - then the sound of their jaws munching was my chosen soundtrack. This evoked a quiet meadow in the first flush of a Swedish summer as dusk approached, cows resting on their knees.Breathing was the dominant sound but there were also accompanying rustles, chirps and insects.
"I wanted to develop and enhance that calming effect.
"I tried many complementary sounds; Buddhist chants were perfect - breathing is a fundamental part of Buddhism. I mixed the two choosing to focus on breath expressed as sound rather than simply its rhythm.
"This was then completed by adding a final layer made up of enhanced sections of a single breath plus other background extracts based on manipulated natural noises from the original soundtrack."
Cows in Sweden reimagined by Ian Evetts.
"The airport as a place of movement, everyone in transit, a node in a network of arrivals and departures. At the same time it's also a place of often deeply felt emotion from human connections -- anticipated meetings, grieving goodbyes.
"My piece tries to paint those feelings in colours of shimmering sound, with the ambient vocals of Danica Hoffart and stand up bass of Trevor DePagie, as a backdrop to the hustle and bustle of people moving through the Madrid airport, and leading to the calm of being in the air."
Madrid airport takeoff reimagined by Wayne DeFehr.
IMAGE: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Ambient sound collected on board the Jerusalem - Tel Aviv railway just outside Jerusalem using a Zoom H1N field recorder. The audio was captured on board the train and includes predominantly the sound of the engine.
Recorded by Daniel Rosehill.
Typical ambient sound collected in Tel Aviv (with plenty of honking) using the Zoom H1N.
Recorded by Daniel Rosehill.
"The track "Under the train" is based on a recording of an Israeli train in Tel Aviv, recorded by Daniel Rosenhill. In 2020, there were more than 2,000 victims in the European Union related to train accidents. The vast majority of that number are suicides. Idea of full of reverb and delay loops and some sounds from Omnisphere and NI Kontakt synthesizers is to remind us of the grim aspect of trains and raise awareness of suicides - both conversations about it and attempts.
"The whole field recording provided by Rosehill is used three times during this piece - everytime with smaller and smaller delay feedback. The blurred textures of the train recording are becoming more and more concrete. We return from the gloomy atmosphere to a more "real" recording, to also remember that - especially long train trips surrounded by their sounds - are unique and majestic."
Tel Aviv train reimagined by Alan Grinde.
"The short piece for Tel Aviv is based on the recording of Daniel Rosehill and I thank him very much for the material he shared with me. This recording describes the urban environment of the city, (horns, cars, horns, horns, footsteps, sirens) is short and has some small noises at the end. I could describe it as technically difficult and that's why I chose it. I considered it a challenge!
"Also, Tel Aviv is a city I would love to visit because it has a sea, which I love, 300 days of sunshine a year, a warm climate and is located on the Mediterranean. So, I find many similarities with Greece, my country. That's why in the track I needed other sounds outside the original recording that I thought would be compatible with this polis. Sounds like wind, sea, footsteps, dogs, broken glass, thunder, etc.
"The piece is structurally divided into 3 parts. The first, main part and the other two are repetitions witη small variations. Technical treatments involve Pitch-Shifting, Time- Stretching, Granular Synthesis, Delay Lines and Filters.
Maybe there is a little fictional story behind the sounds. Did you listen carefully?"
Tel Aviv traffic reimagined by Maria Pelekanou.
"All sounds in the piece come from the original recording, but have been processed, usually by slowing down and adding delays. I really liked the original recording and spent a lot of time listening to it, finding the "small" and interesting sounds in it, and looked at them with a microscope by slowing down the playback. I have problems with christianity, and wanted to highlight both the beautiful aesthetics and the darker sides of it in my piece."
Coimbra's Igreja de Santa Cruz reimagined by Håkan Jonsson.
"I was inspired by the natural reverberation of Commercial Square in Coimbra, Portugal, with its outdoor activity of high pitched birds, dogs, and people.
I re-imagined it as a boundless dreamscape to be savored sonically."
Praca do Comercio, Coimbra reimagined by Dixie Treichel.
"A simple idea. Locate and have a conversation with a woman who was born in the late 1960s on or around the 12th of July in Belfast as the so called ’Troubles’ began to escalate. I wanted to hear what that small girl thought, felt and experienced growing up in such a place.
"I spoke with Mary*. Female, born 12 07 1968, raised Catholic and living just off the Falls Road in West Belfast. What Mary said about the trauma of childhood in Belfast was deeply affecting.
"My intention was to use the recording of the conversation in the sound work. However, the individual chose to remain anonymous and did not want the interview used, expressing genuine concern that her family might be at risk from intimidation and violence if identified. Mary allowed for some of the conversation to be transcribed to provide context for the sound work.
“'Born in '68, I grew up in Northern Ireland in the 1970s and ‘80s during the Troubles. We never celebrated my birthday. I never had party, it was just too dangerous. For myself, my parents, relations, friends and just about every other child or adult, daily life was punctuated with bomb attacks, incendiary devices, kidnappings, kneecappings, tar and featherings, murders and extrajudicial killings. All motivated in one way or another by sectarian division and hate. There was fear and conflict then and it continues to this day.'
"'The sound track of my life was silence and then violence and then silence again.'
"‘Troubles / Trioblóidí: Orange Disorder’ sound work uses the original field recording of the Orange Order march, which takes place every year on the 12th of July in Belfast. The base sample is combined with found sound processed using an impulse response (IR) recorded at St Peter’s Cathedral, located in the Divis Street area of the Falls Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
"Please be aware there are sudden, loud reports in this work. Caution is advised when listening with headphones."
- Not her real name
Orange Day parade reimagined by Simon Kennedy.
"Food courts are typically pretty hectic places, I wanted to provide the contrast of a bystander taking a step back and listening to what is happening, the way you tend to focus for a while and then let it wash over you at other times. I've used the Crave Synth by Behringer as the sound source, there are two self-generating patches that I've recorded and layered, processing with a variety of reverbs and delays."
Chicago airport food court reimagined by Andy Lyon.
IMAGE: https://www.flickr.com/photos/15216811@N06/, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A recording of part of a Sunday mass in the Igreja de Santa Cruz in central Coimbra, Portugal. Hymns sung by the congregation, prayers in Portuguese and fading into street sounds as we step outside the church into the square.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Northern Ireland Centennial Parade was delayed by one year. It was finally held on May 28, 2022, and hosted by The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland.
The parade featured around 130 bands and it began at the Stormont Estate, moving through to Belfast City Hall. This event marks the 100th birthday of Northern Ireland, with approximately 20,000 people in attendance. Recording is time-compressed to highlight a range of sounds from group gatherings, chants, whistles, bands, instruments, helicopters, vehicles, chatter, marching, drinking, and celebrating.
Recorded by Georgios Varoutsos.
As the sun begins to go down in Praca do Comercio in Coimbra, Portugal, restaurants start to set up with diners taking a pre-dinner drink on the tables outside, while swifts fly overhead calling to one another. A dog barks, breaking the peace.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
A busy, noisy food court in O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
IMAGE: https://www.flickr.com/photos/15216811@N06/, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A busker plays a series of famous tunes on a selection of wine glasses filled to different levels with liquid, creating a haunting, ethereal sound as she performs outside the Libreria Toletta bookshop in Venice.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"The piece selected was based on a soundtrack made in Venice - buskers producing melancholy music from wine glasses. This resonated with us because we had visited Venice repeatedly throughout the last decade and coincidentally enjoyed this busker’s music ourselves.
"We layered other sound memories onto this original track - these were made by us over the years. Almost all came from our Italian trips. The voice is trapped in the fragments of this better world - there is a sense of longing and nostalgia. Water flows - reminiscent of tears. Italian voices implore - entangled with a reminder that in our heyday we ran our lives ‘My Way’.
"A love song drags us back into the intimacy of relationships long gone. The voice remains trapped in these memories until the end. The combined voice and fairytale-like Beatles track ebb away at the end, just as life drifts away."
Venetian glass busker reimagined by Caroline Grimshaw and Stephen Mugford.
One of the most famous sights in Porto is the triumphant, sky-level Luis I bridge, a feat of engineering and a genuinely beautiful thing. The top of the bridge sees walkers, lovers and tourists sharing the space as the sun sets over Porto's iconic riverscape, while local trams rumble past periodically and gulls circle overhead. Evening life in Porto, captured in one recording.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"Seagulls fly from place to place, trains travel across the land, breathing takes us from moment to moment. A circular text has no end and no beginning. Scenes that are put together in a free improvisation process. Loops and sequences moving back and forward. One laptop, one MIDI device and two people."
Porto Luis I bridge reimagined by Katerina Minga-Gkagkopoulou and Andreas Papakostas-Smyris.
"Representing the fading light of the sun on urban environments, marking the passing of time, time it seems without progression and a decaying hope for the brighter futures.
"The recording was of a place I am very familiar with, and I remembered those days watching the autumnal sun fade whilst waiting for a train or tram. The recording features the Manchester tram soundmark, which I wanted to keep as an important feature in the track. The track is also a reflection of the apparent decent into darker and harder times that society is moving into in 2022-23, the decay of the brighter optimism replaced with a sense of impending change and hardship. The track uses the original recording overlayed with various manipulations of the original recording to create sonic layers to explore."
Victoria station, Manchester reimagined by Neil Spencer Bruce.
In Victoria Station, Manchester, the screeching and hooting of local trams coming and going fills the huge space as we listen and record. We then move across onto the platform, listening to local tram and train announcements, before discovering that there is a piano on the platform, with someone there entertaining passers-by and travellers with music to accompany them on their way.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"The field recording 'Azores Sanguinho' transported me to a space of peace and tranquility, the bird sounds, rain sounds made me virtually experience a journey through the woods.
"In the reimagination of this sound, I combined it with one of my own compositions called 'Timeless'. It is a piece for 4 performers. The sound that I used is from a live performance played by Gargi Chowdhury, Goutam Chakraborty, Gandharvi Khatua and Avigyan Khatua. This piece has trajectories and sounds which are similar to the 'Azores Sanguinho' sounds. When I layered them together along with the presence of the wet part of convolution reverb, it created a new dimension to the whole soundscape."
Sanguinho village, Azores reimagined by Pratyay Raha.
Bells are always a profound inspiration as they often herald the start of something new or the passing of something important. Autumn is the beginning of the passing of the year and although a joyous and wonderful time, brings with it an air of solemnity. This track focuses on the solemnity, not the joy.
Oxford bells for Elizabeth II reimagined by Moray Newlands.
Bells ring out on 9 September 2022 from Merton College chapel, Oxford continuously for an hour to mourn the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. The second, quieter bell is the more distant St. Mary's Church, which alternates chimes with this church for a haunting stereo effect.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Bells ring out on 9 September 2022 from St. Mary's Church, Radcliffe Square, Oxford continuously for an hour to mourn the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
As soon as I heard the inharmonic sounds of the bells I wanted to use it as a reverb. I selected the most prominent ring and used it as an impulse response in a convolution reverb - giving the whole piece an eery sound, almost as if it is being played inside a large bell. I used various synthesis techniques to create underlying pads to accompany a basic piano sound and looped a small section of noise from the recording to create a percussive element, both of which ultimately get swallowed up by the prominent bell. I wanted to convey how the world was essentially swallowed up by the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
Oxford bells in Radcliffe Square reimagined by Eli Farnhill.
This piece is a study of the gestural qualities of bodies of water. In maintaining the stereo image of the original field recording, but heavily manipulating its timbre through granular processing and convolution, "doe bay" invokes a pencil sketch, a charcoal contour, of the delicate monstrosity of our seas.
Vicenza stream reimagined by Ryan Kessler.
A binaural recording of two layers of a small weir stream around Parco Querini, Vicenza, Italy.
"I cut up the most distinct parts of the original track to highlight and repeat them. The rest of the track was kind of atmospheric and ambient sounding, so I layered up a bunch of sounds I had kicking around put some effects on them to back them off and put them together in an attempt to create a piece that was a bit of real world space walk in New York City. Nine and a half minutes to get lost in or... never get back."
New York Manhattan soundwalk reimagined by Mandy Hampson.
"As I listened to the field recording while looking at photos of Sanguinho, I immediately thought of a lost place. But not in a gloomy sense, since it seems as if the flora and fauna of the abandoned village had simply taken over. Everything seems bright and peaceful.
"The Portuguese fairy tale of the enchanted Mouras came to mind: I saw these beautiful maidens (bound by a spell to bridges, fountains or stone houses) doing their supernatural dance through Sanguinho at dawn."
Sanguinho village, Sao Miguel reimagined by Giant Skeletons.
"The field recording I worked with was one of prayer flags blown by the wind. I wanted to try and aim for a musical equivalent of that movement, the sunlight catching fabric from different angles, shadows dancing across the ground."
Prayer flags in China reimagined by de Velden.
The village of Sanguinho was inhabited for more than a century by a population that took refuge in this area due to the overflow of the Faial da Terra River. Twenty houses were built with pig pens, four sheds and a haystack. The emigration in the 60s and 70s and the difficulty children faced getting to school were the main causes of depopulation and the abandonment of this village. Today it has been partially restored as a tourist eco-village, but much of it remains abandoned and mysterious.
Rain, abandoned silence, birdsong and a passing cat recorded by Cities and Memory.
The sound of prayer flags by Qinghai Lake mixed with birdsong and wind sounds. Recorded in Gonghe County, Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province by Lang Tao.
"The piece is comprised of the waterfall field recording from the archive, 2 of my own recordings (dripping faucet and kettle boiling), voice track and family footage audio from my childhood.
"'Swimming practice' explores the duality of nostalgia, as both a comforting and warm experience of memory, and an unsettling and anxious sense of loss."
Salto do Prego waterfall reimagined by Ariella Fisher.
"The recording contains the sound of bells on the Chapel Hill in Osobowice - a district of Wroclaw. The recording was made at noon in September 2022. The chapel is surrounded by trees and stands on the edge of the forest. You can hear some wind, the sound of trees and shifting leaves. At the beginning of the recording you can hear a train in the distance and the barking of dogs from the local animal shelter. The recording was made with a Free Space Pro II binaural microphone (3DIO Sound)."
Recorded by Alan Grinde.
"Since the sound is recorded at a climate protest, I directly thought about what could convey the idea of resistance. As a musician, when thinking about resistance, I always tend to go towards afrobeat and other sounds inspired by it, but this time I thought about going in the reggae direction, which has always been a form of protest and a voice for the oppressed.
"Also, COP 27 (the climate summit) was happening in my country at the same time when I was working with this field recording, which made it much more relevant.
The sound inspired me as well as a protest against how detached humans have become from nature, and the chant the activist is singing resonates with the idea of harmony and unity with our surroundings, and it is a call to reconnect with our habitat."
Climate change protest in Edinburgh reimagined by Hossam Hilal.
Deep in the Azorean forest, we trekked to the Salto do Prego waterfall to take some recordings of this hidden gem on the island of Sao Miguel. Recording just above the fall rather than beneath it meant that the resultant recording was richer and more tonally satisfying.
Recorded in Sao Miguel, Azores by Cities and Memory.
"On Saturday 12 November 2022 in Edinburgh, a coalition of climate groups marched through the city to demand Climate Justice in solidarity with the Global Day of Action called by Egyptian groups at COP27. Performances, songs and chants featured throughout, some of which captured via field recordings.
"This recording was from the end of the march outside the Scottish Parliament and includes a call and response style chant original by Chilean protest, in Spanish and then English."
Recorded by Bobby Jewell.
"I like both the musical unpredictability, and familiarity of church bells, and I wanted to play on this with this piece. I decided to take out aspects of the total recording, and mess with them, sometimes changing their pitch, other times playing with filters or rhythmic changes. I wanted to reemphasise their somewhat wonky nature and how they can both challenge and comfort the listener."
Bells in Wroclaw reimagined by Suzi Lamb.
"The airport recording with its many languages brought back memories of a trip to Santorini with my close Greek friends when I was just 18 and the Aegean islands were still undiscovered by mass tourism. The island seemed to us part of another world. One of those friends and I remembered that trip together, and I fractured and rearranged that conversation to disrupt time and place in a way that's parallel to but different from their disruption in the airport."
Santorini airport reimagined by Maria Margaronis.
IMAGE: Hhss8228, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Inside a busy departure hall at Santorini airport, Greece, with lots of travellers, some nervous tourists and security sounds. Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
IMAGE: Hhss8228, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Cities and Memory founder Stuart Fowkes talks to Sarah Montague on BBC Radio 4's World At One programme on 28 November 2022 about the launch of the Obsolete Sounds project and the emotional resonance of disappearing sounds - and we listen to typewriters, cassette recorders, Super-8 projectors and a composition from the project.
"The ocean is a very special place for me. I am drawn to its tumultuous beauty and constant changing personality which I wanted to express in this work. The recording has different positions in the track sometimes in the forefront, sometimes as background just like in life as we experience nature."
Rajbag beach, India reimagined by Firephly.
A sound not heard anywhere else in the world - this is the sound of the geothermal fumarole pools in Furnas in the Azores. These bubbling pools are naturally geothermal, and are used to cook the cozidos stew, which is submerged in pots each morning by local restaurants, cooks through the heat of the Earth and is retrieved by ropes at the end of the day. It's a dish - and a cooking method - unique to this part of the world, and as such it's also a unique and special field recording.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"The mellow evening ambient sounds of a garden in Goa are the perfect catalyst for a transportive journey. I added a progression to colour the journey and provide a bit of context to the fantasy world I was aiming for."
Hotel gardens in Natravali reimagined by Eulipion Corps.
"I knew there was music in the ripple and found a faded memory of lakeside reels and a wide angled shot of a small boat in a body of water.
Sampled looped and processed with Akai MPC, finished in Ableton. The amazing Audiority Grainspace for unduelling banjoes."
Lough Doon, Ireland reimagined by Simon Greenwood (Nonalogue).
"I found the original recording mournful (rather than sad) and slightly comic. I have used some of the original recording and altered (using filters) fragments. To this I added sampled instrument and vocal sounds."
Fumaroles in Furnas reimagined by Richard Gadd.
A field recording made on a dawn kayaking adventure on Lough Doon, in County Clare Ireland.
I made an early start and headed to the lake to paddle for a while and make a coffee, before the school run and work.
This was recorded just as the sun began to rise and the mist that hung over the cool lake burnt off. Other that my inefficient paddling style, you can hear the logging trucks on the road along the northern shore of the lake and a particularly noisy cow.
Rcorded by Barnaby Nutt.
2022-06-16 8.47PM; The Postcard Hideaway resort gardens, Natravali, at night; the sound of evening wildlife in tropical rural India. Recorded by Mark Wilden.
2022-06-18 5.05PM; Rajbag beach, Goa, India, almost deserted, just before the late monsoon under doomy clouds. Recorded by Mark Wilden.
"The inspiration behind this piece was the story of the Phoenix, the immortal bird associated with Greek mythology, which symbolizes rebirth and new purpose in a never-ending cycle. Its imagery of passion, love, will, creativity and life remind us that we have within us the fire and resources to heal and become new again.
"This track was created with the help of my friend Nico Meyering, an amazing sound engineer.
"A field recording that I used combines sounds of nature and bells sounds, which both can be beneficial to our health and well-being.
"As part of the culture, practice and religious ceremonies, the sound of bells holds special meanings. Looking into the ancient past, bells were sounded to bring people to congregate and participate in rituals and ceremonies. Until today such practices are still upheld.
"The sound of bells is often used in sound therapy, it’s believed to help to manage a broad range of health conditions.
"Nature sounds can be an important part of our lives. They are great for relaxation, can boost mood, decrease stress, enhance nervous system function, and improve focus and concentration. Immersing in the sounds of nature and a green environment has often been linked with well-being.
"I believe we and our cities can only be healthy if we connect and harmonize together and with nature.
"Birdsong and bell sound have been turned into pads and tuned to an A-minor scale and harmonic frequencies of 222, 444, and 888 Hz. A melodic structure of the track has been created by resampling the birdsong and another bell sound.
|Together with Nico, I added other sounds to create a piece made of two sections: a darker one and a brighter one to honour the cycles of life and nature and bring a message of hope to the world: that no matter what you are struggling with, poverty, conflict, ill health, climate change, or individual mental health struggles such as depression or loneliness, together as a collective or as individuals, every one of us can rise, be reborn, and start over.
|If you resonate with this soundtrack, you have become aware of your deepest energies vibrating from those life-crushing pressures, but then become self-renewing as life goes on. The uplifting sounds take you back to love and hope.
I hope that listening will create within you a new sense of well-being and possibility."
Ponta Delgada church bells reimagined by Micca.
"I used the sound of the bells sampled from the field recording. Samples were adjusted using Volca Sample. I also used AE Modular synthesizer to create my own bell-like sounds and put them through various modular filters, and effects (phaser, delay, shimmer). Other synths used: Behringer Neutron, Korg Minilogue XD. The whole piece was arranged and recorded in real time using hardware synths only."
Piazza dell'Insurrezione Easter bells reimagined by Artur Kinal (Synthotherapy).
Image: Massimo Nardin, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"The idea for this composition came to me quickly after listening to the field recording of a mountain stream, near Rifugio San Marco, in the Italian Dolomites for the first time. I immediately imagined a cascading stream on a sunny day, a clear blue sky and light reflecting off the surface of the water as it descended through nature, a song of hopeful potential.
"Although this particular recording originated in Italy, I was reminded of one of my favorite quotes from Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of the Japanese martial art Aikido:
“Do not fail to learn from the pure voice of an ever-flowing mountain stream splashing over the rocks,” and so I named this track Voce Pura.
"The field recording, in varying forms, runs throughout the entire song like water winding through the Dolomite mountains. I chose keys that sounded crisp, sparkling and airy, yet flowed from one note to the next. At several points, a traditional drum kit is overlaid with two different drum machines as the music surges; and mixes with complimentary beats like water rolling over rocks one instance and suddenly levelling out, mingling in a shallow pool before flowing once again."
Mountain stream at Rifugio San Marco, Dolomites reimagined by Point/Call.
"Over the last few months i have been obsessively listening to the music of Phillip Jeck and Janek Schaefer again, whilst becoming more comfortable building songs and textures outside of a DAW environment. Working with the original field recording of train station sounds, sirens, bells and the doppler effect present, I decided to use a pared-down recording set up for the Cities and Memory Autumn Project.
"I fed the original recording into a Soma Labs COSMOS to achieve drift and blur (and chaos) I used a basic small sine wave generator to anchor the drift and blur and add some bass tones. These basic tracks were fed into an old sampler to layer and shape. Finally I recorded some tongue drum and prepared guitar scrapings using a telephone mic (maximum lo-fi!) over the top.
"This was then resampled, played live in the sampler and recording to my Zoom H4N. I produced a number of different recording variations. Three were chosen at random, cut to the same length, layered on top of each other and this became the final track."
Coimbra B station warning bells reimagined by Andy Billington.
At the Igreja Matriz de Sao Sebastiao church in Ponta Delgada (Sao Miguel, the Azores), church bells ring out and play their daily melody at midday, taking their place among the sounds of daily life in the town.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
At Coimbra B train station, sets of bells ring to warn of approaching trains, so that pedestrians move away from the track crossing. The bells are arranged so they swap tones, creating a fascinating and distinctive Doppler effect - you can also hear announcements and a passing police siren in this rich field recording.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
A trickling, peaceful mountain stream crosses a footpath close to Rifugio San Marco, close to San Vito di Cadore in the Italian Dolomites.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"A lost soul on their eternal return to the same space, their beautiful memory of their last and eternal journey."
Manchester tram journey reimagined by Jon Ogara.
Image: G-13114, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"Apart from the addition of some percussion and the words of the 45th President, the entire piece is based on manipulation of the field recording. Tijuana marks the western end of the "big, beautiful wall"..."
Tijuana in the rain reimagined by Nick St. George.
Image: Cbojorquez75, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A pealing cascade of celebratory bells ring out for Easter across Piazza dell'Insurrezione in Padova, Italy. We hear from from inside a nearby bookshop and immediately run outside, recording device in hand, to capture the moment as it happens.
Recorded by Cities and Memory, April 2022.
Image: Massimo Nardin, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A journey from Cornbrook to Deansgate on Manchester's iconic tram system - exiting the train, standing on the platform, announcements in a distinctive regional English accent and more tram arrivals as we exit.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Image: G-13114, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Walking in the rain along calle tercera from Av Constitucion to Av Miguel F Martinez, then North on Martinez to calle segunda in Zona Centro, Tijuana, BC, Mexico. The sound of rain, traffic, street vendors, an old woman singing, a man playing the accordion with his daughter, conversations and music on a festive night before Noche Buena.
Recorded by Brandon Anjeleno.
Image: Cbojorquez75, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This composition is built from a sound walk from 8th and 37th in Manhattan, New York, late at night. That night, when making the recording, it almost felt as if the city was so powerful and all-present that it could consume you entirely unless you resisted it.
It brought to mind a poem I’d written as part of a collection called Chartless/demagnetised, released in 2021, called “City”, which is also about the overwhelming nature of what it feels like to purely experience a city in every fibre of your being.
The field recording sits underneath a bed of ambient soundscapes, rising and falling with the rhythm of the city and of the piece so that your awareness of it changes throughout the piece. The composition features fourteen voices reading out lines from the poem, which forms the centre of the piece.
New York soundwalk reimagined by Cities and Memory.
Poem text:
Tonight the city hangs suspended,
waiting vampiric to add my story
to the countless thousands
already drummed
drummed
drummed
into its concrete steps
blood gorged on by its handrails,
drained hungrily by pavements like the first rain of a new season.
The street lights are perfect puncture wounds
through which, Saturno devorando above,
peeling back the skin,
it can trace my footsteps;
trapped in illustrious alleyways
gilded by the achievements of generations.
I need somewhere practical, like the sea
(unfussily inhaling and exhaling trade routes)
that leaves me space to write my own ending.
Poem readers:
Ella Kay
Emmy Tither
Kitty Turner
Steffi Neuhuber
Cristina Marras
Ronan McQuillan
Marcelo Caneiro de Lima
Euan McAleece
Joel Graham
Jon Ogara
Simon Woods
Andy Lyon
Robert Sookhan
Bruce Davenport
Field recording of a classic New York soundscape, walking through midtown Manhattan starting from 8th & 37th late at night. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"The Vale of Health pond apparently is a drained marsh area called Hatches bottom (of questionable repute) circa 1770. So I cleaned up the recording and thought about how the people hoped a name change would bring people to recreate and live.
In the 1800s it became a hotspot for writers and such so I introduced some tone but not enough to cover the whole pond. In 1973 a committee was set up to restrict inappropriate development, so I introduced the idea of whales floating across the sky while people listening to the sounds are on the bank, fishing."
Vale of Health pond reimagined by Joel Graham.
"When I first heard this field recording, it immediately made me feel like I was being awaken by cockerels in a farmstead not far from a convent where nuns could be heard singing Matins. Therefore I created a choir and added some melodic sounds to suit the idyllic landscape the overall sounds lead me to imagine being in. To the original sound I simply added some forest echo and then mixed it with the musical composition having it running throughout the music and then fade out."
Azorean farm sounds reimagined by Helder Rock AKA The Night Passenger and the Panda.
"This is such a familiar natural sound one that could be heard anywhere on the planet. I thought it would be interesting to just manipulate small sections of the original recording and build up layers. In the end it got fairly psychedelic with very little manipulation."
Roosters in the forest reimagined by Euan McAleece.
At a crossroads in the forest near the Salto do Prego waterfall on Sao Miguel in the Azores, we stop for lunch among a few proud roosters, a selection of hens and some chicks.
The hens and chicks are feeding close to the microphone of our recorder, while the cockerels crow and jostle for supremacy around us.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
At Casa da Palha on Sao Miguel in the Azores, we listen on a clear, bright morning to the sounds of cows, donkeys and various birds feeding in the field next to us.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
A sunny 8am Tuesday morning at the Vale of Health pond, Hampstead Heath London. You can hear a variety of different birds singing including two geese who were sat in the water near by. In the background is the buzz of the morning traffic and you hear the footsteps of a runner near the end of the recording.
Recorded by Ross Burns.
The original field recording focuses on the conversation of one specific speaker, a budding chef who talks about learning how to cook from recipes and cooking his own meals. Behind this, the sounds of New York build and grow, with passing traffic and sirens swallowing up the conversation.
This composition, titled The Chef, starts with our protagonist's words front and centre over a musical soundscape that represents the movement and urgency of one the western world's busiest cities. The swelling sounds of the city are painted with huge delays and tape effects, and we allow them to grow, consume and overtake the sounds of its citizens. Sooner or later, the city takes us all over.
Reimagined by Cities and Memory.
A soundscape qalking down Houston Street, New York focusing mostly on one man's conversation, with traffic and street noises and a passing police siren.
Binaural recording - best to listen with headphones.
Recorded by overmedium.
"The title “The integrity of the gesture was lost” and the inspiration for this composition came from Antwerp, a novella by the Chilean author Roberto Bolaño. He said he wrote the book “for the ghosts, who, because they're outside of time, are the only ones with time.” This is the sentence that hooked me in: “Fleeing together long ago became living together and thus the integrity of the gesture was lost; the shine of immediate past.”
"Somehow the sound sample I chose for the underlying backbone of the composition - Antwerp Port Epic, Entering The Lion’s Zone - reminded me of an imaginary moment, when “The integrity of the gesture was lost”. I call my music memory recordings, that expose the complex relationship between music and silence. Ghosts and time are themes prominently featured in the atmospheres and rhythms throughout this piece."
"A fantasy taking place on Venice's Grand Canal. A stroller along the Canal walks into a world-famous art show, and quickly leaves again. Somehow, life on the Canal seems more real, and attractive, than life inside the walls of Art. He walks further, inland from the Canal, through a small campo (open area), and ends where the only sounds are pigeons and distant children playing. True peace!"
Venice's Grand Canal reimagined by John Tenney
The sounds of Venice's legendary Grand Canal, as heard from the palazzo of the equally legendary Peggy Guggenheim art gallery - the classic sounds of Venetian boat traffic.
Recorded by Cities and Memory, August 2022.
Since 2015, unpaved roads were included in the route of the then "Schaal Sels" cycling race, which meant that the race was followed both at home and abroad. This increasing international media attention led to the race continuing to be known as the "Antwerp Port Epic". A large part of the race is ridden in the Antwerp Polder, where a large number of rural dirt roads and tricky cobbled sections can still be found.
The name refers to two places that are important to the race: on the one hand, the city of Antwerp, which has served as the start and finish location since 2018; on the other hand, the Port of Antwerp, which is also an important part of the circuit. The word Epic in turn refers to both the past and the present of the race.
Cycling journalist Jacques-Charles Sels was, just before he died, exploring an epic three-day stage race between Milan and Antwerp in the context of the 1920 Summer Olympics (which were held in Antwerp). He wanted a race with character. Since 2018, Antwerp Port Epic has gone through life as a UCI 1.1 race that is always run at the end of May.
This place on the calendar, together with the unpaved sections, will ensure a spectacular race in which the world cyclocross stars will battle against the top cyclists on the road. The ambition of the organisation is to eventually grow into a UCI ProSeries race.
In the Polder van Zandvliet, the riders will ride on a stretch of unpaved road at "Ruige Heide", next to the A12 motorway.
Recorded by Tony Van Dorst.
Sound of wildlife at dawn in the Nantou mountain forests, near Zhongliao Township in Taiwan. Recorded by James A. Holland.
Salto do Rosal in the Azores reimagined by Simon Woods.
"The original waterfall sounds have been filtered in many different ways. Added to this are recordings water with contact and standard microphones.
"Synths sounds of water both analogue and FM based before conventional synth sounds finally added."
Coimbra jazz quartet reimagined by Scott Lawrence Whitman.
"I looped and processed the original short phrase heard at the beginning of the piece via granular and modular synthesis adding only percussion."
Nantou mountain soundscape reimagined by Ryan Chiang.
"Everything growing dramatically fast outside the time and space we can reach and perceived."
Canadian swamp soundscape reimagined by Andrea Calla.
"A soothing ambient piece almost completely comprised of derivative sounds from the original "Canada Prince George Frogs Croaking", transformed with heavy use of DSP.
"At first, I picked the "Canada Prince George Frogs Croaking" as one of the most uniform and with, basically, a single source. As the "cleanest source" to build a soundscape around it.
"However, the process and results thus far didn't really work. So, I scrapped everything and waited to listen to some remixes coming in. To check if an abstract piece would fit the requirements. That confirmed such pieces were welcome. Time to pivot!
"At first I played around with PaulXStretch, (as one does in this cases :P), to see if it would provide a rich enough derivative sonic palette. And It did! Besides the "Tibetan bowl" (which is not a Tibetan bowl), the children, and the thunder; every sound you hear comes from the original source. Heavily transformed, chopped, looped, reversed, effect'd, edited, and so on.
"Personally, making (this kind of) music is therapeutic and cathartic. I hope it can relax you too."
A saxophone-led jazz quartet set up on a staircase in an alleyway in the backstreets of Coimbra, during the Coimbra Jazz Festival, May 2022. The sound of the music reverberates around off the tall buildings around us, and mixes with the lively street sounds of passers-by in the town centre.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
A walk in the forests outside the town of Furnas on the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores, culminating in a visit to the hidden Salto do Rosal waterfall, from where this recording was made. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Frogs in early spring, just as the sun is rising and sunshine hits the swamp in Prince George, Canada. Recorded by Latham Elle.
This is probably the only time we've ever found the sound of a chainsaw relaxing. Listening from a couple of hundreds metres above, we're watching a man work on some large logs with two different types of chainsaw, while around us the scene is idyllic. Mountain trees rustle gently in the breeze, there is the occasional burst of birdsong, and up in the mountains the air is so pure and free from pollution of all kinds (noise pollution included) that everything has a particularly soft edge to it.
This composition is a small tribute to that unique quality of sound up in the mountains, and an attempt to dissociate the sound of the chainsaw from its more traditional associations with destruction, intrusive noise - and indeed terror.
Chainsaws in the Dolomites reimagined by Cities and Memory.
Staying overnight at Rifugio San Marco in the Dolomites, we hear the sound of someone chainsawing logs off at a distance, somewhere below us. You can hear two different types of chainsaw being started up and used, one smaller and one larger, birdsong, and the wind gently rustling through the trees all around us. Oddly, at such a distance and being carried by the unique qualities of mountain air, the chainsaw - not a device known for inducing calm - sounds strangely relaxing to us.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
A British-style brass band marching down the High Street in Delph, Saddleworth, playing to a crowd of several thousand, as part of the traditional Whit Friday brass band marches and contests in North West England.
Recorded by Phil Driscoll.
"I took the chant of “Delph” and mixed it with an old recording of part of a church service. I adapted the brass band sound and mixed this in as well. The idea is that there is a religious fervour to the chant in support of Delph brass band in the brass band competition."
Brass band competition in Delph, UK reimagined by Jon Ogara.
"Yokohama station attracted me because it is a non-place, one of those places where we meet other human beings without creating any relationship, places that must have no history or identity.
"Places such as hospital corridors, doctor’s waiting rooms, public offices, reception areas and also the rooms of certain hotels.
"Generally, entering these non-places requires us to show some sort of identification, sometimes we also asked to pay a ticket to enter. Once inside, we become completely anonymous, indifferent, we enter into a sort of temporal apnea.
Zygmunt Bauman defines them as "spaces devoid of the symbolic expressions of identity, relationships and history", and adds that "never before in the history of the world have non-places occupied so much space".
"They are spaces created to let time pass, where time expands. Michel Foucault defines these spaces of nothingness ‘heterotopias’, in contrast to utopias. They are spaces intended for people who, in relation to society and the human environment in which they live, are in a state of crisis.
"They are places where we will always be out of place. My creation starts from the original track of Yokohama station upon which I have added a series of ‘recommendations to the passengers’ delivered by the Speakers themselves which embody the spirit of such non-places. In this composition, I have tried to use a pace that reflects the rhythm normally used in train station announcements."
Yokohama station reimagined by Gianfranco Bitti.
Guitar busker in Vicenza reimagined by Finlay Wright.
"A lovely recording I felt compelled to leave be, and just add a simple synth line or two to."
"Above the station an eerie whine emanates, the labouring train gasps."
Recorded at Yokohama station by Emiko Morita.
On the main shopping street of Corso Andrea Palladio in Vicenza, northern Italy, we listen to a busker with a guitar singing an Italian song in the middle of the Christmas holidays, as shoppers pass by.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"A surreal exchange of words by the Aurora Bridge, near the railway. A dialogue between unlikely spies that makes a mockery of spy stories with irony and nonsense."
Hannover hydroelectric plant reimagined by Cristina Marras.
On Friday, September 9, 2022, at 12:00 pm, various church bells across the UK sounded off in tribute to the death of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll, following her passing on September 8th, 2022.
The recording took place on the front lawn of the Lanyon Building, the main building of Queen’s University Belfast, which also brought its main flag down to half-mast position. Sounds of daily life can be heard, ranging from cyclists, pedestrians, motor and emergency vehicles, birds, pedestrian crossings, and other local sounds in the area.
The Church Bells were subtle and found gaps in the environmental soundscape to emerge and be heard. Each varied in duration, loudness, and placement in the listening experience. The bells mark a time of respect, change, and remembrance after a 70-year reign from the late Queen.
Recorded by Georgios Varoutsos.
IMAGE: Steven Lek, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"In the field recording, the church bell is the sound I want to highlight and respond to. But how should I answer with the bell? How can I preserve the uniqueness of this recording?
"Instead of replying to it musically, I chose to process the recording in my own way. I kept the content. I transformed it from reality to an abstract world."
Bells for Queen Elizabeth II in Belfast reimagined by Lauren Wong.
IMAGE: Steven Lek, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In this recording, you can hear the power of water in a small power plant in Hanover. The driven turbine can be heard from inside.
Recorded by Jürgen Morgenstern-Feise.
Well-Being Cities is a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis.
Thirty-five artists from 14 countries all over the world were chosen from a global open call for applications.
Each has taken inspiration from a field recording from one of 36 cities around the world, including 21 of the C40 cities themselves.
The compositions cover a staggering array of creative styles, from spoken word and radio art to ambient music, electroacoustic compositions and full-on electronic reworkings.
Just as varied as the musical and sonic approaches taken are the thematic addresses of the project’s central questions. Compositions reflect on the impact of the Covid-19 lockdowns, climate change, the homogenisation of the modern city, rising urban noise levels, the incorporation of sound into city planning and the collision of the modern with the traditional.
At the heart of the project is one central, 21-minute composition entitled “Well-Being Cities”. This composition is built from a selection of reimagined compositions and original field recordings to create a coherent musical narrative that takes the listener on a journey through the themes addressed by the project.
We begin, as many great novels do, in a train station, as we commence our journey in Ho Chi Min City and Kigali with two piano pieces that ask us to take a breath and consider how noise invades and permeates our urban environment. In France, we pause to meditate and think about those spaces in a city that truly invite reflection, quiet and peace, and how these can be preserved and cherished.
From here, the piece takes a darker turn, as a potential nuclear threat emerges, mixed with considerations of defensive architecture, smart cities and the climate crisis.
Heeding the warning of today’s young people, the piece moves on to ask us how we can work together to co-create a sustainable city that priorities health and well-being, by learning from one another – and, crucially, learning to truly listen to our cities.
Finally, as the pace and urgency picks up, our Well-Being Cities journey ends in the unique urban environment of Venice, running through a rapid-fire wishlist of desires, from community and energy-saving to creative spaces that offer something for everyone. We end on a note of hope and commitment from the “can-do generation” to work together for the benefit of those around us – and those who will follow us.
The “Well-Being Cities” central composition includes excerpts from 17 countries: Chile, Croatia, Cuba, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Rwanda, Turkey and Vietnam.
*To recreate the effect of this sound installation, we strongly recommend listening through headphones.*
The Well-Being Cities sound installation is an hour-long interactive tour across 31 countries, starting with the furthest from Buenos Aires in Seoul, with each destination one step closer until we arrive at our host city with the final recording.
On one side of the installation space, you will hear an original field recording from that city, documenting a moment in its life. On the other side of the space, you will hear a reimagined composition built from that original recording, with each artist inspired by the source material and the question of what constitutes well-being in a city for them. The pieces change in sync, so the field recording and reimagined composition change to the next destination at precisely the same time.
By physically moving around the space, the listener is able to create his or her own sound mix by proximity to either set of speakers, focusing on the field recording, the composition, and how the two blend with and interact with one another. We invite the listener to participate by immersing themselves in the sound and exploring how 31 artists have reinterpreted the sounds of 31 cities.
The recordings and compositions you will hear are listed in the timecode below.
TIMECODE:
0.00-1.02: Seoul, South Korea – Mullaedong machine shop
(reimagined composition by Eulipion Corps)
1.02-1.50: Chengdu, China – Wenshuyuan temple
(reimagined composition by Point/Call)
1.50-2.50: Fengyuan City, Taiwan – Fengdong twilight market
(reimagined composition by Maribel Tafur)
2.50 -5.06: Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam – train station at night
(reimagined composition by Stefan Klaverdal)
5.06-6.03: Bangkok, Thailand – Wat Pho temple
(reimagined composition by Phexioenesystems)
6.03-7.30: Stockholm, Sweden – tourists at the royal palace
(reimagined composition by Janae Jean)
7.30-8.51: Istanbul, Turkey – Tahiri Sali Pazari bazaar
(reimagined composition by Akari Komura)
8.51-10.58: Warsaw, Poland – quiet streets during the Covid-19 lockdowns
(reimagined composition by Arvik Torrenssen)
10.58-13.00: Adelaide, Australia – morning birdsong during the Covid-19 lockdowns
(reimagined composition by Rob Law)
13.00-16.58: Copenhagen, Denmark – alert siren test
(reimagined composition by Bill Stevens)
16.58-18.21: Skopje, North Macedonia – busy street life
(reimagined composition by Nicolo Scolieri)
18.21-19.46: Berlin, Germany, Bellevue train station at night
(reimagined composition by Cities and Memory)
19.46-21.15: Sarajevo, Bosnia – santur player outside a café
(reimagined composition by Thomas Ellison)
21.15-25.08: Zadar, Croatia – sea organ sound sculpture
(reimagined composition by Andy Billington)
25.08-27.16: Amsterdam, Netherlands – pedestrian crossing outside Vrije Universitat
(reimagined composition by Rob Knight)
27.16-28.03: Exeter, England – young people’s climate protest, 2021
(reimagined composition by Ella Kay)
28.03-29.53: Nairobi, Kenya – inside Jomo Kenyatta airport
(reimagined composition by Flora Zajicek and Cicely Fell)
29.53-31.50: Madrid, Spain – Plaza Cascorro during the Covid-19 lockdowns
(reimagined composition by Mark Taylor)
31.50-36.13: Coimbra, Portugal – traditional fado performance from the A Capella fado house
(reimagined composition by Moray Newlands)
36.13-38.56: Kigali, Rwanda – daily life in Gahanga market
(reimagined composition by Cities and Memory)
38.56-41.30: Wellington, New Zealand – the Zealandia nature reserve
(reimagined composition by Cristina Marras)
41.30-43.01: New York, USA – a busker plays John Coltrane on the High Line
(reimagined composition by Wayne DeFehr)
43.01-44.02: Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso – local band playing in a bar
(reimagined composition by Emmanuel Witzthum)
44.02-44.53: Mexico City, Mexico – band plays a traditional song in the street during the Covid-19 lockdowns
(reimagined composition by Abhishek Sekhri)
44.53-46.01: St. Louis, Senegal – anti-Covid handwashing song plays on the radio
(reimagined composition by Antriksh Bali)
46.01-47.54: Havana, Cuba – classic Cuban streetscape
(reimagined composition by Wahinya Mwirikia with D-Empress Evoke)
47.54-49.40: Bogotá, Colombia – manifestants’ protest denouncing corruption, 2019
(reimagined composition by Wijnand Bredewold)
49.40-50.49: Lima, Peru – city garden ambience
(reimagined composition by Steffen Kirchhoff)
50.49-52.38: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – pot-banging panelao protest against Bolsonaro
(reimagined composition by Maddie Baird)
52.38-54.47: Santiago, Chile – chinchineros traditional street drumming performance
(reimagined composition by Museleon)
54.47-56.14: Buenos Aires, Argentina – musical decontamination march
(reimagined composition by Neil Spencer Bruce)Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"A journey through Manchester on a Piccadilly line tram, taking in a few musical sounds of the city.
The background sounds are made up of fragments of the tram sounds."
Piccadilly station in Manchester reimagined by Simon Woods.
The sound of trams entering and leaving from the tunnel-like Piccadilly tram station space in Manchester. We hear the screech of wheels, the beeps of intercoms, passengers entering and leaving, and engine sounds reflecting the reverb sounds of the tunnel.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
The haunting drone of an air conditioning unit in an ancient corridor in the impressive John Rylands library in Manchester. The unit is designed to dry out the air to protect the ancient and valuable books, and the building itself, but adds a sinister edge to such a dark, almost Gothic space.
The library was commissioned in 1890 by his wife Enriqueta Rylands in memory of her late husband.
This world class collection includes the oldest known piece of the New Testament, the St John Fragment. Other treasures of the vast, varied collection include magnificent illuminated medieval manuscripts and a 1476 William Caxton edition of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"I selected different parts of the original sample and processed them through a number of digital resonators and filters to achieve the final result."
John Rylands library air conditioning reimagined by Rod Dykeman.
"I love the various chants in the original field recording so I've used those at the centre of my reimagined piece. I isolated them and created a melody behind them. I have also used various other samples from the original recording to create background rhythms. The name of the piece comes from a comment by someone in the crowd."
Arsenal vs. Leicester City reimagined by Richard Watts.
Arsenal vs. Leicester City, 13 March 2022. Thomas Partey scores the first goal in a 2-0 win, provoking wild celebrations, cheering and chanting in the North Bank corner at the Emirates Stadium, London.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
""The Piece is called "Welcome to Abundancia". Abundancia is the name of
the imaginary city that has achieved a state of total balance, harmony,
abundance and integration of nature. It serves as a playground and safe
home for it citizens and provides all that is needed for its people and
animals to thrive and (Abun)dance together. The track invites you to
experience how it sounds and feels to spent a day in this magical
sanctuary from sunrise to sunset.
"I chose field recording number 21 for this project because intuitively I
felt drawn to it and also because I was looking for a recording that
contains birds and nature sounds because to me a city can only be
healthy and offer well-being if it has found a way to embrace, honor and
harmonize with nature. So I took this field recording and turned it into
a drone sound by boosting harmonic frequencies (111 Hz, 222 Hz, 444 Hz,
888 Hz) with an EQ and processing it with effects. This drone served as
the main inspiration, I also re-sampled the sounds of the field
recording and created a more rhythmical texture. Based on that I started
to play around with different elements and step by step the journey took
shape.
"In Abundancia people have found a way to remove all stress and toxicity
and to live in harmony and flow by getting rid of all distracting and
unnecessary elements, by focusing on what brings joy and well-being and
by living in community instead of isolation. The city has its name
because the main goal is to offer and create abundance for all. It has
huge community gardens that provide high quality organic food and
medicine plants for everyone and many sources of pure clean and fresh
water can be found in and around the city. There are also beautiful
parks where people do spiritual practices like Yoga, Meditation, Qi-Gong
etc. together. To reflect that in my music I used a lot of organic
sounds for percussions and textures and you can hear water in many
different elements, the main drum in the first part is a water drum for
example. And I included additional field recordings of the jungle
because I really wanted to emphasize the importance and healing effect
of a city being a biotope. Abundancia is known for its biodiversity and
measures success by the amount of different species that can be found in
its environment.
"The citizens of Abundancia live in joy, happiness and a sense of
fulfillment and purpose because all jobs and services are directly
connected to support and serve the community. And everyone has the
opportunity and is encouraged to follow their passion. They also
understand that they create their reality individually and collectively
based on their thoughts, beliefs and emotions and that there is no
limitation to what they can create except for what they can't imagine.
People realized that fear and lack have been created in the past by
limiting and negative beliefs but everyone in Abundancia is constantly
reminded of the power they have as creator beings and that's why fear no
longer exists because people have realized that it does not serve them
to focus on fearful and negative thoughts and instead they always ask
themselves how they can create more beauty, love and abundance.
"The city is very colorful and a huge playground for all kinds of
creative expressions and art forms. The people in Abundancia have
understood and mastered the meta-physical principles of frequency,
energy, vibration and resonance and therefore the architecture and
design reflects and is based on sacred geometry and cosmic harmonics
that help to create an energy field of coherence and harmony in and
around the city. I reflected this idea in this piece as well by tuning
all the elements and instruments to 444 Hz, a tuning that is based on
the powerful 111 Hz harmonic (which is also included in the track) and
that allows for a musical and harmonious integration of solfeggio
frequencies.
"111Hz is found in ancient Neolithic chambers such as New Grange in
Ireland and the Hypogeum in Malta. It has been used in Russia since the
1940s for insomnia (electrosleep treatment), and since the 1970s this
111 Hz has been used in Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulator (CES)
treatment for anxiety, depression, insomnia, enhancing memory, brain
function, anhedonia (inability to experience pleasure), and more…”
In 2013, 111Hz was found by Dr. Vladimir shCherbak and astrobiologist
Maxim Makukov in Kazakhstan to be the first number code in our DNA.
Research by Dr. Ian Cook of UCLA in 2008 showed an unmistakeable effect
on the brain by this frequency, such as causing a temporary shift to the
right brain to bring more balance; stimulating the part of the brain
that relates to empathy, cognitive behaviour, emotional processing and
moderating correct social behaviour; and a de-activation of the speech
centre to encourage a more internal focus.
"That's why I included this frequency as a drone to support the listener
to get into a meditative and peaceful state. I also included the
solfeggio frequency of 396 Hz which is resonating the energy centre
(chakra) that connects us with the earth and gives us a feeling of
grounding, stability and safety. It has also be found to be supportive
in calming down the nervous system and reducing stress and fear.
"Solfeggio Frequencies are a numerical representation of how energy flows
in a torus field and can be seen as the blueprint of creation. In
addition to the solfeggio tuning and healing frequencies I have set all
the parameters in this piece (for example, volume settings, EQ settings,
FX parameters) to represent multiples or equals of 3,6 and 9 which
according to Nikola Tesla and Marko Rodin are master numbers in regards
of manifestation and balance of creation. My intention for this is to
create a stronger attunement and harmonic resonance with the universe.
Recent experiments by acustics-physics scientist John Stuart Reid have
shown that intention has a powerful and noticeable effect and can
positively change and alter matter. That's why this piece is created
with the most loving intentions and it is my way of harnessing the power
of frequency and sound to create a positive and uplifting effect that
can result in raising the frequency within the listener and therefore
benefit everyone because all is connected.
"I am deeply grateful to be able to participate in this project and know
deep in my heart that Abundancia is not just a fantasy but a memory from
the not so distant future."
Lima city garden reimagined by Steffen Kirchhoff.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"Having visited Rwanda a few years ago, when exploring its urban markets, as well as what is different, one is struck by what is similar - monolithic global brands like Coca-Cola and Nike stamp their presence on even the tiniest, most characterful spaces in human lives.
"The brand colours, logos and slogans have invaded every urban space on the planet. Wherever there is commerce, there are the mega-brands, and the more homogenised our spaces become, the worse it is for the well-being of our cities.
"This piece is a quiet, sad lament against Coca-Cola, against Nike, and by extension against everything that makes our cities the same, and a plea to keep the idiosyncrasies that ensure the places we live are truly well-being cities."
Rwandan market reimagined by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"Upon hearing the original sound recording of sirens in Copenhagen, it struck me how difficult a task it is to truly create an equitable, healthy and climate-safe approach to what well-being might look like for the cities of the world. This is especially evident in light of current world events which are not limited to the Russian invasion into Ukraine and the threat of the use of nuclear weapons coming from Vladimir Putin, the war exercises occurring in and around Taiwan by the Chinese, the continuing escalation of tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, the on again, off again nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, let alone the threat of civil war here in the United States being stoked by an insurrectionist former president.
"My composition, Everyday Utopias, is a cautionary tale of how simple it would be to enter into a nuclear World War if we are not alert to what that would mean for the planet. We have it within our power and abilities to avert this, as of now, imaginary future. For true sustainability and wellbeing to occur, we must be able to put our differences aside and see where we have commonalities leading to a fundamental shift in thinking that looks to revive and protect our planet looking toward a collective future, a more resilient future.
"My tale begins as though in a dream. What future path will we take? One of sustainability or one of mutual destruction? Aside from the musical sections I composed on Logic Pro, I also included the following field recordings:
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New York City Nuclear Preparedness Public Service Announcement
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009 DENMARK COPENHAGEN Sirens in Copenhagen May 6 12.00pm 2020 - Timothy John Hinman
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United States Nuclear Preparedness Announcement in the Event of a Nuclear Strike on the mainland United States
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Statement by Albert Einstein as read by Paul Pricer
"I do not believe that this is the path we need to follow, but in the words of Rod Serling from the Twilight Zone episode number 68 from September 29, 1961, “The Shelter” …
"No moral, no message, no prophetic track, just a simple statement of fact. For civilization to survive, the human race has to remain civilized."
Copenhagen sirens reimagined by Bill Stevens.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"Fair, effective, harmonious future city design (either from scratch or via retro-fit of what already exists) needs to be a hugely detailed, balancing act that takes into account so many different considerations. For example - environmental impact and sustainability need to be balanced against simple everyday functionality; the two aspects are far from mutually exclusive, but their successful integration needs careful analysis and ongoing, regular monitoring.
The brief for this project asked:
1) What does a city that prioritises health and well-being sound like?
2) How can we use sound to reflect on what an equitable, healthy and climate-safe approach to wellbeing looks like for cities?
3) What would a truly green, resilient and equitable city sound like?
"I don’t think we don’t quite know the answers in any huge detail and that’s symptomatic of the lack of attention to detail that has dominated far too many urban designs so far; but…
"As with other factors, sound design in a city possibly requires balance and flexibility more than anything else – an understanding of the multi-faceted nature of metropolitan requirements and how (both on a macro and micro level) the sonic world interacts with them all successfully.
"Integral to this auditory balance will need to be a much more comprehensive, practical understanding of the interrelationship between architecture and sound, with key words such as reverberation, resonance, sound propagation, decibel, reflection, absorption etc becoming much more readily taken onboard by city designers.
"Acoustic modelling has regularly been a minor consideration when approaching overall city design. If this changes, it will be indicative of a much more thoughtful, thorough, methodical approach towards both creating new cities and adapting those that already exist.
"My piece for this project focuses on ‘balance’ and ‘integration’ with a wide range of musical influences, techniques, and styles (hopefully) working effectively together to create a cohesive piece of music. I’ve mixed together traditional musical structures, more experimental ideas and moments of pure sound design.
"I instantly loved the original field recording with its contrasting sound content – sparrows chirping, cars passing by, pigeons cooing, occasional little clicks and clunks etc. I’ve tried as much as possible to combine these contrasting noises into new musical timbres and my piece is dominated throughout by various sounds created from the original recording.
"A few examples:
Car engines have been directly developed into sawtooth synth leads; overlayed with pigeons via granular synthesis and turned into an epic organ-like instrument; morphed into deep swells and sweeps.
"Sparrows chirping have transformed into sweeping, spiralling flocks of birds; looping, tempo-synced synth beeps and sparkling, high-pitched orchestral string sustains.
"Various little clicks, clunks and other momentary noises form the basis for the various percussion loops and industrial noises that appear throughout the track.
"Pigeon coos have been twisted, stretched and layered with other elements to create risers with a serendipitous human vocal quality to them
"In fact, with this piece, I’ve attempted something that I’ve never done before in 30+ years as a composer – every single timbre used has been created directly from a field recording…I completely abandoned my various sample libraries for this one! 😊
"Couple of my own personal favourites:
"A melodic, flute-like sound started life as an air pump.
"Interweaving pitched chime-like sounds were created from the sound of teacups, saucers and teaspoons - recorded in a café."
Madrid lockdown soundscape reimagined by Mark Taylor.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"I started from the idea that the organization of the city and its meeting spaces has a profound impact on society. So I collected the already existing examples of 'hostile architecture' taking them to the extreme, I imagined the worst possible scenario, where no type of aggregation is allowed if not linked to consumption. I took negativity to the extreme (the fight against poverty is won by physically eliminating the poor) and then, using a narrative device, a frame, I placed the 'time of terror' in the past, a time very different from the present presented as harmonious and inclusive.
"The selected field recording is as calm, relaxing, sweet and welcoming as you can think of, a stark contrast - also in terms of sound - to the first part of the podcast that I imagine set in a large hall. Outside is harmony, nature and happiness. A beating heart represents the beating heart of the city, of society."
Zealandia reimagined by Cristina Marras.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"My composition focused on imagining how I would like to feel in my future city, taking into account the keywords of the project: well-being, health, climate-safe, green, equitable, as well as my personal sensations: harmony, balance, respect, warm environment and encounters.
"I think about how to generate awareness to take action regarding these issues in search of the world we want to live in tomorrow. We are defining the future with each of our small actions. What will the story of tomorrow be like? What do you want your future city to be like?
"Through this composition I invite you to a journey of reflection on our small decisions as well as our will to create synergies to develop ideas of sustainability and ways to fight climate change.
"The sound file I chose from the library is a field recording of a crowded food market in Taiwan. It interested me because it reflects sonically a space of encounter and tradition and because it is deeply linked to gastronomy, a world in which I have been doing musical projects for many years. I use this sound as a layer in the middle of the composition, with which I mark a moment of change and welcome a delicate and emotional piano interpretation."
Taiwan night market reimagined by Maribel Tafur.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
A tour of a small local market in Kigali: voices, birds, women laughing and making fun of (us) tourists, sewing machines making traditional clothes, some traffic on the background, spinach blenders, phones, music.
Recorded by Maria Conterno.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
Ambience recorded in a garden in a house in Lima (Inca Repac). When considering well-being in cities, it's important not just to head to the most culturally or historically significant areas to judge its health - you can learn just as much from listening to everyday street sounds.
Recorded by David Menke.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
This recording is of the yearly test of the citywide emergency siren system reserved for major emergencies, times of war etc. This year it comes in the midst of the Covid-19 lockdown - which though easing greatly at this point - renders it oddly significant this year (2020).
Recorded by Timothy John Hinman.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
Fengdong twilight market, A local market which is open from 2pm to 7pm. Sounds from crowded people and vendors.
Recorded by Fuji.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
Recording from Zealandia, formerly known as the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, is a protected natural area in Wellington, New Zealand, the first urban completely fenced ecosanctuary, where the biodiversity of 225 ha of forest is being restored. You can hear lots of cicadas and various birds including a Tūī.
Recorded by Richard Watts.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
El Rastro de Madrid or simply el Rastro is the most popular open air flea market in Madrid. It is held every Sunday and public holiday during the year and is located along Plaza de Cascorro and Ribera de Curtidores, between Calle Embajadores and the Ronda de Toledo. Here it is silent during lockdown, transformed. Lockdown sounds features as part of the Well-Being Cities project as evidence of how the sounds of our cities were one of the positive changes that came about during the Covid-19 lockdowns, with lower noise levels and an increased ability to hear the sounds of nature and other personally and culturally nourishing soundscapes.
Recorded by Javier Acosta.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"Living in the middle of Oxford I had the privilege to hear the city in such a unique way during the first lockdown and especially without the sound of traffic. I have lived in my house for 25 years and suddenly I could hear an entirely new soundscape from my garden.
"The one sound that will forever be memorable were the church/chapel bells I had never heard before. The recording from Venice, where the sound of car traffic doesn't exist, really reminded me and emphasised the need to massively reduce noise and environmental pollution from our cities.
"My composition starts with the field recording and then morphs into a reimagined version of it using the bells as the central focus. There is an urgency in the pace and mood of the piece with the sounds of human conversations and general movement making up the rhythmic parts and accompanied by acoustic, choir and synthesised sounds. The track was recorded and produced in Ableton Live."
Venice bells reimagined by Alex Hehir.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"Amongst the wash of Varanasi's night bells I could hear the faintest melody from which I built my composition. I samples the bells in various ways to create most of the high-end of the track, my idea was to create a skyline of blips and chimes, an escape route from the bustle of city life below.
"As many cities struggle to balance social and economic adequacy with the needs of growing populations, the desire and necessity for escapism increases, and perhaps so too does ignorance to the problems we face. This song is an ignorant song. It jumps upwards away from its problems and dances amongst the bells, for a small moment at least."
Varanasi bells reimagined by Kid Kin.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"What grabbed me about the original recording was a section that reminded me of a clock and although the piece is about the well-being and sustainability of cities, we can’t escape the fact that from an ecological point of view, the clock is ticking – hence the use of that part of the original field recording.
"I wrote over 8 sketches for this, that ranged from sci-fi Metropolis style pieces to just field recordings and I found nothing fitted. So, I went back to the start and though what is a city? It’s an enclave, it is different things to different people at different times but for all that, all that it could and should be, for a lot of people it is just…. Home.
"In the final piece I used elements, sounds and music to try and represent organic elements of cites for an individual whist as part of a harmonious landscape. To be honest I don’t feel I addressed all the issues of sustainability or well-being, I think in that I failed even though I called on elements of what they should be reflected musically and in the field recordings, for all the notions of what a future city should be, without humans it is just a shell."
Amsterdam pedestrian crossing reimagined by Rob Knight.
IMAGE: Steven Lek, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
Dashashwamedh Ghat is the main ghat in Varanasi on the Ganga River. Ganga Aarti (ritual of offering prayer to the Ganges river) is held daily at dusk.
Several priests perform this ritual by carrying deepam and moving it up and down in a rhythmic tune of bhajans.
I visited the city in 2012 with 10 others on a journey to Kolkata for a friend's (huge) wedding we were due to perform at.
Varanasi is a dizzying labyrinth like city that is both deeply spiritual (open cremation is commonly practiced by the riverbank) and overwhelming: colours, smells, sounds and characters leap out at you from every corner.
Recorded by Mike Bingham.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
On New Year’s Eve on Fondamenta Toletta, the bells ring out for the evening mass then fade away, leaving the passing conversations of locals and tourists to mingle. Venice is unique from a sonic perspective - the lack of car traffic gives it a completely different sound to any other city, one that is cleaner and clearer and leaves more space for other aspects of the soundscape to breathe.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
Outside the Vrije Universitat in Amsterdam, we listen to the sounds of a pedestrian crossing, which stood out immediately to us as a new visitor to the city as being remarkably different from those we hear at home. This sound represents those individual sound marks that can exist in a city in the most mundane spaces, from metro stations to pedestrian crossings, and which help to make our experiences of visiting a city more interesting and unique, even without always being consciously aware of it.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
IMAGE: Steven Lek, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"The recording I was given captures a moment of collective celebration, a group of musicians performing in a street. For me, it really captures something timeless, something we as humans have always done, express ourselves through music and voice, we perform and we are entertained.
"In the piece I wanted to expand this idea of a collective moment, to include all life within a city, not just human life. To provoke questions about how we perceive ourselves within our familiar environment and to interrupt the hierarchy of what it means to be a resident in a city, and to be part of nature, in that same place.
"In my solo practice I have been responding to the mental health crisis; catalysed by Covid-19 and an increasingly isolated and challenged society. I have been creating work that encourages audiences to engage with their natural environments in gentle, sensory ways. My work seeks to decentralise us as humans in response to climate emergency.
"In the work I combine processed samples of the original recording with original electronic composition, processed field recording of natural sounds, and spoken word. The text included presents images of natural environments within cities with a particular focus on how we experience this with our senses. It offers suggestions of actions we might undertake in that moment, locating us in the here and now.
"The text is asking the audience to consider how we can re-awaken and attune senses we have bypassed through evolution as a way of re-wilding ourselves? The Spacious, ambient composition combined with the offers contained within the text are aimed to invoke a moment of mindful calm, suggesting that exploring our senses and connecting with the natural element of our cities can have a positive effect on our wellbeing.
"There are moments where the original recording comes to the foreground, or combines and peaks with the natural sounds and composition, this represents a vision of humans existing within cities as part of nature rather than seeking to control and limit it.
"If we became a bit more feral, would this change our relationship to the natural world and our effect on it?"
Parisian buskers reimagined by Dinah Mullen.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"The original sound is a recording of a street in Cuba and in the background one can hear a playful child and their guardian, a local band and indistinct voices. Even though it sounds noisy as streets usually are. It is a cacophony of beauty envisaged in humanity.
"The sounds took me to the hugging Andes mountains that inspired the guitar melody, the bass acts as a rhythmic bridge and the percussions are a road that transports the vocals & poetry delivered freestyle by the amazing D-EmpressEvoke taking us into the transcendental world of insight that; Ubuntu-Without You I Do Not Exist.
"The poetry is inspired by the Evoking Belonging Social Sculpture practice created by D-EmpressEvoke AKA Dr Dianne Regisford. The vocals describe a journey in the liminal space of the UbuntuSphere... a concept designed by D-EmpressEvoke and offered as a space for courageous conversations about race, equity, diversity and inclusion. She offers the poem as a provocation and invitation to all willing to commune, connect and co-create for just, equitable and humane city-making. Thus engaging the topics of well-being and sustainability through the liberty call of Ubuntu."
Havana streetscape reimagined by Wahinya Mwirikia with D-Empress Evoke.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"Travelling to me have always been something positive, the excitement and anticipation building up to the travel almost make worth the whole trip. As it is for many people I find that to travel by train is also something extra, there is perhaps something with the way of travelling close to the ground, the speed that is just right, and the possibility to move around in the train that makes it stand out. Trains embodies the dream to move, to enrich ourselves and to become better.
"Lately, however, all forms of travelling have brought with it something of a bad consciousness in us all since all forms of travelling comes with an environmental debt, making at least me feel slightly guilty every time I travel. The sound of a train station as in this composition is therefore kind of nostalgic to me, something that I hear and remember with fondness.
"On the other hand, trains are perhaps one of the least environmentally destructive ways of moving, making it the future of travelling. In a way this work is also hopeful.
"Another aspect of this particular piece is that since it keeps a meditative tone throughout, and I find it increasingly important to retain that kind of sonic quality in cities. It is, I think, dangerous to build cities without thought to how they sound. Too many cities keep the focus on, say, car traffic or make room for noisy commercials or the like. Too few cities have room for though, and room for hearing your own breathing or voice properly.
"There are several ways to either remove or, in fact, add sound to a city or human dwelling that actually feel soothing or calming. I am not shure playing meditative music everywhere is one of them, but in this context it serves as a reminder that to be whole as persons we need to make room and time for ourselves.
"The piece “Train Station Nostalgia” is a way of capturing both these trains of thought (no pun intended).
"My music here is constructed on top of a wonderful recording of a train station at Ho Chi Min in Vietnam. I have never been there, but stations tend to sound more or less the same everywhere in the world. It reminds me of backpacking in my youth, of train travels with family, of the way trains capture our dreams.
"The recording is slightly reorganized but mostly used in its original form and not really manipulated.
"The ambient sound of people moving make the background to a piece with a meditative moody minimalistic piano piece. The piano plays several ostinatos, on top of which a melody forms. Bass and chords are introduced and almost take over, but the melody prevails, and the piece slowly ends with the piano ostinato.
The piano is an old Steinway that is recorded in Ableton Live and carefully manipulated there, making it sound more electronics at times."
Ho Chi Min City train station reimagined by Stefan Klaverdal.
IMAGE: Clay Gilliland, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
I went to the main train station and a small crowd waited in the departure hall to access the railway. Overall chatter in Vietnamese and announcement. Recorded at night time. The sounds of public transport and travel are always indicative of a thriving city, and as we struggle to meet the challenges posed by climate change, a reliance on safe, clean and efficient public transport will be one of the key tools at the disposal of a city.
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
IMAGE: Clay Gilliland, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
In the Trocadero metro station in Paris, a group of Jewish musicians play a klezmer-style arrangement of the traditional song Shalom Aleichem, which is typically sung on Friday evenings upon returning home from synagogue prayers and means “peace be upon you”. This performance represents one aspect of Jewish culture being played out across the city, and how in a healthy city there is space for multiple cultures, religions and beliefs to co-exist simultaneously.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
A classic Havana street soundscape starts with crowds going about their daily business, before halfway through some wonderful Cuban music plays from a nearby bar as we walk past, creating a wonderfully lively atmosphere.
Recorded by Jack Hyde.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
Sounds from inside the incredibly busy Shinjuku train station in Tokyo - announcements, crowds and a wonderful spread of sounds across the stereo field. The sounds of public transport and travel are always indicative of a thriving city, and as we struggle to meet the challenges posed by climate change, a reliance on safe, clean and efficient public transport will be one of the key tools at the disposal of a city.
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
Recording of prayers, song, gongs and worshippers in Wenshuyuan Temple, Chengdu. The sounds of worship and prayer are crucial to the well-being of a city - providing spiritual spaces for different religions that allow everyone to express themselves as they would like to are essential, and these spaces can also be among the most important from the perspective of tourism too.
Recorded by Emmanuel Mieville.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
The Chinchineros are traditional street performers in Chile, with a large bass drum strapped to their back and a noose around their foot to control a cymbal - they perform in small groups, conducting synchronised dances along with their drum patterns. Here we listen to a group of four chinchineros on the streets of Santiago, Chile, where they represent a cultural tradition played out on the streets of the city.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"The original recording was dense with the buzz of a city; the deeply layered sound of many things heard at the same time - a hum so dense that it is hard to make out any one sound, any one event.
"Asking myself how we might nurture our well-being in such a disorientating acoustic environment I thought about how we are able to isolate one sound and block others out. I atomised the original recording, processing and reprocessing snippets, resampling to turn small snippets into large washes.
"I then set about rearranging these sounds. Placing them precisely I worked towards re-shaping the soundscape into something that might be more articulated. I believe that we may nurture both our own and others' well-being by using creativity to reappraise and reimagine our surroundings; to learn to hear, read and see anew, in such a way that enables us to find more enjoyment, fulfilment and meaning in environments that are at risk of becoming illegible through overwhelming our senses."
Shinjuku station reimagined by de Velden.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"I named this song 'Golden sun bird' after an ancient artefact unearthed in Chengdu in 2001, now the logo of China Cultural Heritage. History is important, understanding where we have been helps us navigate what’s ahead.
"The sound I was given to work with was recorded at Wenshuyuan Temple in Chengdu, China. To me, this recording is a perfect example of the past being honoured and celebrated while the city ebbs and flows in tandem. Chengdu is unique in that it is one of China’s oldest cities, and yet, also a shining international exemplar of modern economic, financial, commercial, culinary and cultural awareness. The city has been deemed the happiest city in China by it’s residents, it is easy to commute within the city thanks to cutting edge public transit and it boasts creative architecture and a flourishing arts scene. Planning is even underway for a completely self sustaining district with parks and other amenities within walking distance for all locals.
"In writing this song, I started with the sound itself, a recording of a Buddhist ritual with the sounds of urban life swirling in the background, which I step modulated into a beat that leads into the strum and plucking of a pipa, the historical “voice” of the song, a traditional Chinese stringed instrument. In sync with the pipa, I played some keys tuned to airy nostalgia, while looking to the future with a modern drum machine and later a futuristic organ rising before the the music gently leads into the bridge. A modulated spoken sutra is complimented by a ring-shifted pipa before leading back into the main theme of the song and the rising crescendo of the finish. all elements representing past, present and future existing harmoniously in celebration."
Wenshuyuan temple reimagined by Point/Call.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"The Chinchineros are traditional street performers in Chile, with a large bass drum strapped to their back and a noose around their foot to control a cymbal - they perform in small groups, conducting synchronised dances along with their drum patterns. Here we listen to a group of four chinchineros on the streets of Santiago, Chile, where they represent a cultural tradition played out on the streets of the city.
"When I began thinking about creating an audio work for the C40 Cities conference, I firstly referred to the question posed by Cities and Memory -
‘What does well being in the context of a city mean for you?’
"My answer was my starting point -
Places to escape to. A sanctuary from the noise. A sea of calm amongst others. A tiny plant growing through the asphalt. A tree living on top of a derelict building. To see the sky.
"Many of my audio works have a story behind them and the sound pieces that I create are often based on memories, thoughts, reactions, images, things I see and experience and this piece is no different. On further thinking about well being cities, A Daisy Through the Asphalt developed with several influences and layers of meaning.
"Firstly, there is a walk that I often take, that starts in the city of Newcastle- upon -Tyne, in the North East of England. It follows the river and in a fairly short distance, winds along the riverbank through a tree lined path. In the spring it is filled with the sounds of spring birds, in Summer it’s the nesting Kittiwake colonies, in the autumn it bursts with the colours of rust, gold and orange. As I walk, I can physically feel like I unwind and although surrounded by the urban sprawl, it feels like I am in a more rural setting than I am. The sounds of the city fade to be overtaken by rusting leaves, flowing water and birdsong.
"Secondly, there is the analogy of the daisy. Based on a photograph I took, it never ceases to amaze me how nature finds a foothold in some of the most unlikely places. Derelict areas are soon populated with plants, ferns grow out of crevices in walls and tiny daisies burst through the cracks in the asphalt. The daisy also represents the feeling I get when I break away from the noisy city and find some solace in a green space, where I can stretch and look up at the clouds.
"Finally, I thought about the things that I dislike about cities. The noise, the sirens, the traffic, lights, concrete, crowds, pollution that affects my asthma. The fact that I haven’t seen a dark sky for over 20 years and can’t remember when I last saw Orion.
"A Daisy Through the Asphalt is an imaginary soundwalk about all of these things.
"It begins with the noise of the city; cars, machinery, construction sites and sirens, representing the chaos and noise. The drums of The Chinchineros were very loud and there was also a lot of movement in the field recording. I wanted to keep the integrity of the original drum recording, to represent the huge variety of human activity, the bustle and jostling of crowds and the increasing wall of noise of the city. I used three short sections, overlaid them and double tracked to create greater impact and to depict the increasing levels of noise pollution. By use of midi, I used the whole of the drum patterns of the The Chinchineros, which I overlaid sounds to create the many drones, arps and rippling sound patterns, to, in effect, add to the cacophony of sound, to make it overwhelming, mimicking sirens and car engines. Surges in sound levels also create an image of a city that is restless and at times frantic.
"As we continue our imaginary soundwalk, the noise begins to fade and transition into a sonic idea of seeing a tiny daisy growing through the pavement, thriving and turning its face skywards. Synth bird sounds, created from the midi patterns of real birdsong, match with the daisy bell like sound to combine with more ethereal keyboard improvisation. As the day begins to draw to a close, the electronic bird songs fade to become twinkling stars. I tried to show the connection between the heavens and the earth and how small we are in the wider cosmos. Finally, there is a quieter, more contemplative cosmic atmosphere, a sense of expanse, of being able to breathe. To be able to see the stars.
"I think what I am trying to say, is that, what I feel is important to the health and well being of those living in large cities, are the places of calm we can escape to. Sanctuaries of quiet, of green and to be able to see the sky. To do this we have to tackle noise, light and air pollution.
"We are a tiny rock in a huge collection of galaxies. We have to protect it, it’s the only tiny rock we have and it’s worth nurturing, protecting and saving."
Chinchineros reimagined by Museleon.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"A technique I frequently employ is to allow a field recording itself to provide the structure of a composition in a very direct way: the sounds play in the background and aural events within the sound directly trigger musical motifs, hence the title “…(Over Wat Pho)”.
"In this instance the composition begins with simple motifs in a highly consonant tuning system being initiated by the sounds of birdsong, speech and footsteps from the temple. As the piece progresses, more artificial, processed derivations of those tones begin to appear (a simple and obvious metaphor for the intrusion of technology in our environment). Then, the ‘pure’ generated environment disappears, leaving only the artefacts.
"It ends with the slow erasure of these products leaving only the sounds of Wat Pho, albeit now itself permanently altered; the initial optimism of the attempted return to a more natural state affected by what has come before."
Wat Pho reimagined by Phexioenesystems.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"The original recording provided for this project appealed to me as it captures some of the silver linings of COVID lockdowns in Australia and around the world. Despite all of the tragedies, lockdowns slowed everyone down and so many people around the world started to reflect on the importance of social and environmental connection in their lives.
"In my own town, our bookshop sold 5 times more bird books than they had previously, people expressed joy in connecting with their neighbours who may have previously been strangers, and in forming a deeper attachment to their local environment. Many people commented to each other on their allotted hour of daily exercise how loud the birds were and wondered if they had always been that loud. Maybe they were singing new songs to fill the frequencies freed up by our enforced quietness? Were they celebrating or mourning our sonic absence? Musicians played on their porches and balconies and helped to fend off feelings of loneliness and isolation.
"In this piece I have used the atmosphere of the original recording in an apartment block in Adelaide as a starting point to consider what does a city that prioritises health, wellbeing, equity and resilience look like. As a central premise to the piece is the idea that COVID taught us how to listen more deeply to our environment and to each other. Through that deep listening we accommodate more diversity, and diversity itself is what makes us resilient and less isolated.
"Starting with the original recording the sounds of diverse birds can be heard amongst the faint sounds of neighbours going about their day. The source recording has been eq’d to remove the dominant hum of an air conditioner to emphasise how a city could sound in the future as man made technologies become quieter. This longing for social connection and desire to bring the outside world in is explored as the music builds.
"Using a stereo pair of microphones set up in one room, different musical instruments, whistling, and kitchen utensils start to sound in other rooms. People are slowly listening more closely to one another and also to the birds and frogs, increasingly falling into interlocking rhythms and melodies as an ecosystem. The sound of my own son playing in the lane outside my window hints at a world where children can be close to nature and full of wonder. As the piece progresses the sounds become more present almost as if the walls of lockdowns have fallen away and every human and non human being is moving in this celebratory swell yet always maintaining sonic space for each other.
"The final moment hears the cars return and the birds fly away. This contrast feels poorer and melancholic. It asks us to remember the years we were quieter due to COVID and what we learnt about the types of cities we want to create and inhabit into the future. The title "Open Windows" refers to both the idea of opening ourselves up to each other and our environment but also humanities last window to create a world that is more harmonious and liveable in the face of climate change and environmental destruction."
Australia in lockdown reimagined by Rob Law.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"The original recording contains a santur, which is a percussion-stringed instrument known as a hammered dulcimer. It was invented and developed in Iran and Mesopotamia and its origins date back to at least 669 B.C. It is believed that the harp, the Chinese yangqin, the harpsichord, the qanun, the cimbalom, and the American and European hammered dulcimers all derive from the Mesopotamian santur.
"The word santur has several possible derivations, one being from Iranian to mean “one hundred strings”. The composition takes this as its name to reflect the diversity of the piece, since it employs several sections of the original santur recording, arranged in a different order, as well as various stringed instruments, particularly pianos. All of the melodies derive from the santur clips used throughout the composition.
"With this in mind, One Hundred Strings could be a metaphor for an ideal community, or city: a single harmonious whole that contains diverse elements. The original recording took place in Ferhadija, Sarajevo, Bosnia, and captures a street artist playing the santur amid a background murmur of voices in a bustling cafe. As such, I was inspired to create a piece that suited a social occasion, gathering, or meeting of diverse people. Just as in nature, diversity in human communities is a good indicator of health.
"Another important aspect of the composition is to elicit positive emotions and qualities, such as joy, vitality, harmony, peace and dynamism. Such emotions and qualities are essential for health and well-being and are foundational for any community.
"It was especially important to capture a sense of dynamism in the composition, particularly with the use of arpeggios. The music is in a process of continual change, yet there is a thread running throughout the composition, which is the melody. This sense of dynamism reflects one quality of a sustainable city, one that is resilient, equitable, green, and climate-safe. Change is an intrinsic element of reality, and cities must adapt to changing climates and environmental challenges.
"The composition also attempts to blend contrasts: the santur originates in the East and the recording comes from Bosnia, while the composition includes a Western dance beat. Another contrast is the blend of exuberance with a sense of peace, particularly with the use of moments without a beat and birdsong.
"The composition includes two recordings of birdsong, as a truly green city would need to make space for, protect and promote its fauna and flora. Animals, plants and wildlife diversity are interconnected with human life, so I wanted the composition to reflect this.
"The composition was made primarily using a digital audio workstation and a MIDI controller keyboard. Field recordings of birdsong were made using a digital recorder. Electronic instruments, such as synthesisers and pianos were used, as well as drum samples and electronic percussion."
Sarajevo street sound reimagined by Thomas Ellison.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
This is a recording from the Adelaide suburb of Parkside. It was made on my upstairs balcony in a block of six town houses at 10am on Wednesday, 22 March 2020. It was a bright and sunny Autumn morning with a very faint breeze. In this recording you can hear the lively birdsong of lorikeets, honeyeaters, finches and native pigeons. Traffic can be heard very faintly to the right of the field, whilst a solitary car will travel up our street every few minutes.
A smattering of human activity can be heard in the foreground of the recording, but a steady continuum of activity comes from our next door neighbour's daughter practising on an upright piano with their front door open. You may also hear the sound of surfaces creaking/expanding from the warmth of the sun. Lockdown sounds features as part of the Well-Being Cities project as evidence of how the sounds of our cities were one of the positive changes that came about during the Covid-19 lockdowns, with lower noise levels and an increased ability to hear the sounds of nature and other personally and culturally nourishing soundscapes.
Recorded by Tristan Louth-Robins.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
Recorded by: Benjamin Richards Date: March 22, 2003, 10:24 a.m. Location: inner courtyard of Wat Pho, mid-morning on a Saturday. Equipment: Sony MZ-R909 MiniDisc recorder, Sony ECM-MS907 Coordinates: 13.7465º N, 100.4933º E
Recorded by Benjamin Richards.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
People from Bosnia are very diverse and different with many influences and it is difficult to stereotype these people. But when travelling across Sarajevo, you’ll notice that there are certain features that you encounter again and again, no matter what street you’re in. Bosnians are friendly people. Bosnians generally have a pretty relaxed sense of time and that’s why they easily start conversations in cafes offering their help to confused travellers. Popular places to meet among locals are "kafanas" (traditional cafes) and "kafiches" (modern café-bars) According to them, coffee is poured three times, and each serving even has its name: "Welcome coffee", "Talk coffee", and the third portion, "Farewell coffee", politely signalling that it's time to say goodbye. This soundscape was recorded while having a cafe in one this "kafiches" (modern café-bars), capturing the essence of the city among the music of a street artist playing the santur.
Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"How to create a sense of well-being out of the harsh sounds of a metal-machine-shop? That was the challenge that pulled me in. After enveloping the core sound with voice and various instrumentation it started to sound less abrasive to me and more calming and possibly restorative, which is not a bad thing, especially in modern city life. The piece was created entirely via a Mellotron keyboard."
Seoul machine shop reimagined by Eulipion Corps.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"Our composition Tämänjälkeen (After this) was inspired by the recording of Warsaw, Poland (a C40 city) during the first day of the nationwide coronavirus quarantine on March 16th 2020 near to the University's main campus; using the majority of the whole recording unchanged, we have overlayed a complimentary soundscape and designed a digital audio effect to “hear” the effects of air quality being degraded when a motor vehicle passes by, causing a soft piano sound to degrade and distort.
"What does a city that prioritises health and well-being sound like?
"These cities will focus on air quality, design for user comfort and understand the impacts to people and the environment of building and operating support systems such as transportation; complex and dense environmental traffic and the associated noise are each one of the biggest pollutants in modern cities; the risks of degraded air and sound quality may be often overlooked despite them being linked to an increased risk of ill health and sadly an early death, according to research conducted by scientists across the globe.
"It is also well known that connection to nature and natural sounds not only makes us feel better emotionally, but it also contributes to our physical wellbeing, by reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension.
"With the absence of traffic noise levels in the original Warsaw, Poland recording there is an increased ability to hear nature; as on the original recording, on most days we are surrounded by a calming soundscape and a chorus of birds and tower bells, yet these are usually drowned out by the cacophony of modern life.
A city that prioritises and considers health and well-being might prioritise and plan for green and blue (water) spaces both outdoor, such as parks and green spaces, but also indoor spaces too; these spaces should protect, distance or nullify themselves from noise pollution such that local natural sounds are abundantly heard in a similar manner.
https://ec.europa.eu/research-and-innovation/en/horizon-magazine/noise-pollution-one-biggest-health-risks-city-life
"How can we use sound to reflect on what an equitable, healthy and climate-safe approach to wellbeing looks like for cities?
"We can use sound and sound design to produce useful mood enhancing immersive environments. For example, we introduce our piece by reintroducing the ambience and noise which the city may have sounded like just one day before; the reminder of the overbearingly unwelcome traffic noise of a densely populated city, then being immersed in complementary and positively mood-enhancing soundscape using nature and natural sounds and grounded instruments can create and enhance a positive mood.
"It is well known that connection to nature and natural sounds not only makes us feel better emotionally, but it also contributes to our physical wellbeing; indeed.
Going further, into the realms of dramatically reduced sound, the New Scientist magazine recently recognises that in an increasingly noisy world, neuroscientists are discovering exactly what kinds of peace and quiet actually does for our mental and physical health.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25533990-700-the-power-of-quiet-the-mental-and-physical-health-benefits-of-silence/
"What would a truly green, resilient and equitable city sound like?
"Detrimental noise is not always heard, sometimes it can be felt and absorbed too, through physical vibrations at frequencies below those of common hearing ranges; as we already know, nature and natural sounds complimented with ambient soundscapes not only makes us feel better emotionally, but it also contributes to our physical wellbeing.
"Quieter less noise polluting building and transportation systems will dramatically help in this regard, indeed many cities are planning reductions and progressing this very approach.
"As a final thought, we often see and wonder on the increasingly numerous earphone or headphone wearing commuters and what they are listening to as they escape their surrounding audible onslaught on their journeys through a modern city – and how in the future some might once again come to appreciate the ambient sounds around them instead."
Warsaw lockdown sound reimagined by Arvik Torrenssen.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"In 2222 (Twenty-Two Twenty-Two) I wish to demonstrate through sound, a balanced relationship between humans, technology, and the natural world. Without this balance, true well-being is impossible. The original sound file features the ambient outdoor sounds recording in a tourist area in Stockholm, Sweden. This sound includes human voices, traffic, and bird calls—the sounds of a contemporary where humans, technology, and nature thrive together.
"Sonically, I began with the original sound, processing it to bring out the rhythmic repetition of the human voices and the birds. I then added other ambient sounds that I recorded myself, including footfalls on pavement and a soft rain turning into a thunderstorm, which was processed to follow the musical elements in the piece.
"Stylistically, this piece is closer to a "sound bath." A sound bath is (somewhat) extemporaneous or improvisatory sonic performance meant to promote a calm emotional and mental state in the listener and musician/sonic artist. It is a musical expression that is meant to promote well-being.
"The basic musical elements begin with pad synthesizers and bells playing a theme based on F, Ab, and Bb. The percussion elements are meant to emulate the sounds of heartbeats, footfalls, and wind and rain. The musical elements are very grounded around the pitch of F and are relatively stable, with slow transitions between tones. Other timbres include synthesized human voices, bowed strings, and processed pianos.
"There are also reversed, slowed-down, and re-pitched audio sections in the piece, which is meant to represent traveling in time. The piece is meant to evoke traveling to a stable future that promotes well-being for all."
Stockholm palace sounds reimagined by Janae Jean.
IMAGE: Abhijeet Vardhan, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
The recording takes place by the Royal Palace, a wide traffic-free area, a tourist attraction spot. On a morning during the weekday, where most Swedes are working in their offices, these locations are left for the tourist crowds to explore, whereas the Swedish routine is left unheard for its own quietness.
Recorded by Melissa Pons.
IMAGE: Abhijeet Vardhan, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
Recorded on 16 March 2020, the first day of the nationwide coronavirus quarantine in Poland. The signature sound of the Warsaw University's main campus is surrounded by a chorus of birds. Monday sounds more like a Sunday and the city sound resembles a much smaller town.
Lockdown sounds features as part of the Well-Being Cities project as evidence of how the sounds of our cities were one of the positive changes that came about during the Covid-19 lockdowns, with lower noise levels and an increased ability to hear the sounds of nature and other personally and culturally nourishing soundscapes.
Recorded by Jacek Szczepanek.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
Seoul's Mullae-dong is a gentrifying area where small industry sits cheek by jowl with bars and shops. This recording was made from the street into an open fronted metal machine workshop.
Recorded by Michael Nathaniel Meyer.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"Our wellbeing in cities is heavily influenced by noise and sound. We may not always associate noise with melody and harmony but listen carefully and the intangible becomes a bit more tangible. The piece here samples fado, a recognised UNESCO intangible cultural heritage which is renowned for its expressive and melancholic characteristics, a trait often mirrored in the sounds of many cities across the world.
"The chord progressions from this Fado from Coimbra, Portugal are intertwined with other every day city sounds, people, animals, traffic, with the songs fading in and out of the field recordings. As noise levels continue to rise within our urban environments, the sounds of our cities begin to envelope our intangible cultural heritage, but we should not allow them to create dissonance, but ensure that they provide a harmonic counterpoint."
Coimbra fado house reimagined by Moray Newlands.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"After listening to the street band playing during the Mexico lockdown, I was inspired by how life changed during that time for not just humans but the entire planet (the living ecosystem). How animals came out on the street, birds chirped throughout the day, the color of the sky turned the most beautiful blue, and so much more. Thinking back about this time, I feel there is a lot to learn from that period for cities. At least, to pause and recognize that we are not the only ones who exist.
"I used this inspiration to develop the motif of the melody played by the band in the raw recording in my own way and surround it by an ambient growing soundscape made using different synthesizers. I also used some audio clips from News during 2020/21 to give more context to the composition. The ambient soundscape grows and transforms into ocean waves and we slowly start hearing sounds of humans, nature, traffic and the street band in harmony showcasing a balance that is required for the living ecosystem to survive on earth."
Mexico lockdown band reimagined by Abhishek Sekhri.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"I wanted to reflect a peaceful walk around Essaouira in the composition. The walk would take you from the busy and angry sounds of a city into more quiet and interesting squares and areas, full of the sounds of water, birds, people and music. I like the idea of creating hidden quiet spaces to help with well-being.
"I have used a very slowed down and treated version of the original recording to create the background noise of a city and added some synth pad sounds. I have also used an extract from the original which I treated to give a sense of a passing sound as you walk by. There are also some bell sounds to give a sense of contemplation."
Essaouira buskers reimagined by Richard Watts.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
Fado is one of the few sonic items of intangible heritage listed by UNESCO, and indeed even within Portugal there are some specific variants, including Coimbra fado, which is different from that found in Lisbon, and frequently deals with feelings of longing and love for the city itself. Inside a 14th century chapel converted into a fado house, we listen to some of the traditional sounds of fado, and reflect on how these unique items of sonic heritage contribute strongly to a sense of connection to place, to a defined identity for a city that brings its people together.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
In Essaouira, the musical tradition of gnaoua is at its strongest (and indeed the city is home to the world’s largest festival of gnaoua). The streets of Essaouira are noticeably filled with many musical performers, giving the city a distinctly relaxed feel, and gnaoua is the prime musical form on display. Essaouira shows the strength of a strong musical and cultural identity being allowed to live and breathe on every street corner. This is a great example of a soundscape that shows something culturally-specific and therefore highly valuable and to be protected.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
During lockdown all music live events were cancelled. Many musicians went to the streets and played. People from the windows threw them some coins or food. They are playing "Asi Fue" a song by famous and iconic Mexican musician, Juan Gabriel. I love the dogs barking in the distance, annoyed by the music.
Lockdown sounds features as part of the Well-Being Cities project as evidence of how the sounds of our cities were one of the positive changes that came about during the Covid-19 lockdowns, with lower noise levels and an increased ability to hear the sounds of nature and other personally and culturally nourishing soundscapes.
Recorded by Luis Arenas Lopez.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"Taking the original questions posed in the brief I embellished with a set of automatically written answers in the form of a monologue that was pasted into the Google text to speech app. I wanted to address the concerns I have living in a more urban environment and seeing the impact this has on people's health and wellbeing. I thought about how the urban spaces i walk through could be improved, how we could help people improve and enhance how they experience these Victorian, post Industrial Revolution landscapes through a new lens and not only through the lens of 1960's urban planning disasters (or the hangover of cheap alcohol and fatty foods).
"Could we interact with these spaces differently? Could we bring wonder and curiosity into these spaces. Could we heal people in them and offer hope? Could we urban hike? I used the Soma Labs Lyra 8 synth to create 3 drone tracks. The device was tuned to the sound of the sea organ which acted as guide and conduit for the track construction. I thought of the process this time in a very visual way and took the tracks for a long walk around the town i live in. I then found some very old samples in a 2008 version of Apple Logic of bird call and rain. These are sounds that through the covid pandemic we heard in our towns and cities louder than ever.
"Adding all of the tracks together for the first time, i took these back into the streets and walked with the forming track on repeat. It started to rain so i sampled the rain (much welcome after a long hot UK summer). Finally i added the words, refining the timbre and metre of the monologue but keeping the glitchy rather dystopian sampled voice as is. I took the track back out onto the street where i live and again walked with the track and source material on loop.
"Finally a melody emerged and the track was complete. A glimpse possibly of what could be if we take the time to reflect on how "close we have flown the sun" in the form of the pending (but avertable) climate crisis we now face into."
Zadar sea organ reimagined by Andy Billington.
IMAGE: Ben Snooks, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"The recording I worked with from Burkina Faso captured me immediately. Its liveliness and feeling of sparking joy moved me greatly. As well as the feeling I had of music being part of life. Music is not separate from our daily lives but is another facet of our community and of what binds us together as people. Cities have that unique potential of connecting and providing space if balanced properly. And this is an essence that drove the music I create for this project. One in which the field recording from Burkina Faso and my music interconnected to create a joined whole.
"This is something I feel that can be one of the most crucial aspects of the well being of cities. That there is space for everyone, that everyone is a part of the communities that make up the city, that each have a a place for their unique voice, together with the understanding and respect for others perspective. My music in this piece attempted to address this by joining together elements in order to create not only a whole made up of the parts but also a new whole that transcends the sum of the parts that form them."
Burkina Faso street band reimagined by Emmanuel Witzthum.
IMAGE: Wendkouni, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"The piece inspired me in a number of ways. First, thinking about the voice of Coltrane's saxophone singing out over the chaos of a subway train station and the crowds of people milling about on their way to somewhere. The station as a point of departure, not the destination, and so the people all en route, in motion, leaving for different destinations. Secondly, John Coltrane is a legendary sax player who has played for thousands in concerts, and is responsible for landmark records in a form of jazz known as bebop. Perhaps most of the commuters that day were oblivious to who was standing at the station and creating this beautiful music in how own special way.
"My piece address the topics of well-being and sustainability in cities by foregrounding the importance of art to give beauty and meaning to the routines of crowds going about their otherwise mundane day. Coltrane's artistic expression humanizes the mindless anonymity of a crowd by communicating some spiritual that could touch people, and perhaps did, on an emotional level. The musical performance isn't taking place in a concert hall, and it's not captured and sold in some formal format, but instead is offered for those who resonate with it as they pass by, and opportunities for artistic creation that take place in these urban spaces are so important for creating a city that support the well-being of its citizens.
"The piece was made by slowing down the original sample of Coltrane's sax playing and stretching the time, in a way to suggest the slowing down of time on a busy day, pausing to consider more closely the human dynamic in an environment that most folks would likely overlook on their way to somewhere else. The piece also includes lots of extended reverb to express the aspects of the song relating to memory, looking/listening back to these moments and how they re-play and re-sound in the mind after while thinking about them again in a more focused way. As well there are samples of one of the New York subway lines included here because I think the sounds of those trains are so recognizable, but also have a very forward and dynamic energy -- the hustle and bustle of a busy subway station."
High Line busker reimagined by Wayne DeFehr.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
The High Line in New York is one of the world’s best-known urban transformations, and has taken an abandoned section of railroad and turned it into a major global tourist attraction and a valuable green space for the citizens of Manhattan - surely of the best examples of how to think of adding to the health of a city. In this recording, a busker performs a piece by John Coltrane in one of the reverb-filled covered areas that contains local traders and coffee stalls. Outside, in the background, New York buzzes.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
The sea organ (Morske orgulje) at Zadar is a prime example of how cities can use sound positively to improve the daily lives of its citizens - it is an architectural sound art instrument that plays musical sounds controlled by the movement of waves through a series of tubes located underneath a set of marble steps. The sound changes according to the season, time of day and associated weather conditions.
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
IMAGE: Ben Snooks, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
Street musician performing in front of a bar during the early evening in Ouagadougou. This is a great example of a soundscape that shows something culturally-specific and therefore highly valuable and to be protected.
Recorded by Martin Weissberg.
IMAGE: Wendkouni, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"The earth revolves around the sun. The moon orbits the earth. Such continuous circuits of cosmic patterns are recurrent and orbital. In my exploration of answering this project prompts, I contemplated the orbital rhythms of celestial bodies. In the light of fostering a healthy city soundscape, sounds may orbit the axis of a 24-hour day with a series of sonic activities that foster reciprocal soundmaking and listening. Sounds may orbit a day with the dawn chorus, a daytime noise of machines and transportation, and nighttime silence. Establishing a recurrent and consistent sound and silence seems inherent to cultivating a resilient city. The layers of sonic orbits may co-exist in a full spectrum of habitats where the sounds and silence recur over the cycle of days, weeks, seasons, years, decades, and centuries."
Istanbul bazaar reimagined by Akari Komura.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"I originally used a recording of a climate protest in Exeter, United Kingdom, which inspired me due to the power of it - the sheer power held in a crowd of people shouting the same chant for the same goal. Health and wellbeing are not just in the places we expect; the health of cities can come from a sense of community, from the sense of fighting for the same result, from the ability to have a voice and to speak up against injustice - some cities do not have this privilege. The ability to protest against climate change issues and their contributors helps to enact real change and contribute to healthy cities across the globe as a result - what does ‘health’ mean for a city specifically in this space of community? I wanted to highlight how the actual sounds of a collective of people have come to enact change, and I aimed to diminish the negative reputation that protesting often receives in mainstream media, when its disruption provides so many positives.
"I approached the topics of well-being and sustainability in cities by enhancing the natural sounds of various different types of protesting against climate change issues - violent, peaceful, chanting, speaking up, using our voices. This formed the base theme for the piece - collective noise, protest, and the value they hold in facilitating change. Building upon this theme, the piece moves through exaggerated versions of each type of protest, travelling through imagined representations of real places where protests gather, using different recordings of protest chants and actions from various different cities across the world. Each method highlights this widespread need for community and coming together to facilitate change across the globe. No matter the difference in language or topic, the action is the same. A vital act that allows each city's inhabitants to speak up against the injustices they face."
Exeter climate protest reimagined by Ella Kay.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"What inspired me about the original recording was the presence of an underlying beat and a rhythm that stayed constant throughout the recording. There was a feeling that even though there were vocals and some chatter/noise in between. The rhythm stayed somewhat constant but loose. A lot of times, well-being in a city can mean being able to sustain a constant stream of thought for extended periods of time and I hope the piece reflects that. If there are places or periods of quietness, it can help people in a city to concentrate. That is important when a city might be coming out of a pandemic
"Everything you hear was created by sampling the original recording. The percussive elements were created using various thuds and drum sounds. The melodic elements were created out of the vocals. The corona-chant can be heard as-is sparingly throughout."
Senegalese anti-coronavirus song reimagined by Antriksh Bali.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
Tarihi Sali Pazari is one of the largest markets (bazaars) in Istanbul. Very busy. Vendors selling clothing, carpets, spices, antiques, second hand goods and food. This is a great example of a soundscape that shows something culturally-specific and therefore highly valuable and to be protected.
Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
I was on a trip with some friends in Senegal just few days before the lockdown in Europe and on my way to the Dakar Airport I recorded this song directly from the radio of our driver. The piece is in Wolof and is about Coronavirus, the singer is "praying" that the virus will not reach his community and will go away soon.
Recorded by Luca Piparo.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
Recording from the "Fridays for Future" climate protests made every week by school children all over the world - this excerpt is from Exeter, England, 2021.
Recorded by Joe Baker.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"Starting with a field recording made in Nairobi Airport, this piece imagines a departure lounge for all the birds we have lost and stand to lose in the face of the climate crisis. A child quietly contemplates how we, as humankind, might learn from birds to create built environments that better serve the natural world, by making less noise and more space for them, not us.
"As we drift into her daydream of an airport for birds, we catch a glimpse of the possibilities whilst hearing a rich sonic world made up of archive recordings of threatened and extinct birds recorded in Kenya and elsewhere. The piece explores some of the metaphors at play in a departure lounge and navigates the sometimes jagged borders between humans and nature. Don’t get too comfortable, the gate is closing…
Additional recordings by Flora Zajicek, Cicely Fell
Archive recordings by A.R Gregory (with thanks to the British Library for their kind permission to use)"
Nairobi airport reimagined by Flora Zajicek and Cicely Fell.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"The clip I was provided with was a recording of live music from the 1st Musical Decontamination March in Argentina, a protest carried out to demand controls of emission and pollutants from the Bahía Blanca Petrochemical plant. Whilst amplified music may be considered 'loud' and in some instance a nuisance which may be also through of as a pollutant by some in a city catering for well being, and sonic comfort, it is important to remember that live music is not only part of community but important in times of celebration and protest.
"My idea for this piece was the wanderings of an autonomous person on a sonic psychogeographic dérive around a city which caters for and considers the sonic requirements of all it's citizens. With this in mind, I created an imaginary soundwalk around a city centre sound world taking into consideration human and natural sound which would form a natural part of restorativeness for an urban population.
"Whilst music has been included, additional human sounds have been added as well as consideration of what electric vehicles also being present soundscape would sound like. I have also included electrical sounds which I feel would be part of a city regardless of design until we are able to remove electricity as a power source (which I don't believe we can).
"I also had the idea that with digital processing and future acoustic technology, the sounds that sustain us, but are currently a pollutant, such as HVAC and refrigeration units, could be masked to produce a more soothing ambience, and I felt that this ambient bed should be very much inline with Brian Eno's original concept for Music for Airports. A soundscape which does not interfere with communication and is present for the active listener, should they wish to listen to it.
"The piece is produced binaural as so is best listened to on headphones to get the whole immersive experience of the soundwalk.
"The ambient beds were produced from manipulating the original recording to form textural drones. Additional material was added from my own field recording catalogue."
Buenos Aires protest reimagined by Neil Spencer Bruce.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"This piece is about the neighbourhoods outside city centres. The title refers by name to residential areas in Oakland and LA, but I’d be surprised if many other cities didn’t have “The Hills” too.
"In this piece I used volume envelopes to makes hills of sound, where field recordings are nestled between musical instruments and household sounds. The focus is on the mundane, and I left many of the recordings unprocessed, familiar. Along with clips from the original Skopje field recording, I’ve added hills of accordion, nylon-string guitar, sewing materials, chess pieces, recorder, and some outdoor sounds from Seattle too.
"Those field recordings are from 2020, initially gathered for a sound mapping project about streets and small parks, some of the few places people could go to get out of the house early in the lockdown. The suburb as a human habitat is complicated - I tried to develop a sense of flow, a hopeful and useful look at pacing across a city's neighborhoods."
Skopje street sounds reimagined by Nicolo Scolieri.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
The audio corresponds to the 1st Musical Decontamination March (first of a series of three protests carried out to demand controls on emission of pollutants to the Bahía Blanca Petrochemical Complex).
The right to protest is another key aspect of a city that demonstrates and offers well-being to its citizens. This recording is from the C40 Summit's 2022 host city, Buenos Aires.
Recorded by H.I.J.O.S. Bahía Blanca.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
Departures at Jomo Kenyatta airport, Nairobi, Kenya - you can hear among the normal sounds of bustle and shopping in the terminal the crackle of the security guards' radios and the feedback as they stand too close together.
Sometimes the sound of a city's airport can tell you as much about that place as a recording from its historic city centre.
Recorded by Giulia Biasibetti.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
A simple recording of my street, rеpresenting the contrast of the sound over several minutes. When considering well-being in cities, it's important not just to head to the most culturally or historically significant areas to judge its health - you can learn just as much from listening to everyday street sounds.
Recorded by Toni Dimitrov.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
"The original recording inspired me by being sorta a current day protest song.. during Covid when people couldn't really gather banging pots and pans from our respective homes was a way for us to connect and express frustration.
"I find a lot of similarities between Brazilian and American politics and I wanted to find a way to illustrate those connections as well as articulate what a sustainable city sounds like and for me it's a conversation between these artificial sounds from the original recording and and natural sounds that all make a city whole."
Brazilian protest reimagined by Maddi Baird.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
This is a short recording of a pot-banging protest in the Catete neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro. When people cannot go on the streets to protest, they bang pots to show their displeasure with the government. In this case, the protest was a general protest against the president of Brazil, Bolsonaro.
Pot-banging is a relatively easy form of protest: it makes lots of noise, does not require people to gather (and risk to be arrested or attacked by the police) and so people who would normally not protest are more inclined to participate. These protests started to propagate all over Brazil since February 2020 as the people are growing weary of the government.
The right to protest is another key aspect of a city that demonstrates and offers well-being to its citizens.
Recorded by Samuel van Ransbeeck.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
Colombian protest reimagined by Wijnand Bredewold.
"Once there was nothing, maybe just white noise, a random signal of equal intensity at different frequencies. Due to the origin of the earth, nature, animals and people, variations in this white noise arose, there was no overcrowding or disturbance, it was in harmony with each other.
"Due to the increase in the world population and the urban development of the major world cities in particular, the harmony of these cities can be disrupted. These cities are crossed by flows of people, traffic and goods. Parts of these cities are constantly being expanded, demolished and rebuilt, in a way that aspects for a healthy city are not always taken for granted. You can see the city as an autonomous machine or an organism that generates a soundscape on its own, often resulting in disharmony.
"Many cities are currently undergoing a transition, the city is being made more liveable, there is more room for pedestrians, cyclists and nature. The soundscape of the city regenerates into better harmony.
"Noise to Noise uses a soundscape of a protest in Bogota by Colombians (2019) against economic inequality, corruption, violence, pollution and climate change. Good to mention in this, is that Bogota is also doing a lot to create more nature in the city lately.
"The audio file consists of 11 parts, it starts with part of the original recording, raw and unedited, this part is replayed and re-recorded, this process is repeated 10 times. In addition, each part is lowered by 2 semitones compared to the previous part. The 11 parts are faded crosswise and mixed into 1 file. In this way, the sound is slowly but surely transformed into white noise, which is an imaginary starting point for a renewed city that again generates a harmonious soundscape."
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
We can hear chanting protesters from Bogotá, Colombia, on November 26th 2019, less than a week after protests started. I was in Bogotá for a residency and it just happened that I arrived at a very agitated moment in the city, with people denouncing corruption and demanding better quality of life. It was beautiful to see them out in the street in solidarity, protesting in a very civil manner for a very reasonable cause. I was impressed at the musicality the protests offered me and I'd like to share with you the festive side of the events. The right to protest is another key aspect of a city that demonstrates and offers well-being to its citizens.
Recorded by Yanik Tremblay-Simard.
Part of the Well-Being Cities project, a unique collaboration between Cities and Memory and C40, a global network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. The project was originally presented at the C40 Cities conference in Buenos Aires in 2022. Explore Well-Being Cities in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/wellbeing-cities/
Elizabeth Line opening day reimagined by Simon Woods.
"The 'Kaoss' of the title refers, not to any chaos that may or may not have occurred on the opening day of the Elizabeth Line, but to the use of Korg Kaoscillator and Kaoss Pad in the composition. All the percussion is made from sounds of the doors closing or other bangs and crashes on the journey. The two chords are from the tone of the train moving."
The first new full London Underground line since 1979 opened on 24 May 2022, in honour of the (recently-passed) Queen Elizabeth II. We jumped on board the line on its very first day to record the sounds of a journey from Farringdon to Paddington.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"Following some other samples I recording around the mountain, I try to image a scene when cicadas start dreaming."
Composition by Ryan Chiang.
"This recording is about a day living in Jewel Mountain: a small city mountain joust located in Hangzhou, China. I met a cat in the night and cicadas remain happily during the night.vThe next morning I just walked around the mountain and cicadas were still happily and loudly singing, and I was just wondering how they perceived day and night compared to humans."
Recorded by Ryan Chiang.
"Old Anarkali has been a bustling market in the city of Lahore for at least 200 years. Owing to its rich history, the market still holds much of the historic architecture at its backside while the front has been modernised, catering to the commercial needs. These buildings are mostly residential and while their material condition is in decay, the intangible environment has a strong 'sense of the past'.
"As an undergraduate architecture student, I visited Old Anarkali in 2019 in search of remnants of the past and found the sonic elements to be the most prominent in the creation of the 'sense of the past'. I recorded at 14 different spots in the neighbourhood and edited them to remove sounds that were not there in the past i.e; motor sounds, traffic noise. This approach left me with sounds of horse trotting, leather shoe steps on gravel pathways, sounds from an old church, pigeons cooing, children playing. Finally I combined the latter sounds into a 40 second audio as a palette that can always potentially create a sonic environment similar to the times gone by.
"The resultant audio sounds like a melody, where all the sounds merge together in harmony and transport you to a calmer place. This idea inspired me to create architecture that materialises that calm sense by amplifying low frequency sounds and buffering outside, traffic noise."
Composition by Sania Ahmad.
This recording is a sample of multiple recordings made at 14 different spots in Rasala Bazar, Old Anarkali. It is an amalgamation of a constant sound of an electric motor and a continuous chirping of a bird- symbolic of how the existing and growing neglect of historic neighbourhood in affecting the habitats of birds that seek shelters in 'jharokas' of the pre-independence buildings (1947).
Recorded by Sania Ahmad.
"The watchmaker falls asleep in his studio on a cold winter's night, work hard to come by in this digital age as he wonders how he will pay his incoming bills. As he falls asleep, like a classic Brothers Grimm story, he dreams that tiny elfin helpers appear from the corners of the shop and finish his work for him, working feverishly with magical hands until daybreak. The piece winds down from its crescendo back to a slow pace, and the watchmaker awakes once again, to realise it was all a dream.
"The modular synth starts slowly in parallel with the metronomic ticking of the watch, then as the watch is wound further, the pace picks up and multiple, interweaving layers of synth line begin to flow. After a higher-energy peak, the pace slows down as the watch naturally unwinds once again. Composed primarily using a Moog Subharmonicon alongside the original field recording and layers of additional synths in some sections."
Composition by Cities and Memory.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Pocket watches once were in common use. Every self-repectfing man should have one. To work properly, they had to be winded up everyday. Its ticking and winding up were the sounds everyone were familiar with. Nowadays it's a rare thing to find a pocket watch with a winding mechanism and its sounds are hardly familiar to younger generations.
Recording provided by Artur Kinal.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"On hearing the recording, it immediately sounded like techno to me, so I put a kick drum and hi-hat on it. I tried to work fast and instinctively, pushed by the drive of the recording. The overall sound was also inspired by a recent mix I did for FatCat records, which in turn took me back to my days DJing in Brighton and London around the turn of the millennium, when noise, techno, academic recordings, soundsystem music and a lot of very battered charity shop records - including a lot of global recordings - were all part of the mix, with the aim always being overwhelm, discombobulation and a sense of melting rather than anything more culturally highfalutin."
Composition by Knid aka Joe Muggs.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"Im not sure if it counts as a source of inspiration or narrative, or at least maybe not one that comes voluntarily but unconsciously, nevertheless I made this track while I was ill with a stomach infection.
"Technically, in this piece I began by extracting the different musical elements of the music in a frequency basis with Rip X, an A.I. software normally used by DJs to extract STEMS (the different instruments in which the song is composed), or vocals out of music tracks to make remixes. Then I listen to the extracted tracks and choose only one sample out of it, which was a plucked instrument that was difficult to hear at the beginning of the original sound because the other instruments were louder. After that I changed the pitch of the sample to make it higher, so that the melody could be more clear. Next I processed the sample with Arturia Pigments, a real-time granular effect plugin, tweaking it in different ways and then resample that into multiple takes in Ableton Live. Finally, I arranged those takes, and put some reverb, EQ, time stretch and pitch shifting on some of the tracks, and as a final touch I added the pitch shifted plucked instrument loop as a remain that worked as the source for everything else.
"Now that I hear it, i imagine that it could be the sound of my guts moving, twisting, bumping into each other."
Composition by Omar Soriano.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"The entire piece, representing a rattling journey on an old tram, is made up of sounds from the original field recording. These sounds have been cut, reversed, sampled, “wavetabled”, delayed, distorted, glitched and so many other horrendous tortures!"
Composition by Simon Woods.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
The original recording of an air raid siren is heard augmented by chordal piano impulse responses to create harmonic layerings. A bass synth tone was added improvisationally, matching tones present in the processed siren sounds.
Composition by Matt Rogalsky.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"I had a sound file based on a recording of racing cars which got recorded in the years between 1920 and 1940. My first thoughts after hearing the recording: technology, cars, men, masculinity, competition, air pollution, the importance for and the following success of the automobile for our capitalistic society. The car (as well as the racing event) as a main motive for capitalism and a show off of toxic behaviour of mankind. Based on those thoughts I decided to go on making a new composition out of the recording.
"I did not used any other sound material for the composition other than the source sound. I used a sampler to transform and manipulate (cut, slice, transpose, stretch, filter, et cetera) the recording (or better said micro and macro parts of it) to my liking. In addition I made heavy use of delay, reverb and filter effects. After having composed a broad variety of different sounds (from percussion to drone) from the main recording I performed with those sound till I got a mix/edit together which I rendered. The rendered file was additionally edited and then mastered, the result is attached as wav file @48khz 24-bit. No other person than me (Jessin Boumaza aka sine:noise) was involved in this project."
Composition by sine:noise.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"This project uses just two sound sources: chiefly the one offered by Cities and Memory, a recording of a 1971 Triumph TR6 engine by lonskwad2020 @ https://freesound.org/s/435212/. To supplement this there is also a single chord hit and a drum loop taken from 'AU Profiles – Frank Jenkins – Another Case History and a Glance at Auburn University's Vocational Rehabilitation Curriculum' https://archive.org/details/aup-252-program-5, chosen as it dates from the same day that the Triumph TR6 was first released, 1969-09-19.
"The piece was intended as a study on the potential for using the recently released FluCoMa toolkit https://www.flucoma.org/ within the SuperCollider environment. As it turned out the TR6 recording did not seem particularly amenable to analysis and resynthesis in this way. However, the OnsetSlice tool in mode 9 produced excellent results in slicing the drum break at the end of the Auburn University recording.
"The final recording comprises a single unedited livecoded performance in SuperCollider, with the title taken from the script of a TR6 advert at https://youtu.be/D_b2trPkrns"
Composition by tedthetrumpet.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
IMAGE: © Akela NDE / Wikimedia Commons
"As the steam locomotive approached at 145 bpm, fulled by burning combustible materials to heat water to the point it becomes gaseous, the conductor and crew sounded the whistle as a long-distance warning. I processed the original “Steam Train Ride” field-recording using a pedal made in Knoxville TN called the Microcosm, delaying the whistle to closer resemble the sound of an impending death. I constructed my sounds speedily to escape being hit by the approaching train, creating the work in just under 5 hours."
Composition by Brandon Locher.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"Haunted Steam is an imaginary concert featuring the sounds of a Heigh hoo vintage steam train (recorded at a distance), a 1912 steam locomotive field recording, two tubas, flutes, chimes and piano. The locomotive recording provided the entire musical material for the work—melodies were drawn from the overtones in the original sample, wind instruments were selected to phase in and out of the train sounds. The flute and tuba were chosen as primary melodic instruments as they use breath (human steam?) to sound. Heavily processed recordings of a fast moving 1912 steam locomotive provided the rhythmic momentum for the piece. This work was heavily inspired by a series of works I'm currently composing: titled “imaginary concerts,” they create impossible musical performances (steam train with tuba, waterfall and string quartet, cave and clarinet)—all realized through the magic of acousmatic techniques. The immersive quality of the original recording is deepened and broadened using digital processing, and then shaped with filtering and additional techniques to mimic the effects of speed on the sound.
"Indeed, the sounds, motion and power of trains has long captured my imagination as a composer—I grew up near freight lines in the Northeast, and lived just a few blocks from the freight lines in the Southwest. Currently I reside close to the S bahn tracks in Berlin, and their sonic presence still calls to me. Their rhythmic rumbles break the silence of long evenings, and their sound still represents a call to the big, wide-world beyond. This piece in particular revels in the rich sonic world of motion, of the rhythmic rumbling and high lonesome whine of the whistle, whose sighs echo across the landscape day and night. I invite the listener to imagine they are drifting in and out of sleep as a train journey unfolds, with twists and turns, tunnels and passing trains, all enjoyed while speeding through a long night’s travel and drifting in and out of dreams.
"May all your journeys be magical, and may you always know which tracks lead back home."
Composition by Renée T. Coulombe.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"My composition emerged out of a an old cash register. A cash register reminds me of old butchers you went to. One always put some coins underneath where you can discover it as a child and keep it. To somehow old cash registers you see today and still some of the very very old ones. It inspired me to a kind of emptiness. I did never work with a sound which is lost in time. And then especially a cash register sound. What did I buy till now in my life? What did I do with it? Most lost in memories. Which gave me a randomly and chosen recorded sounds. Switched them off. And put two new tracks in no specific order. Like something new and the cash register in sound and played on reverse. Cash two."
Composition by Hannya White.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Khmer music. Traditional music from Cambodia, recorded in Phnom Penh in October 2008, with a Boss Micro BR.
Recording provided by Kevin Luce via Freesound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
This recording has been made during a trip in south Morocco. A band was performing some traditional Moroccan music from Sahara, for a group of tourists.
You can hear drums (including qraqeb), a string instrument (a guembri, I guess), and men singing.
Kindly recorded in September 2015 by Laurence Luce, with a Yamaha pocketrak C24. Fade in/out applied in Audacity.
Recording provided by Kevin Luce via Freesound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
The trams are a distinctive element to the commuter life in Helsinki. The city is continuously upgrading the tram network, and replacing older, noisier trams with newer 'silent' versions. The rumbles, whistles, groans and creaks of this No6 tram will soon become obsolete. This recording captures the 'soon to be extinct' tram ambience.
I love the dynamics and sonic space inside these trams early in the morning. As the tram drives over bumps in the tracks, you can hear the sound repeat as each carriage follows. it creates an echo. The sensitivity of a microphone extracts so much detail, it's almost overwhelming. It's a way of 'looking under the hood' with sound.
Christopher DeLaurenti writes “In the city it feels right to carry a microphone, for no ear can take it all in" - Environmental Sound Artists In Their Own Words, Bianchi and Manzo.
Recorded at 07:30 1/6/2022 using Zoom H4n. Riding the tram from stops Eiranranta (Eira Beach) to Ylioppilastalo (The Old Student House).
Recording provided by Chris Bradbury.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Shortened air raid siren test in Prague. Recorded with Zoom f8 + Sennheiser MKH416.
Recording provided by nooly via Freesound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Famous Nürburgring Nordschleife, cars from 1925- 1940.
Recording provided by jungh001 via Freesound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
This is a recording of a lovely old British automobile. It includes door opening/closing sounds and some unfortunate handling noise.
Recording provided by lonskwad2020 via Freesound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
IMAGE: © Akela NDE / Wikimedia Commons
We went to a trip with school to Wales. This included a ride on a steam train. Obviously I recorded. Having the microphones out of the window I captured a weird image of a train and its constant sounds.
Recorded with Sound Professionals MS-BMC3 binaural microphones with Zoom H1 Recorder.
Recording provided by jrosin via Freesound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
One of the remaining steam locomotives whistles in the distance. MKH20 and FR-2.
Recording provided by Heigh-hoo via Freesound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Vintage cash register, with crank, bell and till opens.
Recording provided by Tompalompa via Freesound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"On listening to the recording of the music box and reading about the sentimentality behind it and implied happy memories it occurred to me that the music of life is only produced by a lot of underlying effort and the mechanics to create it. I therefore concentrated on the winding sounds and noises produced by the mechanism itself. These were slowed down, reversed and manipulated using plugins including GRM evolution.
"Fragments of the pitched material were slowed down and allowed to breakthrough the inner workings for brief beautiful moments. The majority of the pitched content is layered over the more mechanical sounds as a metaphor for authentic life, all the more unique and fascinating for its textures."
Composition by Alison Beattie.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"I listened to the original recording as raw material. Back then, seeking new audio experiences, we could turn a physical dial to tune in and out of different stations.
The wonder that was Amplitude Modulation, split into Long and Short wave brought us exotic possibilities - Luxembourg, Hilversum, Budapest, AFN, many more, many sorts. Static - bleeps, whistles, voice shards and fizzing hiss an insistent companion.
Those radio sounds washing over and through us, covering us with sounds and silence.
"I was inspired to make and combine 3 themes;
"The first theme, built using samples from the 1950 Kenneth Anger film, Rabbit Moon, represents the dream-like state as we sought the aural unknown. What were we seeking? Why did we keep tuning and turning?
We’ve lost that delicious randomness.
"Then a repetitive rhythm track, made up of sampled analogue radio - including the Original Recording, mirrors the constant tuning back and forth across the dial.
"Finally interwoven sound snatches and bites, from the Original Recording, others from my own collection, are mixed in - random and unexpected
"This way for serendipitous satisfaction."
Composition by Ian Evetts.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"I grew up in a house without electricity, so the sound of striking matches remains very familiar to my ears; they were an essential item to ignite candles and lamps and stoves. I also began the Void Sigil project intending to eschew culturally-specific elements in music, and creating fire with matches seemed to be an appropriate cultural universal.
"I began my composition by isolating individual match strikes and building rhythms out of them, but I eventually incorporated fewer rhythmic elements and relied more on time-stretched versions of the original sound, layered and manipulated through various effects. While it was not my original intent, I ultimately incorporated no other sound sources beyond the original recording of matches being struck."
Composition by Void Sigil.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"Inspired by the narrow parameters of earlier monophonic ringtones I wanted to reimagine the recording using only itself. But the idea of a mobile is that it's mobile of course so for that, and to situate the ringtone in now-time, I put it on my phone and took it out into my locality, recorded it ringing and used sounds from that as well. The manipulated impulses of countless calls haunt digital space, bounce down to earth and back out into the ether again."
Composition by Lara Band.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
This music box was an anniversary present to my grandmother and has been in the family for years. It looks like a miniature piano. It still works perfectly. Here I wind up the mechanism and then let it play until it stops on its own. Towards the end of the recording it gets so slow that you can hear each individual note. Key of E major.
Recording provided by f-r-a-g-i-l-e via Freesound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
This is the sound of tuning an analog radio.
This sound is obsolete because now there are digital radios.
Recording provided by Ed Visoso.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
The sound of lighting matches.
This sound is disappearing because now everybody uses lighters.
Recording provided by Ed Visoso.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Nokia 5120 ring.
This sound has disappeared because these telephones don't work anymore.
Recording provided by Ed Visoso.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"The sound represents the end event in a galactic contest of wills between extraordinary combatants. The listener is invited to imagine themselves having just lost in a crushing defeat. What if it was your face in the dirt? What if you were not certain of the severity of your injuries at the same time you were beginning to lose consciousness?
"This piece is dedicated to the memory of Dr. JKR. Finally, you can rest in peace. And I can get back to being a young single girl."
Composition by Madame Chao.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"The slowed down sound of a melting glacier ice underpins this track and tries to portray the chaos in the world as the climate gets hotter."
Composition by Karhide.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"When I first heard this recording two things struck me - first was the pulse and the second was the overtone rich timbre. I set about cutting loops which I then filtered and applied some light touches of reverb and 8 band EQ and began lining up the loops so as to produce a pulsing relationship between multiple stacked loops. Then I took apart the partials in order to produce longer tones which I applied reverb and EQ to fine tune and extend temporally. I liked the metaphorical idea of these signals from an old phone in the ether and used the spacial qualities of the longer tones as a kind of set of layers for the pulses to glide in and out of much like the phone signal. It struck me that the physical properties of sound and the pulse could provide a musical structure."
Composition by Robert Dansby.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"My grandmother used to have an old sewing machine. The ones that were like this kind of wooden furniture. When I was a child I used to play with it without having any relevant knowledge. When my grandmother was working on that machine, the sound used to fill up the old house and was massive to my ears back then. It was so interesting the fact that when you listened to the machine from the room below, you could identify a continuous drone, besides the rhythmic mechanic sound. This is the feeling I wanted to recreate with the track I did.
"I used the original recording at the opening of the track, and then I continued using it through a modular synth, combining it with synthesizer sounds that resembled the drone I was listening to back then at my grandmother's house."
Composition by Savvas Metaxas.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"I distinctly remember using an old dial phone as a child. Its solid ergonomics. The grime that would stick in the recesses of the mouth piece. Unscrewing the mic and speaker caps. Learning how to call numbers without using the dial by tapping patterns on the switch hook. The cold draughty corridors and call boxes where I'd phone friends. Number number numbers.
"The old clicking dial phones signalled numbers by rhythmically interrupting the line. For this piece I used the recording as the only source material. All sounds in my piece are directly derived from that recording using techniques inspired by the chopping way the dial works. Both the audio process and overall compositional structure using this abrupt interrupting technique at macro and micro scales. Without the use of equalisation or artificial reverb I wanted to see what senses of space lie within the raw sound and its particles. Are there still remnants of the heady conversations of youth and those draughty cold hallways?"
Composition by Alan M. Jackson.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"When I listened to the sound I remembered an encounter I had with the musician and great friend Pabs C. Ursusson who I had met at a music course near Leipzig. After the course I visited him at his flat which was above a bookbinders he made coffee in an old Moka Pot on a gas hob and we drank , laughed shared food and great tunes.
"It was a remarkable encounter and magic in many ways. One of the tunes we played together was the traditional tune Djursdalenpolskan or the Melancholy Polska - here it is played on the cymbalom with the sound of coffee hissing gently in the background."
Composition by Quentin Budworth.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"My sound art piece "Call me Back" was built solely and exclusively from the provided sound (turning on an old nokia 5120 and dialing).
"This obsolete sound inspired me to build a journey back in time to a period in history where the coverage of mobile networks operators was still relatively weak. I've used a multi-track audio editor to transform/edit the original sound in a way that I could tell the story i've imagined.
"The story behind my composition is the story of two people that meet in the queue for the ticket office where they are going to buy bus tickets. These people start talking and, in a few moments, fall in love. They exchange cell phone numbers. They promise to call to talk and arrange a next meeting. However, the desire for a dialogue faces obstacles. Cell phone network coverage is poor. The conversation progresses at a slow pace through the exchange of audio messages that invariably end with "call me back"."
Composition by Luis Guita.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"I took the original recording and time stretched it way out. Then I mapped those notes to MIDI. Using recently-recorded Arctic ice samples, I recreated this slower version. I liked the groove in the middle so much that I repeated it a few times. Everything the listener hears is an Arctic ice sound sample, albeit heavily manipulated. In this way, the ice is able to sing its death song. Meanwhile, the listener subconsciously thinks of their poor little Mario, clutching his little hat and singing his death song. Ice Death World lives in the space between the two."
Composition by Josh Evert.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Mario's death sound from Super Mario Bros on the NES.
Recording provided by The Sounds Resource.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Turning on an old nokia 5120 and dialing.
This sound has disappeared because these telephones don't work anymore.
Recording provided by Ed Visoso.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Here we can hear an express pot working in a kitchen.
These express pots are disappearing because now there are others with a new technology named Instant Pot.
Recording provided by Ed Visoso.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Here we can hear an old dial telephone while calling and hanging up.
This sound is now obsolete because the technology of these telephones doesn't work nowadays.
Recording provided by Ed Visoso.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
There is an old sewing machine being used for a Ms. in her house fixing some clothes.
This sewing machine is so old and it's difficult to see the now working nowadays.
Recording provided by Ed Visoso.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
I wanted to share a clip from a larger project in which I document the sound of melting glacier ice.
This section from the Fjortende Julibreen (14th of July) glacier on Svalbard was close enough to shore that I could wade out, climb up, and bury some contact mics in it.
Atmospheric sounds were also captured using a Zoom xy and shotgun mic (courtesy of Good Credit Productions).
According to Dr. Joanna Ewa Szafraniec, "Spitsbergen [Svalbard] glaciers are in rapid recession. This is observed in both land-based glaciers and those terminating at sea and is regarded as a manifestation of the Arctic amplification effect ..."
The ice crackling as it disappears reminds me that even if I were able to return to such a foreign place, it would be immensely changed. The actions of my everyday self will have contributed to that change.
Recording provided by Josh Evert.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Mobile phone interference sound that occurs with old mobile phone models. New models don't have this kind of interference.
Recording provided by Danilo Crnogorac.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
The game over sound from Street Fighter 2 on the SNES.
Recording provided by The Sounds Resource.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"We were drawn to the sound of the Grinder’s Whistle – it was subtle with a distant, organic quality. It came through like it could have been a bird call. This stood out when compared to the other obsolete sounds which were primarily machines and gadgets.
"This was the sound of a person continuing an age-old trade in their local community. Because of that, we wanted to accompany this call with a work that was equally warm and flowed as if it was also wandering the local street. We used analogue beats and effects-drenched guitar, accompanying a field recording of birds close to home.
"We played ‘in-the-moment’ with open windows to invite a capture of immediate surrounding life. The Grinder’s Whistle appears in entirety twice in the piece – at other times there are glimpses layered throughout. We encourage intimate listening through headphones…"
Composition by Sherman and Field.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
IMAGE: nborges from Portugal, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"A lot of my work focuses on recontextualising sound, image and memory, and the materials I use (other than samples) often tend to be toys, learner keyboards, tiny joke drumkits, etc., so this particular recording seemed a good fit to me.
"I have a personal relationship with the recording in that I played A Link To The Past on Game Boy during a few long car journeys when I was fairly young, perhaps 5. I recall being scared by it at points - the dungeons and the bosses were impossibly difficult for me and my infant reflexes - and I have some recollection of the prayer sound from the recording.
"So I wanted to take this sound that I associate with being slightly unnerved, and way out of my depth, and attempt to recontextualise it into something joyful by splicing in this very sugary, major-key track.
"I started by cutting the sample up, and reconstituting it into two layered, phased pulses that evolve gradually. I then overlaid a track I'd made using samples from unused recordings of my own work, as well as some vocals through a small megaphone toy."
Composition by Shit Creek.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
IMAGE: Dave or Atox, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"The idea of obsolete sounds made me think about how these sounds would exist without a perfectly preserved digital recording – only as memories. With this as inspiration, I tried to think of an audio treatment that could represent the way our memories distort and fade as time passes.
"As we tend to reinforce and preserve memories by repetition, I decided my set up would begin with a “dub style” delay with a midi controllable, valve amplified stereo delay unit . This meant that the unit would generate a single repeat of the sound played in, which would then be fed back into its input. Between output and input I added a bitcrusher automated so that each run through the feedback loop would be resampled at progressively lower sample rate, whilst also automating the delay via MIDI so that the repeats became slower and slower. My concept was that these modifications would represent the distortions that gradually become introduced to our memories over time.
"What you hear in the piece is a single play through of the Pacman theme - all the following sounds are the feedback loop described above fading and shifting until something almost entirely unrecognisable appears. There is a moment I love shortly before the conclusion where an unexpected melodic flourish appears seemingly from the ether, suggesting to me a new musical idea springing from the fading memory of the old one."
Composition by Simon Duck.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"The original recording resonates heat and has dryer sound present throughout. Background noise of machines and workers voices add depth and diversity. I imagined the process and machine based journey the tea went on inside the drying machine ( a tea ritual based on preparation inside a tea ritual?).
"I chopped the track into sections colour coding voice, drone and ambient sounds. I then re positioned them in a DAW and using basic mallets and synths layered and re positioned the audio whilst playing live against it. Finally a structure presented itself and a basic melody / refrain. T- Drone was complete."
Composition by Andy Billington.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"The eerie sounds of the Eastern Hemlocks in the old growth forest provided the setting for things that went bump in the night. A frog calls to its mate, the door squeaks open, and the strings of the lap harp emerge into the forest."
Composition by Stuart Wilding.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
IMAGE: Fritzflohrreynolds, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"This piece uses a variation of some code that I wrote previously for processing audio files. For this version the computer takes several small clips of audio from the original. These clips last for 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21 or 34 seconds. The piece lasts for 8 minutes and I wanted a process to run throughout. During the first minute the clips are sparse and quiet and will only be selected from the 1 second clips. As the piece progresses, the clips get longer, louder and closer together until by the end there are multiple, overlapping clips."
Composition by Simon Belshaw.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"I was very fortunate to be selected to reimagine the sound of a Carousel slide projector, a device which once engaged the public beyond a flash of technology. “It goes backwards, forwards. It takes us to a place where we ache to go again… It lets us travel the way a child travels.” - Don Draper
"This travel is what I wished to capture in my work. To provide a space where attention might flit between a myriad of thoughts, memories, and emotions while exploring nostalgia and imagined worlds.
"I am a Sound Designer specialized in video game audio and I absolutely love developing and diving into vibrant soundscapes. My goal is for each active slide to present, for a fleeting moment, a lush, engaging, and distinct sonic environment. Additional details about the 27 slides in this composition can be found on my audio blog, AudioGungFu: https://ambientartstyles.com/obsolete-sounds-carousel/
"All Music and Foley recordings (via H4N Pro) in this work are original productions, with the exception of 6 audio samples - most notably: the Carousel audio sample; President John F. Kennedy speaking at Rice University on Sept. 12, 1962; Franklin D. Roosevelt’s June 5, 1944 Fireside Chat; and rocket thrust from an STS-131 engine."
Composition by Ambien Artstyles (John Stolzle).
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"I mainly chose the walkman recording because it reminded me of the times when I was collecting tons of cassette tapes for my Walkman, and they always felt so sturdy and indestructible - compared to the mediums like cd, or mini disc. Which could already get a scratch and break from falling down once, so straightforward handling with Walkman's and tapes.
"The word simple inspired me to use just one instrument for this piece. The Arturia Microfreak provided all sounds. Its design with the prints somehow reminded me of my old Walkman, which was full of stickers. I mainly used the field recording of the Walkman to provide nostalgia and the tape feels to the sound, which is always subtly audible from looped pieces in the background. Using the start and stop sounds provided an excellent start and exit of the track and set the mood of a long obsolete device."
Composition by Faru.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Prayer sound from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past on the SNES.
Recording provided by The Sounds Resource.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
IMAGE: Dave or Atox, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Game start sound from Pac Man.
Recording provided by The Sounds Resource.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording from the Cha Gorreana tea factory in the Azores, the largest tea plantation in Europe - we hear freshly-picked tea leaves from the plantation being poured into a rotating drum, a mixing machine that prepares the leaves for the next stage in a process conducted entirely by hand.
Recording provided by Cities and Memory.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
As of 2015, 90% of the geographic range of eastern hemlock in North America has been affected by Hemlock woolly adelgid. According to Science Daily, the pest could kill most of the eastern region's hemlock trees within the next decade.
Inside a mature growth eastern hemlock grove, this soundscape recording captures the sound of the delicate, flat sprays of one of our most beautiful eastern native trees - before it is gone forever. The ambient, if not ghostly sonorities of the hemlocks are intermittently punctuated by the groanings of one dead trunk leaning against another hemlock trunk still alive. I captured this recording on a cold winter day inside an hemlock old growth forest at Whites Nature Preserve in Litchfield, CT.
Recording provided by Michael Gatonska.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
IMAGE: Fritzflohrreynolds, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
One hundred or more small birds in a pub garden aviary, which is, mercifully, rarely something found in such places anymore.
Recording provided by PM Browne.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
An old carousel slide projector containing 13 slides, taken out from the dark cupboard containing other such obsolete technology, and recorded for posterity.
Recording provided by PM Browne.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
The sound of a Walkman recorded with zoom h5 and a contact microphone.
A Walkman I received as a gift from my cousins from Australia in the mid-1980s.
Still working.
Recording provided by Roberto Vodanović Čopor.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"This is the sound of the knife grinder, who walks along with his bike, offering his services. In Portugal they are called "o amola-tesouras" which translates as the scissors' sharpener. In a fast consumption era, this is the sound of a disappearing profession - the man who sharpens knifes, scissors, fixes umbrellas, making himself heard by potential customers through the unique yet (almost universally?) recognizable call of his whistle, echoing through the streets. This sound was recorded from my window, back in 2014, when I was living in Rua Miguel Torga, in Costa de Caparica, writing my PhD thesis at the time."
Recording provided by Alexandra Baixinho.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
IMAGE: nborges from Portugal, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
"Our young narrator crisscrosses the US in his car, listening nonstop to the radio, which is his only companion. I too was a young man in 1969, though my experiences were not at all the same. I did listen to the radio a lot, and my first wife was a great fan of Herb Jepko, whose all-night show Nitecaps could be heard coast to coast in the early 1970s, and is heard briefly here. Talk radio, in the days before it was debased by the likes of Howard Stern etc. etc., was a real force, a social outlet to be reckoned with."
Composition by John Tenney.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"The sound of the film projector instantly invokes a feeling of nostalgia for me. I felt that I had to use the original recording of the projector clean without any manipulation and integrate it into a story of some sort. The story evolved more into a reverie of an imaginary character, studying and remembering her past."
Composition by Eulipion Corps.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"Degradation deconstruct a 12 second sample of a Cletrac Crawler Tractor and reassemble the results to create an episodic imagining of the guttural churn of a tractor’s working life. Composed entirely from loops and samples extracted from the original field recording — courtesy of the Whiteman Collection, Revolution Transport Museum — ‘Cletrac Crawler 144’ is a work of fragmented assembly and materialist noise, formed through heavy processing and sonic patchwork. The Cletrac’s natural tones are cleaved from the meadow; saturated, time-stretched and reversed, they are harvested and sowed back into the furrowed grounding of multiple droning effect chains. Emerging from the mulch of the enclosed field, the obsolete machine finds a phantasmatic afterlife as a revenant which returns, chugging through the deep time of a sonic afterlife. An echo of stuttering rhythms and ghostly voices celebrate the machine’s name day in an ode to this forgotten technology of the recent past.
Degradation is D O’Donoghue (who records under the moniker Vinegar Tom) and George Rayner-Law (who records under his own name, and formerly as Schwerpunkt). Their debut LP ‘Leadlined’ was released on Brachliegen Tapes in 2022."
Composition by Degradation.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"I love the high frequency content in the recording! I wrote this demo intro for a project I am working on with it. The idea was to really go for high frequency content to drive the short but sparkly sounds. All of the percussion and FX were made using the Tascam sample and/or resampling techniques. The track is unfinished, so mind your volume when listening to be safe!"
Composition by New Mind.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"The original recording of the tape machine operations was cut into pieces. The recording was also used as an input for a granular sampler whose output was heavily modified by an effect chain mostly with delay based effects. The tape machine noises give some structure with start/stop of tracks. However in the end it gets more loose and for the finish some overlapping tape machine noises even give a kind of rhythm before the abrupt stop."
Composition by Stefan Strasser.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"I used runway 141PA. I liked its enigmatic, quirky character... the voice, the breath effect... the drone that appears almost at the end... From there, I imagined myself in a basement, maybe - to be a hallway, moist, foggy, humid, dense with a pale light walking in search of the exit or a living soul... this automatic voice endlessly repeating something incongruous, incoherent with intelligence inaccessible now... I let the process do... the sounds went wrong, the mind wandered in the strata... so it's done!"
Composition by Philippe Neau.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
This is a recording of my great-uncle Saul Wineman who was a radio and television broadcaster under the name Paul Winter. He broadcasted his talk radio show “The Paul Winter Show” from 1965 until late 1969 or early 1970 on WTAK in Detroit, during which time he covered the race riots among other subjects, and this was his final farewell program before he moved to a different radio station in Minneapolis. You will hear him talk and banter with familiar callers who read him poems and say goodbye, and he sings two songs that are very personal to him.
From a retrospective booklet by the Detroit radio station WJR:
“[The Paul Winter Show] is a collage of Broadway and film music, reviews of plays, books, historical events, fashion, fancy, human foibles and almost anything else that come into a brilliant, concerned and creative mind. One day, he may launch a metaphorical balloon to honor the ‘Mad Montogofier Brothers,’ or he may build an entire show around the far from dignified Elizabethan theatre, or comedy features drawn from his inventive and bizarre sense of humor.”
I do not think this recording is available anywhere else, and is a record of an era of talk radio that has evolved beyond recognition.
I found this among his collection of 1/4” tape reels which my great-aunt Marilyn kept after he died, along with his old Sony-o-Matic tape machine which I used to play the tape and record it digitally. His voice emerging from his own tape machine is a brief and stirring resurrection.
My original recording was 26 minutes long. I have edited it down to 20 minutes to fit the submission requirements, cutting an excerpt from a Nichols and May album, part of “Manjā De Carnaval”, and commercials, which can all be found elsewhere.
Recording provided by Eric Sluyter.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Becoming scarce, the Eumig Super 8 Cine Film Projector is a trusted friend I can’t do without. The sound of its whirling and whining in the dark makes my heart sing. You can hear me turning the light out, switching the projector on and watching the magic appear.
Recording provided by Steph Shipley.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Cletrac 'Model F' Crawler Tractor. 1921. Iron.
2000.75 in the Whiteman Collection, Revolutions Transport Museum.
This Cletrac 'Model F' Crawler Tractor is part of the original bequest from Manton Lewis 'Lew' Cyril Whiteman to the people of Western Australia held at the Museum. It has been restored to working order and it is believed that Lew Whiteman bought this tractor from the Narrogin area, in the Wheatbelt of the state. Who from? Where from? When? We are on the hunt to find out more.
The Model F was revolutionary and could pull up to 90% of its body weight which is equivalent to the pulling power of 6-8 horses! The centenarian tractor was built by the Cleveland Tractor Company in Ohio, USA, 1921. It was introduced to the market in 1920 by and was only manufactured up until 1922. The tracks of the Cletrac are very unique in that they employed a floating roller chain inside each track, which eliminated the need for lubrication. It is believed to be rare within Western Australia but more broadly, with National rarity, particularly in good working order.
This short recording was extracted from a video taken on Thursday 7th October 2021 for the tractor's 100th birthday celebration. This consisted of a public demonstration from 10-12noon, with the little Cletrac starting up each time visitors disembarked the train at the Bennett Brook station and wandered across to the museum. The demo ignited the senses and as such, brought to life elements of it's intangible cultural heritage values. There were short talks on its history compiled during a recent significance assessment, as well as a drop-in drawing session, where children could write down what the Cletrac sounded like, smelt like, looked like - as well as drawing it while on the move!
Recording provided by Carly Lynch.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
1980s Tascam 32 Tape machine transport mechanism. Play, stop fast forward and rewind including tape flapping where the machine carried on rewinding!
Recording provided by Simon Woods.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
1970s Sony TC377 Tape Recorder transport mechanism. Play, stop, fast forward etc.
Recording provided by Simon Woods.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"A retired ferry in the WSF system - our favourite old boat!"
Recording provided by Robert Dansby.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"I am passionate about capturing and working with sounds from past times and those that formally could be considered audio "errors" or damaged recordings, to create new sonic and musical works, giving life to new sensory experiences. The main attribute that captivated me about the sound #134 was its texture. It was not only the sensation and its sonic beauty. It also triggered memories of my childhood, a time when I was surrounded by instruments and recording equipment in my parents' home studio and when I used my father's collection of blank cassette tapes to record tunes from the radio at night.
"My intention in this creation was to subtly process and keep that texture present during 3 minutes and write the music over it, while listening to it. The result is a soundscape that explores the dialogue between past and present and reflects the main emotions linked to childhood and the beginning of the relationship with the world of analog recordings. I focused on building an immersive, timeless, dreamy and welcoming soundscape. A homescape that would take you to a safe and warm place where you can close your eyes, pay attention and listen.
"I believe that sounds will not get lost or disappear, as long as we appreciate them, think about them as substantial inputs with unlimited possibilities and invite them to our creative processes in order to give life to new sound/musical works, which could also be interconnected with other disciplines, achieving unique and memorable experiences."
Composition by Maribel Tafur.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"The sound of the camera shutter and winding mechanism are used as snare and guiro in this piece of music. Later, they are joined by more modern camera sounds which have replaced the obsolete Zenit E."
Composition by Simon Woods.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"I imagined all of the broken microwaves of the world discarded into a giant pile. Some were totally defunct, but others just had a smashed door and the electronics are working just fine. These ones start a massive hive brain and get the whole frustrated pile jamming... until all of the rage at being abandoned by feckless humans is abated and there is a tiny sigh of relief."
Composition by The Doll.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"Using sounds entirely from Colin Hunter's wonderfully evocative recording I tried to achieve a sense of overwhelming disconnected cacophony contrasted with a gentle, almost soporific and intimate atmosphere. I experience some kind of timelessness and altered state when on trains especially underground trains perhaps due to sensory overload or deprivation. From time to time I experience temporary deafness in one ear if air pressure is very changeable and I wanted to use this experience to add to the dislocation sometimes experienced and the sense that sound is unpredictable."
Composition by Peter Annear.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"I am an animation filmmaker. I have been creating time-lapse images during the pandemic, images about time, memory, travel, change. The sounds from the train station seemed to be a significant complement to my time lapse of poppies and staged still lives. There is that hint, the memory of a person, someone who was here before."
Composition by Deanna Morse.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"It’s strange how memories and images come to mind when you listen to a supposedly unconnected field recording.
"How did the recording of an old flush toilet in the Riviera Open Air cinema in Athens 37.985572,23.7335763 make me connect Mondrian, tempestuous seas, Terry Riley and the small red wooden boat that has sat on my mantelpiece for many years?
"Much of my audio work has stories attached and I often think in very visual terms when working with sound. After some very basic experimentation, the flush morphed into what seemed like a raging wind and sea. I am also a visual artist and often when I look at the sea huge blocks of colour clash against each other, as if in an abstract painting. Many of these scenes I have painted in acrylics and a set called Mondrian in Seas are my present project.
"I just imagined my little red hulled boat making its way on the Mondrian Sea. Suddenly, it’s caught in a race against time to get to safe harbour with an increasingly raging storm behind it. The little boat is tossed around in a maelstrom of colour. The chase is on, as if in a race, and towards the beam of the lighthouse beckoning the little boat to safety.
"Since my sound and artwork are so closely connected, the piece tries to convey this little tale with minimalist repetition, improvisation and all in the key of C, which is my nod to Terry Riley.
"Best listened through headphones and beware, the clash of colours is loud."
Composition by Odette Johnson (Museleon).
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Japanese prefixes for words of negation, removal, absence and obsolescence. English equivalent prefixes include Ob De Ab Im Dis.
Vocalisations for Japanese sounds of negation are drawn from the source sample and used in the work.
This piece is a lament for the Ainu, indigenous people of the islands surrounding the Sea of Okhotsk, now identified as part of the northern Japanese archipelago. The Ainu people settled these islands several thousand years before the arrival of the Yamato Japanese.
For centuries, seudo-scientific racial ideologies, which included the false belief of the superiority of the Yamato character, marked the indigenous Ainu as “sub-human primitives”, making illegal their language, culture, right to gather and hunt. Eugenicist theories justified “racial improvements” to the indigenous population, with forced sterilisation and rape of Ainu women by “pureblood” minzoku. Male and female Ainu populations were separated, with males exiled to southern Japan to work as debentured slaves.
As recently as 2020 the Japanese prime minister celebrated Japan as the world’s oldest monoculture, negating further what limited visibility and rights the Ainu people may have in law.*
As a consequence of systematic erasure by the Japanese, the Ainu language is one of the most critically endangered. There are only two fluent speakers left on earth.
endangeredlanguages.com/lang/1212
Technical notes
The piece was recorded in a single take as a live improvisation using only the source sample. Vocalisations for the Japanese sounds of negation are drawn from the source sample and used in the performance.
The work was made using Leafcutter John’s Forester-2022.
leafcutterjohn.com/forester-2022/
*It is worth noting that until 1981 indigenous Australians were required to identify themselves on the national census as “Flora and Fauna” with no reference to their being human.
Composition by Simon Kennedy.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
"There were so many intricate, interesting components within the sound of the Vectrex machine. The electronics warming up; the mechanical clicks of the switches; the low bitrate sound chip producing the haunting, aged melodies.
"The thing that struck me - as with a lot of my sound exploration - is that there are sounds within the sounds; little clicks, pops, creaks, and drones that have a life all of their own. You don't really hear them, more feel them. They're there and then they're gone. These are the ghosts of the machine.
"I broke the original field recording down into a number of individual parts and processed them using granular apps on the iPad and my eurorack modular rig. My go-to instrument is the Make Noise Morphagene; the tactility of using this felt entirely appropriate for exploring and manipulating a sound created by something which was itself very hands-on. The granular processing (especially the Boarderlands app) allowed me to explore the tiny aspects of the sound that might otherwise be missed when you're listening at 'full fidelity'."
Composition by Tom Jepson.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
The last days of a badly designed microwave oven.
Recording provided by Robert Dansby.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
A binaural recording made at Westbourne Park tube station in London in 2012. The recording features distant police and ambulance sirens as they drove past on the nearby flyover, followed by two C Stock tube trains approaching the station from different directions, then leaving.
Recording provided by Colin Hunter.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Today most of the large train stations in France have LED departure boards that update silently. But when I first arrived in Paris ten years ago all of the main terminals had the old "Split-Flap" style boards. Each time the board would update, a wonderful flipping noise would be heard. This recording captures exactly that sound, recorded at Gare du Nord in 2012.
Sony PCM D50 + Soundman OKM II binaural mics + A3 adapter
Recorded 06.10.12
Recording provided by Colin Hunter.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
The camera was my father-in-law's ,which he used to take pictures in the 60s, 70s and 80s.
Recording provided by Simon Woods.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
This is a cassette player that I've had since the 1970s. It has worked all these years until just recently, when it stopped playing the old cassettes I recorded on it. Occasionally, when you press play something will come through but it's mostly hiss and static.
Recording provided by David Hiley.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
The sound of an old toilet flush system that is getting more and more rare to find.
Recording provided by Ilias Kalisperakis.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
This recording compiles excerpts from one of my final lessons with my Kasuga-ryu kouta teacher before the pandemic struck in 2020. None of the elements of this recording has by any means disappeared. My teacher is still alive, although I have not been able to meet her again due to lock downs and ongoing travel restrictions. The instrument, a hosozao (thin-necked) shamisen, is an expensive niche item that few play but everyone knows as a symbol of "traditional Japan". The kouta "short song" shamisen genre exemplified here has fallen far from the spotlight since its final popularity boom in mid-20th century Japan. Yet it is still possible to search out people performing, studying and recording the repertoire.
However, in a broader sense, this sound feels to me infused with a sense of vulnerability to time. Despite kouta as a genre stubbornly clinging to life, few people have any sense of how to listen as connoisseurs -- how to make aesthetic or emotional sense of the music, the lyrics, the subtleties of singing style and technique. Furthermore, taken as a whole, this recording documents an increasingly rare and precious occasion -- a master passing on an unnotated musical lineage, face-to-face, through patient repetition. The fact that the song, "Harusame" (Spring Rain), refers to seasonal motifs that are quietly vanishing due to global climate change underlines the poignancy of this recording. Yet in a hopeful irony, these layered disappearances perfectly embody the classic Japanese aesthetic of mono no aware, the impermanence of things.
Recording provided by Gretchen Jude.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
A GCE Vectrex console is turned on, and emits its characteristic buzzing noise as it plays the standard startup tune, followed by the theme for Sean Kelly's Vectrex Multi-cart 3.0. The buzzing changes frequency and tonality as the CRT displays different content, prior to being turned off.
The Vectrex itself is a relatively rare and expensive American "home arcade" console with a vector display (like Asteroids). It is estimated that fewer than a million of these consoles were made between 1982 and 1984, perhaps only several hundred thousand. Due to the decision to place the amplifier for the built-in speaker on the power board, early models of the Vectrex made a distinctive buzzing noise due to electrical interference. Given their age (and the relative fragility of the built-in CRT display), as well as the relative popularity of "no-buzz" modifications to remove the buzzing sound among Vectrex enthusiasts, the Vectrex buzz, rare to begin with, is only getting more rare with each passing year.
Recording provided by Julia Jacobi.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Frog chorus reimagined by Cities and Memory.
The rhythmic interweaving of the frogs' midnight calls is the basis for this composition, built entirely using Blankfor.ms by Spitfire Audio. Arpeggiated synths represent the different groupings of frogs calls, with the frog call interspersed on every sixth arp repetition. Periodically, the regularity of both music and frog calls breaks down, representing those moments when the frogs, distracted perhaps by a potential threat, break sequence and the calls become irregular before forming a sequence anew.
Waves at Mosteiros reimagined by Cities and Memory.
For this composition we've imagined that there is a lighthouse at Mosteiros in the Azores - there is, in reality, no such thing. In our imagined soundscape, the lighthouse keeper walks up to the door of the lighthouse on a foggy morning, waves crashing either side of him. The huge door opens and closes behind him, and he turns on a buzzing electric light.
Ascending the stairs of the lighthouse, he comes to the engine room, containing the mechanism for turning the huge lamp, as well as the controls for the foghorn. He pulls the foghorn lever twice, with the horn erupting inside the lighthouse. Descending the stairs, he steps outside to make sure that his warning to the approaching ship has been heeded.
As well as the waves recording, the following samples were used:
- Inside the lighthouse on Flat Holm Island, recorded by Cities and Memory.
- An English country church door closes, recorded by Cities and Memory.
- "Footsteps, Muddy, E.wav" by InspectorJ (www.jshaw.co.uk) of Freesound.org
- Heavy-breathing man by Teebee_Deael, courtesy of Freesound.org
- Old lever pull by DrMinky
- Fluorescent light switch on off by kyles
- Walking down spiral stairs by giddster
- rotating dome.flac by ignotus
- Metal2.wav by arnaud coutancier
- Foghorn by Spitfire Audio
The Atlantic Ocean crashes onto rocks on the western coast of Sao Miguel in the Azores. There is unbroken ocean to the west for thousands of miles, and the waves crash with great power and drama onto the rocks, as captured in this recording.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
At midnight by a rural pond on Sao Miguel in the Azores, dozens of frogs croak their nightly chorus uninterrupted, as a recording device is placed among them and left. All around the pond, voice rise rhythmically and in unison, creating a midnight chorus of frog calls.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Composition by Steph Shipley.
"The short soundscape Final Cut is inspired by research into films shot with Bolex film cameras. Re-imagined themes of mortality, urban extinction and desert heat are filtered through sounds I composed on my digital piano and the obsolete Bolex recording."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by MIZI.
"The original recording of an early 80's ST-251 Seagate hard disk initiates the powering up process of 6 different hard drives and the subsequent probing and exploration of their inner mechanisms and sounds. The original powering up sequence can be heard slightly manipulated at the very beginning of the piece, it is the cue for a stretched canon of hard drives spinning up to 7200 RPMs. The original recording functions as an extra disk, a phantom object treated in the digital domain, that becomes part of the hard drive instrumentarium.
"Through a slow and methodical use of electromagnetic coils each hard drive is meticulously scanned, and all the different sonic elements of the object are isolated: The tones and harmonics produced by the high rotational speed, the electromagnetic micro-noises of the mechanical head, the sonic artefacts of the hard disk controller and the USB data line. The minuscule phase differences of each disk’s rotation, provide a constant droning beating, that is prominent for most of the duration of the piece, until it is finally ousted by the noisier mechanisms and sounds of the drives."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Neil Spencer Bruce.
"This piece is mixed binaurally and ideally should be listened to on headphones.
"Instantly the sound of the Teletype took me back to my childhood and a visit to an office with a teleprinter. There was something amazing, yet mysterious about the machine, the sound of it, the movement of the print head, never seeming to end, busy conducting its role of delivering and printing messages. In my young mind I had no idea where these messages came from or where they were going, they seems to arrive and be sent from the ether.
"I wanted to create a piece which featured a sample of the rhythmic pulse of the machine, endlessly responding to messages being sent or delivered. The messages had an ephemeral quality to them, existing only in their time, before a new message was delivered. The old messages passing on instructions which then created new messages of their own. There is something also industrial about the beat of the machine, which I wanted to exploit and explore.
"I only used the original recording in the piece, creating textured layers of rhythms in a tape loop style similar to Steve Reich. Other layers were pitch shifted up and down to create other teleprinter voices in this imaginary message factory. I used binaural mixing to give a sense of immersion in a world of ephemeral messages, communications which came and went, disappearing forever into the vast machine of progress."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Jon Ogara.
"The teletype as a form of audio transmission of a message inspired me to think about hidden messages and data corruption. Using audio heterodyning, I recoded a message and modulated this about 18KHz. This is throughout the piece, but you cannot hear it. Using a de-modulator I can bring this down to the audible range, this can be heard in the piece. The slow pulses are the messages transferred by the teletype the indented message, finally corrupted in the end."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by kawol samarqandi.
"I have been involved in numerous recordings as a studio musician and composer/arranger for many years. I still record my own work on a daily basis. The hum, noise, and recorded sound fragments of Studer-like equipment are like lullabies to me. I composed this piece while listening carefully to and imagining the landscape that exists within and beyond the sounds that are at the base of the music-making process."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Euan Maco McAleece.
"I used to use this very piece of equipment and I remember with fond memory sampling the DAT and other bit of studio equipment and making tape loops of these sounds. I found the machine rhythms enticing and just cut some small loops and played with repetitions and echo."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Claire Pearson.
"Porta Pak 2 is a dreamy mixture of soundscapes with skewed electronic drones and chilled beats. It features the mesmerizing sounds of the Sony Porta Pak camera fan. I was fascinated by the layered tones the fan made as it changed speed. The original recording plays throughout the track, but I overlaid digitally manipulated sections of the source sound to create sonic crosscurrents and add extra colour to the piece."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Emmy Tither.
"This original recording was quite... overwhelming to me, which is why I chose it. I leaned into that feeling of acoustic overwhelm for my composition, as well as the feeling of relief one feels once those sounds have quieted down."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Michelle Breslin Lostworldsounds.
"I was intrigued by the rhythm which also became a drone to me, and wove a variety of parts around it, weaving in and out. I like the industrial aspect which inspired my guitars."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Matthew Martori.
The cranking and recording sound of a Bolex film camera. It is quite cumbersome to use compared to modern digital video cameras, but its images have an undeniable charm to them.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Christian Zietz.
The ST-251 was a 42 MB hard disk drive, made by Seagate in the early 1980s. The recording has the drive spinning up and self-testing (as it would do when turned on) and then spinning down (being turned off).
Nowadays, most computers use (silent) SSDs and even modern hard disks don't make these sounds.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Hugh Pyle.
Teletype model ASR-33 teleprinter, a mechanical terminal (printer and keyboard) widely used as the way for users to interact with minicomputers in the 1970s. The recording includes a person briefly typing an instruction to the computer, and the results being printed on the terminal.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by William B. Buzbee.
This is an old electro-mechanical Teletype machine (Model 20) printing out a news feed. These machines were used by newspapers and radio stations to receive news stories from organisations like the Associated Press and United Press International (UPI). They were made obsolete by computerized news delivery and were largely gone by the late 70s.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Stacey Copeland.
This is a recording using my DIY electromagnetic microphone while running a Studer A810 Tape Recorder build in 1982. I recorded this during a part-time job at Number 9 Studio in Toronto back in 2016. I got to know this reel to reel machine well while using it to digitize recordings for clients. Another beautiful machine running itself into obsolescence. There's a great overview of this tech here: https://www.capstan.at/Reel2006/Essay%2009.html
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Stacey Copeland.
This is a recording of the Panasonic SV-3700 (DAT) Digital Audio Tape Deck build in 1994. The recording was taken while digitizing a collection of DATs during my part-time production job at Number 9 Studio in Toronto, Canada in 2016. You can hear me press buttons and fastforwarding a DAT. Recorded using a Schoeps Mk4 collette.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Stacey Copeland.
This is a close mic recording of the fan/motor on the Sony AV3400 Porta Pak circa 1969. Recorded using Schoeps A once state of the art portable record/playback Videocorder designed to operate with the SONY AVC-3400 Video Camera. Digital recording has made such devices obsolete. It was once used by the University Nursing School but now lives in the archive.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Jon Ogara.
From the attic of a friend's lost parents, obsolete as it is a hand cranked sewing machine and the memories as a child as I tried to fix various bits of clothing and how the thread was fed.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by David Williams.
One stroke engine ice cream maker at a small town fair in Vermont, 2014.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Gretchen Jude.
"“One Single Sheep Bell” pairs the original recording with excerpts of an audio interview with my dear friend who was born in Slovakia in 1968. When she was very young, her family had dramatically escaped from the now-defunct nation of Czechoslovakia to the USA. Knowing this, I told her a little about the current project, hoping to hear a bit more of her story. It turned out to be a fortuitous pairing! The eponymous sheep bell comes from her interview, providing formal structure for the composition.
"The full recording of the shepherd in Dedinky is played through once, EQ’d to sound thin and distant. Played a second time less attenuated, the original recording sounds fuller but is shortened by several cuts. My approach to the placement of the interview vocals differs in the first and second sections as well. To begin with, the voice is interspersed more solemnly with the shepherd’s song. But as the story becomes lighter and more playful, my friend’s voice overlaps more loosely with the shepherd’s.
"In these ways, I aimed to reflect my friend’s changing relationship with Slovakia, which she reflects upon so eloquently in her story-telling. I am grateful that the process of working with this recording could explore such personal depths – in terms of both my friendship with the speaker and my understanding of what it means for something to become obsolete. How both objects and sounds can become steeped with memories that shift subtly with our changing perspectives through time. "
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Nick Worrall.
"I started with the fact that there was 'intro', a 'main theme', and 'game over' music within the sample provided and decided to build something around that. I did some research into the game and it came out in 1981 so I used some key events/characters for that year and used the device of someone playing the game whilst discussing events of the day with an unknown companion (the listener) to work on. The game had 4 levels so the structure was built around that. I used the melody and approximate bpm of the 'main theme' as the musical guide for the riffs/chords etc, then just fleshed it out with harmonies, guitars, bass and drums."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Synthotherapy.
"The original recording of the working camera evoked the feeling of nostalgia which I've tried to capture with my music. The piece closes with the sound of the camera intertwined with the musical fabric."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by de Velden.
"I grew up with an air raid siren tested regularly on the first Monday of the month, and remember harmonising with them. I created a layered loop from the original field recording, off-setting the pitch until I was happy with the core sound and then created parts that did the same as I used to; singing along but with instruments.
"Although sirens were intended to raise the alarm there was something re-assuring about my childhood monthly fixture and I wanted to echo some of that in the music, too. Finally, I layered the ambient sounds to articulate the 'business as usual' feel of the recording."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Rati Baramadze.
"While listening to the original recording, I instantly had the association of how a mechanism tries to come into action, hundreds of details coming together to make the plane move. I didn't want to use any additional musical instruments when creating the composition, just the original recording and processing it to bring out my association as much as possible.
"Thousands of mechanical parts are trying to come together for one purpose, for the plane to take off , but in the process they fall apart again and again. To recreate my association I used several processing techniques such as extreme stretching, chopping whole recording by small pieces to get desirable sound, manipulating with tempo."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
IMAGE via Wikimedia Commons:
Description | English: A Messerschmitt Bf 109E that once participated at the Battle of Britain photographed at Thunder Over Michigan 2006.Deutsch: Eine Messerschmitt Bf 109 Typ Emil-3, welche an der Luftschlacht um England teilnahm – photografiert während der „Thunder Over Michigan 2006“ Luftleistungsschau.
Date | 22 September 2006
Source | https://www.flickr.com/photos/fun_flying/250148463/in/photostream/
Author | D. Miller
This image was originally posted to Flickr by Armchair Aviator at https://www.flickr.com/photos/92653143@N00/250148463
Recording provided by John Tenney.
The shepherd, with his flock on a nearby hillside, has been drinking (maybe heavily), and sings a Slovak song, maybe a folk song... The numbers of shepherds are diminishing as the years go by.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Moray Newlands.
The sound of an original Grandstand Astro Wars table top console being played. The console is from 1981-82.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Simon Woods.
The Bell & Howell Filmo Sportster Cine Camera (1930s) is being wound up (clockwork mechanism) and then left to run. The start / stop switch is long since broken.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Garry Brogden.
Every Tuesday morning at 10:00, the local chemical factories (former ICI) test their warning sirens in case there is a serious leak. You never get used to the sound, but one day the plants will be gone. I went down one day and parked my car as close as possible. The recording starts with a plane going overhead, then the distant sirens and finally the nearby sirens complete with announcement.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Fight2FlyPhoto via Freesound.
A restored Messerschmitt Bf-109E-3 starts up its Daimler-Benz 601 engine.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
IMAGE via Wikimedia Commons:
Description | English: A Messerschmitt Bf 109E that once participated at the Battle of Britain photographed at Thunder Over Michigan 2006.Deutsch: Eine Messerschmitt Bf 109 Typ Emil-3, welche an der Luftschlacht um England teilnahm – photografiert während der „Thunder Over Michigan 2006“ Luftleistungsschau.
Date | 22 September 2006
Source | https://www.flickr.com/photos/fun_flying/250148463/in/photostream/
Author | D. Miller
This image was originally posted to Flickr by Armchair Aviator at https://www.flickr.com/photos/92653143@N00/250148463
Composition by Alex Hehir.
"I was drawn to this well recorded sound by the wonderful vibrating resonance coming from the lift’s motion.The piece was based around an imagined trip to the bottom floor. The field recording was played into a looper and captured as a live performance and the additional sounds of the choir were added and processed in Ableton Live."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Nick St. George.
"The trials and tribulations of mobile communication.
With the addition of some percussion, a voice, a 1927 Orville Reed song (The Telephone Girl - PD) and a single sound effect near the end, this comprises predominantly the original recording manipulated in a variety of ways."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
krystof.k (Twitter) & nmuseum, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Composition by Fields of Few.
"My track 'Summer '89', is a reflective and emotive depiction of a childhood summer. I've used the sound of the 8mm projector to help create a sense that the listener is observing events from a distant childhood summer holiday on an old and slightly degraded film. It is surrounded melancholy - a lost time which will never be recreated again."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Holger.Ellgaard 14:15, 17 October 2007 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Composition by Nonalogue.
"All sounds were derived from the original recording and processed mostly through Ableton. The track was primarily a challenge for sound manipulation but I came to think of it as a requiem for physical money: mechanical tills were made obsolete by electronic tills and now cash itself is in decline, driven by online business and the ubiquity of card readers."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by The Argent Grub.
"I chose this sound because it has a great natural meditative rhythm to it. I also have a friend who owns and uses a vintage printing press, so I thought there might be a chance to gather some of those sounds and play around. In the end that proved impractical, so I set about playing with the sound myself.
"The title comes from the words captured mid-way through the original recording, and provide a brilliant summary of what is being captured, of printing through the ages, and of the practice of sound art - “I can do that for quite a while if you want”.
"My process to create the piece is shown below. I use only free and open source software in my work.
"I started by putting the original file in Audacity, and raising the volume:
-
normalised to 0db
-
used the limiter to remove peaks and then
-
amplify to recommended level by Audacity
"I like the idea of a 'rounds' - like London's Burning, so I
-
split the track into 4 almost equal parts of 29s
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set up a 'round' of 4 tracks, each offset by + 29s, so that the original track plays twice in total
"All of the other tracks end when the original has gone round twice, (unlike in a conventional round), apart from one that plays an extra 29s. This section contains the voices in the recording that are mostly lost in the rest of the round.
"After sitting with that composition for a while (a few days) I decided to experiment further.
"At this stage, the sound has not really been altered much - just amplified, offset,and layered.
"I ran the original sound through Cecilia, picking random modules and settings until I found something I thought was interesting. I used the WGuideBank module, with random settings, and stretched the length of the sound to twice the original - so it would sit as a fifth track in the new mix.
"Putting all tracks into Ardour, I could add effects and mix.
"In the end I only added some automatic panning to move the sound left and right in the speakers. The rhythmic movement of the sound feels very meditative and wave like. I picked a sample from a field recording I had taken on Ardrossan Beach, Ayrshire, Scotland, in August 2021 and looped the sound of waves starting around the 1min 30s mark. (There is a small delay effect added to the waves audio)
"Where the audio ends, I start to ramp up into a new round because "I can do that for quite a while if you want".
"Often I will look to add conventional instruments to field recordings, but did not think this needed it at all. I wasn’t sure about going beyond the stage of the 4 layered round, because I thought that was interesting enough in itself, but I do think the addition of waves and the weirdness that the Cecilia morphed track brings, does enhance the final composition."
My process uses only free and open source software
SOFTWARE CREDITS
Ubuntu https://ubuntu.com/
Audacity https://www.audacityteam.org/
Cecilia http://ajaxsoundstudio.com/software/cecilia/
Ardour https://ardour.org/
Plugins
TAP AutoPanner (by MOD Team) (http://moddevices.com/plugins/tap/autopan)
Calf Vintage Delay (by Calf Studio Gear) (http://calf.sourceforge.net/plugins/VintageDelay)
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Retro Elevator by Iwan Gabovitch under CC-BY 3.0 License.
An older elevator: getting in, closing doors, picking the longest route, using the shaky elevator, getting out, closing it again.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by MegaPenguin via Freesound.
The sound of a Bell and Howell Model 253B 8mm projector being switched on, running, and being switched off.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Holger.Ellgaard 14:15, 17 October 2007 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Recording provided by Aurea via Freesound.
Three ringtones from my old beloved Nokia 8210 (rest in peace).
The first one is the classic Nokia tune from the Nineties.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
krystof.k (Twitter) & nmuseum, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Recording provided by Dan AudioFile via Freesound.
Old cash-register open and close the sound of successful sale played a few times, little background sounds from the street nearby but rather clean.
Recorded using pair of cardoid condensers X/Y
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Disaster Services via Freesound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Arvik Torrenssen.
"Herääminen (meaning "awakening") reimagines this recording of the Elliott 903 Boot Sequence from the TNMOC Imitation Archive from the perspective of this early computer era data processing machine (interactive input/output was normally handled by an attached teletype machine) moving from this initial awakening sequence through evolution to modern computer age advanced artificial intelligence and the advent of awakenings of a computer based consciousness that we may see in our lifetime.
"The original recording is played in its entirety, slightly processed for clarify, first played forwards and then in reverse and placed using a background of an undulating drone soundscape."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Scott Lawrence Whitman.
"I tuned the original Morse Code for letters A through G to their respective musical notes, recorded them in sequence, combined them with several number station broadcasts and processed the results."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Audio Obscura.
"I'm old enough to remember modem dialups when I first got online in the late 90s so this was a pleasure to hear the sound of a dial up again! The random beeps and noises of such a song suggested something quite abrasive to me so I took the original sounds and added some effects and created a noise piece originally but I wasn't happy with it. I isolated so of these effected noises however and scaled down the noise elements. From here I built up a new track with rhythms and loops from the original recording adding various levels of effects and noise coming off the original recording to create what I hope is a nice blend of sounds."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Lucy Newton.
"The original recording contained a stationary engine of a vintage car that inspired me to create a piece about classic cars in Cuba. Due to the Cuban political system, citizens have had to use their passion and resourcefulness to maintain these vehicles as they are not allowed to purchase imported American cars and parts.
"Although these cars lack modern technology and most bear the mark of decades of use, classic cars are a standard in Cuba rather than the exception. I took the original recording further by moving the car out of its stationary position and into motion. You can also hear a radio dial being turned on and off, with various static and station interference."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Cjp24, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Composition by Gregory Kramer.
"As the inspiration for this soundwork of obsolete sounds I chose a recording labeled "Heath Robinson". Curious to know what the sound came from, I did an internet search and learned that W. Heath Robinson was an English cartoonist whose fanciful illustrations of elaborate contraptions preceded Rube Goldberg. However, this didn't tell me what the recording I had chosen was actually of.
"A further search, cross referencing the listed date, 1943, revealed that Heath Robinson was also the name given to a British codebreaking machine used in World War II. This inspired me to encrypt a message into this composition. Can you solve it? Other obsolete sounds used include a 78 rpm record player, children's toys, a touch-tone telephone, a CD-ROM drive and television static."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by XXXXX.
""War machines" uses a single recording of the 1939 Bombe computer, recorded by Matt Parker of The Imitation Archive in 2015. The Bombe was devised by Alan Turing and associates at the UK Government Code and Cypher School and used at Bletchley Park to decipher enemy codes.
"This recording serves as the basis for a composition comprised of wartime radio broadcasts, occupied territory city ambiances, and air raid sirens taken in the years proceeding the Bombe's invention. Using computationally-intensive processing routines, this piece embeds itself in a history of computing, and serves to illustrate that no such history can be extricated from the history of militarization."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Duncan Whitledge.
"I really enjoyed the industrial rhythms I could hear in the original recording. They were in a sort of beat but felt "off" in a way which I liked a lot. During the initial covid lockdown in NYC is when I started getting into synths and I am still very much a novice but I really enjoy making these kinds of sounds. I also really enjoy brevity from my time playing noise rock."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Marcus Horndt via Freesound.
I recorded the dial process of the modem in my powerbook.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Nick St. George.
Stationery engines recorded at the Malvern Autumn Show 2021, a display of vintage stationary engines at full throttle! Unfortunately I only had my phone with me, so this is a mono recording.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Cjp24, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Recording provided by Matt Parker / The Imitation Archive.
Boot and running sequence of the Heath Robinson. Year of manufacture: 1943.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Matt Parker / The Imitation Archive.
Boot sequence and a repeated mounting of tape reader tape spool followed by processing of paper tape data message. Year of manufacture: 1965
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Matt Parker / The Imitation Archive.
Boot Sequence of Colossus. DPA stereo mix located close to the tape mechanism and motor with MKH416 located near main relay board. Manually fading between the two configurations for dramatic illustration. Year of manufacture: 1944
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Skibka Music via Freesound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Matt Parker / The Imitation Archive.
Coincident Stereo Recording of inside the opened rear panel of the Bombe performing the standard calculation sequence setup by the Bombe engineers for daily park demonstrations. The back panel is open and the microphones are placed just in front of the mechanical features. Year of manufacture: 1939
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Andy Lyon.
"I remember when video recorders were the height of technology. There was always excitement when we got a new one, followed by studying the manual to try and figure out how to use it. Of course they were often particularly noisy, didn't always record the programs and there was the odd tape that got jammed. I located the user manual on the internet and used text to speech to record the introduction and how to to program the recorder. I've used a combination of the original recording with processed / glitched versions to capture some of the mystery and reality in this recording."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by XXXXX.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Tzesne.
"The attempt to biographise an obsolete sound leads irremediably into the territory of evocation. Imagining spaces, identifying their elements and decoding the traces that may be hidden in the voice of an old weighing machine.
"Added difficulty when our particular rescued sound lacks vibrational yearnings and contains only two plaintive pulses.
"There is another option, to use the arsenal of modern composition and work as a tanatopractor would. That is to say, to evoke that other inhabitable space as well as the inhabited space with aesthetic make-up and midi outfits. From reverb, granular and other random liberating tricks."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Toledo the Horse.
"I like taking sounds out of context and seeing what I can do with them. The pieces I've made that I'm most happy with are usually the ones that sound very little like what I had in my head at the beginning. But I do usually listen for some sort of note, or scrap of a melody. I thought I heard something close to a note in the creaking sound of (I'm assuming) the mechanism of the NES that the cartridges were loaded into. It gave me something to start with, even if it is not the backbone of the completed track. For that, I used various processed tracks of the controller buttons. The other sounds are slowed down, reversed, and chopped up samples and loops run through various effects. For financial and aesthetic reasons I use GarageBand and various apps to compose and manipulate my tracks. Everything heard on the track is manipulated from the original recording and every sound from the original recording appears in the track at least once.
"The title of the piece is definitely a play on memory. Just the fact that I could listen to the original recording and knew what was making that sound is interesting to me. And I never owned an NES, but I still know the Contra code for 30 lives. I had a Sega Master System, which probably no one remembers. Perhaps that'll be a next project. I also like to think about the connection between repetition and memory. Much of the track is loops and even though it is the same sound repeated, our experience of that repetition can change."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Nick Yulman.
"Listening to the recording of this a vintage Sony Walkman playing a blank tape, rewinding, and fast forwarding, I was interested in the galloping rhythms that emerged from the motor -- the music of the device itself. To enhance this and bring out different elements of the sound, I looped sections of it, adding a different pitch-shifted harmony with each iteration. It finally builds to a major triad drone across three octaves. The rewind cycle goes in reverse, stripping a harmonic layer with each iteration. And then the fast forward cycle adds them back again."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Kitty (Speed for Lovers).
"I loved all the different textures in the original recording, some short percussive sounds, and some longer wider sounds. I started by time stretching the original to create some textures that I could use as loops.
"Then I cut the original up by its transients in a sampler, pitching them up or down, reversing some. Then further abstracted them with reverbs, delays or a combination of both. I made this entirely from the sound itself, there are no other samples or instruments involved."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Caroline Grimshaw & António Sá-Dantas.
"Our piece is an audio representation of the sense of irrelevancy and obsolescence that an individual may feel in a world that no longer recognises the value associated with that individual. The sound of a manual typewriter is our point of commencement and the concept of communicating through letters a message that can have far-reaching consequences, is the narrative of the soundscape.
"The rhythm of the keys being struck and the repetitive carriage return are intertwined with alternative sounds of written communication, including handwriting with a quill and the sounds of a computer being used to convey a message. The spoken word is inspired by fragments of typewritten words, discovered by chance. ‘Two-minute warning’ and ‘failing light’ suggest impending doom and ultimate fragility.
"Using a mechanical voice gives the message a sense of dispassionate finality. Beneath the vocals and the frantic missive-making, there is a backdrop of humanity, a yearning for longevity, despite the inevitable warning that the light is failing.
"Objects and individuals are imbued with a sense of history that remains pertinent, despite the ever-changing world. Our piece suggests that, as time and technology bring transformative changes, what exists now is not worthless, just ripe for exploration and rediscovery for other purposes."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Eric Powell.
"My goal in creating Please_wait was to embrace the theme of "obsolete sounds" on as many levels as possible. After selecting the sound of a Siemen’s ventilator–a rather rattly, yet sustained sound, I decided to use that everyday whirr to create a lush, choral, drone-y piece. I felt the best way to do that was to combine the fan sound with some kind of chime or bell. I happened to have a couple salvaged rotary telephone bells (another obsolete sound) in my studio, and I composed the piece using a now-obsolete computer and software system–a circa 2007 iMac running Logic Pro 8 with a c.2005 Zoom H4 as the recording device/audio interface. Obsolescent sounds meet obsolescent technology.
"Please_wait uses convolution reverb to play the sounds of the ventilator 'through' the sounds of the telephone bells. In addition to this process, I used a small amount of pitch shifting and amplitude control to shape the piece. However, I didn't edit or trim any of the recordings, as I wanted the piece to explore how the handling sounds (i.e. switching the technology on or off) found in both the source recordings, and my recordings of the telephone chimes--something I think many field recordists choose to remove from their files as 'unwanted' sounds, yet are in fact a big part of how we hear our recording technology--would interact in the convolution process. The end result is a little unsettling, I know. Part of my love for this piece comes in how the harmonics of the two telephone bells grind up against each other as they vibrate through the sound of the ventilator: drifting from tonal conflict, to resolution, and back again.
"As a last step in embracing old or disappearing sounds, I bounced/rendered the piece out in .mp3 format before upconverting it into .wav. An intentional move to capture some of the unique lossy characteristics of a disappearing format."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Elise Plans.
"My obsolete sound is of a quirky little table fan, the Philips Ventilator HA2728, which has ambitions larger than its small size with its bright colours and smooth curvy design.
"The sounds from the piece have almost all come from manipulating the recording, using sampling and time-stretching. I built a patch in Pure Data with various algorithms to play with the sound, and then ‘played’ this as an instrument which I recorded and clipped-up to arrange in Logic Pro.
"At the start of the piece I have attempted to suggest that the listener is zooming-in to the sound in the same way that you can zoom in visually with a microscope, so that you become very small as the environment enlarges around you, perhaps how the fan would sound to a fly or a gnat.
"The only sound used in addition to the original sound file is a field recording of a suburban soundscape, with the sound of traffic, birds and a plane. This is to bring the listener back to the context of this human artefact, the desk fan, with obvious parallels between the rotating fan and the rotation of the blades in the jet engines.
"A lot of the sounds have been generated from the ‘click’ of the on/off switch, the percussive element of which has been exploited, and sculpted into the off-kilter rhythmic section that can slightly disturb the listener for not conforming to a regular beat.
"The original file is played in reverse at the end to contain the piece in a mirrored structure with the original sound at the start, closing the self-contained window into the world of sounds that I hear inside the fan."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Paolo Calabrese.
""The way in which antiques refer to the past gives them an exclusively mythological character. The antique object no longer has any practical application, its role being merely to signify. It is astructural, it refuses structure, it is the extreme case of disavowal of the primary functions. Yet it is not afunctional, nor purely 'decorative' , for it has a very specific function within the system, namely the signifying of time." - Jean Baudrillard, the system of objects (1968)
"For this composition, I sampled and then cohabited a modern air conditioner and the Braun Hl70 Fan (sound n.89) making them coexist within the same piece in a complementary way.
"My action is not dissimilar to an architect or an interior designer work, who make possible the coexistence of an electric washing machine and the ancient ladle of linen [stregator (Apulian dialect)] on an Apulian farm became bed and breakfast, maybe also having kerosene heating but keeping the peasant warmer, all framed by a hyper-modern kitchen leaving, however, to the sight of the guests, the old pan [tijell (Apulian dialect)].
"The aim was to reflect on this 'complementarity'.
I wanted to focus on the absence of personality, the lack of intimacy in the furniture, and the appropriation of some realities and its derived objects, only for promotional and advertising purposes, packaging, and giving the illusion of living in that context."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Jonatan de Jesús Carrasco Hernández.
"I have many memories about me and the typewriters, in my house we had one of them. When I reach the middle school, I had a workshop of typing where we had to bring our own typewriter and practice the typing, all my friends had the same typewriter and mine was a little different because it was white (the other's typewriters were brown) and it has written in script. I spend two years carrying the typewriter several times a week.
The real special moment that I remember of the typewriter was when my dad used it. He made a lot of raffles during many years, the way he made the raffles was: he bought some electronic device (a TV, a Radio, an oven, etc.) and he made a list of 10 numbers that he sold to different persons, it was a hard job because he had to walk a lot to promote the products and then when somebody bought a number almost always they paid the price in parts so my dad had another list of the persons and how much money they owed him, every day he had to walk around town to charge them until they paid the complete amount they owed.
"My dad wrote the list with the typewriter (this typewriter was mechanical), he described all the qualities of the products, the date of the raffle and other information, so the text was a little large. That's why he used a lot the typewriter because he wrote a lot and it is a memory that I have, the relation of my father with the typewriter and the sound of his typing, also he drew with pens a framework to make it look more striking. After a while, electronic typewriters appear, and he stopped using the antique typewriter and he bought a new one. The new typewriter was electric and did not the same sound because it just printed and the sound that made was only like a motor, then he could do the job easier and faster, also the typewriter could print lines, so he had not to draw them.
"The piece its inspired in my own experience of with the typewriter and with my dad's story, the sound that my father did when he wrote, the hard job he made by walking a lot and the change to the new equipment, everything sounds in my music (or at least I try to represent it), the sound of the typewriter and the modifications of it, the atmosphere of my feelings to now how much effort he puts in his job and in the end the sounds of the new typewriter that finish the story. The tittle “las rifas del jefe” means “The raffles of boss” because in Mexico we have a way to treat the fathers respectfully but in a familiar way with the words “boss”."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Birdsong on Monte Venda reimagined by Cities and Memory.
An idyllic setting near the top of Monte Venda, listening to birdsong in the sunshine. But just down the track, there's a radio mast sitting at the very top of the hill, preventing us from reaching the actual summit. This piece considers the limitations of human hearing, and that we only take a snapshot from the middle of the huge range of available sounds to hear. This piece reveals the hidden sound world of radio braodcasts, feedback, power lines and interference that are going on all around us unheard, even in the most ostensibly peaceful surroundings.
Shortwave radio samples courtesy of The Shortwave Radio Archive, with thanks.
At the top of a 600 metre-high hill in the Colli Euganei in northern Italy, we listen to multiple species of birds singing out on a warm day, with a gentle breeze and a view out over the hills. A restful soundscape.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Composition by Allis Hamilton.
"My grandparents lived across the road from me growing up. It was my Grandmother Mabel Hyacinth (May) who introduced me to poetry. She wrote poetry herself and often used a typewriter. When her and my Grandfather finally moved out of their home, in the empty house on her kitchen table May had left me her typewriter. It was such a beautiful sight! Did she know I would grow up to become a writer? Perhaps, but I doubt she would have guessed I would use the typewriter as an instrument in a musical composition. I created this work in honour of her.
"In the composition I have used the typewriter May gave me, alongside the typewriter sample provided by Cities and Memory. As well as the typewriters, to help set the space of the place where I was given the typewriter, I included a recording of my family at our home having breakfast in the sun. I also created cello, harmonium, chimes and vocal recordings to sit these sound among; as well as some frogs recorded at my home in the bush because I thought the frogs sounded like typewriters. And within all of this I have placed my Grandmother May reading one of her poems, Web of Life. I recorded May reading this poem when she was 93. She lived to be 98 years young. She would be thrilled to know her poem may be heard by people from all around the world."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Daniel Chudley - Le Corre.
"I have used the full sample as an introduction and then cut it up to create the rhythm. Taking inspiration from factory lines and repetitive melodies.
"The track I have named - “Requiem for Olivetti Dora”
"From humble beginnings to the mass production on these beautiful machines.
The sound of type writers bringing forth new ideas on mass . Factories of typists , armies of fingers with ribbons of ink bearing their standards. This piece is a day in the life of an idea, created in one of these utopian inspired type writer factory communities the Olivetti family created.
"An echo of the past gradually lost in the desert of progress."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Point/Call.
"In researching the Kochs Adler Nähmaschnenwerke, ABC typewriter, I discovered it was an attempt by a German sewing machine manufacturer to diversify into a new, hopefully, lucrative new market in the mid-1950’s. This was also the time of the burgeoning Space-race and Cold war, respectively, two historical events attempting something different, a new mode and area of exploration and nations battling each other subversively in a new kind of war. Coincidentally, audio sampling technology and primitive drum machines were also being developed, allowing wildly inventive ways to alter sound.
"I kept all this in mind while composing a song that utilized the typewriter sound sample but also had a story behind it.
"I started with a drone synthesizer, creating an analog atmosphere for staccato leads to dance atop of, like the tap-tap-tapping of type-bars hitting paper. Drum machine sequencing further enhances the nature of typing mechanisms while adding an infectious bass line. Additionally, the typewriter sound sample was run through several step modulations to create syncopated whispering effects like so many Cold war secrets were passed along, as well as otherworldly space sounds phasing in and out, suggesting strange new discoveries on the horizon.
"Tumultuous events transpiring, all the while, the humble typewriter recording ideas and events, an unassuming witness to history."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Eric Klein.
"I chose to concentrate on just "8 bars" of my staccato typewriter sample (it's actually two splices of "4 bars" stuck together.) Listening to this loop in my MPC sampler, I tapped out a tempo and worked from there. Now I took this sample of mechanical rhythm, and one "bar" at a time, I reproduced the hits of the typewriter keys as hits of Control Voltage (electrical signal that can be interpreted as musical information by a type of synthesizer or drum machine). Now I played around for a couple of days with inputing that CV into some of my synths.
"I made a handful of long recordings of this playtime, jamming with different ideas, enjoying the discovery of a slow turn of a knob, or patching different electronic signals into unlikely inputs and listening listening listening to the results in real time. I am experimenting. I am in dialogue with my gear. Later in the day I will listen back to these long recordings while taking a walk or reading a book and see if I can't decide which ideas were worth repeating.
"I settled on an instrumentation. I recorded about 17 minutes worth of this final configuration and then slept on it. The next day I cut together a version under 4 minutes using primarily two of the final takes (with a 4 bar "bridge" from an earlier 37 minute take with an alternate melody and instrumentation)."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Pie Are Squared.
"The concept behind this track was to represent the typewriter as the birthplace of millions of ideas of all sorts, from the banal to the transcendent, and the vehicle that allowed these ideas to grow and materialise. The track’s four sections attempt to represent those disparate ideas through epic horn sections, click and cut microedits and glitches, and outright chaos.
"The sound of the typewriter sample is there throughout but the environments and moods surrounding it shift and change. From a sound sign point of view, the vast majority of the sounds and textures on the track we made by sampling, resampling, stretching, shifting and chopping the typewriter’s clickety-clack typing sound. The ring sound made when the end of the a page is reached was looped in a sampler to create some of the key and organ sounds heard on the track."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Tom Thompson.
"I used the projector sounds to signify some of the subtle shifts in the composition. Thinking of the theme of this project made me feel a bit melancholy while composing and also nostalgic for many of the analog sounds that have passed into obscurity."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Matthew Zook.
"I was inspired by all aspects of the original sample and after working with the sound I discovered interesting textures and colors emerging from all moments of the sample.
"Considering the subject matter of the project, Obsolete Sounds, I wanted to create a soundscape that represented an abandoned civilization, now overcome by nature, frozen in time and "obsolete" to humans. The piece was created using various treatments of the transmission belt sample, prepared guitar improvisations, traditional bamboo flutes from China and India and field recordings from where I live in the Palouse region of Washington state, USA and from the Kootenay region of British Columbia, CAN.
"I hope the listener can go on a journey and travel through a mental landscape of their own creation as they absorb the piece. Much thanks and appreciation to Stuart Fowkes for his website and opportunities he provides for musicians, composers and listeners alike!"
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Andrej Tatarchevski.
"The recording of a shaver was used as a sort of background drone. As we humans are being stripped naked and civilization enters a phase of incoherence of meaning, a few frequencies that poke out can offer one solace."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Enisle.
"I have the Braun Sixtant as a background hum and as chops/slices that appear throughout. It's a mix of calmness and occasional aggressive phased hits as the equipment catches the prey in its teeth. The title is derived from past Braun advertisements highlighting the precision of their shavers."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Xqui.
"There was one 'beat' that took my attention and I thought it would be useful to repeat that sound to make a 'drum' hook."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Lifesize Cardboard Cutout.
"My original idea was simply guitars that sound like electric razors / electric razors that sound like guitars. I was envisaging something very buzzy and noisy, but as I got the sounds together it mutated into something else. I took the original recording and treated it in a couple of different ways, as well as grabbing a sample to play on an old Casio SK-1. Everything else is guitars of some nature apart from the simple electronic beat."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Detski.
"I grew up around lots of tape machines, recorders, players etc. (my dad is a sound artist), as well as owning a Walkman in the late 90s, so this cassette player sample has a lot of nostalgia tied to it. I initially started off this track as something much more chilled-out and downtempo. I actually stumbled upon the main twisted guitar sample by accident, which really helped shape the track. It evolved into this techno track when I sped up the guitar sample a little and it sounded awesome.
"The cassette player sample is present dry and unprocessed, but also with a nice ping-pong delay that gives it a bit of width and depth. I found it great to work with, as the sounds of ejecting/opening/putting the tape in are quite rhythmic, so work very well with this genre of music.
"It was a lot of fun to muck around with the pitch of the twisted guitar sample too, and felt quite appropriate given the nature of the cassette sample."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by theapplesofenergy.
"The original recording of the Sony CFS-W3045 got me thinking about loops and my love of cassette tapes/tape decks over the years. The sound of the tape being turned over, rewound, fast forwarded and paused are amongst some of my favourite sounds.
"They remind me of recording songs from the radio when I was a teenager. When recording my own material, I use a Sony Cassette-Corder TCM-818 (and also a Sony dictaphone) I was inspired to blend the sounds of W3045 & 818 together to create my composition.
"The sounds from the 818 contain recordings of guitar directly onto the tape deck and manipulated using delay/loop pedal. With the abrupt ending of my composition, I was trying to replicate the tape running out, which would happen often when trying to record my favourite songs from the radio."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by osvaldo cibils.
"Mix of technologies. Noisy action with cassette recorder digital audio file and Flocking codes accumulation."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by XXXXX.
"Film captures memories, but like our memories, these photos degrade and only offer a piece of what took place and how it made us feel. I used this old-school kodak camera sound as inspiration to translate this experience of memory and technology obsolescence into sound art.
"Each time the camera goes off and a new photo is attempted, the sound of the beautiful Atlantic Ocean sunset soundscape becomes distorted, discoloured, or faded until I finally return to camp. Each snapshot offers a different sonic representation of the scene, a scene that just can't quite be captured. The setting is Cape Breton's Ingonish Beach at sunset, using an original recording I did this summer."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Waves in Caloura, Azores, reimagined by Cities and Memory.
"Looking directly south from Caloura in the Azores, there's a good chance that if you sailed directly south the next land you hit might be Antarctica. Staring out at the horizon, with only the wheeling birds overhead anchoring us back to dry land, the temptation to contemplate the infinite is even stronger than the usual compulsion that strikes when recording ocean waves, and the mind wanders. This piece is a duet between the waves of Sao Miguel island and the infinite distant beyond, represented by piano lines and quiet synths interplaying, performed live across five tracks in reaction and response to the wave recording."
If you go directly south from Caloura in the Azores, there's a reasonable chance you wouldn't hit land until Antarctica. Staring out from the jetty at the end of the harbour in Caloura, looking at the horizon, the sense of the infinite becomes overwhelming, even more than when making a "usual" wave recording looking out at the sea. We refocus, listen more closely and tune into the wheeling birds that occasionally circle overhead, anchoring ourselves back to dry land.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Composition by Lucy Cathcart Frödén with Anneleen Lindsay and Ali Jehad.
"The ‘obsolete sound’ I used was a recording of the mechanism of an Agfa Billy medium format camera: a series of shutter clicks and each subsequent winding on of the film. Reflecting on the potential of a photograph to somehow slow down time, or at least preserve a moment in time, I decided to experiment with slowing down the audio file. This unpacked the staccato clicks of the shutter into a more intricate mechanical chronology, and by using a microphaser to spread the sound, it took on a kind of shimmery, otherworldly quality.
"I invited two photographer friends to collaborate on the piece: Anneleen Lindsay and Ali Jehad. They each recorded some reflections on their own practice, and on the medium of photography more generally. These thoughtful and personal spoken word elements are interwoven with the camera sounds, with the final addition of a slow arpeggiated chord progression to add a little additional colour and a sense of movement."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Gordo Lowrey.
"I'm a film camera nut, and this sample had some good natural rhythmic components w/ the winding that gave me some inspiration. The shutter sound is also very metallic sounding, so I decided to use it as a percussive component, and then built the rest of the composition around it.
"The shutters on these cameras are unique, in that they are gravity controlled, and the shutter speed changes depending upon orientation.
"There is no EQ on this track, no side chaining, and no mixing; no bells and whistles, which is why I'm attracted to old analogue cameras. Minimalism... with a little weirdness mixed in, just like the camera that gave us this sound."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Wayne DeFehr.
"The original recording of the JoyCam is used throughout as ambient textures and rhythmic elements, with chance percentages modifying the delay patterns and extended reverbs. These sounds inspired me in several ways - remembering the mechanical sound of this technological innovation from that time. And also thinking of the people behind the JoyCam sounds, "capturing" a meaningful moment.
"These sounds evoke the emotions, human connections, fond memories, that are receding in time even with a picture as a bookmark. Who was taking the picture, what was the reason, who are the people, how do they know each other -- what are their stories? I've always loved looking at old photographs - including of people I don't know. Am drawn to their faces, and the humanity in those fading colours.
"These camera sounds also remind me of my late mother, before cancer took her, taking pictures of me and friends from the neighbourhood during birthday parties. Don't know why, but she would precariously stand on one of the kitchen chairs to take those photos. These days looking at those pictures, I can remember her more than my friends in the photographs - I know she was happy then."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Yoni Den.
" All sounds were made from the sample using the Elektron Digitakt. The original sound was a percusive click and wind of an old camera. Three distinct samples were taken from the original sound, each very short.The clicks made good drums and percusion instruments, when pitched around a bit. By then microsampling them and looping made wave table synths out of the same. There are no outside sounds or samples used at any point in the composition. Track composition was done in the Digitakt, then recorded out onto a Zoom H6 at 96kHz."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Masha Kouznetsova.
"I recorded two tape loops from the sound sample of the Agfa pinhole camera, and developed the composition of found sounds upon these looped sound samples. I also recorded on tape the sound from the real-time map of lightning occurring across the globe and the sound of the magnetosphere from HereGOES satellite, broadcast live via the installation at Wave Farm. The voices feature passages from two books, An Individual Note by Daphne Oram and Água Viva by Clarice Lispector. Both writers poetically discuss their perception of electric currents, light, sound, and the interconnectedness of senses."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Walthamstow Home Keyboard Laboratory.
"The click, scratch and wind of this camera was reminiscent of a camera I used to use. But in playing with the sound I also found engine noises, which made me feel the piece needed to drive forwards. I played with roughly contemporaneous home-keyboards and drum machines to propel and fill out the composition."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Jonathan Higgins.
"The original recording is of a Canon film SLR camera autofocusing and then taking a photo. I looked to focus in on the individual elements of the sound, starting by using (and misusing) noise reduction tools to isolate each element of the recording: the beeps, shutter clack, winding gears, and background noise. I then processed these to emphasise and draw out the rich details of this minuscule sound. The piece is structured around altering focus. The camera sounds scattered throughout the piece trigger a shift in the various layers of the composition bringing different elements into focus each time."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by DFF Sound System.
"I really liked both the rhythmical nature of the original recording and the space in-between the sounds. I always like investigating the sounds captured in the spaces on field recordings as it can bring some really interesting textures. I used both these textures and various effected versions of the camera clicks to build up various loops and sequences before adding synths and drums and building up the arrangement from there."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by David Fyans.
"The original recording is playing back on a loop at normal speed, copies are split and patched through a number of bandpass filters, resonators and granular processors. All structural triggers/events are derived from the original recording."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Celestial Noise Disco.
"This track is a rhythmic loft ambient meditation on summer sun, grass stains, breathless laughter, and the carefree attitude of a kid at his grandparents’ place in small town America in the early 80s as remembered through old and faded Polaroids.
"The piece is constructed entirely from the original sample of a Polaroid camera taking pictures (Polaroid i-zone). Though the Polaroid i-Zone was not introduced until 1999 and is not the same Polaroid cameras around in the 80s (the Supercolor, SX, and Sun were all cameras that people in my childhood had), the i-Zone could itself be considered a pale copy of a Polaroid camera. This makes the sound of the i-Zone itself nostalgic for the sound of a more robust non-toy Polaroid instant camera and thus allows that sound to be readily adapted for the nostalgic vibes of this track.
"The sample has been cut, chopped, filtered, stretched, effected, modified, glitched, and layered into its current form. Software includes: Cubasis 3, AUM, Patterning 2, and Eventide and AudioDamage effects (Apps) as well as Ableton Live, Logic X, and Izotope, Waves, and Cherry Audio VSTs (Mac).
"The track is best listened to through headphones for the subtle distinctions in the background ambience."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Dead Kousin.
"I liked the idea of challenging myself to create a piece using only the source material - the entire composition is made from the original recording with no additional sounds added.
"The original recording had an inherent rhythmical element that I extrapolated into a percussion loop.
"I then used multiple effects over multiple layers of the recording and built up a rhythmical ‘snapshot’."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Patrick Bridge.
"My piece uses the 35mm - Adox Golf 1A Rapid wind on and shutter release sound. I found it to be quite rhythmic and as I overlaid it with itself slightly out of sync a few times, an almost comical sense of space seemed to be the result. I added a few effects and some guitar sound. The initial track slowed down sounded like the old wooden slapstick used in comedy routines, hence the title."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Clayton aka wiley soule.
"The rotary dial recording is cast here as an imperative, an invocation, a conjurer's lament and view, giving out onto potential. As a teen in the 80's my first meaningful encounter with telephones was by way of the rotary interface.
"Dialing was to open a portal to hope. Invoking it brought a sort of grappling with accompanying grief, the strain of desire, a quiet buckling under the stress of adolescent turbulence. I remember the excitement, bound up in the restlessness of my legs while the dial took its time returning to zero between each tremulous, circular gesture. I remember sweet dread of having my spirit conveyed along the line only to ricochet off the busy signal, the agony of a successive attempt, successful, the connection made, new ghosts rushing in, rummaging through my cluttered heart, searching for there names in my stuff.
"In those days, I never placed a call to chat about this or that. It was always a caper, an escape, a fuse hastening toward wonder and ache. I've tried to convey that here. This rotary recording is certainly not the same one from our home, but it has a familiar compressed-incantation feel and evokes a particular time, reminds me my current state of gratitude and uncertainty, two signals that seem necessarily to surge as a pair."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by the Figurehead.
"I imagine that my old phone got dismissed on this day 30 years ago. The end of an era of naivety when phone calls had a different importance. Secrets whispered in a corridor never far enough from prying ears.
"I let myself be drawn into the bittersweet nostalgia of youth, crafting sounds that remind me of those times with a FM synth (more popular back then than subtractive synthesis). I used the sounds of the old phone as percussive elements and, stretched and processed beyond recognition, as background noise.
(https://thefigurehead.bandcamp.com/)"
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Jürgen Morgenstern-Feise.
"The sound of the milk can reminds me of my childhood, when I had to fetch milk from the neighbouring farmer every evening. The way there was a bit scary in winter when it was already dark and I whistled to get rid of the evil spirits in my head.
For my composition, I used the entire original recording of the milk can, edited it with various apps on the iPad and added my own whistle improvisation."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Richard Watts.
"The piece is composed of various samples from the original recording. The drums I made up from the clicks and tweaked them using Logic Pro. The background melody is a guitar piece I wrote but never used which has been reversed and put through a synth."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Dominic Smith.
"The sound of the heater switching on and heating up took me back to 90s student bedsits and long dark winter nights. This piece is made almost entirely from the sample, imported into a modular system and triggered and modulated via a generative and evolving patch, grains of the looping sample were captured and played back through a resonator that was gradually shifting to reveal the timbre and overall aura of the sound at hand."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by autumna.
"I used the original sound to complement a soundscape, to create additional texture and add contrast. The original sound went through a process of stretching and delaying, followed by sampling, resampling and layering."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Pat Daintith.
"I was drawn to this sound because it was made of Bakelite - one of many quietly revolutionary products synthesised in the 20th century, notable for its functional & aesthetic applications (though no obvious, distinctive aural ones). Additionally, the light switch has an obvious rhythmic, binary quality which would lend itself to music.
"All sounds on the recording are based on the sound of the light switch (albeit endlessly tampered with); no additional instruments or noises were used."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Luba Diduch.
"The original recording inspired me because it is a sound I have been hearing in my house during very warm days this summer...my fan always seems to be 'on' -- its sound is omnipresent in the background. While working on this piece, I thought about and recorded other sounds in my house and considered the ways in which they layer one over the other and come to the forefront of what I am hearing. I also think it's interesting that certain sounds divert us from whatever we are concentrating on, and how they become interruptions from whatever we are doing in the moment."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Catherine Boulle.
"An old hand mixer grinding away, the precise revolution of its beaters soon to be phased out and then forgotten, put me in mind of the last recorded conversation I had with my grandmother as I leaned over the metal bars of the bed where she lay – and would soon die – in her old age home. Her body frail and her voice barely audible, the visit was mostly filled with murmurs and silence, until she noticed the warmth of my hands.
"In making this short piece, I imagined the whirring of the mixer like the grinding of her thoughts, drawing to a slow halt. And her voice a sound that, too, will one day fade from memory."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by The Organizing Committee.
"The Organizing Committee is influenced by cybernetics and analog computing. I'm an independent researcher and artist exploring the social impacts of emerging technology. Much of my practice involves digging deep into the origins of computing to see how the logic and ideology of obsolete machines influences the use and development of today's "cutting edge" tech.
"Exploring the obsolete sounds of technology is one way of thinking through those logics. Whereas my research and writing is visual and intellectual, The Organizing Committee is an attempt to bring my research to a sonic landscape. Sound can move us in ways that reading can't. Blending analog sounds, AI-generated lyrics, and finding inspiration from cybernetics, the result is a pop band that couldn't exist without computers and is constantly engaged in rethinking our dependency on machines.
"When I learned about the obsolete sound project, I was delighted to participate. I chose the sound of an obsolete technology, the Apple iBook Duo. It was an early (1992-97) notebook computer, capable of plugging into a larger monitor and unplugging to take on the road. You can trace the origin of the iPhone back to this "mobile computer." Hearing the clicking and clacking of the keyboard makes it visceral, brings it to life.
""Automatic Sleep" was created from a sample of that clacking, finding rhythmic structures and breaks where I could. The rhythm of the click, tapping a keyboard over and over again to get it to wake up, made me think of waking up a computer from sleep mode. When I'm frustrated by a broken machine, I literally bang the same key over and over again for a while, even though I know it's hopeless. That's a kind of automatic sleep all it's own.
"The clacking rhythms inspired the bassline and from that, the melodies. Next were lyrics: The Organizing Committee uses a vocal synthesizer, Vocaloid, to sing. Usually, I create lyrics using AI-generated text from a special data set I curated of relevant books and articles. For this track's lyrics, I dug up an old iBook Duo user's manual from the Internet Archive. There's a whole section on bringing the computer back from "Automatic Sleep." It mentions, and I found this odd, that any key except for caps lock would wake the system from sleep.
"I was struck that this was a machine that emerged just after the Web and that caps lock was the only key that would never wake it up. Like many people, I'm skeptical of the way the Web has splintered our societies, our social discourse. Caps lock, to me, is the equivalent of screaming online, and yet, in the manual it's clear: Caps lock won't wake the machine. It won't wake up our political rivals in the midst of a Twitter argument, either. I wished all of our machines came with that warning printed at the top of the keyboard: "Caps lock won't wake you." Clicking the same keys over and over again doesn't change anything: whether it's an obsolete machine, a Twitter bot, or one of the many frustrating conversations we live with in online spaces. We all need something else to wake us up from our own 'automatic sleep'!"
____
The Organizing Committee has an album, "The Day Computers Went Obsolete," on the Canadian netlabel Notype. Eryk Salvaggio's website is cyberneticforests.com.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Moray Newlands.
"The sound of the Super 8 Camera immediately transported me back to my parents living room and my dad trying to capture our lives and project some home made films. We always had a piano hence the composition based around a slightly out of tune old piano, I wanted the composition to capture that immediate feeling of childhood nostalgia that hit me as soon as I heard the camera sound. I still have his old camera. Maybe it's time to get it going again."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Masobe.
"I was sampling the source sound and then played it with the keys. The sound of the hair dryer is very full and noisy. In my composition, I manipulated the sound to make it more rhythmic and organic. In parts, I could detect an alien breathing. As a basis, I found the recording very inspiring, as you can digress in many directions and push into completely surprising territories."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Blush To The Snow.
"I sought to use the sound of a hair dryer and alter its pitch until I got to a nice harmonic tone. The original sound source was run through my processing method and overlaid with the sound of a vibrating metal."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Eric Sluyter.
"A century ago, the handheld hair dryer began its march into domestic ubiquity, promising an efficient salon treatment right at home. Pulling enormous amounts of power, these early experimental appliances were shocking, literally and sometimes fatally. In this piece of music, the sound recording of a classic 1930s Siemens EDU III hair dryer is electronically shocked, split apart into thousands of tiny pieces and reassembled.
"Inspired by the three elements: wind, electricity, and beautiful hair."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Fergus Kelly.
"I've multi-tracked multiple pitch-shifted versions of the source sound to create a series of overlapping drones that phase and beat against each other. Shortly before starting work on this piece I had made field recordings in The National Museum of Ireland at Collins Barracks in Dublin. These consisted of various recordings of large radiators. Some were made with binaural mics placed between the two panes of the radiator to capture the drone close up, others were made by running my hand across a large upright wall mounted radiator to create resonant bell tones.
"There were rodent poison boxes nearby, hence the reference in the title, which is deliberately alliterative and lighthearted. The piece starts with the source sound at normal pitch, then gradually gets split into various versions of itself at different speeds – it becomes hydra headed, like some kind of mutating drone beast. The piece, after going through various changes, ends with a return to the source sound which is switched off, thus forming a nice full stop to the piece.
"Archival sounds/archival sites: There's an interesting link between the manufacturer of the source sound and the location of the field recordings. Based in Essen, Krupps was well known as the largest maker of steel, artillery, ammunition and other armaments, and was the principal weapons manufacturer for Germany in both world wars. Collins Barracks is a former military barracks in Dublin, having housed both British Armed Forces and Irish Army garrisons through three centuries. It now houses the National Museum of Ireland (for decorative arts and history exhibits). "
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Niki Weber.
"I really enjoyed the brittle character of the sound - a Gloria hand mixer. I wanted to try giving it a tonal quality, which I did through some processing, but wanted the sound to mostly stand on its own. By elongating the sample, I realized that the sound had a vivid story of its own to tell, and I added instrumentation that served to illustrate that sense of "narrative". Sometimes the accompaniment is more dialogue than illustration, but those specifics are up to the listener."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Domina Acusmatica.
"Kaffeemühlekantate is a 2022 composition written by the artistic collective Domina Acusmatica. The piece features the sample of Krups Type 222 Coffee Grinder and has been written for the Obsolete Sounds project.
"The composition reimagines an obsolete world in both the form and the content: it is a tribute to Johann Sebastian Bach, in particular to his Kaffeekantate, and is formally a cantata divided into 3 subsections: recitativo, aria and coro, shaped upon a baroque cliché but filled with contemporary though obsolete sounds deriving from the aforementioned sample.
"The recitativo is a free section in which the elements of the whole cantata are introduced. The aria is similar to a baroque aria con da capo, it includes “instruments” and “basso continuo” (all deriving from the Krups coffee grinder sample), and a brief final cadenza of the “soloist”. The coro is a polyphonic SATB choir where a dialogue between high and low voices is established. The whole piece ends with a 4-part chord ideally sung by the ideal choir."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Mandy Hampson.
"The sound of the coffee grinder sounded rhythmic to me, it sounded like it had bits in it to cut up and repurpose. I felt it could layer up and cut down, it had parts that I could build a wash of sound with and create a world to drift into.
"So I set off cutting it up and effecting it out of the harsh reality sound it arrived as into something ethereal and transient. I was trying to break it down, rebuild it, make it sound like a thought remembrance of a sound and a place somewhere. I wanted to make it reflective, to calm it down, reduce it to an essence. I wanted to make it evocative and unrecognisable from its initial self.
"I put it into Logic and cut up the bits that made a “beat” and pulled out the longer washy parts. Then I Missy Elliot-ed it - flipped it and reversed it. Took it out of Logic and put it through AUM to break it down some more, and to put a massive reverb on it via the rymdigare app.
"Then I took it back in to Logic, layered it, cut it up again, looped parts, and threw a bunch more effects over it, reverbs and delays and echoes, pushing it back and back, smoothing it out, making it new and different, until it became more and more a memory.
"I had some recently made tracks kicking around that I wanted to integrate into the piece if any would sit. To give it something to hang off. I ran through a bunch of those til I found one, primarily and a second in support, that sat under the fractured obsolescence of ‘beats’, glitches and washed out reconfigurations. Arranging it into a landscape, working it to a place that felt like a place somewhere, a thought, a memory, a reinvention, a feeling, an evocation.
"I wanted to create a world of soul that took you to place of its, and a listeners, own making. That was reflective. Held a feeling of the past. Was something to sink into. That may evoke the feeling of original sound, but not at all likely. I wanted to make the original sound obsolete, I wanted to feature it, reinvent it, and give it a whole new way of being."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Laura Hills.
"The Philips Type HM3210 coffee grinder is quite a funky little machine. The one I've seen online is bright orange with a two-pin plug.60s cool. As a coffee drinker who enjoys the actual process of making coffee I imagined the pleasure of starting the process of making coffee with this cool little grinder but the perfect cup of coffee is elusive and things can go wrong.
"To create the work I used most of the original recording but cut it up and used the tonality and some of the rhythm to respond to using the audio as well as virtual instruments. The beans sound is fabulous, the whirr of the coffee machine a bit more edgy. Though I was a bit late applying and got the last sound sample it was fun to work with."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Farhad Ahmed.
"In this composition I tried to synthesise all the sounds from the original recording. A few extra drum hits got added and the whirring of the coffee grinder got layered with a vocal sample.
"The sound itself inspired because there was so much texture to work with. Whirring sounds, clicking sounds and gravel type sounds.
"The idea of a coffee grinder inspired me because a lot of people love to take a picture of their coffee and post it on social media. I wanted to make a lo-fi hip hop tune that people post their coffee pictures too but also to encapsulate the lethargy around caffeinated drinks."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Joseph Sannicandro.
"Manual coffee grinders take a lot of effort. The work can be very monotonous, compounded by the fact that it is a daily labour often undertaken shortly after waking.
"I thought of a scene in Vittorio De Sica's Umberto D. (1952), in which a young pregnant maid named Maria wearily prepares the morning coffee. I chopped and manipulated the sound from this scene to provide the structure over which I arranged loops made from the coffee grinder, recorded onto a four-track TASCAM using a 60-second infinite loop cassette."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Clerigos Tower bells reimagined by Cities and Memory.
What if we reimagined the sound of pealing bells as a jazz quartet?
For this composition, we've taken the sonic data from the sound of the Clerigos Tower's daily melodic performances and converted it into MIDI notes. With a little cleaning up, those notes were used to build a fictional jazz quartet of guitar, bass and drums. The guitar and basslines from this piece are entirely controlled by the MIDI from the original bell melodies, and the final applause comes from a field recording of a New York jazz club - introducing the Clerigos Tower jazz quartet.
The Clerigos Tower is one of the best-known sites in Porto, but also provides one of the city's key soundmarks. Three times every day, the array of bells in the tower performs a different melodic song, with the bells ringing out for six or seven minutes at a time, right across the old city. This recording was taken during the 6pm bell session.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Composition by Jeff Dungfelder.
"I was drawn to the mathematical precision of the sample “Calculating Machine”, using it as the foundation for my reimagined composition “Algebra applies to the clouds”. I pictured the disappearing sound floating away into into the clouds as they reflect in a calm lake.
"A fitting farewell to a soon to be extinct sound. The sound may no longer be common in todays urban world, but it goes on to live another life somewhere, somehow. Composing the layered tracks, I used mathematical patterns, created in the moment, that opened up the possibility of chance to hopefully capture the beauty of this calculated randomness.
"Like all of my music, this was a sound experiment without preconceived intentions. It can also be looped to create a soundtrack for ones imagination. Close your eyes, listen and float away."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Helder Rock.
"“The Morning After” is a composition all inspired by the sound I was allocated: Coffee Grinder - Krups Type 207; therefore, as I only drink coffee in the morning, I had the idea of representing through an atmospheric music, using synthesizers, someone dreaming and then being awaken by a blackbird singing in the morning and then go and prepare a coffee.
"The original recording was added in a mix where I used a recording I made of a blackbird that everyday sings near my balcony, and then some sound effects of a boiling kettle and the final preparation of a morning brew."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Andrew Tulloch.
"This piece was mostly inspired by drinking some coffee on the beach, and the enjoyable clarity which came about as a result. Having said that, it’s as much an exploration of the interesting harmonics contained in the original recording!
"It’s also a reflection on the repetition involved in a near-lifetime habit of coffee drinking, and the process of waking up, and having caffeine move one out of drowsiness into a clearer world. There’s an edge of sadness and delicacy, as it feels as though this shouldn’t be necessary, pleasurable as it is, and that reflects on the odd stability/instability of human metabolism.
"In terms of mechanics, the original recording is treated to some some granular processing, courtesy of Arturia and Audiority, as well as some distortion from various sources. These sounds are then joined by improvised playing of sampled waveforms derived from the original sample, some physical modelling sounds, courtesy of Logic Pro’s fantastic Sculpture plugin, and a choral sample. It ends more awake, with a beat of sorts made from the sound of coffee beans falling into the grinder, combined with a rhythmically filtered version of the earlier sounds."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Whettman Chelmets.
"The original recording had two distinct characteristics - a clinking type sound that was more rhythmic, and a droning type quality with the actual grinder turned on.
"The rhythm at the beginning was fed into various samplers and converted to midi to trigger a couple of piano-like instruments that informed the beginning, while the drone like quality informed the rest."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Growth Spert.
"I manipulated the time and pitch, layered copies of the original recording out of time with each other, as well as added echo, reverb, and delay to provide a more creative version of a click track that is meant to provide random moments of inspiration for original, creative compositions when playing instruments alongside it as opposed to playing alongside a perfectly quantized click track that results in composing songs that sound like everyone else who is playing alongside a perfectly quantized click track.
"The original recording inspired this process because the click clack balls speed up and slow down unpredictably in this recording and in my mind that opens up the potential for playing music in multiple timings."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Owen Vince.
"‘Lead moving sound’ makes use of a sound from the Obsolete Sounds archive – a rapid plastic shuffling of a cassette’s spools being wound. With the composition, I processed the sound; stretching and slowing its duration. I was interested in drawing out the mechanical gears and teeth that make up the cassette – exploring both its fragility and its hardiness.
"In the composition, I imagined the music that this ‘imagined’ cassette might hold – using a mixture of processed, slowed-down samples that I’d earlier recorded while browsing the internet (Japanese pop music; advertising), in addition to my own body (moving in my chair; breathing; typing; rubbing a piece of paper in my hand).
"I thought about the cassette as a kind of archive of its own, a blank box that soaks up the incidental ‘music’ of everyday life. Slowed down, processed, the cassette winding became a kind of heavy clanking, as if pieces of wood and stone were being moved around. Foregrounding its physicality, and the physicality required to use and play this ‘obsolete’ technology (to insert a tape; to press the chunky play buttons; to wind the spool)."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by coxidelic.
"I was inspired by the percussive sound of the Olivetti Calculating Machine, and thought it would be really interesting to use only that sound as the percussion in a track. I took the base sound, and applied a lot of sound distortion and filters to it, and recorded the results.
"There are actually five different Olivetti tracks playing at times concurrently during the composition. I added some ghostly vocals and a warm pad to give the chaos some structure. Everything was then compiled in Bitwig Studio 3 (the original manipulation of the Olivetti sample was done using ReSlice on the iPad)."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Amy Sterly.
"I was originally interested in the sounds of the calculating machine because of its random rhythms and interesting dynamics and I wanted to use it with some domestic sounds and rhythms on the violin. Then I came across a recording I made in the spring of the local birdsong, and it made me think of the latest report of birds in the red list of conservation concern which has risen considerably in the last decade.
"I thought of the people who count the birds, adding up the dwindling amount of species, using their calculators to construct their conclusions, and I wanted to use the mechanical sounds of the calculating machine to contrast with the rhythms of birdsong. The machine engulfing and outperforming the birds, the noise of the keys like the tick tock of a clock, time running out, a slow path to silence. The composition, which I thought would be about play and random sounds, became a piece with an important message about obsolete sounds and a new way of thinking about the sounds we are losing."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by velolala.
"When I started listening to the recording, I found there was a great amount of "tone" behind the rhythmic clacking. Even though on the surface it triggers more of a sterile, repetitious, tax office clerk association, it does have quite a beat and -- even more so -- a hum to it. I made it my task to exclusively use material from the original recording: by chopping short bits, aggressively filtering for frequencies that have life and afterwards playing with the tune.
"During the final cut, I squeezed the sum through an analog delay. The result is a rather "machiney" and upbeat, repetitive piece. I imagine, that may be the kind of music we would listen to, if all our music was created with electronic calculators. "
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Marcelo Carneiro.
The grainny-articulated characteristics of Summira 7, its facture and dynamic profiles, made me imagine punctuation marks triggering different scenes at each new attack. This was the base of my first musique anecdotique piece Último Dia (Last Day), and happened me to fulfill an idea I’ve been having for a while of using sounds with little or no transformation processes at all and ‘tell a story’.
I cut the 18 Summira 7 attacks with the aid of Composers Desktop Project (CDP), creating 18 different audio files, and re-opened them in the same software to build rhythmic patterns in different ways. The results were used in the last part of the piece. In many different moments I combined (assembled) Summira 7 files with other sounds I recorded myself - doors locks, metal closet doors, ice cubes clashing with each other - to reinforce its hard attacks (to use a schaefferian term) and make dramatic passages from one scene to another. All of those sounds, including Summira 7, have similar morphologies, which favors the assemblage.
The piece compositional method was montage.
The Último Dia Narrative
The pandemics, and the continuous lockdown during its first two years, made me think that we will come out of it with new communal values, less consumerism, alternatives to fossil fuel, an upgraded conscience regarding nature and economics, and of course a really practical anti-capitalist agenda. On the contrary: people decided to ‘come back’ to ‘normality’; meaning back to everything that made us get to the point we are now: global warming, fascist regimes coming out of pseudo-democratic governments, wars, hunger, religious intolerance, renewed imperialism, just to name a few. This, of course, will inevitably lead us to our last day on Earth; the last day of almost all living things. And the last day is what is narrated in this piece of musique anecdotique. It will probably not be a catastrophic event, but one that will happen without warning and possibly calmly.
The piece presents audio flashes of daily activities, daily scenes of the ‘normal’ lives we came back to – restaurants, shopping malls, the beach, home activities -, all of them separated by the sudden attacks of clicks and cranks created mostly with Summira 7 sound. All of a sudden, everything ends with its last sound-image of loss and acceptance.
No audio transformation was done; the only use I made of Composers Desktop Project was to create rhythmic patterns for audio number 12. Montage and mixing were in Cockos Reaper. Just a few EQ and reverb were used. Some noise reduction was done in Ocenaudio.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Protests in Manchester reimagined by Cities and Memory.
The two protests, if you stand between them, are in the left and right of your field of hearing, so in this piece they've been placed hard left and right to simulate their real-world position.
The musical backdrop, however, is very different - a representation of our feelings towards the recent Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill passed in the UK, which gives the police the right to close down protests it deems too noisy, effectively clamping down on basic freedoms to protest that we have taken for granted for so long.
The piece considers what this means for protest in the UK, and which freedoms might be under threat next - and the protests are both faded down to nothing in the second half to symbolise the effect of the incoming legislation.
In Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester, two simultaneous organised protests are taking place very close to one another at the same time in the spring of 2022. The protests are about completely different things - one is a pro-Imran Khan rally by the Pakistani community, and the second a protest against the war in Ukraine, organised by the Ukrainian community. The protests are not competing, and there's plenty of space for both to have their say, co-existing in the peaceful right to freedom of speech alongside one another. In this recording, we move first from the Imran Khan rally and then on to the Ukrainian protest, so you can hear both, as well as the transition in the short walk between the two.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Composition by Simon Woods.
"All sounds on this journey were either the original field recordings or the, long obsolete, Yamaha CS-01 synth with many tape machine plugins along the way for company."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Christina Wong.
"I was initially inspired by Eiko Ishibashi’s beautiful soundtrack to the film Drive My Car and how she wove the sounds of the car, of driving so seamlessly into the music and I wanted to see how I, too, could incorporate this notion of driving along per se into my own piece. But the more I worked on it, the more it evolved into something different altogether.
I started with the sound of the handbrake. I wanted it to be almost like a clock ticking. You know it’s there, but sometimes you don’t always notice it (the handbrake, or time). It then took a while for me to fully realize what I wanted to do with the composition, but I knew I wanted the music to represent a journey of some sort.
I’ve been struggling with stress, burnout and self-doubt, especially this past year, to the point I didn’t feel as present or feel like myself.
So in a sense, this piece became about a journey of letting go.
Letting go of those worries and stress; letting go of the expectations and perceptions people have of you and freeing yourself to do the things that make you happy, even if it’s not what people think is conventional; letting go and letting loose once in a while; and letting go and simply be in the moment."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Stepfanie Anne.
"The attendance recorder reminded me of the concept of "being present" in mindfulness practices. I sampled parts of the audio to transform into a pulse, a human body's own life clock. Part of being human is being aware of time and our own cycles. I sampled micro-parts and utilized audio effects such as delay and reverb. Some of the sounds were also reversed. All sounds used in this piece are from the original recording."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Dave Paton.
"I processed the sample with an Elektron Digitakt. I used it on two channels and manipulated in real time, recording in one take. I then overdubbed some chords played from an Audiothingies Micromonsta. As a child I always enjoyed playing with Viewmasters. In the 70's and early 80's there wasn't a lot of technology around so something like a Viewmaster was intriguing. In particular I remember one of the carts had photos from the film 'One of our dinosaurs is missing' and the pictures were so vivid, I would look at them time and time again, tho I've never seen the actual film. The overdubbed chords are meant to represent some sort of melancholy and sentimentality. The overall sub and rumble of the track is something I hear constantly in my head."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Composition by Zetwal Nwar.
"the original was sliced. I selected three slices, and each one of them went through modular effects/delays/reverb. The viewmaster reminds me of that funny feeling when we were playing as kids in our big family garden, and the viewmaster was kind of the toy that belonged to my father, so he would often come and meet my friends and I when we were playing and showed us how amazing the viewmaster was. The composition tried to explore the sound in a 'slowed and reverb' approach to kind of create a big industrial imagery of the mechanics inside the viewmaster, the effects kind of help me recreate that busy factory vibe. I wanted to keep it short and feel like some factory noise you hear during a usual commuting, the noise is familiar but very momentary; a repetition(delay) based on your routine same principle in a way of the delay/reverb combination. No additional/external sound was used."
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
Recording provided by Conserve The Sound.
This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds
This piece is built from one of my favourite sounds in the world. When a bell finishes its chimes, and the environmental conditions are right (and quiet enough), you get the most wonderful, enveloping trail of ghostly reverb in which you can completely lose yourself.
Many is the time when I’ve lost myself in this delicious experience of that bell reverb fading away, never sure when the exact instant is that I can no longer hear it, and always hoping just to hear it for a few seconds more.
In this composition, we’ve held that wonderful final note of reverb after the bells chime, and slowly, slowly built it up with some subtle accompanying warm synth beds. The piece gets louder and the bell reverb is replaced by distant choirs and gorgeous clouds of synth ambience, which is how I imagine the sound of this reverb when I listen to it - choirs of ambience. Here, just as you’re never sure of the precise instant when you can no longer hear the reverb in real life, just so you’re never sure when it’s been entirely replaced by artificial sounds.
Reimagined based on the sounds of the midday bells at the University of Coimbra, Portugal by Cities and Memory.
The bell tower at the University of Coimbra, Portugal is the highest point of the city, visible from almost anywhere and aptly symbolising how the university sits at the centre of life here. The bell is known in Portuguese as El Cabra, which is translated as “the goat” - however, “goat” is also used as an insult in Portuguese, and is how the students used to refer to the bell when cursing it for waking them and forcing them to their studies in the morning.
In this recording, on a blisteringly hot day at around 38 degrees, the courtyard is quieter than usual as people shelter from the heat, and the bell strikes midday - at the end of the bell chimes, you can hear the reverberation of the bell continuing beautifully for some time after the final chime.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
This piece originally appeared as a sound installation at the Dar A Ouvir festival in Coimbra, Portugal in July 2022.
The voice of the world - as heard by Cities and Memory
Whether we’re protesting or worshipping, joyful or angry, sound is at the very core of human existence - we can hear before we’re born, and sound is perhaps the closest and most evocative sense we have. Field recording captures the voice of the world in all of its glorious forms, and in this collection we listen to a series of recordings captured by Cities and Memory founder Stuart Fowkes in various countries around the world, and placed in dialogue with one another. Recordings complement and oppose one another as we are transported from place to place. An anti-terrorism protest in Germany is transformed into a crowd celebrating wildly at a football match. A pagan ritual in a field in England bleeds into a Muslim call to prayer in Saudi Arabia. A pro-Ukraine, anti-war demonstration sits in opposition to a plaintive song by a Russian folk singer. We hear traditional music from performing street troupes, klezmer bands, flamenco dancers and beatboxers, expressing community, hope and sadness in unique and profound ways. This truly is the voice of the world.
List of sounds:
- Pagan ritual at the sacred Rollright Stones, England
- Maghreb call to prayer in Deera Square, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Traditional performing street drum troupe, Santiago, Chile
- Michael Jackson beatboxer, Piccadilly Circus, London, England
- Festival show introduction, Oxfordshire, England
- Anti-ISIS protest on the Reeperbahn, Hamburg, Germany
- Amongst the ultras at a football match, Venezia vs. Cittadella, Italy
- Pro-EU demonstration 2017, The Mall, London, England
- Jewish band plays Shalom Aleijim in a metro station, Paris, France
- Flamenco performance at La Carboneria, Seville, Spain
- Hare Krishna procession, Cardiff, Wales
- Ukraine anti-war protest 2022, Oxford, England
- Traditional Russian folk singer in Red Square, Moscow, Russia
- Evening vespers prayers sung by monks, Abbazia di Praglia, Italy
- Mass bells on Christmas Eve, Venice, Italy
Birds in an Azorean garden reimagined by Cities and Memory.
The interlacing lines of different species of bird all competing with one another for sonic territory was the immediately attention-grabbing aspect of this recording.
For the reimagined piece, we've taken different routes to effecting parts of the birdsong, so the various rhythm generators, effects and modulations represent the different species of bird who are all jostling for the attention of the listener. The chorus coming from these two trees becomes an electrified chorus.
In the gardens on Ponta do Sossego on São Miguel in the Azores, two imposing trees frame the entrance.
In the thick canopy of these trees, dozens and dozens of birds of all kinds of species sing frantically, creating a carpet of birdsong that greets visitors entering the garden on this quiet morning.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Interview with The Current on CBC, 9 June 2022.
Stuart Fowkes, the founder of Cities and Memory, explains why preserving what our world sounds like is as important as protecting what it looks like.
Recording of the Québec Alert Ready – Emergency Alert for the January 9th, 2021, home curfew. Both English and French versions are recorded.
Recorded by Georgios Varoutsos.
Part of the #StayHomeSounds project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of the global coronavirus lockdown around the world - for more information, see http://www.citiesandmemory.com/covid19-sounds
Estacio do Oriente, Lisbon reimagined by Synnax.
"This is based on further exploration with the new Rrreeaaa Timestretch algorithm built in to Reaper. It chops up two minutes of a track by Karhide from their Feb 2022 Project and then extending it out to just under 30 minutes and mixing it with the Estacio do Oriente field recording. Both of the tracks we heavily processed with plugins including Quadravox (Eventide), TAIP (BABY Audio), Eos 2 (Audio Damage), ShaperBox 2 (Cableguys), smartEQ3 (sonible), StereoSavage (Plugin Boutique), Spaced Out (BABY Audio) and Crystalline (BABY Audio)."
Ambience, people chatting and hall reverberation at the Estacio do Oriente station in Lisbon, Portugal, recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
Recording of multiple groups of people playing and enjoying their time in the public space across the Basilica. Multiple languages are being spoken, highlighting some of the cultural diversity Montreal represents. A bell is struck in the background.
Recorded by Georgios Varoutsos.
Part of the #StayHomeSounds project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of the global coronavirus lockdown around the world - for more information, see http://www.citiesandmemory.com/covid19-sounds
Recording in front of a Maple syrup stand and a light installation, where multiple groups of people are walking through. This is a low amount of people that would usually fill up this area due to its proximity to various shops and restaurants. There was also supposed to be a small winter festival in this area.
Recorded by Georgios Varoutsos.
Part of the #StayHomeSounds project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of the global coronavirus lockdown around the world - for more information, see http://www.citiesandmemory.com/covid19-sounds
Recording at the corner of Crescent St and Saint-Catherine St. Cars are slowly driving through the intersection with their tires passing through the snow. In the background, there is a parked truck with its engine on and moments of a few distant voices. This street usually hosts many types of restaurants/bars, yet they have been closed for an extended period and therefore there is no one around these areas.
Recorded by Georgios Varoutsos.
Part of the #StayHomeSounds project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of the global coronavirus lockdown around the world - for more information, see http://www.citiesandmemory.com/covid19-sounds
Recording at the corner of Guy St and Saint-Catherine St. City speakers playing music during the holiday period with cars and pedestrians travelling around. A snow removal truck lowers its plow to start scraping off the snow from the streets. There are still little amounts of afternoon commuters.
Recorded by Georgios Varoutsos.
Part of the #StayHomeSounds project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of the global coronavirus lockdown around the world - for more information, see http://www.citiesandmemory.com/covid19-sounds
Recording between Rue de la Montagne & Drummond Street on Saint-Catherine St. Montreal built a tiny platform that allows you to walk onto each sidewalk. As pedestrians walk onto the metal stairs and platform, you hear each of their footsteps. While standing over passing vehicles.
Recorded by Georgios Varoutsos.
Part of the #StayHomeSounds project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of the global coronavirus lockdown around the world - for more information, see http://www.citiesandmemory.com/covid19-sounds
Scaffolding being erected at the First Pass Under Heaven Gate of the Great Wall of China, Shanhaiguan, recorded by Mark Wilden.
Scaffolding at the Shanhaiguan gate of the Great Wall of China, reimagined by Karhide.
"This was created using the new Rrreeeaaa stretch algorithm that has been added to Reaper. The sample was stretched out to 40 minutes and then chopped up and reassembled in to a 5 minute track."
Da La night market reimagined by Dan Rosato.
"We stood at the ice cream stand for 30 minutes - at first hungry for a cool sweet treat, and then hypnotised by the rhythmic chopping and the motorbike drone. All sounds in this reimagined piece are drawn from the original field recording."
A typical hot night at the Da Lat Night Market, located in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Locals crowd around an ice cream stand, where they order fresh strawberries chopped into ice cream and rolled up. Small motorbikes are everywhere.
Recorded by Dan Rosato.
This composition is all about creating a brand new sense of place by combining elements of two recordings - crows nesting by a stream in some woods in Oxford, UK, and cars passing over a bridge by a cafe in Vicenza, Italy. There's not a road going through the Oxford woods, and yet we hear cars passing by in the soundscape. There are no trees, crows or woodpeckers in this part of Vicenza, and yet we hear them. Through sound, we have created a new, impossible location that exists simultaneously both in Oxford and Vicenza, but which also exists in neither. Created by Cities and Memory.
Binaural recording from street level on Ponte San Paolo, Vicenza. We hear, close up, the sounds of car wheels and engines as cars pass slowly over the cobbled bridge. Between cars passing, we hear the sounds of local cafe customers chatting and laughing, and a man passes close by with a trolley bag. A detailed soundscape.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
In a valley in a nature reserve in Oxford near sunset, crows are arguing loudly in the trees above us as they prepare to nest for the night - we can also hear the alarm calls of a woodpecker in the same woods. To our left, the rushing of a small stream continues throughout.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Natural soundscape on Monte Venda reimagined by Cities and Memory.
This piece moves as the original recording moves, from a simple, relaxed and natural soundscape to the interruption of a small plane overhead symbolising the intrusion of machinery, urban life and the plague of mankind on the natural world, before passing and leaving peace in its wake once again.
The sounds are made primarily from manipulated clips of buzzing bees and chirping birds from the field recording.
The title comes from Sylvia Plath's meditative "Wintering", which seemed appropriate to the themes of the piece:
Will the hive survive, will the gladiolas
Succeed in banking their fires
To enter another year?
What will they taste of, the Christmas roses?
The bees are flying. They taste the spring.
A lush spring soundscape from Monte Venda, the highest hill in northern Italy's Colli Euganei. You can hear bees feeding on nearby flowers, coming in close to the microphone, several species of birds overhead, and then the buzz of a small plane flying overhead in this short recording.
Recorded by Cities and Memory, April 2022.
Desert wind in Oman reimagined by Cities and Memory.
"Far from being a silent or uninteresting source sound, the original field recording is hugely evocative and oddly emotional, transporting the listener to a unique place of both beauty and epic isolation.
"For the reimagined piece, I sought to capture and emphasise some of the sense of loneliness and isolation, but at the same time warmth and hope, that the original recording generated in me. Snippets of piano dance around the sound field, anchored by a simple, mellow bassline that keeps us locked into a sense of place throughout the piece. This is The Empty Quarter."
Desert wind in the Empty Quarter, Oman, recorded by George Vlad.
"The vastness of the Empty Quarter is difficult to fathom. It's larger than many countries but it is virtually uninhabited. There's hardly any wildlife and the continuously moving sand dunes support only a few incredibly hardy plants.
"The sound of the desert is subtle yet mesmerising. Only wind and soft sand movement make up the soundscape, but it varies endlessly. The wind can be muted, soft, soothing, blustery, gusty and many other descriptors. Sometimes it's so strong it can take down my tent, with me in it. Other times it's not present at all, creating a weird sense of weightlessness."
Reimagined sound from Jerusalem, Israel by Sonnie Carlebach.
"This reimagining seeks to draw from the context and content of the field recording by building upon the cries of the man that can be heard in a few points throughout. The man is performing a mystic Jewish practice of calling out to God in the wilderness known as 'Hitbodedut' invented by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov.
"By sampling and manipulating his cries using pitch, distortion, chorus, and doubling I produced a synth sounding vocal lead for a track that draws heavily from old school UK Dubstep music. This is a genre known for contrasting dark and booming bass and atmospheric sounds with lush and ethereal synths, chords, and melodies as a contemplation upon the darkness and subtle beauty of urban life in the 2000s London.
"As such, it aptly reflected the pain and compassion expressed in this man's wailing which maintains throughout the track serving as a connection between the buildup, breakdown, and final closing section of the song."
"A man cries out to God on a Jewish festival holiday in a secluded park area, accompanied by birds, car horns, and other cityscapes."
Recorded in Jerusalem, Israel by Sonnie Carlebach.
Lockdown thunderstorm in Oxford reimagined by Cities and Memory.
"In lockdown, time seemed to be at a standstill, with every day taking forever to pass, but the months vanishing in an instant. This piece is built on a recording of a thunderstorm taking place when we were all confined to our homes, a slight point of difference in a blank calendar of days that looked and felt the same. The degrading loops represent the cycle of the days passing during lockdown, lulling the listener into a sense of time passing differently. As the loops represent the passing of similar days, the introduction of new elements and more volume represents our growing frustration at the months passing by in lockdown, unable to do anything to help."
6 March 2022: A protest against the war in Ukraine held in Radcliffe Square, Oxford. Hundreds of people listen on and applaud in support of Russians speaking out against the war and Ukrainians speaking of their experience of the conflict. Three Russians tell us that they don't support Putin and the war, and a Ukrainian based in Oxford speaks of her experience and tells us about her family, still in the country.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Venetian busker reimagined by Scott Lawrence Whitman.
"I transformed the original field recording into an ethereal pad."
A busker plays "Let It Be" by the Beatles on an acoustic guitar on New Year's Eve in Campo Santo Stefano, Venice. You can hear passers-by and dogs as well as the busker himself. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Walking on recently-cooled lava at the site of the Geldingadalir Volcano, Iceland, August 2021. Recorded by Mark Wilden.
Geldingalir volcano lava walk reimagined by presidiomodelo.
"This composition is an inevitable reflection on the current events and a reminder that turning to the past inevitably throws us back to hell itself. Sending a chorus of voices into the cauldron of the resonating fear and violence, we doom ourselves to loneliness, to the past, to an inevitable and helpless repentance in the future."
Zurich airport shuttle reimagined by Kim Laugs.
"The original recording was dense in sound, so I decided to take samples and rework them trough granulation, pitch and cut-ups to create another reorganized transit trip. Enjoy the ride!"
Soundscape from South Tangerang reimagined by Luis Antero.
"Listening to the original recording, full of everyday sounds, led me to create a piece in which many of these sounds were eliminated, leaving only a few that, in a way, mirrored the sound identity of that place. In order to create a more harmonious piece, I added musical elements and sound effects, namely granular synthesis, choosing to loop this new soundscape."
Recording by Arya Adyuta from South Tangerang, Indonesia.
"From motorbikes muffler buzzing to the kids shouting, here's how the typical suburban housing in South Tangerang sounds like on the afternoon."
"Hearing different languages and announcements in the shuttle bus taking me from the plane to the airport terminal. Stepping off the bus into the noise of the airside zone, then into the quiet of the terminal itself." Recorded by Shaun Malone.
Djúpavík oil tank, Iceland reimagined by Audio Obscura
"There was something incredibly moving about this original recording, a reverb heavy voice / moan recorded in an Icelandic oil tank. I wanted to use the singing as it was without alteration and keep the backing sounds to compliment and move the piece along.
"It felt like I was composing music to add to this as if there was an orchestra inside the tank as well. The use if footsteps and bangs on the tank as well gave a great sense of the cavernous place and sounds like this appear so visual to me. A great piece of field recording and hopefully I've done it justice. "
Inside the Djúpavík oil tank, Iceland - a huge reverb, cavernous footsteps and a recording of singing inside the tank. Recorded by Mark Wilden.
Lockdown hum in Oxford reimagined by Robert Dansby.
"I isolated the hum in the title and began to pick apart partials and overtones, from which a I built up an assemblage of details already there, but enhanced - an ambient track made from ambience."
"'Stoppelbergen' is the name of a 190-hectare wooded area located south of Ossendrecht and northeast of Zandvliet. The area is located on the southern edge of the 'Brabantse Wal', on the border of the polder area. It is a shifting sand area that is wooded with Scots pine, Maritime pine and Corsican pine. The shelduck and the nightjar breed there.
'Stoppelbergen' lies directly east of the Belgian-Dutch border. The area is very popular with hikers and mountain bikers."
Recorded by Tony van Dorst.
Stoppelbergen pine forest reimagined by Joel Graham.
"Reimagining the sonic description of a pine forest. All the distinctive sounds in the original recording have been used and reimagined - a whistle is a bird call, a baby is the "Akhaw" bird, etc. "
Shanhaiguan Pass reimagined by Claire Pearson.
"I wanted to see if I could I create a melodic piece from the discordant sounds in this field recording. I discovered the instrument was a suona, a traditional reeded pipe instrument often played in China at births, weddings and funerals.
Shanhaiguan sits at the easternmost end of the wall. It means both 'mountain and sea pass' and 'first pass under heaven.' I imagined a wedding procession making its way from the walled city down to where the Great Wall meets the Pacific Ocean.
I used Ableton to isolate sections of the sample and experimented with reversing, changing the speed and tone until I found passages I liked. I arranged samples into two tracks then I added some reverb to smooth out the sound and built up instrumentation around the inter-play of the sampled tracks."
A musical instrument being played by a busker at Shanhaiguan Pass at the Great Wall of China, recorded by Mark Wilden.
Wytham Woods, Oxford in lockdown 2020, reimagined by Alan Bleay.
"Taking a cue from the super wide stereo field of nature, I used the field recording as the central piece of the sound layered with phase movements and harmonic shifting.A simple jazz drum break glues the tempo of the music as it glides through three small sections finally to resolve on a simple chord ending. Nature is the star."
Cities and Memory show, originally broadcast on WFMU on Sunday 20 February 2022.
https://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/112702
https://wfmu.org
- Alex Hehir - The Horses of Seville (field recording: horses outside Seville Cathedral)
- ILUITEQ - Celebration day (field recording: Armistice Day in Belgium)
- De Velden - 90 minutes compressed (field recording: Venezia vs. Cittadella, in the stadium)
- Rob Knight - Hilde (field recording: Arbatskaya metro station, Moscow)
- Kid Kin - The war on hugs (field recording: Alfons and the Magic Tree, shortwave radio recording)
- Cities and Memory - Sedimento (field recording: various recordings from across Venice)
Brazilian storm reimagined by Luis EP.
"(Time passing by the window) I imagined a warm but rainy day where I am appreciating the storm through my bedroom window, remembering and letting aroused emotions come and go with the rain. A moment of peace, of presence with a touch of nostalgia."
Tropical storm in a country house next to the woods on December 25th, 2020 in Ouro Preto, Brazil. Recorded under roof tiles and at an open window facing the trees, in the afternoon by Mariana de Almeida Lage.
Shinjuku, Tokyo, reimagined by Cities and Memory.
"The original recording is a super-evocative soundscape, where the hustle and bustle of a big city combines with elements that could only be Tokyo. The recording painted a picture in my head, which, blended with a touch of Blade Runner-esque neo-dystopia, generated the following composition, designed to evoke a futuristic night in Tokyo."
Shinjuku, Tokyo recorded by Max Thomson.
"From the exit of the labyrinthine Shinjuku JR station, the sounds of Tokyo at night hit you fast. The loud speaker of a street preacher upon his soapbox, the twang of a buskers guitar and the clash of skateboards all struggling for dominance among the omnipresent sound of advertising - Tokyo style."
Waves on La Guardia beach, Elba reimagined by Cities and Memory.
"In this reimagined composition, the waves are at the heart, running through its centre and chopped up and timed so they undulate in time with the bassline. The guitars and synths are the sparkling crests of the waves as they wash over the rocks from where the recording was made. This composition evokes the feeling of what it was like to enjoy this idyllic space on a quiet August day."
The title comes from the wonderful Pablo Neruda poem:
"There where the waves shatter on the restless rocks
the clear light bursts and enacts its rose,
and the sea-circle shrinks to a cluster of buds,
to one drop of blue salt, falling.
O bright magnolia bursting in the foam,
magnetic transient whose death blooms
and vanishes--being, nothingness--forever:
broken salt, dazzling lurch of the sea."
At midday, a chorus of different church bells from across the city ring out in the splendid Piazza della Biade in Vicenza. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Piazza della Biade, Vicenza reimagined by Richard Watts.
"I've used lots of samples of bells from the original recording and created some repeated rhythms. Then I added some melodies and some reserved samples of the people talking at the end of the original recording."
Kursaal Estate, Southend reimagined by Sophie Shields.
"The Kursaal estate previously was an amusements ground, and this piece extracts sound from old footage of the Kursaal to reimagine what it was like in the 1920's-1960s."
Field recording of the Kursaal estate in Southend-on-Sea. The Kursaal is one of the oldest buildings still standing in Southend. The site has evolved over the years providing the community with different forms of entertainment. It was supposedly one of the first built amusement parks in the world, until later developed into a housing estate.
Recording by Sophie Shields.
A collaboration between Cities and Memory and Elska built from a field recording of waves on La Guardia beach, Elba, Italy.
Cities and Memory: "The recording of the waves from Elba conjured up a mood that I felt an instrumental track alone couldn't communicate. Having become a fan of Elska's music after she contributed to our Inferno project last year, I thought her voice would be ideal for what I had in mind and approached her with the idea. In the instrumental track, the waves are at the heart, running through its centre and chopped up and timed so they undulate in time with the bassline. The guitars and synths are the sparkling crests of the waves as they wash over the rocks from where the recording was made, and Elska brings the missing ingredients."
Elska: "Having been a fan of Stuart's Cities and Memory project for quite some time, I was delighted at the opportunity to collaborate on a beautiful, instrumental composition that he was working on. Intuitively, I tend to hear overlapping vocal melodies that swell and repeat. Hearing the wave samples from an unfamiliar town in Italy immediately sparked patterns of nostalgia, longing, and wonder in both the vocal phrasings and lyrics. The wave crashes represent milestones and moments in time. We slowly rewind back to days where we felt fearless and comforted by love. We are constantly reaching for this ecstasy amidst the fear. I believe we are meant to dance and progress with nature; ebbing and flowing with the tides and recessions. The guitar helps build momentum; emulating the endless oscillations. The vocal layers swell with these gestures; creating a sense of longing and hope as we keep returning to older days."
Binaural recording of waves crashing onto the completely deserted La Guardia beach on the island of Elba, Italy. Recorded with a Zoom VR-3 from an outcrop of rocks, around which the waves were crashing on all sides. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Chongqing docks reimagined by Andy McDade.
"I used the sample as a bed throughout the track but also picked out a few bits to repeat here and there. The track reminds me so much of a place I love: Hong Kong and I was thinking of the time I spent there in the 1990s."
Icelandic Rauðamelsölkelda spring reimagined by Arvik Torrenssen.
"Our primary audio genre is composition of generative ambient soundscapes which delicately compliments the natural flow of this carbonated spring recording; we sampled and reconstructed sounds from the recording and reimagined this piece whilst viewing many beautiful broody landscapes of Iceland from multiple video sources."
Mexico street band in lockdown reimagined by John Ov3rblast.
"The inspiration for this work came from the need for new hope, a new life.
As the worldwide devastation brought tears, pain, loneliness, lost hope, broken heartbeats.
"The rhythm of life itself brings the celestial message of the metamorphosis of this world."
Mukuru recording reimagined by Xqui.
"The original recording wasn't great so I decided to utilise two excerpts and manipulate them into other sounds. The children's voices made brilliant sounds for me to work into something very unique."
Recording of bubbling at the Rauðamelsölkelda carbonated spring, Iceland by Mark Wilden.
"During lockdown all music live events were cancelled. Many musicians went to the streets and played. People from the windows threw them some coins or food. They are playing "Asi Fue" a song by famous and iconic Mexican musician, Juan Gabriel. I love the dogs barking in the distance, annoyed by the music."
Recorded in Mexico City by Luis Arenas.
Cities and Memory - Shortwave Transmissions, 13 February 2022
A special programme originally broadcast on Resonance FM on Sunday 13 February 2022 to celebrate UNESCO World Radio Day.
In brief: To celebrate UNESCO World Radio Day on 13 February, Cities and Memory presents highlights from the Shortwave Transmissions project, a collection of compositions built from eight decades of shortwave radio recordings - you can explore the whole project at www.citiesandmemory.com/shortwave.
Tracklisting: 1. Roberta Fidora - Ottawa shortwave 2. Moray Newlands - The fragility of detente 3. Cities and Memory - The moon in daylight 4. Kid Kin - The war on hugs 5. Cristina Marras - Robert H. Lawrence Jr., trailblazing astronaut 6. David Devereux - Potentialities 7. Rusty Sheriff - The broadcasting service of the Iraqi Republic 8. Arvik Torrenssen - Taajuuksia ja ääniä 9. Tiger Mendoza - Moscow shortwave 1970
Orlando Black Lives Matter protest reimagined by de Velden.
"I was struck by how in this recording of a Black Lives Matter protest the tone moved between moments of practicality - organisational announcements - and a profound collective response to a shared experience. Such, I suppose, is the nature of protest. I sought to articulate this musically, underscoring some moments, giving extra space to others. I hope the result does the original recording, and the moment it captured, some form of justice."
A Black Lives Matter protest, with call and response chanting, at Lake Eola, Orlando, Florida, recorded in June 2020 by Aaron Cendan.
Paragliders reimagined by Lauren Wooley.
"When I first heard this track, I was originally drawn to the drone-like frequency sweeps of the powered paraglider. For this reimagined piece, I used the spectrogram of the original recording as my guide to isolate different frequency bands. I imagine these frequency bands as sonic parallels to air currents, keeping the paraglider afloat as they draft and move through elevation/frequency, hence the title Frequency Drafts."
Farmers' market in Kotor reimagined by Ronan Considine.
"I used the recording of a farmers’ market in Montenegro as a base and inspiration to create additional sounds. Some of the more experimental sounds are sampled from the field recording, and the synths were improvised while listening to the recording. Like any exploration of a traditional market you never know what you're going to discover, but you’re usually happy with the outcome."
Bells for the death of Prince Philip in Guilden Morden reimagined by Andy Billington.
"The original recording was of the bells of Guilden Morden church ringing out 99 times to mark the death of the Royal consort. I had the idea to remove all of the bells from the original field recording leaving bird song and the faint reverberation of the bell toll rising and falling. These base tracks were merged, reversed and re sampled. Essentially the sounds became ghosted and the bird song re established itself as the dominant sound. I re added parts of the original recording and slowly built out inside my DAW layers of organ and ambient pads. Finally a bass line was "found" and I reworked the track to ebb and flow, shimmer and build then decay. The Mordens describes the area which Guilden Morden forms part of. The track is really a homage to the other sounds on that day. Equally as important i think to the bells..."
Arriving into Vicenza's historic Piazza dei Signori, with its remarkable Palladian architecture, just before 12 noon we're treated to a special melody ringing out from the campanile. A few minutes of ambience later with passers-by, dog walkers and so on, the bells ring out for midday. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"To mark the passing of Prince Philip - an extract of a ninety-nine muffled toll in Guilden Morden. A very beautiful and fitting sound." Recorded by Rob Godman.
Florence's Galleria Commerciale Santa Maria Novella reimagined by Michael Lilley.
"I was (arcanely) motivated by the Xmas present of an Akai MPD from my (kind & generous) sister-in-law to make a breakbeat.
All the sounds within my reimagined work were taken from the original field recording. The source of the discordant piano stabs near the beginner can be heard fairly distinctly towards the end of the piece.
Once I was satisfied with the breakbeat, I then re-wove the field recording back.
Hardware used: MPD232 & a MacBook Pro.
Software used: MPC Beats, T-RackS 5 & Bitwig.
Mastered via Soundcloud"
Vicenza's Piazza dei Signori reimagined by Celestial Noise Disco (Aaron Zwintscher).
"I have never been to Vicenza, Italy, so when listening to the sound I selected, I was uncertain where to start; how to take and remake and remix the sounds in a way that speaks to my own personal experiences and ideas to hear through but also translates for an audience.
But as I was listening, I reflected upon the fact that I have been to Italy. As a small child, I went on a whirlwind family vacation of Continental Europe. It was 1993, I had a glimmer of the sense of the importance of the trip that marked the transition of my family living as Americans in Japan to just living in America.
It was then that I, entirely by accident, found and isolated a clip from the ambience of the Piazza dei Signori that, to me at least, sounded distinctly like a small child saying (in English) to their guardian: “I’ve never been … I’ve never been at home.” I had found my organizing principle: dislocation, displacement, and a touch of the unheimlich.
I took that sound clip as well as extractions of bells, horns, and rhythmic walking and affected and arranged them in Cubasis on my iPad. I used a number of the internal Steinberg effects, over-processed Cubasis drum loops, Waves plugins, and several Eventide reverb plugins to create a lofi ambient soundscape that embodied that sense of dislocation and displacement. I think that the overall process was enhanced by the fact that I was composing and arranging on my iPad while myself dislocated and away from home in Florida instead of NYC. I had limited gear with me and adapted those limitations into the overall sound of the piece. As a nod back to my trip to Italy in ’93, I set the BPM at 93 (apt for lofi), and locked many of the plugin controls to 93, 9 (my age on the trip), and a few other numbers relevant and related to that trip and my own personal experience as a small child in Italian piazzas.
To finish the piece, I mixed and mastered it for surround and Atmos (as much as the headphones I had with me could allow) in Logic and Ableton Live. It is now the musical reflection of a fuzzy memory of of a childhood experience in a foreign country while in the middle of an international move as reflected by dislocated adaptation of a field recoding nearly 30 years later. I hope it translates."
Aberdeen fish market ferry, Hong Kong, reimagined by Keith de Mendonca.
"I visited the fish market in Hong Kong many years ago and so I had some small connection with the place and the sound recording - grinding sounds of ice-cutting machines, noises of machinery and wet fish containers echoing about a large hall.
"Some of these clanging noises were used to create the rhythm of this piece.
"A music box given to me as a Christmas present became another sound source - its sad tones suggested a piece of music about loss.
"I can't quite explain how I ended up listening to an archive radio broadcast from Albania's Radio Tirana... but the portentous message provided the theme and a voice to finally bind the piece together. Enver Hoxha's passing resulted in the opening up of Albania; Hong Kong's political tectonic plates are now also changing fast - moving the island in the opposite direction towards the mainland's political system."
Japanese noodle bar reimagined by Adriene Lilly.
"I just listened to the recording and pulled out everything that grabbed my attention, then used that to try and make a different environment."
Kathmandu traffic reimagined by Stormy.
"Starting from a first impression of chaos, I tried to construct sounds that reflected multiple temporalities. Acid sounds, frictions, breaths all refer to this first feeling of confusion."
A busy lunchtime inside the Soba Kira Mimaki noodle bar, Tokyo, recorded by Giulia Biasibetti.
Ambience of a ferry departing from the Aberdeen fish market stop at night on the Hong Kong ferry network, recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
Belgian border post reimagined by Lama Sawaya.
"What intrigued me in the original field recording is its richness, a full sound that hid so many layers of nature, and that right away started triggering my imagination, and got me curious to experimenting with textures and movement.
"The piece is based on associations between sounds and textures, starting and ending with the original field recording, and a lot of abstract freedom in between. A lot of the layers were created by manipulating the original recording and diving in its spectrum, and then turning them and adding electronic recording sounds, with a drone like electric guitar floating in and out."
"Border post 269 marks the border between Belgium and The Netherlands. This point is regularly visited by hikers who come to visit the 'Groot Buitenschoor' from here. The 'Groot Buitenschoor' nature reserve is a brackish salt marsh area in the Scheldt. It is located at the Belgian-Dutch border where the Scheldt enters the Netherlands and widens from a river to an estuary, the Westerschelde." Recorded by Tony van Dorst.
The sound of walking down Monte Rite in the Italian Dolomites with the help of ciaspole (snowshoes) and ski poles. Recorded by Cities and Memory, January 2022.
Monte Rite snowshoe walk reimagined by Steve Burnett.
"Selected elements of the original recording warped and layered back into the original - no additional audio source used. I left the original source material on continuous repeat until my familiarity began to connect recall different elements as evocative across the track as I listened, then tried to recreate what I had heard."
Scratchy Bottom beach, Dorset, England reimagined by Violetta Suvini.
"I studied modern languages at university, and specialised in Samuel Beckett, an author who regarded sound as architecture in a similar way to how field recordings construct and preserve a space and time from within the capacity of a mic feed.
"For this project, I wanted to play around with the idea of using a section of a Beckett text as a graphic score. I chose Company, a novella from 1947, which repeats specific cells of words, phrases and syllabic rhythms throughout, creating a tapestry of associations which shifts and shimmers.
"From a section of the text I particularly like, I converted the structures of the repeated phrases into harmonic motifs, before filling out the rest of the musical architecture with a wash of sounds I personally associate with the sea, such as church bells and cicada-like buzzing.
"The crackles and fizzes towards the end are meant as reference to the habit of auto-disintegration that Beckett practiced in his prose; pinpricks in an edifice of sound. Thanks to Cities and Memory for letting me experiment with this one!"
Waterfall at Janet's Foss, Yorkshire reimagined by Eulipion Corps.
"Listening to the original field recording I imagined various occurrences and phenomena at Janet's Foss such as the downstream journey of a leaf, a light rain, foraging mycelium, a stuck twig bumping up against a rock, various insects at work, etc. These imaginings sparked the musical treatment and gave me a a bit of a story to add to the flowing water."
A recording of a beach on a relatively busy day during the July 2020 Covid lockdown at Scratchy Bottom in the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England. For many, this month was the first time they were able to go beyond their immediate neighbourhood, and popular spots like this became very busy, very quickly. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Janet's Foss waterfall in the Yorkshire Dales, recorded from a distance with the binaural Zoom VR-3 recorder by Cities and Memory.
Mass at San Gaetano, Vicenza reimagined by Colin Wambsgans.
"The original field recording is of a mass and also can be broken down into 5 distinct sections, the same number as a traditional mass from classical music. Thinking of that structure helped keep the piece as one continuous thing, even as the sections ended up sounding fairly different from each other."
Part of a mass service recorded the Chiesa di San Gaetano in Vicenza, Italy in January 2021. The quiet reverence of a ceremony celebrated together. We listen respectfully for a few minutes, and depart quietly back into the city.
Aysgarth Falls, Yorkshire reimagined by Jonathan Williams.
"Water carries messages like a radio - they’re there, but only when you tune in. I went to Aysgarth Falls when I lived in the UK, and fancied one day I might walk the river to learn more of its story. I’ve recently moved back to Australia and that visit seems very distant, now. But perhaps by immersing myself, by falling into this field recording, I might discover messages, stories and daydreams in the almost overwhelming white noise of the water.
"Experimenting digitally, I stretched sections of the recording and played with the EQ to find snippets of underlying music. I used this as a base for a few bars of piano, which I played back through an FM transmitter. I combined this with snatches of radio as I ran through the bands, thinking about hidden messages, distance and memory."
Binaural recording from the lower falls in the cascading series of waterfalls at Aysgarth Falls in the Yorkshire Dales. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"Oecanthus pellucens - it is a cricket typical of our city and surroundings. This sound is heard every night during the summer. Its sound is reminiscent of an old telephone. On the recording you can hear the distant road and other sounds of this small town."
Recorded by Tomáš Šenkyřík.
Czech summer soundscape reimagined by Roberto Vodanović Čopor.
"Then, what do you love, extraordinary stranger?
I love the clouds the clouds that pass up there
Up there the wonderful clouds!”
― Charles Baudelaire"
COP26 helicopter reimagined by Tony Miller.
"I wanted to produce a piece that expressed my anger at the hypocrisy of some world leaders using excessive modes of transport to bring themselves and their entourages to COP26 Glasgow."
Paris metro reimagined by Simon Kennedy.
"The sound piece inspired a short story, the prologue of which was translated into French and narrated. The original sound piece was augmented and mixed with the French narration. A film abstract and a typeface were created to accompany the new sound work."
The film can be watched at https://vimeo.com/672297516
On board the Paris metro, riding from Reaumur Sebastopol to Chateau Rouge towards Montmartre on a Saturday in December 2021. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"Garnethill Park is a small community park in the centre of Glasgow. I was having lunch and realised there was a police helicopter hovering over the park. There are some sounds of cars and children playing in the nearby school. The police helicopter was there to monitor a citywide climate protest for COP26."
Recorded by David Devereux.
Klifavik fjord reimagined by Bill Stevens.
"As I listened to the recording, I began to research the connections between the early visitors and settlers of Iceland by the Scandinavians and the Irish. This mix of cultures brought to mind the folk music of the island that has lasted through generations.
"The sound of the stream and rivers, only interrupted by the sound of footsteps, created a meditative experience that I wanted to bring forward, emphasizing this cultural mix through my interpretation on the folk music of Iceland.
"In this piece I made the decision to leave the recording as is with no changes in the hope that the listener will join me on a journey to the past of this beautiful and mysterious island. "
Field recording from Klifavik fjord, Iceland - sea water, stream, wind and footsteps. Recorded by Mark Wilden.
Pingo river reimagined by Natalia Ludmila.
"A recording of the Pingo* river from the Patagonia region sparked this sound piece that builds a narrative to describe a state of emergency. For this piece titled "swim, swim, don't sink", I repurposed the calming and soothing sound of the Pingo river flowing. In the piece, the river is the guiding thread in a deep and, at times, dark sound composition. And through this tension, I'm searching to put forward notions of a near and looming critical point of our climate, perhaps one of no return."
*The Pingo river is located in the Torres del Paine National Park in the southern part of the Patagonia region in Chile. The river is near the extensive Grey Glacier that has lost approximately two kilometres of its extension due to calving. And in 2017, had a massive iceberg parted from the glacier.
Calton Hill, Edinburgh reimagined by Vlad Suppish.
"The original piece immediately caught my attention - melancholic and wistful, a truly rich sonic source, open for interpretations. Plans for it were epic at first but the compositional process became rather an exercise in reductionism.
"As a main tool were used Make Noise's Morphagene. Despite of dazzling possibilities it has I've decided to keep everything relatively simple, intuitive and immediate. Prepared loops on Morphagene were triggered by hand with Pressure Points while processing it in real time.
"The recording process felt more like a live recording. A flute was added later as a cherry on top of the most climactic moment.
"The final piece is not perfect. Mistakes were plentiful but sometimes in emphasizing them is the character and a beauty of the piece.
"So honor thy failures as a hidden intention."
A walk alongside the lively Pingo River in Chilean Patagonia on a cold, sunny morning in spring. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Sunset on Calton Hill, Edinburgh, Scotland - the sounds of walkers and a nearby guitar busker, summer 2021. Recorded by Mark Wilden.
Street pianist reimagined by Nick St. George.
"This work comprises mostly variations on the original field recording, manipulated via Emission Control 2 and other effects. Add a 19th C. song by Jean Mercier (thank you Ezwa from Librivox)... et voila!"
A street pianist performs to a small crowd in Le Marais, Paris, December 2021. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Belgium armistice commemoration reimagined by ILUITEQ.
"Late spring is the period of the year in which many celebrations take place all over Italy: religious feasts, country fairs, weddings.
"The field recordings of a marching band, the church bells, the applause and the joy of the crowd are all blended in an airy and dreamy soundscape.
"Glimpses of a celebration day, marking the end of a long winter and saluting a new spring of life."
Passo Rolle ski lift reimagined by Cravune, who describes the piece as "a wintry lullaby".
Recording of a ski lift mechanism from the bottom of the ski slope at Passo Rolle in the Italian Dolomites. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Armistice commemoration in November 2021 at Berendrecht, Belgium, recorded by Tony Van Dorst.
"The local fanfare 'Koninklijke Fanfare Willen is Kunnen' from Berendrecht is participating in the yearly Armistice Commemoration."
Krossneslaug hot spring, Iceland reimagined by Jeff Dungfelder.
"“Half the Speed of Light” is based on reimagining a field recording of the water sounds from the Krossneslaug hot spring in Iceland. Krossneslaug is heated by natural hot-springs, and is considered an ‘Infinity Pool’ due to the fact it has magnificent views of the ocean, with nothing impeding the view between the two waters.
"Thinking about experiencing the sounds of the spring and the view from the infinity pool made me wonder about light traveling in such a magnificent setting. And what if this experience could be slowed down for maximum enjoyment? It is this concept that gave birth to this piece of music, “Half the Speed of Light”."
Fondamenta dei Ormesini, Venice, reimagined by John Tenney.
"A quiet morning in Venice: people chat, others pass by with radios, dogs and cats and pigeons make their contributions. The calm is broken by a runaway cruise ship approaching and crashing into the pilings; afterwards, the city is more peaceful than ever.
"This is based on a real event from 2019, which injured several people, and had the long-range effect of banning the monstrous ships from docking in Venice. The city has had enough troubles-- sinking, flooding, millions of tourists a year pouring through it--without the ships. And perhaps Venice can regain a little more of the character that makes it unique in the world."
Morning life on a regular Monday in late summer on Fondamenta dei Ormesini, Venice. On a Monday in the less touristy Cannaregio district to the north of Venice, during the pandemic when there were also far fewer tourists in the city, a slice of regular life for local Venetians as we walk past the cafes, shops and working boats. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Water sounds under a bridge at Edinburgh's Hermitage of Braid, recorded by Mark Wilden.
Edinburgh's Hermitage of Braid reimagined by Daniela O'Fee.
"I chose Mark Wilden’s recording of water rushing under the bridge at Hermitage of Braid in Edinburgh Scotland as a departure for a reimagined, environmental tone poem.
"Listening to the sound and researching the site’s historic ice house along with its recent extreme flooding called to mind last year’s unprecedented weather disasters in my Canadian locale of Kamloops on the unceded lands of Tk’emlups te Secwepemc. Reflecting on the record-breaking heat, the wildfires destroying neighbouring villages, and the massive flooding from atmospheric rivers led me to step into a flow of geophonic and human generated sounds as a call for universality in the climate crisis.
"Beginning with my snowshoe trek at Stake Lake, I improvised with internal piano sounds, accordion bellow, loose reel-to-reel tape and deconstructed piano parts before weaving the Scottish stream into our local Peterson Creek in which I tossed stones as wet percussion."
Covid rail announcements in Italy reimagined by Simon Woods.
"Limiting myself to guitars, this piece was made with nylon string, electric, fretless, acoustic bass, dobro, 12 string and travel guitars, with a little helping of e-bow."
Covid announcements on board a regional train journey from Vicenza to San Pietro in Gù, Italy during January 2022, with reminders about testing and mask wearing.
Part of the StayHomeSounds project to record and reimagine the sounds of the Covid-19 lockdowns.
Train ride in Tulovo, Bulgaria reimagined by Simon Woods.
"The piece is made entirely from samples from the field recording. No synths were harmed during the making of the piece.
Reproduced in Samplers and Wavetable synths."
"The original recording of shortwave radio conversations crackling back and forth from Antarctica to an isolated radio operator in New Jersey had a real melancholy, especially when I considered that the radio operator who does most of the talking is now sadly no longer with us.
"The conversation between the two men tends towards the philosophical, and how we are observed different aspects of the same world at the same time. The composition based on this recording is intended to be a floating, melancholic, introspective piece, as if we were tuning into the music of the spheres, picking up the movements of the Earth from its most isolated corners, at the same time as glimpsing this private conversation that connected two men across the airwaves more than 45 years ago."
Composition by Cities and Memory.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Motorway bridge in Prescot reimagined by Simon Woods.
"Other recordings were made at Prescot Station and the woodyard next to the station. The sounds of the drumming are made up entirely from the sound of the work in the wood yard.
The motorway, trains and passing aircraft are added to the woodyard sounds with a selection of synths to make the piece."
Field recording made from a bridge over the M57 motorway at Prescot, Merseyside in England by Simon Woods.
These recordings were originally made in 1974 by the late Jim Hayward (W2PVF) in Absecon, New Jersey (USA) with two different ham radio stations in Antarctica.
This first recording is between W2PVF and KC4AAC of Palmer Station.
Recorded by Jim Hayward, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"We’re used to working on loops and the repetitive speech of the maritime weather speaker immediately gave us ideas. Moreover, he gives the maritime weather for the Adriatic coast (among others) on which we made field recordings this summer. We therefore created a loop with samplers and synths to set the speaker's voice to music, then we integrated some field recordings from the Adriatic sea. We took the whole source recording, we just sliced the phrasing a bit to give it more rhythm."
Composition by Zuunzug.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I live on an even smaller remote island in tiny Japan, with only 1,800 people living on it. It is a closed island with only 1,800 inhabitants. I live there somewhat wondering if I have to stay here for the rest of my life. Thinking about Cuba, a tropical country I have never been to.... My beloved car is an old Honda JA4, rusted by the sea breeze. The muffler was rusted and had a hole in it, making a loud noise as we drove at night to the ocean. Listening to shortwave broadcasts from Havana, Cuba. Someday, when I am able to escape this small island in this small country, I will be in Havana, lighting cigars. I will be drowning in rum and dreaming of my mother."
Composition by Yeemeen Nosa.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"The piece aims to express the sadness over a country completely mismanaged and destroyed. How an idea can be abused, mislead a population and wreck a nation. The horrific stories told by my studio college, who fled Caracas from the regime ten years ago, have inspired this composition. The main material is from the short wave recording from Antena Internacional de Radio Nacional de Venezuela with sparse synthetic and acoustic gestures floating calmly over the enthusiastic radio presenters."
Composition by Håkan Lidbo.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I didn't know what the words meant when I heard this shortwave broadcast, but it reminded me of when I was a little girl being lectured by my school teacher. That feeling of wanting to cry, wanting to run away, the feeling of my head getting all messed up... I used Indian shruti boxes and analog synths to create this image of such a scene. Oh, Santa Maria."
Composition by Dutch Money(s).
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Studio recording from RAI (Radiotelevisione italiana) of their maritime weather forecast. This recording was originally made in 1997.
Recorded by Andrea Borgnino, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Radio Havana Cuba's Spanish Language Service. This recording was made on February 16, 2016 starting at 6:00 UTC on 11.760 MHz. This recording was made in Chiapas, México with a Keenwood R-600 and Magnetic Loop antenna.
Recorded by Emilio Ruiz, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
I am monitoring Radio Transmundial via [the PY2BS KiwiSDR in] Brazil. They are in the midst of a final discussion in Portuguese between two announcers, mentioning advances/changes in technology, Internet, etc. that are forcing the station off the air. Many mentions of shortwave.
At about the 9:36 mark in the 1st audio file announcer introduces a technical person (sounded like someone from TWR, but also mentioned was “director of communications”) to begin a discussion about their decision to end shortwave — that discussion lasts until about the 34:30 mark when they go into full IDs.
Recorded by Dan Robinson, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
With the news over the past few years, and especially over the last few weeks, of the rapid decline of Venezuela, it’s interesting to recall that there was a day when that country was a powerhouse on the shortwave band, with numerous private radio stations that SWL’s around the world could hear in the 90, 60, 49, 31, and 19 meter bands.
There was also a brief attempt to put Venezuela on the map as an international broadcaster, with Radio Nacional de Venezuela which was audible at good signal levels.
Recorded by Dan Robinson, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Like the narrators, I have a fondness for all things space, astrophysics and the big questions like: is the Universe going to end, what are black holes, and why does Surf Guitar sound dangerous? I wanted to create an aural canvas for the late night presenters and their smooth delivery, but there's a lot of flux and chaos around, and some of that creeps in. The story goes through changes - and in the end, there is no end, but the possibility of a strange new beginning. Or this could just be an excuse to play surf guitar."
Composition by Paul Greenstein.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
""Tahiti" is a sound abstraction based on a short fragment of "Radio Tahiti" broadcast in the 19 meter band where popular music is heard with brief spoken descriptions in-between. The composition reflects artistically on the distortion experienced by a message through a variable and unpredictable channel like radio transmission in the bands below 30 Mhz, conditioned by the time of day, the time of year, the location of the receiver and the ionospheric propagation conditions, ultimately dependent on solar activity.
Based on the prototypical sound profile that these conditions cause in the reception of shortwave (where the main signal is altered with electrical noises, fading, interferences, echoes and overlaps of random appearance and durations), the work reinterprets the original sound material from a double perspective, timbral and temporal, creating a new discourse that, nevertheless, maintains the essence of the continuum sound of popular music from the South Pacific.
The work is based on three sound textures. The main one recalls the timbral essence of the stringed instruments of the popular Polynesian music, as well as the peculiar inflection of its glissandos but transformed in two directions: on the one hand, turning the non-stop accompaniment of these instruments into a set of bursts that generate a new fluffy texture, alternating presences and absences, as if undergoing the effects of ionospheric fading; on the other, altering its spectral composition to create a distorted timbral (applying transformations similar to those experienced by the radio signal received thousands of kilometers away) that recalls its original melodic inflections.
Fragments of the spoken material manipulated by different spectral transformations are arranged randomly on the main texture, in the same way that interferences and other electrical disturbances modify the main speech. The voice also appears in the central part of the work, but now converted into endless echoes and rebounds like those produced by propagation through the long and short path, a common effect in shortwave listening." Composition by Javier Suarez-Quiros. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"For me, the noise of the tube shortwave radio was the first "music" I heard in my life.
Ever since then, radio and its broadcasts have been a part of my life. When I was a teenager, I often listened to Radio Moscow because I was geographically close to it and could receive it well. This was right around the same time as this source. It was a time when the Soviet Union still existed as a "dream state" as they called it.
I mixed various "sceneries" that we "heard" from Moscow, the capital of that state, with "poor - as it was" improvised music played on acoustic guitar. Also, I made some edits to the source, remembering the receiving situation at the time. About the guitar, I tried to keep the sound and performance "raw". So that the shades of time, place, and era would emerge more clearly.
The mix was done carefully, but not too delicately.
I wanted to contrast as dynamically as possible the dreams and realities of the people and society of that era with those of today. I think I succeeded in this to some extent."
Composition by Kawol Samarqandi.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Domus Aurea' came directly out my ongoing fascination with Italian history and larger artistic interests. Firstly, it is about two very specific historical things. It is about the Domus Aurea, which from I understand is no longer accessible.
To quote Wikipedia, "It was a vast landscaped complex built by the Emperor Nero largely on the Oppian Hill in the heart of ancient Rome after the great fire in 64 AD had destroyed a large part of the city" It was re-discovered "When a young Roman inadvertently fell through a cleft in the Esquiline hillside at the end of the 15th century" and "he found himself in a strange cave or grotto filled with painted figures". I was fascinated by this buried, decadent complex and the grotesque figures that covered its walls. My own musical endeavors feel fitting to the grotesque, buried opulence of the Domus Aurea.
My song is also about another historical incident - around the same time as the young Roman came upon the Domus Aurea, a marble tomb was unearthed that contained an almost perfectly preserved young Roman girl from around the biblical age. Romans of the late 1400's were obsessed with her and what she represented. They were obsessed at the time with returning to their own earlier culture, and what she represented was very important to them. I am also fascinated with female bodies have been used and depicted in history and she is a fascinating subject in that regard, especially myself being a female artist.
My song includes text translated into English about how she was regarded. All of this historical fact is important to this song as I grappled with my own artistic fascination with what lies hidden beneath. I used these broadcasts on Christmas Day from the Vatican to engage with the duality of very present and fleeting merriment with the idea of rich, buried history." Composition by Domenica Diavoleria. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I really wanted to do a track that has old samples in it for atmosphere and the Transmission I was working with gave many juicy bits, it was tough to select. I composed the beats on mobile apps and mixed it down in Audacity."
Composition by Jakub Rokita.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I selected this sample based on the use of a piano, considering it would make a composition much easier. While my composition turned out more ambient than structured, the sample holds even the “air” behind the piano to keep it in the past."
Composition by Tony Bartels.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
This program from January 24, 1982 from my archives is from Radio Canada International which was called Bonsoir Africa. This was somewhat of a mailbag program which read listeners letters. I was fortunate to have a tape recorder running since this was a program about astronomy that was requested by me. This may be the first time I ever heard my name read on shortwave.
Recorded by Tom Laskowski, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
One of the great things about DXing and SWLing is the variety of music one can hear. One of my favorite stations to listen to on shortwave for “exotic music” was Radio Tahiti, Papeete, French Polynesia, when they were still on shortwave.
If my memory serves me correctly, I believe something happened to the transmitter, and they never got back on SW. They were on mediumwave through December of 2016 (738 kHz); now they are on FM only. (Maybe us hobbyists should start a funding website to put them back on shortwave!)
Many a Saturday night I would turn on the DX-160 (my first SW rig) and let it warm up for a while, before tuning in 15170 to see how band conditions were. If the band was good, I’d get ready to record through the air. Once I started recording, I’d often leave the room and shut the door, because having three brothers around meant the possibilities were high for having “extraneous interference” on my recordings.
Saturday evenings were a good time to tune in, because of a music program that aired with a good selection of island music. The program had an announcer who spoke in the island vernacular (Tahitian?), and when that program ended they switched to French.
Here is a 30-min recording of Radio Tahiti on 15170 kHz from a while ago, most likely around one of the solar maxima of either 1980 or 1991. I’m leaning toward the 1980 cycle. My apologies for not being able to be more specific than that. I kept terrible records of my recordings. This would be recorded either with the DX-160 or a DX-302. Apologies too for the jump in volume at around the 2:37 mark.
So close your eyes, imagine you are lying in a hammock on a beach somewhere in the South Pacific, with a warm breeze off the ocean and your favourite cooled beverage nearby, listening to some of the best island music anywhere.
Recorded by Mark Pettifor, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Live, off-air, approximately forty-minute recording of the 2018 Christmas Message and "Urbi et Orbi" Blessing of Pope Francis as broadcast by Radio Vaticana (Vatican Radio), a division of Vatican Media, on 25 December 2018 beginning at 10:50 UTC on a shortwave frequency of 15695 kHz. This broadcast originated from a 250 kW transmitter at Santa Maria di Galevia, north of Rome, and was beamed to central Africa with an antenna beam azimuth of 145°.
This broadcast was the English-commentary version of the Radio Vaticana special Christmas Day broadcasts. After the Radio Vaticana interval signal, five or siz minutes of classical music can be heard before the commentator introduces the broadcast. At about 11:00 UTC, commands of the Pontifical Swiss Guard can be heard. This is followed by abbreviated versions of The Pontifical Hymn ("Motetum Vaticanum") and the Italian national anthem ("Il Canto degli Italiani") as played by the Band of the Pontifical Swiss Guard and the Carabinieri Band of the Italian Armed Forces. The appearance of Pope Francis on the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica is greeted with cheers. He delivered, in Italian, his annual Christmas message ahead of the traditional blessing "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city [Rome] and to the world). This was translated simultaneously by the commentator. Pope Francis also recited the Angelus prayer and the plenary indulgence (in Latin). Following his speech, there was a military salute to Pope Francis with abridged versions again of the anthems. The Bells of St. Peter's peal as the Swiss Guard and the Carabinieri exchange salutes. After the interval signal, two popular Christmas music tunes featuring pan pipes end the broadcast.
The broadcast was received by the Web-interface wideband software-defined radio at the University of Twente in Enschede, The Netherlands, with a "Mini-Whip" antenna in AMSync mode with 5.08 kHz total bandwidth RF filtering. Reception was very good with a reasonably strong interference-free signal with only slight fading at times.
Recorded by Richard Langley, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
These recordings were originally provided to me on reel-to-reel tape directly from Radio Moscow (which I dubbed to a cassette). At that time, I was program director at St. Cloud State University's radio station KVSC-FM (St. Cloud, MN) and aired Moscow Mailbag once a week during the afternoon news block programming. Transcription shows from other shortwave stations were played on other weekday slots at the same time.
Recorded by Tom Gavaras, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Live, off-air, approximately 20-minute recording of the program "Warmongers' Monthly" transmitted as part of the daily evening show "Tonight" in the North American Service of Radio Moscow on 8 September 1987 around 01:20 UTC on 7400 kHz. The broadcast originated from one of the many Radio Moscow transmission sites in the Soviet Union or was relayed by a site in eastern Europe or Cuba. Radio Moscow never released detailed information on its frequencies and transmitter sites.
"Warmongers' Monthly" was a satirical program targeting (mostly) U.S. policies during the final years of the Cold War. It was hosted by Vasily Strelnikov. He was sometimes accompanied, as in this recording, by Dmitri Linnik. This particular episode on nuclear proliferation was called "A Study in Red" -- a parody of Arthur Conan Doyles' "A Study in Scarlet." Amongst others, famous Radio Moscow personality Joe Adamov also took part in the episode. A brief station identification follows the program and then the transmitter abruptly switches off.
Note that Radio Moscow became the Voice of Russia in 1993, subsequent to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in late 1991.
The time given for the recording might be the midpoint of the program rather than the start of it as the transmitter left the air shortly after the end of the program, which typically happened on the hour or half hour.
Recorded by Richard Langley, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
BBC World Service interval signals 1980-1, four notes tuned to B B B E.
Recorded by Jerry Johnston, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I used the original recording 'Alfons and the Magic Christmas Tree' in my composition 'The War on Hugs. I wanted to create a piece of music that made me feel like a child at Christmas, but Christmasses gone by, before lockdowns and restrictions, when we could see our families at this festive time of year to celebrate. Last Christmas I could only see my parents very briefly, and we weren't allowed to hug. I wanted to create a fantasy Christmas, a real one, with my family, and Alfons."
Composition by Kid Kin.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I let the sonic qualities of the transmission dictate the music. I feel much of my music is like an imperfectly tuned radio set anyway. Amusing coincidence = I share my birthday with Pol Pot."
Composition by Neil Campbell.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
National Radio of Kampuchea @ 918 kHz (MW) heard at 23.00 UTC in West Malaysia. Strong reception up to 00.00 UTC; signal was faintly heard up to 05.00 UTC.
Date of recording: 4/19/2012
Starting time: 23.00 UTC
Frequency: 918 kHz
Recorded by Timm Breyel, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"In making this little mix, I thought about the spirit of the community organization that sent out the original story to its members.
The holiday story of the man finding amazement through rare and hard to find short wave stations is both sweet and eccentric, reflecting the hopes and dreams of a group of short-wave enthusiasts in West Virginia, USA. This reminded me of the eccentric spirit in the song-poem genre, so I used a snippet of the song "Rocking Disco Santa Claus" by the Sisterhood."
Composition by Anna Golden.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
""Phoenix ou Lam(in)e(s)" is a short piece composed of small portions taken from the radiophonic original (in particular the Russian songs) and completely re-transformed to be grafted into a new sound tissue produced with a modified analogue magnetophone and demagnetized tape. A sort of regeneration, then, like the mythical phoenix rising from its own ashes.
The title, which can be read both in French and Italian, alludes precisely to the process of cuts, transformations and grafts with which it was intended to proceed in the composition of the piece."
Composition by Trihn Lo.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"The original recording contains a BBC World Service news report from 1982 concerning the Falklands War. The broadcast is indistinct – distorted, muffled and blended with strange clicks and interference noises. Listening to it triggered some childhood memories (also distorted, muffled and blended) which inspired my piece.
I tried to make something both playful and sinister, referring to the way real-world horrors trickle into childhood games and fantasies. My track is based on two ideas:
(1) The fictional soundtrack for the sort of videogame I would fantasise about when learning about wars.
(2) Mysterious voices and sounds which I attributed to spies, ghosts or extra-terrestrials when I first messed around with a radio.
As well as the obviously sampled/processed parts of the recording in my track, I used it to make several of the “synth” sounds by looping short sections in a sampler. I also fabricated a “strange voice over the radio” recording of my own and used a recording of electrical interference picked up by a little AM radio for another of the “synth” sounds. The remainder of the track is made up of processed synth, guitar and drums." Composition by DJ James Naughty. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
This is a recording of a story featured on HCJB’s DX Party Line hosted by Clayton Howard. As far as I remember it was recorded in December 1974. It’s a short story from SPEEDX about the reception of Tristan Da Cunha and St Helena.
SPEEDX ran from 1971 until a declining membership forced its closure in 1995.
Recorded by Paul Rawdon, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
A studio recording of Radio Moscow featuring Joe Adamov’s New Year’s Eve show.
Recorded by Tom Gavaras, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
From April 30, 1982 I submit this recording of London Calling the Falkland Islands. I failed to record the time and frequency of this recording but it likely came from Ascension Island. This recording was made during the height of the Falklands War and many mentions to the conflict can be heard in the broadcast.
Recorded by Tom Laskowski, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"The original recording was just over an hour of a Channel Africa news broadcast from (I think) Oct 3, 2014 being broadcast from Johannesburg, South Africa. Channel Africa is a broadcaster that uses multiple media (radio, internet radio, shortwave) to reach as wide an audience throughout the continent of Africa as possible. However, despite their current noble efforts, Channel Africa is the former broadcast network of the South African Apartheid regime. This legacy (and the fact that the broadcast is in English among several colonial as well as native languages) speak to the colonial ghosts and hauntings of the title. The hauntings were also present in the stories covered including those of independence, war, plague, and climate change. The goal with the piece was to highlight this haunted and haunting quality of the news broadcast through a work of noise/ambient music.
I ran a copy the whole sample through several effects including a significant speeding up. I also isolated several interesting sections and several random sections of different length that I then effected, scrambled, and layered. Some samples were used as drum sounds others as drones, and others as vague melodies. This was combined with a generative synthesizer melody created with MiiRack, also heavily processed. This was a multistep process that went through several iterations before reaching its final version." Composition by Celestial Noise Disco (aka Aaron Zwintscher). Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"All sounds were created using samples of the original recording, except the drum track.
The Radio Casablanca recording had lots of 1920s/30s big band swing recordings which made the basis of most of the sounds used, and then I resampled/edited these till I found parts I liked. Then it all came together. I kept parts of the original recording and used a noise gate to give it the jittery, rhythmic effect. It was lots of fun making it and I enjoyed hunting for sounds in the original recording."
Composition by Owen Sennitt.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"In this soundwork I used a recording of a radio service shortwaves transmission test as the original basis. I was intrigued by creating a sonic world from this source material of effectively white noises and high frequencies' testings. I wanted to create an inner, musical life for the shortwaves, in which the high frequencies evolve and reveal their music. I used both the original elements and also manipulated the high frequencies to create melodic and harmonic threads. I also used sampled original music. The original resampled music is a composition of mine - Cloud Chasing and features: Phil Bywater - saxophone, Elliot Folvig - electric guitar, Elissa Goodrich - vibraphone. I imagined the soundwork to reveal a window into the inner world of the shortwave radio transmission."
Composition by Elissa Goodrich.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"While creating the track I used sounds from AE Modular and source samples uploaded into a Volca Sample. It was played live and recorded. The story in the source recording depicts race relations in USA as in some fairytale. America looks like the land of tolerance for all minorities and immigrants from all around the world which is just a cheesy propaganda in my opinion. So I've recreated the message to look more real and appropriate. For R.H.K means for Richard H. Kirk from Cabaret Voltaire who died just recently, and my piece is heavily inspired by CV sound and aesthetic."
Composition by Artur Kinal (Synthotherapy).
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
""Kailash Dmyal-ba Ngari" is the echo of Tibet radio station, voice of yi-dvags from the deep underground network of Mount Kailash in Tibet.
Ngari was the heart of the ancient kingdom of Guge, the once flourishing ancient kingdom virtually disappeared, leaving theorists to suspect they fled underground to Mount Kailash - one of the most mysterious places on earth: shaped like a pyramid, it has been stated that Mount Kailash is the axis of the world - axis mundi, and according to ancient beliefs, it is the place where we can find the mysterious city of the gods.
Although Kailash is not one of the highest of Himalayan range, no human being has ever been able to climb it. Rough weather, altitude sickness, diverging in the wrong direction, misleading trails are some of the hindrances that deterred even the toughest of climbers. Another fact of Mount Kailash is time travelling which suggests that the air in the mountain renders to the rapid aging process. This transtemporal travel claim is backed by a story of climbers from Siberia: after trespassing the forbidden line, the group of climbers experienced aging by a few decades and all died within a year." Composition by Simon Šerc. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Channel Africa is the international service of SABC of South Africa and the successor to the apartheid era Radio RSA.
It currently broadcasts on shortwave in 7 languages from the Meyerton transmitter site located around 40 miles south of Johannesburg.
Recorded by Stephen Cooper, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"On Sunday, December 17th, around 22:00 UTC, I happened to pick up the last thirty minutes of Radio Casablanca; a pirate that plays a nostalgic mix of music from the 1930's and 1940's. They were broadcasting on 6939 kHz in AM. Close your eyes, and you can imagine what it must have sounded like back in the day Phyllis Jeanne Creore Westerman graced the shortwaves.
You'll hear me tweaking the receiver in the first three minutes while, in the background, I was entertaining my children. I though about cutting it out but, on second thought, simply uploaded it as-is. I switched from a very wide AM bandwidth to AM sync and then AM sync with only the lower sideband (to kill some noise in the upper side band) after adjusting the center slightly below 6940 kHz.
I love how the recording starts on a tone and then morphs into Close as Pages in a Book by Benny Goodman and his Orchestra."
Recorded by Thomas Witherspoon, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
A test transmission from Shortwave Service (www.ShortwaveService.com) consisting of voice, music and continuous tones. The radio DSP Noise Reduction circuit is turned on and off during the recording to reveal the raw signal and to get clarity on some of the announcements.
Recorded by Mark Hirst, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
The Voice of America's Learning English service (formerly VOA Special English).
This VOA broadcast was recorded on January 4, 2014 starting a little before 01:30 UTC on 7,465 kHz. It begins with a few seconds of VOA’s interval signal.
Recorded by Thomas Witherspoon, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Recording of the Tibet People's Broadcasting Station from Lhasa, Tibet. This is a short recording of the station ID with time pips at the top of the hour (12:00 UTC) and identification including English.
Recorded in Pennsylvania in the eastern United States on January 20, 2004 using a Drake R8 with a longwire external antenna."
Recorded by Brett Saylor, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"This piece blends snippets of the original recording with minimalist notes and rhythmical accents which were written and produced as playing an homage to the Mr. Rentaro Taki, the composer of "Kojo no Tsuki" a folk-inspired piece that has long served as interval signal for NHK World Radio, the Japanese public broadcasters shortwave services, and shown here. Mr. Taki died long before the introduction of the radio as a broadcasting medium, but his melody has been part of the aural image of Japan for us beyond the archipelago. Designing this piece was done following a complex song form, ABCBA, being the pink noise (a very natural sound for shortwave radio broadcasts) that connecting thread between beginning and end. Worth to mention too that I've tried to keep the fluctuation of the dynamic sound range of the original broadcast taped as much as possible, to retrieve the sense of being in front of the SW radio, finding and following that broadcasting relayed from who-knows-were in the middle of the night (which brings me child nights along with my grandpa doing exactly that on his old- huge Hammarlund HQ One Eighty back in Venezuela, long ago)." Composition by Miguel Angel Santaella. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I isolated several frequency bands that stood out in the original file. The piece is an attempt to capture the swirling trajectories of the shortwave broadcasts flying across your head."
Composition by Joe Pino.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Keeping the vocal parts of the original recording, I removed some background noise using an audio editor program. The tune was made using some drum samples, synths and plugins. A fan, send me a message about this project. I thought it was a great idea."
Composition by Xan Eden (The Fade Beta).
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Radio art & sound edit: Tara Downs
Writer & stand up poet: Jonny Fluffypunk
Jonny Fluffypunk: "One of the joys of Short-wave listening that has captivated me all these years is the pure randomness and unpredictability of the experience...'
I was inspired by the explanation that accompanied the original recording; the listener surprised and thrilled by the sudden interruption of unfamiliar station idents and snippets of broadcast… so how about another, even shorter-lived station, ‘interrupting the interrupter’? What comes through on the original recording (some sort of banal anti-smoking advice) is rendered strange and exotic by virtue of it swirling, unexpected, out of the ether, from somewhere unknown on the far side of the world; our shrinking planet suddenly seems vast and mysterious again. So imagine you’re listening from a Polynesian island, in the dead of night, and how- distorted by distance, layered under interference and leaping out of nowhere- the voice of an aggrieved Englishman, exiled to a friend’s shed after a row over a tinned pie, might somehow sound similarly magical. So often when surfing across the wilder weirdnesses of the radio dial the imagination is forced to come up with some sort of flimsy raft of narrative, lashed together from incomplete, ambiguous and incoherent snippets, if for no other reason than so one can get to sleep."
Technical Production & Sound Editing: "A ritual attempt to invoke the gods of otherness and unleash the ghosts in the machine. Text and station ident recorded using 1986 Casio SL-1 keyboard and broken SM58 microphone, fed through Boss loop pedal and recorded on worn-out cassette on Tascam 244 portastudio. Result then played out via MW test transmitter and finally digitally captured for this project crackling from a cranky 1940's Phillips bakelite radio. Then sent to Tara in the Netherlands for further burial into the static... "
Tara: "Jonny and I are similarly entranced by the magic of radio and divinations on shortwaves. This curiosity brought us together as colleagues and provides a constant, erratic wave that runs through Radio Droogdok & our Radiophonic Hut project.
This was a lot of fun, mixing Jonny’s story into the original piece (picked up by DXer Colin Newell), peppering with field recordings from my own collection (made when resuscitating old radios) , playing with rhythm, distance and proximity to evoke both the feelings of isolation of a lone broadcaster calling out through the ether, and the impulse to connect with the ‘other’ out there. I love both the contrasts between the transmissions and, strangely, the parallels. The seeking of solace in an invisible scattered congregation, and something of a therapeutic, self-help, ‘agony aunt’ quality. And there’s an irony to our piece: we really do both sit in our respective home-made sheds, playing with collections of beautiful old kit, swearing, experimenting and figuring out how to make it work, and how to reach out there into the impossible vastness of reverberating static..." Composition by Radio Droogdok - Tara Downs in collaboration with Jonny Fluffypunk. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"As a natural life cycle occurrence, death invites either solidarity or diplomacy. The death of Japan’s Emperor Hirohito in the first January weekend of 1989 brought an end to the so-called ‘62 year-long “Shōwa” (昭和) period of war and peace’. With imperial Japan’s atrocities during World War II long laid to rest, the whole world—including nations formerly made victims of invasion and colonization—has sent its deepest sympathies. This also ushered in the birth of the “Heisei” (平成) era under the succeeding emperor Akihito. Radio NHK’s English shortwave radio broadcast reported a global response to this significant and sad event, heard at 07:50 GMT in January 7th of 1989 at 15270kHz.
“Weekend Rain” reimagines the sounds of rain, contained within recurring cyclical structures that expand in duration over time. Recordings of musical instruments—namely the piano and Japanese koto—and found objects diffuse a canvas of raining sounds as the Radio NHK broadcast interweaves with excerpts of haiku poetry I wrote in 2020 that bore the same title. While context bears no relation to the historical event during its writing, the poetry creates a unique narrative as it now forcibly responds to the broadcast: ‘Someone drops a grain of salt; Massive ocean waves jolt crowds awake! Wide-eyed stray cats rejoice.’ A Spanish numbers station broadcast I randomly recorded (07:55 UTC, October 4th of 2021 at 9065kHz) joins this poetic garb of symbolism, alluding to encryption and secrecy of intelligence communications underneath public access of information with press and media broadcasts.
This work catches a small glimpse of worlds inhabiting shortwave radio, while reflecting on the impact of Japan’s past and continuing involvement in global affairs." Composition by Juro Kim Feliz. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
This Radio Japan (Japanese language) broadcast was recorded on January 7, 2014 starting a little before 02:00 UTC on 5,960 kHz. The broadcast begins with a few seconds of Radio Japan's interval signal.
Recorded by Thomas Witherspoon, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"On the top-10 list of DX targets in the 1970s was Spanish Sahara, the broadcast service transmitting from Aaiun in what was then Spanish-ruled Sahara in West Africa. Verification cards and letters were sent to lucky listeners around the world who were able to hear the transmissions which were a mixture of local programs and material from the Spanish national radio. Frequencies on shortwave: 7,230 khz listed as 10 KW and 4,626 khz which was a SSB frequency listed a 5 kilowatts, described as a service for Aaiun and Villa Cisneros, now called Dakhla, about 330 miles south along the coast from Aaiun.
My reception of Radio Sahara was on a Hammarlund HQ-180 receiver, which due to its superb filtering and vernier tuning capability I used to hear numerous African stations. According to the QSL letter received from Radio Sahara, and signed by Amparo Martin, their programming was from “0645 to 01 horas” making this one of the few African stations with a very late (or early in the morning) sign on for listeners in the eastern U.S. (the other being Radio Gambia).
In this recording you hear music to about the 1 minute 10 mark, then station identification by a male announcer “Musica para ellos. Radio Sahara de la red de emisoras [network of stations] de Radio Nacional de Espana” and since Spain was still under the rule of dictator Francisco Franco at the time, this was heard after an military march: “Viva Franco, Viva el Sahara, Viva Espana” followed by what I believe was the Spanish national anthem.
Another frequency for Radio Sahara was 11,805 khz. In 1975, the station sent out a more traditional QSL card (see below). The history that followed saw Spain withdrawing troops from the region on January 12, 1976, and ending its presence in the territory February 26, 1976. Morocco immediately claimed sovereignty over the territory and for years a guerilla war dragged on (1975 to 1991) between the Polisario Front and Moroccan forces. This Wikipedia entry explains the complexities of the situation in what is today called a “partially recognized de facto sovereign state.”"
Recorded by Dan Robinson, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"This recording captures the last 5 minutes of WWV’s old format (giving the time every 5 minutes) and the first 5 minutes of the new format (giving the time every 1 minute), which took place on July 1, 1971 UTC.
Apologies for the less-than-stellar audio quality, but I recorded this as a 15-year-old fledgling SWL with limited knowledge of audio recording techniques. So I simply placed the microphone from my cassette tape recorder next to the speaker on the receiver and hit the record button. The signal quality wasn’t the greatest, either — lots of QSB and QRM — but I still managed to get what I was going for.
The resulting recording has accompanied me everywhere since then, preserved only on its original cassette, until 2008, when I finally decided it was time to learn how to transfer it onto my hard drive, burn it onto a CD and stop having to rely on the integrity of 37-year-old audio tape."
Recorded by Brian Smith, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"On September 11th, 1975 while tuning around for Papua New Guinea stations on my DX150B, I discovered a loud signal on 2654 Khz - playing bouncy big band and instrumental music. Much to my amazement, many station IDs would soon pop out of the noise. This would turn out to be one of the shortest lived shortwave broadcasters ever!
I believe I phoned a few DXers out west to report this station but this is one of the only known recordings of this 2 X harmonic of a Philippines religious station (that had only been on the air 2 or 3 years. The 2nd harmonic on the "120 meter band" would live for another couple of days and be gone forever. One of the joys of shortwave listening that has captivated me all these years is the pure randomness and unpredictability of the experience."
Recorded by Colin Newell, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Radio Japan - January 7, 1989 - 07.50GMT- 15270khz
Recorded by Ian Holder, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Headflood is made from a transmission in 1972 by Radio Nederlandes (RNL) as it celebrates its 25th anniversary. In it we hear Maya, a Dutch citizen in her 50s, describing the disabling chronic headaches she lives with, interspersed with sounds from RNL's anniversary broadcast from Hilversum. I spoke to Maya as the COP26 talks on climate change were taking place, and background themes of climate apocalypse led her to recall the impact of watching the movie Apocalypse Now. The war featured in the film is the subject of RNL news reports featured here.
Maya also recalls memories of her dad's experience of the storm floods which struck Holland in 1953. Her words are interspersed with reportage from the closure of the first dike at which Maya's dad was present. The blaring of tugs and their horns as the dike closes suggested to me something of the chronic head pain which attacks Maya, blotting out awareness of almost all else. We close with Maya reflecting on the strangeness of the climate now, as she recalls the floods which hit the Netherlands and Belgium again, in the summer of 2021."
Composition by Bev Boyd.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"A sound exploration of the geographical territory of Slovakia through its different dialects in search of the origin of the expression Veselé Vianoce."
Composition by Carolina Blume.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"The original recording is about one hour long, so we decided to do a work of sampling by cutting pieces of various lengths, organising them and then modifying, stretching, glitching, and distorting them in different ways. Every single sound of which the composition is made is cut from the original recording, no other sample has been used. The original recording, being an anniversary of the 100 years of Germany's radio transmissions, lead us to think about the essence of radio and thus direct our composition in that way: we created a suite that is continuously changing, glitching, and buzzing, as if we were jumping from a radio station to another. The idea was also to get the samples from an ordered recording of old pieces, cut and reorganise them in a chaotic and glitchy way, and then recompose the new samples in a harmonic and organic manner but recomposed using the modern styles of electronic music."
Composition by Silent Chaos.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"My original recording was lots of disco music. I thought about nights of dancing and sounds moving through space. I chose short parts of sounds and music and combined them to create a sonic collage. My sound art piece “Another Nightlife” was created using original sounds, found sounds, and field recordings that I edited, mixed and manipulated with a variety of techniques."
Composition by Dixie Treichel.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"This chaotic re-edit of a recording of All India Radio, is the second in a series of short projects exploring how we attune ourselves to languages we don’t speak, or are trying to learn. As a listener, the original shortwave broadcast arrives at my ear as a panic-inducing tide - mediated by my own language and music, my fetishisations of India and of radio, my ignorance of linguistics, and my years in audio editing with its dull ontology of blobby waveforms and its rigid workflow. As a way of hearing All India Radio, and as a mourning process for everything I cannot hear, I was driven to create a process-based composition that would force all these competing mediations to conflict with each other, and that would force me to say to myself, “is THIS what you want?”. As such, I found listening back to it to be both cathartic and grounding, and a serviceable way of readying myself for whatever I might hear in the day ahead."
Composition by Hector MacInnes.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"This is a very enjoyable review of the first 25 years of Radio Nederland, hosted by Jerry Cowan. It is the complete broadcast with the news, which at the time was feed via HF from Hilversum to Bonaire. The panel of guests include Bruce Parsons, Neville Gray, as well as the head of the English Department of Radio Nederland, Van Dulken.
It was recorded off air in Queens, NY on 11,730 kHz between 0200-0320 GMT (April 16 GMT). It came from the relay site in Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles where RNW had a powerful relay transmitter site. There is some interference but not enough to diminish your enjoyment."
Recorded by Dan Srebnick, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
The 2020 Christmas Broadcasts of Radio Slovakia International recorded in Hugo, MN on 5850 kHz via WRMI at 0030UTC on December 25 2020.
Christmas Broadcast Program Information: Advent eco calendar, visit to an animal shelter, vegan Christmas foods, and some music. The signal got kind of rough towards the end.
Recorded by Matt Todd, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
This is a recording of the Welle370 special program to celebrate 100 years of radio broadcasting in Germany. In 1920, test transmissions began from the "Funkerberg" in Königs Wusterhausen, resulting in a Christmas broadcast on December 22. To celebrate the 100 year anniversary of this broadcast, Königs Wusterhausen based Welle370 aired this show on their own low-power 810 kHz mediumwave tx as well as on a local FM station. For international listeners the program was broadcasted via the Moosbrunn shortwave facilities in Austria.
Date of recording: 12/22/2020
Starting time: 1259
Frequency: 5.960
RX location: Wittstock, Brandenburg, Germany
Recorded by Steffen Schulz, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Almost every morning at 5:45AM (Sydney time) I have my first cup of coffee and eat breakfast and listen to the All India Radio Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) Hindi language evening broadcast to Europe. At this time of year in Australia (April) the broadcast starts in darkness and ends as the sun is rising. The broadcast originates from the Khampur (Delhi) transmission facility.
I have a deep love for India and have spent a large part of my life working and living there, so I take every opportunity to listen to All India Radio in both DRM and analogue mode.
Digital DRM provides the opportunity for fade and noise free reception. But as you can hear on this recording, AIR introduces plenty of unintended noise into their programs even before the broadcast reaches the transmitting antenna. The 50Hz hum is a feature I notice in all AIR DRM broadcasts. On some occasions (perhaps every few months) they "forget" to patch the audio path correctly to the transmitter and all that is heard is the hum without any programming for the hour!"
Recorded by Mark Fahey, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Perhaps one of the things I love the most about shortwave is the sheer variety of broadcasters out there. We can sample diverse offerings across a broad spectrum--from the BBC World Service to Radio Romania International, from pirate stations to numbers stations. There's even The Disco Palace: a station that plays only disco music, and each show is mixed thematically. This station broadcasts online and over shortwave radio via DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale).
Last week--specifically, on March 15, 2013--I caught about thirty minutes of The Disco Palace broadcast and was able to record it from my Bonito RadioJet IF Receiver. Reception on 17,875 MHz was excellent, although the DRM signal wasn't quite strong enough for comfortable stereo decoding."
Recorded by Thomas Witherspoon, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I used only the original recording source and did not add anything to it. I felt challenged to create a piece from this limited material, using various effects to create all the sounds. But mostly I chopped up the recording and pulled out a few bits that I found particularly interesting.
This is a (rather repetitive) weather broadcast and it seems the weather was fair that day, except for some moderate rain showers and thunderstorms. As there were only very few of those, they caught my ear above the rest. The other constant in the recording were the repetitive numbers, reminding me of old spy number stations, so I decided to use the numbers as my base and provide some of the rhythm of the piece.
The piece is broadly structured in three sections to explore different aspects of the recording while always returning to a central theme - weather, repetiton and numbers."
Composition by Florian Staab.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"This piece is inspired by Tavares Strachan's piece "Bright Golden Haze" that I saw a few years ago at the Venice Biennale, and never left me. It's about Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. - the first Afroamerican astronaut, hardly even mentioned in all the glorious celebrations of space. Also the starting words of my piece are by Tavares Strachan, who has devoted his work to the unknown history of Afroamericans. I have been haunted by Strachan's piece since I saw it in Venice in 2018, I felt immediately that I wanted to tell a story about it. Here I utilise the news about the Challenger disaster as a backdrop to tell the story of Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. The piece is voiced by my son, Romeo M. Minutolo."
Composition by Cristina Marras.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I wanted to create a hauntological piece, since the radio record portrays a disturbing and sad moment in the history of the country. A dystopian perception at the time, through an experimental ambient structure, some piano and minimalism, the sounds that I usually create under my alter ego Lucius Works Here."
Composition by Lucius Works Here.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"The recording made me think of days in a squat in Amsterdam in the 90s listening to pirate radio, making our own recordings and music from samples of these recordings. often playing with antonyms and industrial sounds. This is a reflection of those days, using a much older source recording mixed with some of the recording I made on a simple Tascam in 1996."
Composition by Euan 'Maco' McAleece.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
""As I sit in my own home..." reworks a recording of King George V's Christmas message from December 1934. It takes its inspiration from the aspects of the king's voice - everything from diction and use of voice to actual recording techniques - and in the surface noise and crackle of the recording medium itself (the recording sounds like a 78, but is most likely an acetate used for broadcast). Thus the methodology pursued was premised on the granular decomposition of the voice, and the use of surface noise as a rhythmic element.
Nevertheless, the key part of the speech was the sentence "As I sit in my own home, I am thinking of the plenty multitudes all listening to my voice". It is representative of a moment in history when recorded sound, and sound transmission, was indeed so new that the monarch feels it relevant to point this out in his address to the nation. It is also reminiscent of Alvin Lucier's contemporary music classic "I Am Sitting in a Room". The sentence recurs throughout the piece, and also provides it its title."
Composition by Acoustic Mirror.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Shannon Volmet - SIGMET. A Shanwick Radio broadcast from the North Atlantic Communications Centre, providing meteorological information for aircraft in flight within the Shanwick area of international airspace (northeast part of the Atlantic).
Date of recording: 8/5/2021
Starting time: 0935UTC
Frequency: 5.501MHz
Reception location: Dublin, Ireland
Teceiver and antenna: Tecsun PL-660
Recorded by Stewart Killeen, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Thirty years ago today the US Space program came crashing down with the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger.
I was a student at Purdue University at the time, living in a dormitory.
I decided to make some recordings knowing this would be a historic event.
This is a recording I made of the BBC on the evening of Jan 28 (0200 UTC on January 29). The frequency was most likely 5975 kHz or 9590 kHz. The dorm environment didn't make a great place for SWL reception and the recording is noisy but still of decent quality.
Recorded by Tom Laskowski, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Radio Nederland's "What's New" was a Saturday night program that featured hits from the weekly Dutch Top 30. The show was co-hosted by American Bruce Parsons and Australian Graham GIll. Based on the charts from that week, this show aired on 6 November 1976. Shows like "What's New" introduced me to pop/rock artists that didn't receive airplay in the USA. It also introduced me to other shows on Radio Nederland later on, such as "His And Hers," "Happy Station," and especially "Media Network."
Recorded by Paul Harner, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
After the declaration of martial law in Poland on December 13, 1981 Radio Polonia ceased broadcasting. Broadcasts in English instead continued from a military base near Warsaw Airport. The staff of Radio Polonia returned to the air soon afterwards and here are three broadcasts from that period in Poland's history. Of some of the presenters that you will hear, Konrad Gocman is in retirement and works as a translator. However Benny Ludkiewicz (aka "Bengt Scotland") unfortunately passed away a couple of years ago.
Recorded by Jim Jordan, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
King George V addresses the British Empire during Christmas 1934.
Recorded by Fred Waterer, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"There was limited melodic material available in this recording and what I could get kind implied a more sample based approach, instead of trying to create "instruments" from the recording, and that led to a more hip-hop/beat driven sound than I usually go for. Past that I was interested to explore what messages I could find by rearranging the words spoken in the recording."
Composition by Matt Chapman Jones.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"There’s something inherently intimate, even clandestine about radio – sound sent into the ether in the hope of reaching an ear. We feel much more personally and directly connected with someone speaking to us via radio than, say, television. There’s an added poignancy in the recording of the final hours of broadcast of Radio St Helena that forms the basis of this track, a sense of the condemned awaiting its final extinction and contemplating its fate. I imagined these radio waves echoing around the world beyond their production, slowly dissipating and fading into nothingness. A drone texture, created by stretching the bell signal heard at the start, forms the backdrop to an abstracted monologue created from samples of speech taken from the broadcast and re-edited together, that begins in clarity and close presence and slowly transforms to a distant echo of itself."
Composition by Peter Nagle.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I've been fascinated by shortwave radio since a young age - way before the internet - the appeal of being able to hear transmissions from any where in the world was always intriguing. Sadly it's been in decline for a number of years now, you often don't hear many stations these days.
That was the inspiration for this piece, preserving some of the original recording overlaid with signal loss and degradation. I've used the recording as the only sound source, it has been processed with a grain sampler in Hollyhock 5 and I've also used Cataract, Polygon (Glitchmachines) and Shaperbox 2 (Cableguys) and various delays and reverbs to create glitchy, cut-up type effects."
Composition by Andy Lyon.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
""Telling It Like/Your Check Shirt" was created using samples extracted from a 30-minute 2013 shortwave broadcast of Radio Australia Jazz Notes. Sound/conceptual artist Alyce Santoro and composer Reed Maxson collaborated long-distance to create the finished piece, with draft sound files sent back and forth between Texas and California over the course of several days.
The following works are woven into the piece — all credit is due to the artists:
The Catholics, Yonder, "I Cover the Waterfront": https://thecatholics.bandcamp.com/track/i-cover-the-waterfront
Jess Green, Tinkly Tinkly, “Your Check Shirt”: https://jessgreensbrightsparks.bandcamp.com/track/your-check-shirt
Stoneflower, Stoneflower, “Impossible Beauty": https://stoneflower.bandcamp.com/track/impossible-beauty
The Catholics, Yonder, "Mr. Crocodile": https://thecatholics.bandcamp.com/track/mr-crocodile"
Composition by Alyce Santoro & Reed Maxson. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I was travelling on a train between Köln and Berlin; a group of football fans had lined up empty beer bottles in the aisle so when someone would come by, as they made a big step over the bottles, they would cheer on. It made me think how the game spills out in all of our other living spaces, like the train, and how in the head of the fans the match returns romanticised by memory and high spirits."
Composition by Clelia Ciardulli.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Radio Canada International's final shortwave radio broadcast. This recording was made on June 24, 2012 beginning at 1550 UTC on 11,675 kHz.
Listeners will note that the broadcast ends abruptly during the mailbag program -obviously the transmitters were turned off prematurely.
Recorded by Rajdeep Das, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
December 25, 2012: Closedown begins with the last few seconds of Love is Everywhere by Caught in the Act (1995).
Recorded by Sarah Boucher, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Recorded by John Bruno, Richard Astbury was the last announcer to speak from Floriana, followed by the Evening Hymn and Last Post, an instrumental version of L-Innu Malti and a church choir sings God Save The Queen, accompanied by a Church Organ and a Military Band. The final program was the Eurovision Song Contest 1979, won by the host nation Israel. The studios of BFBS Malta are still around as of 2018 as for the Malta Environment and Planning Authority. This occurred on the final Saturday of March in the seventies because of the withdrawal of British troops ordered by President Anton Buttigieg.
Recorded by Sarah Boucher, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
The second half of the 2014 World Cup Final. This recording was made on Sunday, July 13, 2014 starting around 20:00 UTC on 11,810 kHz. The broadcast originates from the BBC relay on Ascension Island.
Recorded by Thomas Witherspoon, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
For your listening pleasure: thirty minutes of Radio Australia’s Jazz Notes.
This broadcast was recorded today at 13:30 UTC on 9,580 kHz. As on most mornings, the signal out of Shepparton, Australia, was very strong; the audio fidelity was, in consequence, very impressive for a transmission emanating from some 9,800 miles away.
Recorded by Thomas Witherspoon, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"There was a lovely intro on the piece I selected, a repeating radio station indent that sounded great. I looped part of this and added a number of synths playing alongside it, some with slight effects, it was a nice sound and I found looping it for a few minutes was pleasent. I added some other little bits of the radio transmission, voice snippets and a sad sounding violin track that was on the piece I selected. That seemed to round the piece off nicely and felt that was enough. I did another version with building beats but decided to scrap this and stick with this simpler version."
Composition by Audio Obscura.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"The original recording is a broadcast from a Christian radio station based in Papua New Guinea. The snippets I chose to sample includes the radio announcer's speech, a few bars of gospel music and a variety of celebratory whoops. It got me thinking about radio as a force connecting isolated people with their communities or cultures, something which many of us were grateful for during the recent lockdowns. While in the original recording reflects the mood of an evangelical church meeting, it could equally stand for the atmosphere of a rave, a football match or a rock concert."
Composition by Kveis.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"This piece was built around a recording capturing the voice of a Preacher out of Guatemala. I was fascinated by the dial spinning and cruft that surrounded the voice- music, noise, other voices slipping in. I'm fascinated by layered voices- so I dug into my archives and found a number of other sermons that I've used in projects in the past, and layered and spatialized them into and around the recording to complicate the listening experience. I also layered in an improvisation I had recorded on my modular synth rig that included bursts of static filtered through a number of effects, allowing the much cleaner recording to blend with the fascinating grain of the shortwave recording."
Composition by Jeffrey Nils Gardner.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"In a field in Ottawa, Canada, a 1940s facility distributes the signals of time, maintained by the National Research Council and occasional human contact. The 2015 bilingual broadcast sample featured throughout Ottawa Shortwave (provided by SRAA contributor, Richard Langley) is used almost as-is, as it fights against a timestretched version of itself and tries to make every second count, despite the irregularities of the Earth’s rotation.
Read more at https://www.radioworld.com/global/chu-canadas-time-station."
Composition by Roberta Fidora.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I wanted to keep the very organic feel of the original recording. Using only this single sound through numerous processings, I performed the fragments produced live, as on a theatre stage."
Composition by Stormy.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
This broadcast was recorded in Europe on October 17, 2014 at 0545 UTC, shortwave frequency of 7320 kHz.
Recorded by Frank, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Inaugural shortwave broadcast and celebration of Wantok Radio Light, Papua New Guinea on June 11, 2005. Frequency was 7120 kHz. Receiver: AOR AR7030+. Antenna: Wellbrook Communications ALA100 Phased Delta Loop Antenna. Recorded by Guy Atkins at Grayland, Washington USA.
00:00 Introduction by speaker or host named "Witness"
01:31 Song "Naso Joda" by the band P2-UIF ("P2-United in Faith"; the Gospel band's name honors those killed in the missionary aviation plane P2-UIF that crashed in Papua New Guinea ). A YouTube video of the song being performed live in August 2012 is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQvkKWROal0
03:00 Praise for the signal of Wantok Radio Light to go out through all the world
03:50 Testimony of James
09:18 Solo music on harmonica: "Jesus Saves" performed by James
12:06 Phone conversation with "Brother Paul": salutations to Wantok Radio Light; praise for the new shortwave transmitter
15:52 More talk by Witness
17:50 Live music
23:40 Praise & talk with announcer Witness
24:52 Live Music
28:52 Talk & praise by Witness
29:43 "You're listening to Radio Light, Wantok Radio Light, live right here, the one and only; live right here Amen, at the top of Minion House, right at the top. That's right! We're right at the top."
Recorded by Guy Atkins, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Broadcaster: TGNA - Guatemala
Frequency: 3,300 kHz
Receiver Location: Kingsport, Tennessee
Recorded by Timothy Land, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Live recording of time signal station CHU, Canada, on 30 June 2015 beginning at exactly 23:55:00 UTC on a frequency of 7850 kHz. The recording last exactly 10 minutes and 1 second, ending at 0:10:00 UTC. A leap second occurs at 23:59:60 UTC. This can be noted by the 1 second of silence between the 5m:00s mark in the recording (23:59:60 UTC) and the 5m:01s mark (0:00:00 UTC) denoted by the start of the one-second-long tone. This is followed by 9 seconds of silence. Before the leap second, the forecast difference between UT1 and UTC (DUT1 = UT1 minus UTC) to a precision of one tenth of a second was -0.7 seconds. This is indicated by CHU by using a sequence of double tones at 9 seconds through 15 seconds after the start of each minute except for the minute beginning an hour. Following the leap second, DUT1 is +0.3 seconds, marked by double tones at 2 seconds through 4 seconds after the start of the minute, again, except for the minute beginning an hour.
Recorded by Richard Langley, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
The recording, in Spanish, is a typical Radio Reloj broadcast with two announcers alternately reading news bulletins accompanied by time signals. The announcers identify the station and verbally give the local time each minute. In addition to the verbal station identification, each minute either the letters RR in morse code (using 1800 Hz tones) are transmitted or five-note chimes (D4, G4, B4, D5, B4) are played. The chimes sound like those of a dinner chime or even some door bells and are reminiscent of the U.S. National Broadcasting Company (NBC) chimes. On a couple of occasions in this recording, during a particular minute, neither the morse code nor the chimes are used and sometimes, during a particular minute, both are used. In this recording, we can also hear at some minutes pairs of tones being played going up and down the scale as news headlines are read. On other occasions, three- and four-note chimes in various sequences have been heard (perhaps at the announcers' whim).
Different tones identify each second, minute, and five-minute epochs. Based on measurements, each second is marked with a "seconds tick" consisting 10 cycles of a 1000 Hz tone (0.01 seconds duration). Minutes, except for multiples of 5 minutes, are marked by 172 cycles of a 1000 Hz tone (0.172 seconds duration). Every 5 minutes, the marker is extended to 672 cycles of a 1000 Hz tone (0.672 seconds duration). The minute and 5-minute markers are preceded by 5 cycles of a 1000 Hz tone, followed by 0.013 seconds of silence.
Recorded by Richard Langley, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Gulf Harbor Radio is a radio station that features weather conditions for ships offshore of New Zealand. The audio contains a lot of static along with hosts reading off weather reports. The static itself reminded me of the howling winds and roaring seas so I processed it to further accentuate that. Then I selected a section of the 30-minute recording that I preferred and used them as the backdrop to the piece. Then I took another clean version of the audio and cut out words and phrases to drop in between the music phrases after the musical part was completed. For the musical material, I composed a short melody that oscillates between major and minor and manipulated it many ways to create the themes. Lastly, I added the harmonic texture which mimics the sounds of wind and waves."
Composition by Janae Jean.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Two main considerations influenced my reimagining decisions. First, I wanted to respond to the grainy nature of the recording. I took a section of the radio air and looped it to create a melody. I felt that both the grain and the actual noise of radio fuzz acted as the heartbeat of the entire piece. Second, I responded to the relationship that exists between a speaker and listener, and how the transmission of an Emergency Action Message may influence someone sonically. This produced two results. The first result was a more dreamy, ambient sound that corresponds with the romanticized act of drifting, and where the EAM might appropriately take place. The second was a more tense, decelerated sound that may reflect an inner feeling of loneliness, or even panic if one’s message failed to be heard."
Composition by Lucy Newton.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Our primary audio genre is composition of ambient soundscapes using a combination of digital computer software, analogue field recordings and electronic experimentation to produce acoustic sounds, textures and undulating tones - rather than the more traditional use of musical notes, scales and rhythms - which allows for a richer freedom of expression, resulting in generative soundscapes that can develop with complexity as a track evolves.
This track - Taajuuksia ja ääniä meaning "frequencies and tones" – is based on and uses samples from the reel-to-reel tape recording taken by a young Dan Robinson during the 1970s in the USA, using a rare Hammarlund HQ-180A/X shortwave receiver (the X version uses fixed crystal units in place of the clock). Dan had tuned into the other side of the world to receive the long distance "DX" radio station the Voice of Saudi Arabia which was testing a new powerful shortwave radio transmitter system. Inspired by many such shortwave transmissions, Dan would over the course of the next few decades forge a distinguished career as a foreign and domestic correspondent and Senior White House reporter for the Voice of America, himself reaching out across the world through shortwave and other communications media during 30 plus years of service to the US International Broadcasting Bureau.
Shortwave radio has many similarities with the creation of ambient drone generative soundscapes, such as the use of discrete frequencies, harmonics and heterodynes when using multiple phased sounds and signals; for example, the interference and static from the original track, usually the noises which are unwanted when listening to a radio, are very useful to use within ambient soundscapes, and many were sampled and used, for example the atmospheric “static crashes” and the hum at the start of the recording which was used to create the base layer bass tone. The addition of the halfaouine recreates a typical shortwave broadcast station "interval signal" which we processed using a phase distortion tools to mimic shortwave ionospheric fading and signal degradation.
And exactly as the original recording stated "our present transmission is experimental" - ours is too; and we would like to take this opportunity to thank Dan Robinson for his original recording and to all at Cities and Memory project for this opportunity to reimagine this fragment of shortwave radio history.
Mastered by Francis Gri at KSND (krysalisound.com/mastering)" Composition by Arvik Torrenssen. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"The original radio piece was dominated by static so I sampled some very short parts of this to make percussive sounds to form the rhythm track. Over this I added samples of some of the singing and the main spoken part: "this is the Nigerian Armed Forces Radio" which I edited slightly to make it fit in with the rhythm. The track I created was completely different from the music and rhythms featured on the radio station, which I liked. I didn't want to do an impression of Nigerian music."
Composition by Pete Allen.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"When listening to the full 23 minutes of this recording, at first it seems very repetitive, a combination of tones, silence, station idents and test numbers. Where would it lead me?
As with many of my tracks there are elements of memory attached to them, often as starting points and the starting point for MachineStalk was the date - 1980. The uniformity of the recording, the repetition, somehow led me to think about technology in the eighties and especially the rise of the computer and home computing. Of course like many, it was the idea of computing that took off, not necessarily actually having one at home (something we all seem to take for granted now). There was a computer room at school which looked a bit like the ones in this article that I ended up reading - A brave new world: the 1980s home computer boom - HistoryExtra (https://www.historyextra.com/period/20th-century/a-brave-new-world-the-1980s-home-computer-boom/ ) but on further research it was the images of the huge banks of computers, server rooms with few or no people, reel to reel tape machines and data that became the basis of this track.
I took the whole of the sound recording and stripped it of silence, repeating this process several times, so that I ended up with hundreds of tiny soundfiles. I then took these tiny pieces of sound and rearranged, overlaid, overlapped and transposed them onto individual tracks. I only used the original soundfile #80 and used just basic processing which resulted in many machines chatting away, singing, music making, thinking...
In this age of personal computers, smartphones and the increasing development of AI, do machines talk to each other at night when there's no one there? Are they plotting? Stalking us? Too much science fiction reading and watching on my part maybe but in my piece the machines have a midnight slumber party, chatting away into the wee small hours." Composition by Odette Johnson aka Museleon. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
ZMH286 Gulf Harbour Radio reporting weather and sailing conditions and communicating with yachts sailing in the South Pacific. Broadcast at 1915 UTC Monday to Saturday, from May to November. Transmitted from Whangaparaoa, New Zealand, kw unknown. In association with Yachts in Transit, http://www.yit.nz/gulf-harbour-radio. There are some deep fades during the transmission.
Recorded by Lekiodx, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Emergency Action Message (EAM) transmissions are associated with the High Frequency Global Communications System (HFGCS). The HFGCS is a network of single sideband transmitters used by the United States Air Force to transmit encrypted messages to in-flight military aircraft, ground stations and in some cases, US Navy surface vessels. The purpose and format of the messages are subject to wide-ranging speculation, but are generally thought to be for directing nuclear-capable forces regarding the execution of specific attack options.
Recorded by John Lutz, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Saudi Arabia obtained new transmitters in the 1970's and was widely heard with test transmissions before going on the air with full programming. This transmission was heard on a number of frequencies. Saudi Arabia is today, in 2014, still on the air on shortwave, one of the last of the Middle East countries still using this method of transmission.
Recorded by Dan Robinson, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
At 06:00 UTC this morning, I recorded one hour of the Nigerian Armed Forces Radio test on 13,775 kHz. This broadcast was transmitted from a 250 kW transmitter in Issoudun, France.
Hypothetically, this may have been the last test transmission of the NAFR as WRMI's announcement stated the test period would last only one week, beginning June 30th.
Recorded by Thomas Witherspoon, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
NIST Radio Station WWVH as it sounded in the 1980s. To contrast with other recordings of the WWVH station ID, note that announcer Jane Barbe does not say (her now-famous) “Aloha!” at the end of this version.
This recording was found at WWVH in 2015 on an undated cassette labeled “JB on Old Audichron TCG” (which stands for Time Code Generator, the device which reconstructs and plays back Jane’s voice over the air). As such, the precise broadcast year is not known, but it is consistent with the voice and broadcast format of the 1980s, until the introduction of the short-lived digital voice in 1991.
Recorded by Myke Dodge Weiskopf, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"When I was picking a sound to use for my submission, something about the rhythm and sounds of the timekeeping station caught my attention, and I really wanted to run with it and see where it went. I'd recently downloaded a marching band sample library and this gave me an excuse to get to grips with it.
I ran one of the beeps through a sampler and used it to create the other melodic parts, so it all more or less came out of the recording (I later added a synth bass and a choir to add a bit of extra colour).
I decided to use a three minute chunk of the clip, and I had an image of this timekeeping station counting out three minutes, and thinking about all the things that can happen around the world in those three minutes, it's where I got the title of 'Potentialities' from.
An odd thing I found, I went into the project expecting the bpm to be 60, what with it being a timekeeping station, but it turned out to be slightly slower (58 bpm). I can only assume this means the people of Canada take things a little slower than the rest of the world, it sounds like a nice idea."
Composition by David Devereux.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"This track is a mixture of my field recordings, US coast guard transmissions, the atomic clock broadcast and a guitar track. It (very briefly) explores the development of transatlantic communication.
The field recordings that open the piece were recorded at the site of Marconi's first transatlantic telegraph signal - a windswept peat bog at Derrigimlagh in Connemara, Ireland. On the site of the former transmission station, a wind reed (or aeolian harp) has been installed. The constant wind plays across strings and openings in the structure, causing these haunting, yet musical sounds. This marks the beginning of the development of transatlantic radio communication when it was still incredibly difficult. The site must have been something to behold 100 years ago when the first signals were sent - the huge condenser house, the power house with its 6 boilers burning thousands of tons of dried peat dug from the bog surrounding it, and the massive aerial system consisting of 8 wooden masts, each 210 feet high and 1500 feet long. The aerials gave off sparks which could be heard like lightning cracks for miles around, indicative of the huge power and voltages involved (150KW at 15,000 volts).
The sounds of Derrigimlagh develop into the recording of the US Coast Guard transmitting navigation and marine safety messages over shortwave, from a period where the technology was at its peak and in general use. This recording, from The Shortwave Archive is strange and otherworldly and yet beautiful and completely mesmeric.
To further tell the story of the development of transatlantic communication, and to provide a musical element, I approached my friend Mike Gutterman in the US to record a guitar track (called 'ShortWave'). Our conversation happened by mobile phone and the track was sent over the internet, from his garage (the 'GutterManCave') in Kentucky, to our front room in County Clare, in seconds.
The contrast between Marconi's huge, inefficient and dangerous infrastructure and the ease with which we can communicate today could not be more stark. Shortwave played its part, but has come and gone in this development.
This was my first ever sound piece of any description, using some of my first field recordings. It certainly isn't polished, but was a fun and interesting challenge. Massive thanks to Mike for allowing me to use the track.
Mike's Bandcamp page: https://mikegutterman.bandcamp.com" Composition by Barnaby Nutt. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
”Nobody felt guilty for our country’s disappearance because it hadn’t survived long enough to appear on any official maps. It was more than a rumor but had not become a symbol.”
- Louis Chude-Sokei, Floating in a Most Peculiar Way
A longitudinal mix of radio trails from past and present, an echo and clash of historical ruptures and traumatic waves. Electronic string tones are modulated by a 2021 YouTube message from the clandestine revolutionary channel Radio Biafra Israel and Al Sizer’s Setpember 8, 1969 DX recording of Voice of Biafra shortwave in the final days of the civil war between Biafra and Nigeria."
Composition by Tom Miller.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I chose the Radio Sandino shortwave recording because it reminded me of the year I spent documenting a popular uprising in Oaxaca, Mexico, in 2006, when a people’s movement occupied several radio stations and used them to organize and mobilize people all over the state. We listened to the occupied radio stations day and night, and the sound would often blend with the sounds of rural and urban Oaxaca…rain, birds, farm animals. It’s such a strange and comforting experience to listen to something urgent and human while, at the same time, hearing the undisturbed sounds of a natural environment.
I also did a lot of reading about the clandestine radio stations of Central American resistance movements in the 80s (Radio Sandino, Radio Venceremos), and learned that they often broadcast from very remote locations, literally hiding in the jungle, and the communities that tuned in to their broadcasts were also often in remote, rural locations. The composition I’ve put together is what I imagine it might have sounded like that night that Somoza left Nicaragua, as people all over the country tuned in from their communities, celebrated, listened to the rain, and wondered what would come next.
Finally, the sounds I’ve included in this mix are all sounds of communication - a hummingbird warning everyone away from it’s territory, chickens wondering if the human has brought food, frogs singing to each other through the night, a thrush harmonizing with itself…like the radio broadcast, they are all announcing something important.
All sounds recorded by me, Jill Freidberg. Accordion and water harp recorded through a LOM Label Geofon." Composition by Jill Freidberg. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I wanted to play around with the transmission noise-- the squelches and squeals, the static and faint voices behind the broadcast interference. I copied, pasted, and manipulated bits of samples. I really didn't do any processing or modulating. The tones and textures of the captured transmission already had great character."
Composition by Bender.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
" I recorded it in July of 1993 on 7,335 kHz with my Kenwood TS-690S transceiver."
Recorded by Bruce Atchison, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"As for radio station NMC, I forget the frequency. It was somewhere in the aircraft band, somewhere about 8000KHZ. I used a Kenwood TS440S transceiver and I believe it was taped in the summer of 2003."
Recorded by Bruce Atchison, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
This broadcast was recorded by Al Sizer in North Haven, CT, on September 8, 1969 on 6,145 kHz starting at 2140 GMT. The receiver used was a Realistic DX-150. Mr. Sizer introduces the recording.
Recorded by Al Sizer, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Radio Sandino, Nicaraguan clandestine radio station, voice of the Sandinista National Liberation Front. Recorded the day Anastasio Somoza DeBayle resigned the presidency and fled to Miami.
The following is a translation of the first two minutes of the announcement:
"Somoza is leaving. During these moments, [inaudible]. No one shall act freely. Everyone should act under orders of the one responsible [over them], under instruction of the national joint leadership, FSLN (Sandinista National Liberation Front). We must prevent, at all costs, the individual energy and [inaudible]. The FSLN guarantees publicly and emphatically to respect life and physical integrity of all military and their families once this fight is over. Nicaraguan brothers, abiding by the provisions of the new government, FSLN, reaffirms publicly that executions will not be allowed, nor physical violence against those military members who comply with the orders to ceasefire. Denying disseminated malicious versions by the Somoza [government], the new government of national reconstruction guarantees that the death penalty shall not apply to any military member guilty or not of a crime. The ordinary courts of justice will be the ones who will recognize [inaudible] and judgement. We alert all of the honest officers of the national guard that the Somoza Security Office has initiated a fierce persecution against all honest officers. We call upon you to not let them, and to trust in the guarantee the new government of national reconstruction offers you. We reiterate that every honest officer can integrate to the new patriotic military. We know that many military members have not had the opportunity to get out of the Somoza military. To those, we ask to have confidence in the imminent victory."
Recorded by Tom Gavaras, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Radio Liberación-Sistema Radial de la Resistencia Nicaragüense recorded in Kalamazoo, Michigan, from 0240 hours to 0330 hours UTC on 20 January 1988 on frequency 5,929.3 kHz. The clandestine station opposed the Sandinista regime in Managua. The transmitter may have been in Honduras.
Recorded by Andy Robins, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I've used the original recording throughout the piece as a continuous sporadic commentary that struggles to achieve clear transmission, somewhat parallel to the turbulent history of Western Sahara and the Saharawi people. I dived into the their culture and the amazing music of Western Sahara for inspiration and had my partner(features as LadyLópez) kindly translate the radio broadcast into English so that I could better understand the historical context. Using various field recordings, tapes and synths I endeavored to craft the sound of chaos vs beauty and reach out in support of the Saharawi. Thank you also to Katia and Tomas for their vocal contributions recorded proper modern low-fi style though a very popular messenger app."
Composition by Jahzah ft Lady López y CJ.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"For this piece, I decided to use only elements that were in the original recordings. I wanted to create something that gave a sense of a funeral procession, and I was particularly inspired by the music at the end of the announcement."
Composition by Rosie Parsons.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"The idea is about Mandela's flight to Libya a while before the radio transmission. Before Mandela was physically "on air" and after the news about him.
Just before landing going trough the clouds, where the speed feeling disappears and time vanishes. This moment is a blurred border during the crossing countries frontiers for a man fighting against Apartheid."
Composition by Erratic Bloc.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"The Voice of Free Sahara, 32 kbps mp3 ripped from a cassette recording. Received with a Sony 2010 and a 40 meter long wire from the France-Switzerland border in 2002. After the news bulletin in Spanish, there is a clear ID at 5”45."
Recorded by Enrique Fernandez, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Vatican Radio - announcement of Pope’s death
2210 GMT 6 Aug 1978 (i.e. 7 Aug 1978 Eastern Standard Time,
Australia) 9615 KHZ
Recorded by Ian Holder, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Shortwave from Libya as recorded in Australia.
"I recorded this shortwave broadcast from Libya in 1997. I have no knowledge of the source of the broadcast but it may be from the main Libyan radio service. I found this while twisting the dial. There was no general commentary, just the voice of South African President Nelson Mandela on his arrival in Libya followed by music".
Recorded by Ian Holder, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Christmas music in a church in Vicenza reimagined by Cities and Memory.
The natural reverb was the obvious starting point, wanting to create a hyperreal Christmas soundscape in which the church reverb slowly takes over the Christmas songs, finally ending in a somewhat-unrecognisable but still familiar drenched pulse of the original festive song.
Inside the Parrochia di San Michele detta dei Servi in central Vicenza, Italy, Christmas songs are piped through small speakers into the cavernous church space, marking the final day of the festive holiday in January. The natural reverb in the church gives the Christmas songs a nostalgic, melancholic haze. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Geldingadalir volcano, Iceland reimagined by Richard Watts.
"I really like the original recording so have tried to enhance that by bringing up more bottom end and then adding a soundtrack. I wanted to get the feeling of the power of a volcano, its beauty and mystic nature. All the sounds are created by Alchemy in Logic Pro X."
Geldingadalir volcano in Iceland, recorded from a safe distance by Mark Wilden, August 2021.
"The short wave recording used as source for this piece is a documentation of the turn of the millennium in London, as the world entered the year 2000. I wrote a noisy doom metal track emphasizing the angst of contemporary urban life and the unfulfilled promises of the future. The glitchy ending of the track references the dreaded Y2K millennium bug, which was a source of fear and anxiety for many across the globe and was told to be a possible downfall of civilisation."
Composition by Thomas Van den Eynde / Anachoreet.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"The samples are from a shortwave radio recording of the UN Security Council broadcast in January 1980, one of the first responses to the Russian invasion of Afghanistan one month earlier. The invasion created a high level of political uncertainty, had destabilised the fragile détente (an easing of tensions) between the East and West, and had large ramifications for the future politics of the 1980s. The repeated accusations and pleas for peace by the UN Security Council inspired the track, ending in a failed resolution for a Soviet withdrawal, but the underlying thread is fuzziness and uncertainty. Where are we headed sir, that’s the question I’d like to ask."
Composition by Moray Newlands.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"25 years and one generation on from the end of WWII, 1970 is the New Year Zero / Neue Jahr Null.
In SFO the hippies get heroin and Haight became hate. Janis and Jimi OD, RIP.
Israel, September 8: a month of plane hijacking begins, known as Black September. Three airliners are hijacked and blown up by Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
This is one instance in a year of terror. 70 terror groups are established in 1970, significantly more than any year before or since in the 20C*. In affluent West Germany the Red Army Faction is established (to be known informally as the Baader Meinhof Gang).
In south London a five year old boy looks at the walnut valve radio in his father’s room. Forbidden to touch the bakelite dials, he reads the illuminated place names. Wildly exotic: Cologne; Brazzaville; Sofia; Hilversum; Riga; Bratislava; Moscow; Havana; Tapei; Anchorage; Vatican City; Leipzig. The broadcasters speak in a musical received pronunciation that belies the chaos they report.
In Cologne, Baader Meinhof, the white collar terrorists, demand "an absolute break with the past and a radical new beginning” as they enact a programme of bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, bank robberies and shoot-outs. Also in Cologne, three friends called Ralph, Florian and Conny set up a studio to bounce new sounds off the ionosphere.
———
- Journal of Conflict Resolution 2020, Vol. 64(1) 199-225
———
1970 – Neue Jahr Null: Vom Himmel hoch was made with a Synthi 100 and a vocoder."
Composition by Simon Kennedy. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"This is from a broadcast of South African radio station on NYE 1977. The polite chat and well wishes bring in the year when Steve Biko would be murdered by Afrikaner police. The bit I am captivated by is the explanation to foreign listeners what the Afrikaans name for a bird is.
I was two years old when this was broadcast. I remember Radio 2000 in the house, along with the world service. The radio was a mystery to me. I used to hunt for stations on AM, flicking across from fm out of curiosity. There’s no map or index. Surfing the spaces between stations was intriguing, but mostly disconcerting. The edge of a clear signal was infuriating. The noise drowns everything out.
Listening to this broadcast now, I enjoyed the fizz and pips. It is a bit like crickets and birds and leaves, ambient noise of the bush. It made me nostalgic for the names of things, and the Afrikaans words that I never understood, and when news had no meaning. For the joy of serendipity in an ocean of ignorance."
Composition by Marg Laing.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Passed Messages was inspired by the shortwave radio broadcast recording of a news announcement about a Chinese nuclear bomb test on October 5th, 1969. The recording consists of two parts: The first part, which is the announcers voice (in English with a lot of radio static) and the second part, which is an instrumental song. The song in the second part does not fit with the news about an atomic bomb test; it's from a different time with different mores. To the modern ear, it sounds surreal, almost absurd.
Passed Messages is a message about a message encoded as a sound piece, where transmissions from the past are received and decoded, interpreted to recreate the message, but data gets lost due to interference and time. The message is always shrouded in noise."
Composition by Thomas Haighton.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
U.N.Radio-Security Council (Jan7, 1980) United Nations Radio - Security Council. 15410 khz. 2030 GMT (0630 Jan 8, 1980 East Australian Time)
Recorded by Ian Holder, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) (8 Sept.1970)
Recorded by Ian Holder, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"New Year's Eve has always been a good night to stay home and play radio. This recording is one I won't ever have the chance to hear live again. Here are the last four minutes and forty seconds of the GMT year 1999 and the first 25 minutes twenty seconds of the year 2000. As a tradition I would always welcome the GMT New Year by tuning in to the BBC to hear the chimes from Big Ben (which I believe were heard live).
Date of recording: 12/31/1999."
Recorded by Tom Laskowski, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"During the late 1970s, Radio South Africa (RSA) would broadcast a New Years call-in show. This recording is from 1/1/1978 (12/31/1977 in the US). At two minutes into the recording, you can hear the interval signal for RAI (Italy) in the background. I have scoped (edited) the music. Unsure how long RSA carried on this tradition, but heard a similar call-in broadcast the following year on 1/1/1979."
Recorded by Tom Gavaras, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Radio Peking - statement on nuclear explosion to mark the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Communist Party of China. Broadcast 7.40pm (East Australian Time) Sunday, October 5, 1969.
Radio Peking recorded off air in Brisbane, Australia.
Recorded by Ian Holder, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I approached the piece with the idea of creating multiple songs to weave into the original recording of the events in Tiananmen Square in 1989. This would be a sort of sonic tryptic as if dialling through imaginary radio waves backwards and forwards in time.
The first part is a simple refrain with organ like tones interspersed with "turn of the dial" like static and half heard voices. Snatches of the developing story can be heard.
The second part a fleeting moment of footwork inspired sonic exploration possibly as the dial moves through the radio waves and we travel briefly to a moment of reflection in the future.
The third part is a more frenetic free form electronic drone cut through with the refrain "this is Radio Beijing". The jingle for Radio Beijing has been reversed at the end of the track and acts as a moment to reflection on an event we sadly cannot reverse."
Composition by Andy Billington.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"It's all about the feeling of awe.
A few minutes in space could be few years on Earth. This hypothesis isn't new but it's still mindblowing. As much as a sheer vastness of space and it's incomprehensible scales. How infinitesimally small we are in comparison! But I believe we all feel just how deep the inner spaces of our minds can be.
That's what I was thinking when I heard the original recording. With these thoughts in mind I've recorded a drone piece. Monumental, slowly evolving organ-like timbre and randomly processed original recording are doing the job. And while editing the recording I was constantly remembering scenes from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: Space Odyssey. Hence the name of the piece.
When I think of it all now, it's just simply amazing how astronaut's conversations recorded via radio circa 1986 can resonate here & now. And well into the future."
Composition by Vlad Suppish.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"The radio announcer discourses on the necessity of improvisation for dealing with uncommon occurrences such as disasters. This became my watchword.
This piece is an improvisation. Organized in a generally haphazard fashion, but an improvisation nonetheless."
Composition by Paul Collins.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"The original file was a recorded transmission between earth base station and the crew in a spaceship.
Outer space is the expanse that exists beyond Earth and between celestial bodies.
I have composed an ambient cinematic soundscape, where the listener will find a plethora of layers, orbiting sounds, moving stereo meteorites , floating pads , a soundtrack for outer space.
The vastness of space, the silence, gave me the opportunity to fill the void with atmospheric elements, wide and deep sound movements.
Esoteric worlds expanding through the sound forces into the outer spaces and beyond, sound is the language of the Universe."
Composition by John Ov3rblast.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I'm Irish but live in Bulgaria. Like most countries in Eastern Europe there are remnants of Communism everywhere. Although the sample I worked with related to the Communist downfall in Romania, it got me thinking about all the transmissions that must have occurred at the time across this part of the continent. My track is a reflection, or interpretation, of the voices that might never have been heard."
Composition by Ronan Considine.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"To mark the 30th anniversary of the Romanian Revolution, a recording of "Austrian Shortwave Panorama", Radio Austria International's weekly DX programme presented by David Hermges. This was a special edition broadcast a few days after Romania's 1989 revolution originally broadcast on 31st December 1989 (although this recording is of a repeat from sometime in 1990). Contains off-air recordings of Radio Bucharest and Radio Free Europe (in English, Romanian and other languages) recounting the events of the revolution.
Frequency: 13.730 MHz
Reception location: Birmingham, UK
Receiver and antenna: Toshiba portable, telescopic antenna."
Recorded by Tim Harrold, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"During the Tiananmen Protests in 1989, a courageous announcer at Radio Beijing went on the air with the following announcement:
“This is Radio Beijing. Please remember June 3, 1989. The most tragic event happened in the Chinese capital, Beijing. Thousands of people, most of them innocent civilians, were killed by fully armed soldiers when they forced their way into the city. Among the killed are our colleagues at Radio Beijing. The soldiers were riding on armored vehicles and used machine guns against thousands of local residents and students who tried to block their way. When the army convoys made a breakthrough, soldiers continued to spray their bullets indiscriminately at crowds in the street. Eyewitnesses say some armored vehicles [inaudible] foot soldiers who hesitated in front of the resisting civilians. Radio Beijing’s English department deeply mourns those who died in a tragic incident and appeals to all its listeners to join our protest for the gross violations of human rights and the most barbarous suppression of the people. Because of the abnormal situation here in Beijing, there is no other news that we could bring you. We sincerely ask for your understanding and thank you for joining us at this most tragic moment.”
The above announcement was followed by a regular newscast.
According to some sources, the announcer was apprehended by the authorities almost immediately and detained for several years where he was separated from his family and underwent extended reeducation campaign."
Recorded by Tom Gavaras, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Rutan Model 76 Voyager Experimental Aircraft was the first aircraft to fly around the world without stopping or refueling. It was piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager. The flight took off from Edwards Air Force Base's runway in the Mojave Desert on December 14, 1986, and ended 9 days later on December 23, setting a flight endurance record. This shortwave recording is a sample of some of the communications between Dick Rutan and his ground crew including a debate if Dick should walk out of the aircraft after it lands.
Note: Best estimate for date of recording is December 22, 1986."
Recorded by Tom Gavaras, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Announcement explaining the reason for a reduced signal strength. Cyclone Tracy put the Darwin transmitter site off air. News bulletin plus other selected items that were broadcast relating to the evacuation of Darwin. Because the local 8DR MW transmitter was damaged a microwave link was set up between Darwin and Shepparton with the programme transmitted back to Darwin on shortwave.
Date of recording: 12/25/1974
Starting time: 2100 UTC
Frequency: 9.58 MHz
Your location: Lower Hutt, New Zealand, 26 December NZDT
Receiver and antenna: Trio 9R59DSM communications receiver with a random length long wire."
Recorded by Paul Rawdon, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Recently I came across QSLs that I received from the Voyager crew from their historic 1986 circumnavigation of the earth. After continued searching I also came across the cassette recordings I made of some of their communications between Dec 20 - 22, 1986. The first hour provides the most compelling listening, as I started the tape just before Voyage unexpectedly ran into severe weather issues off the coast of Brazil. The small aircraft was tossed to a bank angle of 90 degrees, which theoretically it shouldn't have recovered from, yet Rutan was just barely able to maintain control and keep flying. At the worst possible time, the Vandenburg transmitter went down leaving Rutan and Yeager out of communication with their weather team who they were depending on to give them a safe heading to fly out of the storms. The stress and tension of the situation are very evident in the voices. I have several hours of additional comms, but this excerpt is the most compelling."
Recorded by Bruce Frederick, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Puerto Montt bus station reimagined by Philippe Neau.
"The dreamy spirit, listening to the sounds of the bus station in Chile, I took the road to the moon to find a dreamy atmosphere where voices, metallic noises, birdsong, the ocean meet, mingle and intertwine endlessly..."
Image credit.
Recording from inside the bus station at Puerto Montt, Chile, by Mark Wilden.
Image credit.
"It has been 14,704 hours, 882,285 minutes and 52,937,103 seconds since the afternoon of March 11, 2020, when the WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. The world changed in an instant! Inspired by the title and date of this shortwave transmission, I wanted to write a reminder that 22 months later in November 2021 we are still in a global pandemic, a "medical emergency" for COVID-19, to take some time to reflect on the universal trauma we have collectively endured and continue to endure as a result of this pandemic. Headphone listening is highly recommended for this piece of music."
Composition by Neil Wiernik.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"A sound collage in memory of the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks as they unfolded through the eyes and words of a few of those who experienced it first hand plus additional commentary to augment the Kol Israel Radio news report provided to me for inspiration."
Composition by Scott Lawrence Whitman.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"What you hear is my third attempt at making something that reflects the confusion of 9-11 twenty years on. Once I'd finished processing the BBC radio transmission I found the repetition of short segments throughout gave it a Chicago bass/footwork feel, so that's where this Act of Terror, Act of Remembrance has gone."
Composition by Michael Lilley.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Volcano Radio. Ascension Island. The exotic names drew my attention, and Ascension Island especially captured my imagination, as I’d never heard of any such place. I learned that it’s an isolated volcanic island located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, about halfway between Brazil and Angola. The British used it as a staging ground during the Falklands War; now it hosts a Royal Air Force station, a NASA tracking station, and what’s sometimes called “the worst golf course in the world.”
"Volcano Radio began broadcasting in 1958 under the Ascension call sign, ZD8VR, Volcano Radio. Though it was a British station, it was funded for many years by the U.S. Armed Forces Radio Service, enabling it to run around the clock, at least for a time.
"On May 5, 1979, Gary Deacon, a shortwave enthusiast and DXer in Capetown, South Africa, captured this audio recording of Volcano Radio’s broadcast. As he noted in his Cape DX blog, “It was a surprise to receive the 500 watt station with a remarkable peak from across the South Atlantic, over 4 430 km / 2 754 miles away!”
"As I listened to Gary’s vintage, staticky recording, I was drawn first to the British radio host’s sign-off announcement, followed by a recording of “God Save The Queen” that stops mid-stream. After all the static, the sudden silence was blissful. I decided to preserve the end of the original audio in my mix. I also decided to flow a brief, heavily processed field recording of molten lava under “God Save The Queen,” because, why not? It’s Volcano Radio!
"I listened more deeply to the original recording and became fascinated with the jazz show host’s charismatic wrap-up, when he says, “Then there’s the news that the clock on the wall is beginning to strike its magical hour, when all good things must come to an end.” I lifted the phrase “when all good things must come to an end” and seeded it through my mix, processing and transforming it in different ways.
"The more I worked with the original audio material, the more it suggested an experimental, noise-music treatment for this remix. I went with it.
Volcano Radio stopped transmitting in 2009. All good things must come to an end.
CREDITS:
Field recording of molten lava by ATG142 on Freesound.org (CC0 license).
Synth recordings, production, and mixing by Angela Winter.
THANKS TO:
Gary Deacon, https://capedx.blogspot.com/, for his original audio recording, historical notes, generosity, and enthusiasm.
Sarah Boucher and the Ascension Island Heritage Society for historical notes on Volcano Radio and the original audio recording." Composition by Angela Winter. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Composition inspired by the work and words of American musician and soundscape ecologist Bernard L. Krause. Dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis calls for a love 'that transcends the barriers of geography and distance'.
November 1981, as a 16 year old, I bought a Grundig Satellit 1400 professional World receiver. Long-distance radio transmissions very much became the soundtrack - 'the personal soundscape', if you like - to my middle and late adolescence.
Recently I picked up a copy of the November edition of Radio User magazine. Here I read about this callout to remix and reimagine the world of shortwave radio.
"FRATELLI TUTTI” (All Brothers). With these words, Saint Francis of Assisi addressed his brothers and sisters and proposed to them a way of life marked by the flavour of the Gospel. It is also the title of the third encyclical of Pope Francis, subtitled "on fraternity and social friendship".
Many of the stories that surround the life of Saint Francis of Assisi say that he had a great love for animals and the environment. Pope John Paul II declared Francis the patron saint of ecology.
Alas, "A great silence is spreading over the natural world even as the sound of man is becoming deafening," Bernard Krause wrote in his 2012 book, "The Great Animal Orchestra". "Little by little the vast orchestra of life, the chorus of the natural world, is in the process of being quietened." All of the above got me inspired.
Digital tools used : VSTHost by Hermann Seib as the Audio Plugin Host for free VST plugins by Tonecarver, Ugo, HG Fortune and Airwindows.
Frog calls recorded by my wife on her smartphone at our favourite pond.
Of the original mp3 file I only kept the intro music... as the intro." Composition by Blijlever. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Carlos Latuff shares the following recording of Vatican Radio made on August 17, 2021, on 13,380 kHz at 18:00 UTC. Note that Carlos Latuff, is not only a devoted radio enthusiast, but also a prominent political cartoonist in Brazil and throughout the world. Carlos has kindly included his listening report with his original artwork."
Recorded by Carlos Latuff, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"BBC World Service (16:49), September 12, 2001 at 0000 UTC on 5975 kHz. Receiver used was a Japan Radio Co. NRD-545 (Sync on and 10 kHz bandwidth). One can hear minor DSP artefacts (burps) mixed in the background, of course a common trait for the NRD-545."
Recorded by Dave Zantow, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Receiver used was a Japan Radio Co. NRD-545 (Sync on and 10 kHz bandwidth). One can hear minor DSP artefacts (burps) mixed in the background, of course a common trait for the NRD-545."
Recorded by Dave Zantow, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"ZD8VR Volcano Radio 1602 AM Closedown 5 May 1979/AFRTS Accession Island signoff. It has end of jazz show, sign off announcement, station ID and incomplete GSTQ by local gender neutral band. Receiver and antenna: 1950's Sierra domestic valve receiver and 20 metre longwire antenna."
Recorded by Sarah Boucher, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Air to ground communications between Spirit 558 and New York. A phone patch was established to allow the aircraft to talk to a doctor on the ground about a person who had a seizure while on board the flight.
Date of recording: 5/11/2021
Frequency: 8.933
Reciever location: Hugo, MN"
Recorded by Matt Todd, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"My inspiration for the piece was imaging the fragmented sounds of snippets of radio chatter and music crossing the Kuwaiti desert carried by the desert winds. The voices and music fragments forming ghostly echoes as if the listener is acting as a radio tuning in and out to hundreds of unknown transmissions.
"I used the original recording in a number of ways, firstly to create a number of layered drones, representing the desert emptiness as a well as the idea of a generator for an internal radio receiver. This formed the desert ambience where selections of speech and music were laid out in time for form fragmented voices. Each voice was manipulated from simple panning across the stereo field, to more intense distortions and added glitch/reverberation processing. Some of the vocal snippets were cleaned in Izotope RX to reduce the frequency content to allow for more intense processing without extraneous frequency content.
"I picked out sections from the original recording which I felt spoke to me, although hardly speaking any Arabic, I chose phrases and sections which resonated with me and spoke to me."
Composition by Neil Spencer Bruce.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"A naive re-interpretation completed on an octatrack, which acquired on the day of this submission. All sounds are from the original source material."
Composition by John Spartacus.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"While listening to this broadcast by Apollo 8 of the first views of the moon in 1968, I was thematically conflicted with a duality of perspectives tied to space exploration. On one hand, this venture offers new opportunities for human expansion and knowledge we have yet to discover about our universe; yet, it also signifies processes of colonization that transcend earths atmosphere to a cosmic level. While creating this re-imagined composition, I was inspired by my Algonquin heritage to grapple with these conflicting themes.
"I envisioned the perspectives of colonization as they may emerge between both the explorer and inhabitant as two separate sound worlds. I move between these worlds as I integrate field recordings that I have captured across Vancouver, BC, oscillating back to the sample recording at times to balance these voices. As the composition progresses, I aim to emulate themes of confusion, disorientation, and eventually destruction that accompanies colonization. I have used this recording in numerous ways, such as adjusting the pitch, adding reverb, frequency manipulation, and altering timing. While there are clear audible sections of this piece interwoven, I have also manipulated large sections to create a keynote drone that slowly builds throughout the piece to gradually reduce clarity.
"I hope this sound art inspires you to consider the intersections of hope and loss tied to space exploration - positioning the listener at a mirror to the past and future. In Algonquin speaking First Nations communities, a Wendego is considered to be a supernatural being. In many legends, this being is driven by gluttony, greed, and a desire to kill. It's important to remember the impact of colonialism as it has existed on our planet, and to tread carefully as we embark on interstellar exploration." Composition by Lauren Knight. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"A broadcast by Apollo 8 of the first views of the moon in 1968. The broadcast was transmitted by the Voice of America, and received in Melbourne, Australia on an AWA CR6A communications receiver. The transmission frequency and exact time are unknown."
Recorded by Stephen Spicer, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Radio Netherlands, Happy Station Christmas Broadcast (Studio Recording): December 12, 1956."
Recorded by Walter Santner, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Recording of Radio Kuwait during the start of the invasion by Iraq. My understanding is that the broadcast originated from the Radio Kuwait transmitter site, which had not yet been occupied by Iraqi forces. Transmission consisted of music and announcements in Arabic."
Recorded by Tom Gavaras, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I love the randomness of shortwave, the way voices drift in and out of reception, the weird static elements. There is something so mournful about the isolated “Afghanistan calling Europe” that it seemed after a while to be a cry for help - so I included in the background static the morse code for SOS and then sampled and distorted a Taliban interview I found on YouTube to reflect what is happening there at the moment. Inspired by the sounds of the call to prayer I used a detuned synth drone to add to and underpin the whole downbeat nature of the piece."
Composition by Hans Glib.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"This is a story of my youth listening to SW radio and playing instruments. The static is the empty space in my mind, the radio is the noise needed to fill the vacuum. The sounds are interrupted and distorted, repeated and flavoured as I try to block out the noise of the world around me. Pulses represent the nagging idea that I should be doing something else, eventually drowned out by the pleasure of the listening."
Composition by Jon Ogara.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I was so struck by the way the symphonic intro and outro music was distorted and processed through the shortwave radio medium that I had to use it as source material for a piece. My hope is to retain the strident nature of the original material of the orchestra while creating a hypnotic and open sound environment for sonic exploration on the part of the listener."
Composition by Matt Zook.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"This second [Radio Afghanistan] recording was made at the end of the 1970s during the soviet occupation of Afghanistan when RA programmes were rebroadcasted via Soviet transmitters. In this case it is the english service beamed to several parts of Asia.
The recording was made one some day at 0900 GMT on 15435 kHz. It was a relay via Soviet transmitter."
Recorded by Manfred Reiff, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Rising early in the morning was a regular activity of DXers who wanted to hear the more difficult stations from Latin America that used to fill the shortwave bands. One of those was Radio Tawantinsuyo, located in Cuzco, Peru. The station was on 6,175khz in the 49 meter band but was more often heard on variable frequencies as low as 6,173 khz. This recording of the station sign on brings back so many memories for DXers who focused on South America."
Recorded by Dan Robinson, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Radio Peking- Death of Mao Zedong (9 September 1976)
The death of Chairman Mao at 82 in 1976 brought to an end the Cultural Revolution which cost millions of lives.
Monitored from Radio Peking shortwave service. Commentary in English and funeral music."
Recorded by Ian Holder, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Venice Santa Lucia station on New Year's Eve reimagined by Cities and Memory.
In this piece, the clouds of arpeggiated synth notes represent the busy travellers coming in and out of the station, while the steadier bass pulses represent the surety and predictability of a rail timetable and the practical reliability of the trains taking people home.
The scene in the station on a foggy, freezing New Year's Even put us in mind of the opening of Calvino's novel If On A Winter's Night A Traveler, so we included a (disembodied) voice reading aloud from the book to bring these worlds together.
The text is as follows:
The novel begins in a railway station, a locomotive huffs, steam from a piston covers the opening of the chapter, a cloud of smoke hides part of the first paragraph. In the odor of the station there is a passing whiff of station café odor. There is someone looking through the befogged class, he opens the glass door of the bar, everything is misty, inside, too, as if seen by nearsighted eyes, or eyes irritated by coal dust. The pages of the book are clouded like the windows of an old train, the cloud of smoke rests on the sentences. It is a rainy evening; the man enters the bar; he unbuttons his damp overcoat; a cloud of steam enfolds him; a whistle dies away along tracks that are glistening with rain, as far as the eye can see.
New Year's Eve 2021, outside Santa Lucia train station in Venice. The bells nearest the train station are ringing for early evening mass while people hurry in and out of the station to carry on with their new year plans. We listen to the bells then head into the station, listening out for platform announcements, conversations and all the ambience you'd expect from a train station buzzing with life at the end of the year. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"The source recording had an almost anti-ambient feel to which I added neo-ambient loops. It's intended to be soothing yet slightly disturbing."
Composition by Xqui.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Drone piece using the original audio as a backdrop. Drone was created in Ableton Live using Wavetable synth run through some vintage effects."
Composition by Andy Truscott.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"The piece is made from as many sequences as I could fit in – a representation of the Berlin sound."
Composition by Simon Woods.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"This piece works with a complicated moment in the history of space music, electronic music, and political music.
"Part of the design of China’s first satellite, Dongfanghong 1, was to make music using the satellite’s telemetric system. Specifically, it was designed to play the world the Maoist anthem “The East is Red," from which it took its name. An oral history of the project relates that during ground tests the song was out of tune. Care needed to be taken musically - the advice was to “add harmonic waves” - and technically, with insulation that would prevent pitch modulation in orbit due to changes in temperature or electromagnetic interference.
"During the broadcast, the satellite sounds transition suddenly from cadenced song to chaotic telemetry. The radio announcers explain repeatedly that the first forty seconds are the music, and the next 20 seconds are telemetric data. But the result is a mixed broadcast that splices together different orders of communication, encoded verbally, musically, and as data signal. That moment of transition also breaks the revolutionary song down and creates an unexpected gesture toward a different type of music—suggestive of something like what Theodore Adorno called a dialectical music, or the image of emancipation he found in atonal music.
"The first part of the piece samples the musical portion of the satellite transmission. The second part is a remix of the ground rebroadcast, with its framing and explanations of the data/music/text. The third part slows down and follows the data signal, with its mostly atonal sequence of notes." Composition by John Savarese. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"This piece is made in honour of Ke Shouliang, who leaped over the Yellow River by car. This feat was done as a celebration for the returning of Hong Kong to China in 1997 and was widely covered in the chinese media. The CRI recording, used was actually the last one available on this Cities and Memory project, and I was really amazed how no-one had taken such a gem. In fact I liked the phrase "The first flying person in Asia" so much, that I decided to use it as my new artistic pseudonym."
Composition by Georgi Bozhinov.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Friday 23 August,1968. Radio Moscow transmission to Australia
31 metres 13-30 hrs GMT. Announcer, Boris Novikov (1925- 1997)
Twenty nine years after the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia in 1938,
followed by WW2, the Warsaw Pact countries led by Russia invaded the country.
This shortwave broadcast was recorded off-air in Australia by Ian Holder and gives the Russian view of the event. Less than two years after the fall of Communist Russia in 1991, the Republic of Czechoslovakia ceased to exit."
Recorded by Ian Holder, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Daily coverage of the Hong Kong Handover between Britain and China in 1997. The broadcasts are mainly from China Radio International (CRI) which was previously Radio Peking/Beijing. Other broadcasts are from the BBC World Service and Radio Singapore International. Intros and off-air recording by Ian Holder, Australia. Information on the Hong Kong Handover - http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0630.html"
Recorded by Ian Holder, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Radio Peking- Sunday April 26, 1970 09-30 GMT. 19 metres. Recorded off-air by Ian Holder, Brisbane, Australia. China's first satellite information - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dong_Fang_Hong_I"
Recorded by Ian Holder, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Radio Berlin International (1400 GMT- 21465khz). Recorded off-air by Ian Holder, Brisbane, Australia. Other broadcasts on this topic -https://archive.org/details/EastGermanElectionsNews19Mar90"
Recorded by Ian Holder, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"14 Dec. 1981 Radio Moscow 12.00 GMT 17860khz. Recorded off-air by Ian Holder, Brisbane, Australia. Other broadcasts on this topic - https://archive.org/details/PolishCrisis1981"
Recorded by Ian Holder, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Bangladesh rickshaw ride reimagined by Cities and Memory.
A chaotic field recording, with lots of small spikes of interest rapidly passing by, from car horns to truck engines, to passers-by calling out. Eight elements of interest were clipped and used as drum parts to construct a rhythm that reflected the chaotic nature of the original recording, with instrumentation added on top of the rickshaw rhythms to build the track.
A rickshaw ride passing along Ganginar Par Road, central Mymensingh, Bangladesh - traffic noise, horns, street chaos. Recorded by Luke Henrion.
"The point where all compete at once for the heart, imagining the non linear universe and the myriads of patterns creating worlds for each individual. I worked on this piece as I was losing one of the most important people in the world."
Composition by Michelle Breslin - Lostworldsounds.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I was inspired by the sonic textures from the original piece and decided to limit my creative process by using the PO-33 K.O. to create the main structure of the composition. After sampling and creating beats, I layered the voices and music pieces from the original recording to make if fun and dynamic. Invalid-valid plays with the idea that there will always be approval and/or disapproval towards public leaders and that these opinions may shift over time. The track starts playing vocal repeating the word "invalid" but towards the end those words transform into "valid"."
Composition by Millie Wissar.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Taking into account the news of the original piece - an armed conflict - but also its outcome, with peaceful consequences, I tried to build a sound piece that took into account this vision of the end of war and the conquest of peace, combining sounds that, somehow, enter into dialogue..." Recorded by Luís Antero, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Coup fails, BBC World Service (21 August 1991. 13 hrs GMT 9740 khz)"
Recorded by Ian Holder, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Gorbachev overthrown (Monday 19 August 1991), shortwave broadcasts - Radio Moscow (13 hrs GMT. 15560 khz)"
Recorded by Ian Holder, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
The signing of the Japan-China treaty, Fri. Sept. 29, 1972.
Radio Japan 0930 GMT.
Recorded by Ian Holder, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"The starting point for this track was a recording of a British forces propaganda broadcast (in Latin American) being jammed by Argentinian forces during the Falklands conflict - abstract airwaves interfering with each other somewhere out at sea, over cold grey water, beneath cold grey skies.
"I isolated the frequencies where the interference was centred and tried from there, from that area where the two sources were in conflict, to feel for something that might emerge. Within that I wanted to return to the fact that, although the recording sounds like a cheerful radio program, it was sound being weaponised. While ultimately I couldn't help but bring something musical I wanted to keep that sense of conflict, tension and the cold grey intact."
Composition by de Velden.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Pyongyang military march musical accompaniment. The hope and human sadness of a socialist state."
Composition by Mark Baker.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Inspired by the content of the original recording, I manipulated contemporary music and found sounds to invoke a landscape where war visited suddenly, and just as quickly dissipated."
Composition by Jeff Economy.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Shortwave transmissions from All India Radio during the Indo-Pakistan War (1971).
Recorded by Ian Holder, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"This recording was taken at 15kHz filtering, and is for historical purposes. It was taken via using the globaltuners.com node in Daegu, South Korea tuned to 2850kHz which is the domestic SW frequency of the DPRK. 2850kHz simulcasts the same broadcast on their MW frequency of 819kHz. 819kHz is listenable via this node, but it is usually met with noise jamming from the ROK and the 2850kHz frequency was booming in and much nicer to listen to."
Recorded by Anthony Messina, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Radio Atlantico del Sur was a Spanish language radio station operated by the British Ministry of Defense during the Falklands War as part of its psychological operations aimed at Argentine troops. The station broadcast from a BBC transmitter on Ascension Island from May 19 until June 15, 1982. You can hear in the background a jamming transmitter from Argentina throughout the recording."
Recorded by Tom Gavaras, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"A shortwave transmission renders distant numbers folded in mystery. We hear them over and over again, unable to decipher them. Repetitive as they may be, the sound of these numbers is never the same, changing according to the spaces and perceptual practices through which they are heard. Thinking of number stations and the notion of repetition as an impossibility, this piece places a shortwave numbers station transmission in conversation with other “repetitive” sounds. Crafted, traveling sounds, and the aural qualities of shortwave transmissions are intersected by these puzzling numbers. The “repetition” is also subject to interruption, being invaded by imagined spaces and distant shortwave sounds that speak of other cyclical enigmas, other revolutions and other forms of listening. In returning to sounds that can only evoke similarity, each moment of listening is acknowledged as distinct and unrepeatable.
Additional shortwave sounds courtesy of:
ArchivoSonoro.org
FreeSound.org (https://freesound.org/people/therabidfrog)" Composition by Berenice Cancino. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I started by mangling the source material and extracting small snippets of sound to create much of the rhythm of the composition.The spy station numbers run throughout the piece to create a complex random ever evolving pulse to the piece.The big dubbed out bass line and supporting melody came from a modular system."
Composition by Alex Hehir.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I caught and recorded the numbers station often referred to as the English Man. He was found in the pirate radio watering hole (of 6,925-6,990 kHz) on 6,949 kHz. After sifting through more spectrum recordings taken the following evening by the Microtelecom Perseus, I realized that I caught him once again at the exact same time and frequency."
Recorded by Thomas Witherspoon, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"This is a spy numbers station I recorded in the summer of 1993 but I forget the frequency. I used my Kenwood TS-690S transceiver and I believe the time was around 05:00 UTC."
Recorded by Bruce Atchison, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Xiuwu County, China village fireworks reimagined by Cities and Memory.
"Distant fireworks are always kind of hazy, kind of dreamy. Cascades of synth notes in clustered arpeggios circle in the sky above the village, and as we get closer to the fireworks, more layers of piano notes and other synths join in, matching the booms and bangs of the fireworks display. A mournful, stately celebration."
The sound of fireworks, the sound of birds, and talking in the village - 河南省焦作市修武县(Xiuwu County, Jiaozuo, Henan, China). Recorded by Dicaprixin.
Young people drink wine, eat cichetti and chat excitedly outside Cantina Do Mori in Venice in the late afternoon.
Outside Cantina Do Mori, Venice reimagined by Cristina Marras.
"Field recording feels sometimes like stealing from people's most intimate moments."
Suffolk beach waves reimagined by Karhide.
"The idea at the start of the track was to create a dark slow call and response with the guitar line and sound of the waves. It was built around an initial clean guitar line and then I add lead and rhythm guitar along with bass and drums."
Thailand night market reimagined by Karhide.
"This is based around the nighttime recording of Koh Phangan Market in Thailand and filtered using fab filter volcano and then used the eventide crystals to create octaves from the filtered sound. Then added a Lounge Lizard riff as the main theme through the track along with guitars, bass, and drums."
Punta Arenas supermarket reimagined by Karhide.
"This is the first track I worked on for the At Night EP and I created a drone from guitar playing distorted chords and an arpeggio line over the affected field recording from the Unimarc supermarket in Punta Arenas, Chile turning it into a pad. I then added a minimal electronic beat that changes all the way through the track."
Mongolian nightscape reimagined by Karhide.
"Created a texture with the nighttime soundscape field recording from Khovd, Mongolia by stretching the audio and then adding the multiple delays along with the eventide Quadravox for some pitch-shifting fun. Once I had the sound I came up with the guitar chords, lead line, and then added the drums and bass."
King Khalid airport reimagined by Karhide.
"This had a different start to the others where I had a drum groove idea and then chopped the field recording from Saudi Arabia King Khalid airport terminal 1 around the beat and then came up with the guitar chord progressions and then the guitar lead line."
"This seascape is iconic, not least because of the link with Benjamin Britten, but also because of the nature of the pebble and shape of the beach. I’ve made several attempts at recording this location in the past, but the lockdown enabled me to record without noise pollution. An unexpected bonus that night were three planets rising across the horizon and a comet!"
Aldeburgh Beach, Suffolk, England, recorded 21st July 2020 02.00hrs by Rob Godman.
Night soundscape from Khovd, Mongolia recorded by Alfredo Ardia.
"At night I could hear from the window a quiet soundscapes made of dog barks, human voices and few cars passing by which would melt all together following the reverberant acoustic of the town. It sounded so unreal, almost like in a dream. I kept listening to it for a while before realizing I was actually awake."
A recording from inside Terminal 1 (international departures) at Riyadh's main airport, King Khalid - the sounds of passengers queuing for checkin, automatic doors and the bustle of a Saudi Arabian airport terminal. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
A night market in Koh Phangan, an island off the coast of Thailand - a soundwalk through the busy market, with all the bustle and noise of stallholders and customers. Recorded by Paul Virostek.
In a supermarket in Punta Arenas in the far south of Chile, traditional Chilean music is piped through the speakers as we explore the supermarket for groceries. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Mexico City street band during lockdown reimagined by deadkousin.
"“I found the original recording to be quite abstract - devoid of context and meaning for me, beyond the musical phrasing and my limited knowledge of Mexico and its culture. I wanted to explore the mood that the recording evoked in me, whilst narrating an imaginary tour of the environs where it was made and beyond…”
"Being an iOS artist, deadkousin used the Endlesss app to jam with loops of the recording and improvise additional material. The entire track was made, mixed and mastered on an iPad."
Hong Kong tram journey reimagined by Cities and Memory. A Moog Subharmonicon live improvisation, responding to the field recording as it develops, introducing new elements and a busier soundscape during the tram's key movements, and relaxing back into the mindset of a passenger with a long day ahead and nowhere in particular to go during the quieter sections.
A reimagined piece built from the sounds of the Monte Capanne cable car chairlift, which creaks and groans throughout as a Moog Mother-32 melody envelops it, representing the sun, the azure blue of the sea and the warmth of the restorative view from the summit, from which the entire island can be seen in every direction. Reimagined by Cities and Memory.
At the top of Monte Capanne on the island of Elba off Tuscany, there's an old-style cable car lifting tourists to the top of the mountain. After climbing up the old-fashioned way, we paused to record the cable car mechanism on a clear day near the summit. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
A tram departs Central station in Hong Kong - from the interior you can hear people chatting, the rumble of the tracks, beeping, dinging and exterior ambience. Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.
Waves on Flat Holm Island reimagined by Listing Ships.
The waves sloshing under the jetty where boats arrive onto Flat Holm Island in Cardiff Bay is the central sound underpinning "The Wolves" by the band Listing Ships (featuring Cities and Memory creator Stuart Fowkes). This piece was built around the field recording of waves, and was originally released as part of the album The Flat Holm Island Sessions - it now takes its place in the Cities and Memory project as a testament to this recording session on the island.
Musicians: Mike Bingham, James Pamphlion and Stuart Fowkes.
"I laid down the radio sample and broke it into two parts, having it bookend the piece. Then I started a drone produced through synthesizers on a 4 track cassette recording device. Over this main bed I added heavy low end synthesizers and a couple of layers of sparse noises with plenty of reverb. I meant to get a dark and intimidating sound to it. I wrapped the piece by mastering it through an analog mid-side compressor."
Composition by Valmor Pedretti Jr.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"The original shortwave radio transmissions contain a number of reports on the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan, by various US reporters. I used a selection of samples and put them in chronological order, to retell the event. Musically, my piece complements the drama of the event as told by the reporters, using synths and sampled drums with sporadic, soft guitar and piano parts. "Rawhide", is the codename for Reagan used by the US secret service."
Composition by Things Being Various.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Working with this recording inspired me to learn some of the history of the Malayan Revolution. I like to work with audio collage and cut-ups, so I chose a technique where I could incorporate audio samples from old British movie reals about their efforts in Malaya, along with bits from a documentary. I also used contemporary field recordings made of rainstorms in Singapore.
I thought the music used by the Voice of Malaya would work well with some military drums so I layered those in at the beginning along with static and other sounds recorded off of shortwave radio.
Mixed into that was explosions and artillery and sounds of war. It starts off chaotic and goes into a disorienting cut-up piece, where fragmentary voices talk about the time period juxtaposed against the movie reel pieces. Bamboo flute textures were also used to convey a jungle feeling. For a short piece I can't convey the complexity of the situation, but could convey the chaos of it, with the aim of sounding as if a person were briefly tuning into this period of time."
Composition by Justin Patrick Moore.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
As a space flight nut, I have many recordings from the 1970s from Radio Moscow. They used to broadcast on the medium wave, and I used to record the news bulletins during some of the space flights.
In particular, there was a period between December 1977 and March 1978 when Soviet cosmonauts first lived aboard the Salyut 6 space station. I recorded each days' news reports on the flights, and also some additional items about them.
Recorded by Colin Anderton, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
VOA (Tuesday March 31,1981)
Voice of America (shortwave) 9670khz. 0600 GMT.
Recorded by Ian Holder, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Broadcaster: Voice of the Malayan Revolution
Date of recording: 1979
Starting time: 0930
Frequency: 15.790
RX location: Singapore
Receiver and antenna: Sony ICF-5900W, random wire.
Recorded by Nigel Thornbury, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"The incident in Vietnam on 30 April 1975 is known as the Fall of Saigon or the Liberation of Saigon. It depends on which side you support. This historical event unquestionably clarified the end of old-style colonialism. I prefer the former for the title because we still live in the cycle of fall and rise."
Composition by Keisuke Oki.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"In this story from the BBC World Service, news of the British invasion of the Falkland Islands begins with, as is customary, an announcement of the fighting and loss of ships and other large equipment. Only after this cataloging does the story move to the loss of human lives, both potential and actual.
While this does place the loss of ships and helicopters--literally--before the human cost of the invasion, I reread this news story as working in the way that a sonnet can, even if that wasn't the BBC's original intent. One form of the sonnet builds an argument in its first eight lines, then a shift occurs in the argument in the remaining six. The initial argument can be reversed in the volta or the turn in the latter section of the poem.
Thus, I distilled the language of the news story into a sonnet. The loss of equipment sets up the tragedy of the lost lives, the heavier cost of war. I wanted to turn the idea of privileging metal over men as the news story seems to do into one that concludes something quite different.
For the recording of my text, I left in artefacts of breath and pauses to mirror those of the news reader in the broadcast. I also distorted my voice and laid the static and pops of the received transmission over the poem, as I wanted my voice to be both of the language of the news story and of its reception over shortwave radio." Composition by T.D. Walker. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Shortwave coverage of the fall of Saigon as heard on Radio South Africa (RSA), Radio Nederland, Radio Japan and Radio Moscow on April 30, 1975.
Recorded by Tom Gavaras, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
BBC shortwave newscast during the Falklands War reporting that British troops have landed on the Falklands Island.
RX location: Plymouth, Minnesota
Receiver and antenna: Hammarlund HQ-180, longwire.
Recorded by Tom Gavaras, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I started the process by going through the audio to pick out any interesting snippets, including re-editing phrases to change the context. This also led to me to use the tone from the BBC ident in the intro section. After working on the rough arrangement I decided to add the tempo change then layer up the music in my usual fashion. The title of the piece references the talk of death (DFF) and revolution from the original audio. The final mix you hear is a live mixdown, hence the full title."
Composition by DFF Sound System.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"When we hear our own voice, we are already separated from that moment in which we spoke. As we pay attention to listening, we thicken the "now" with recollection, anticipation, and imagination. When we speak on the radio, our voice is further extended out through medial spacetime to receivers that we cannot even know are there. Radio is an act of trust, a gift... as is all language. But in radio the spectral presence of speech is enacted explicitly. Shortwave voices are heard as revenants of the radio frequencies, returning and returning again to haunt places they have never been, connecting moment to moment in an already-present remembrance, an already-remembered present.
The source material is a transmission on Radio Havana Cuba, 2 August 2017, recorded by Anthony Messina."
Composition by Robin Parmar.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"This is a piece made entirely from the original shortwave radio recording. I was entranced by the documentary section of the broadast on hunting with falcons, and I wanted to use as much of that as possible. Other sections were processed, looped and delayed to make a suitably atmospheric backing for the voices (only when it was finished did I realise that I stopped the rhythm each time the interviewer asked a question...)."
Composition by Basic Design.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"This was a difficult recording to reimagine - the weight of the messages contained in the recording was immense and it felt almost incorrect to change them too much. I didn't for that reason. I added nature sounds which I felt underscored the distance, though... and the isolation and longing for a familiar voice. Everything felt so far away, yet so full of emotion."
Composition by Emmy Tither.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Shortwave transmissions definitely have a ghostly quality, so I approached this with somewhat of a narrative; thinking of a long-ago abandoned outpost in the Antarctic, their final shortwave "radio show" transmission on loop."
Composition by Eulipion Corps.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
This is an aircheck of Radio Habana Cuba on 6145 from 8/2/17 via a KiwiSDR in Alexandria, VA at 1:15am EDT roughly.
Recorded by Anthony Messina, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
BBC World Service Reporting on the death of Fidel Castro. Believe these broadcasts were targeted to Africa, but reception was good into Europe that morning. I was listening to these using my home receiver in East Anglia, England, but due to local interference, started recording them using the Twente SDR.
Broadcaster: BBC
Date of recording: 11/26/2016
Starting time: 0700 UTC
Frequency: 11.770 & 12.095
Recorded by Scott G, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
This recording might be of historical interest. It is the Voice of Iran from December 1976, three years before the revolution in Iran that overthrew the Shah and established the current Islamic Republic. The recording is of the full half-hour broadcast and includes the news, some Iranian music, and a segment on falconry as a sport. There is some occasional interference from single-sideband station.
Recorded by Greg Shroom, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Every year, the BBC broadcasts a special program to the forty one scientists and support staff in the British Antarctic Survey Team; the show contains music requests and, most notably, personal messages from back home to the team of forty one.
The British Antarctic Survey celebrates today (their longest, darkest winter day) with the same enthusiasm as Christmas. The BBC noted:
The base commanders rise early to cook breakfast for their staff, presents are exchanged, there are sports and even, weather permitting, a mad streak in the snow! Feasting continues before they gather round a shortwave set to listen to the traditional broadcast packed with greetings from their family and friends back home together with music requests and messages from the British Antarctic Survey and a few celebrities. Finally the Antarctic horror movie The Thing is screened. For those who know the plot, perhaps it is just as well there are no longer sledge dogs in Antarctica...
Here is the recording of the BBC World Service's thirty minute broadcast to the British Antarctic Survey. I was able to receive a relatively strong signal at 21:30 UTC on 9,890 kHz from the World Service's Wooferton transmission site.
Recorded by Thomas Witherspoon, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
The American Forces Antarctic Network (AFAN) at McMurdo Station recorded in the 1980s on 6012 kHz SSB in New Zealand.
Recorded by Tony King, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"This piece uses - in various ways - a recording from the offshore radio station that broadcast from the former Dutch cargo vessel MV Peace almost continuously between 1973 and 1993. In addition to the more 'obvious' use of the recording (a static layer; short staccato bursts) an additional layer is played through a system of modules which - reacting to the sound itself - generates a heterodyne-like (near-)melody; a fake shortwave warble. The station did broadcast over AM, after all..."
Composition by Phexioenesystems.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Live, off-air, approximately twenty-minute recording of the Voice of Peace from Baghdad on 29 December 1990 beginning at 21:40 UTC on a shortwave frequency of 11860 kHz. This broadcast originated from a transmitter either in Iraq or Kuwait.
Iraq's Voice of Peace was established in August 1990 to beam programs to American servicemen stationed in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Shield following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait at the beginning of the month. Programming consisted of music, initially easy-listening music but subsequently changing to a "Top 40" mix, news and commentary in a failed effort to try to demoralize the American troops. Beginning in September 1990, the broadcasts used a female announcer dubbed "Baghdad Betty" by the Americans. Reportedly, Baghdad Betty was replaced by a team of announcers sometime in December 1990. The recording is an example of the news and music programming. It is not known if the female announcer is the famous Baghdad Betty or someone else.
Reception of the broadcast was poor to fair with slight interference and fading. At 21:58 UTC, there is interference splash from WYFR starting up on 11855 kHz. The initial frequency recorded may have been 21675 kHz before switching after a minute or so to 11860 kHz as the radio teletype interference abruptly stops at this point. The recording includes frequent station identifications such as "You are tuned to the Voice of Peace from Baghdad."
Recorded by Richard Langley, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"This was created by chopping up the original recording and then creating an instrumental track using drums, bass and guitar."
Composition by Karhide.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"The piece is called "Let us become human bombs to devotedly defend Respected Supreme Leader", which is a North Korean propaganda slogan. I wanted to capture the relentlessness of the original recording and the sinister nature of the propaganda in it. I've created it using different samples that have been 'stretched', treated and cut using Audacity or Logic Pro. I added a drone pad to ground the piece a bit. It's a bit disjointed at times but I think it somehow works."
Composition by Richard Watts.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"The true part: I indeed grew up in the 1950s with a little radio, though not a shortwave, to which I was thoroughly addicted. The fictional part: My real family wasn't anything like my fictional one, and it was I, not my dad, who became a professional musician and played in hotels, orchestra pits, etc. Besides my longstanding interest in commercial "old time radio," I have had a fascination for the sounds of shortwave for many years, and contributing to this project was right up my alley!"
Composition by John Tenney.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Discovering (after sending the file to a Russian translator) that the recording consisted of just spoken, random numbers, I took to chopping out the most interesting sounding sequences and arranging in a rhythmic pattern. I had played with shortwave before and already had some usable sounds. The music was improvised."
Composition by Daryn Brown.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
""Twin Cities at Night" interviews by Bill Diehl on Sputnik 1 with calls from listeners including one listener playing audio from Sputnik 1 as heard on his shortwave on 20005 kHz. Sputnik 1 audio can be heard about 4:20 into the recording. FYI ... Bill Diehl was very well known for being a columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press newspaper, a rock-and-roll disc jockey on WDGY-AM in the 1960s, and a popular announcer on WCCO-AM afterwards. Bill passed away in 2017. WTCN-AM is known today as WWTC-AM. Sputnik 1 was the first artificial Earth satellite. The Soviet Union launched it into an elliptical low Earth orbit on 4 October 1957, orbiting for three weeks before its batteries died, then silently for two more months before falling back into the atmosphere."
Recorded by Tom Gavaras, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"DPRK's international radio service was named "Radio Pyongyang" until year 2002. Now it is called "Voice of Korea".
In Chinese, Korean and Japanese languages, there are different words to distinguish the north and south.
In English language, word "Korea" may stand for both.
I think the name "Radio Pyongyang" is clear, does not have ambiguity. The name "Voice of Korea", we cannot guess which side it is from.
The radio recording was on the Military Foundation Day in DPRK, 25 April 1999. Its content is the celebration of the festival.
The programmes are political promotion news, editorials, songs and music.
The distance from receiving place Shenyang to Pyongyang is about 374.3KM, to Seoul is about 565.4KM, and to Beijing is about 660.5KM.
The two distances are shorter than to China's capital, it is easier to receive the radio programmes from the Korean Peninsula, and no special equipment is required.
Sometimes in the night, in the mid wave band, the radio transmission from North Korea can "mix" with Shenyang local radio signal, unintentionally interferes the local broadcast.
Broadcaster: Radio Pyongyang
Date of recording: 4/25/1999
Frequency: 9.445 MHz
Reception location: Shenyang China"
Recorded by Andy Wang, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"This was recorded on 11,885 kHz, July 24, 2021 at 19:00 UTC in McGrath, Alaska."
Recorded by Paul Walker, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
A Russian language numbers station. Paul recorded this on April 26, 2021 at 0218 UTC in McGrath, Alaska, on 11,615 kHz.
Recorded by Paul Walker, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"“Across the Ether” features a ham radio recording (from The Shortwave Radio Archive) made in 1974 with the operator from the Argentine Antarctica Station. This radio contact conversation was the inspiration for this electronic piece, because it really brings to life the personal aspects of history. It has a timeless quality about it that allows the listener to drift along with the shortwave transmissions. This project really does help us understand that all of humanity is truly out there to be listened to at the turn of a dial."
Composition by Jeff Dungfelder.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"There aren't really any instruments in this track at all... I used the busy signal, and some other phone operator sounds, I used feedback from different Hz frequencies and some toned down pulsing. I cut and pasted the clips that repeat, and some volume and effect work on the actual clip. I figured since it is a shortwave clip that the track is based around, anything too clean or processed just wouldn't fit all that well. I wanted to keep the sounds behind the speech a little more like switching through radio waves trying to find the footage. I figured the Nixon resignation was a great clip to use considering our opinions of our former and our present presidents we have had. I am personally not one to concern myself with any of that stuff...but I do feel like there are some very strong opinions being based one way or the other...this is another time where scandal and rumors are running around all over and everyone is on point with their opinions being heard one way or the other."
Composition by Mike Benoit.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"It is January 17, 1991, this is the appeal launched on Israeli radio. In the span of a month, 39 scud missiles launched from Saddam Hussein's Iraq fell on Israel. 17 fell in inhabited areas, two civilians died from the explosions and 11 were seriously injured, but 7 died from gas masks, 71 died from heart attack and respiratory problems, four from reaction to the injection of atropine.
In the piece “Who is playing with my terror?Nixon ” I wanted to describe a world where nuclear, chemical and biological weapons exist, and can be used to terrify civilians. The recording of the Israeli radio announcement inspired me to imagine what would it be like to listen to someone telling you that the air that you breathe could kill you. And thinking about it, I just realize that we too were told just that because of the pandemic."
Composition by Gianfranco Bitti.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"These recordings were originally made in 1974 by the late Jim Hayward (W2PVF) in Absecon, New Jersey (USA) with two different ham radio stations in Antarctica.
This recording is between W2PVF and LU1ZE of the Argentine Antarctica Station. The operator at the microphone is W1PV. The recording even includes a phone patch."
Recorded by Bill Hemphill, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Radio Australia shortwave broadcast with coverage of President Nixon's resignation speech on August 8, 1974."
Recorded by Tom Gavaras, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Recording of the North American Service of Kol Yisrael, the Voice of Israel, on the second night of the combat phase (Operation Desert Storm) of the First Gulf War, 17/18 January 1991.
The recording is of the 01:00 UTC broadcast on 18 January on 11605 kHz. The signals originated from 300 or 500 kW transmitters at Yavne, Israel.
At the beginning of the 01:00 UTC broadcast, an announcement is made of a missile attack (from Iraq) and Israeli residents are instructed to move to their prepared closed rooms and to don their gas masks. An extended news bulletin follows. The civil defence instruction is repeated several times during the broadcast. The broadcast, from Jerusalem, included live reports from Tel Aviv. Subsequently, residents are told they can remove their gas masks but should stay in their sealed rooms. The 02:00 UTC broadcast continues the special report including live commentary from both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, including the civil defence information telephone numbers around the country. There is a brief gap in the recording at about the 19m:40s mark due to a tape change. The broadcast concludes with a brief piece of music and the concluding announcement and interval signal.
Reception of the broadcasts was quite good. The 11605 kHz signal was strong with slight radio teletype interference. The 9435 and 7465 kHz frequencies also provided good signals although there was slight hum on one of the frequencies."
Recorded by Richard Langley, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"For this reimagining I wanted to turn a disparate collection of sounds into something more cohesive, but with a structure and flow that mirrored the original radio recording. I also wanted to utilise audio solely from the original source material, without introducing additional musical elements.
The electronic bird sounds at the start were recorded onto an analogue dictaphone and played back at a local allotment. This was then re-recorded, along with ambient sounds of the surrounding area - bird song, wind, distant traffic etc.
A short section of the bell chimes were cut up and looped with a gated delay and reverb. This was slowly increased until the loop was completely saturated and totally unrecognisable.
For the last section of the piece, I digitally processed radio interference and other sounds, and introduced looped vocal samples, run through a granular synthesizer."
Composition by Grey Frequency.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"When I heard piece 33, I really wanted to pick apart the music hidden away in the background. These parts were cut, looped and effected to provide a pallet of parts for the rest of the track. There were also a couple of station ID's that I wanted to pull out too, and these became the name and reference point for the track. All of the orginal piece had a long distance radio phasing effect throughout and I wanted to use this rather that try to hide or fix it. This approach is embellished on organ and vocal parts as its character was too good to leave out. I then set about the feel of the piece and wanted to aim for something akin to The Chemical Brothers first album "Exit Planet Dust". I pulled drum breaks and some meaty, fuzz bass to thicken up the track. I wanted to keep it brief, not too indulgent, so aimed for about 3 minutes. This allowed enough space for the parts of the original piece and also enough variation before the end, I think."
Composition by Rusty Sheriff.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"The material I chose to work with- short wave transmissions from the beginning of the first gulf war of 1991 (?) was so touching and grim that I felt the best approach was to bring light to it. I remixed a track of mine, SKELLINGTON SECOND LINE into it to help keep it moving and to give the urgency of the original broadcast some ballast and forward momentum. My track was made on Dumbek, Qarqaba, Toolhandles, and finger snaps. I cut the original 58 grueling minutes down to a selection of static, voices and music that ‘spoke’ to me and then cut them into my accompaniment. Having no understanding of Arabic, I used the voices as purely sonic elements, rearranging them with no ear to their meaning. I sincerely hope that it gives no offense to native speakers of Arabic and that my offering can be taken in a spirit of play."
Composition by Hearn Gadbois.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"This is an off-the-air recording of shortwave radio station Radio Baghdad made on September 26, 1990. The political situation was about to lead to the first Iraq war. This was the European service on a frequency of 13,660 khz. which was aired between 20-22 UTC. It was recorded in the Boston USA area. Receiver was a Yaesu FRG-8800 with an indoor wire antenna. Direct recording into a cassette recorder.
Date of recording: 9/26/1990"
Recorded by Lee Herterich, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Live, off-air, approximately one-hour recording of Iraq's Mother of Battles Radio in Arabic on 27 January 1991 beginning at about 13:30 UTC on a shortwave frequency of 17940 kHz. As Iraq's main shortwave broadcasting facility was put out of action early during Operation Desert Storm but while Iraq still occupied Kuwait, the broadcast likely originated from one of the 500 kW transmitters of Radio Kuwait.
Mother of Battles Radio, named after the phrase "Mother of all Battles" used by Saddam Hussein to describe the upcoming war with the United States, replaced the regular domestic shortwave service of the Broadcasting Service of the Republic of Iraq.
The recording consists of music, talk including exhortations against America and Bush, and frequent station identifications, e.g., "Huna idha'atu Umm al-Ma'arik" ("This is Mother of Battles Radio").
Reception of the broadcast was excellent with no interference until about the midpoint of the recording (around 13:59 UTC) when a faint jamming signal can be heard in the background. The recording is briefly interrupted when checking the signal on parallel frequencies (15600 kHz -- weaker; 9570 kHz -- not heard). There is also a brief interruption at about the 29m:25s mark in the recording due to a tape change." Recorded by Richard Langley. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Andrea Borgnino shares the following off-air recording clips of the final shortwave broadcasts from Radiotelevisione italiana (RAI):
15380 kHz 6:30 pm UTC 30 September 2007 - Program for North America in Italian.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"The original piece of shortwave radio inspired me to imagine the radio waves transmitting through the air, over the mountains of the the Himalayas and eventually across the universe."
Composition by Andrew Howden.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"Samples from Radio Afghanistan 1976 used in the track:
Treated loop of music from part of the original recording used at 0.01 in and throughout.
Bass tone from the beginning of the original recording used at 0.03 in and throughout.
I was intrigued when I initially heard the recording of Radio Afghanistan from 1976. I was a young Short Wave Listener in Coventry at the time so it comes with some personal nostalgia and it's from a period when the shortwave bands were a far busier sonically magical place than now (even though they are still sonically magical.)
I immediately loved the bass hum at the start of the recording and it’s interesting to hear The Voice of America’s "Yankee Doodle" in the background at 23 seconds in and VOA signing on at 59 seconds in.
Originally I tried to make a loop of a section of the main musical interlude but to no avail. As soon as I put part of it through some effects (Reason's Alligator Triple Filtered Gate) and combined it with a loop of the bass tone from the start of the recording I started getting somewhere. I added some drums influenced by a Big Youth track from 1975 then a bassline and sent it to my musical collaborator Jazz'min Tutum in Freiburg, Germany who adds:
"I was working on a praise poem for Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry when Pete sent me the track and I thought why not try those lyrics over it. Lee Perry's work has always been a "hauntology" of Kingston in terms of city and memory and I am sure he would have also been very interested in Pete's (use of) shortwave recordings especially the frequencies contained within them..."" Composition by Pete Polanyk. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"It was a very simple sample to start with, so it was easy to separate out useful sounds to make percussive sounds, tones and reverb impulses. I layered a couple of synths on top, echoing the shortwave signal and then drenched everything in loads of reverb and delay to try to recreate the sense of the signal struggling through space."
Composition by David Webb.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
The first [Radio Afghanistan] recording is from 1976. The recording was made with the GRUNDIG Satellit 600 Professional recorder unit prototype I got from my uncle who worked at GRUNDIG as mentioned before.
Date: ?, sometime in 1976
Time: around 1130 GMT/UTC
QRG: 15195 kHz
Listen carefully to this recording. In the background you can hear the VOA Yankee Doodle played before starting its programmes. The programme was broadcast via the BBC Ascencion Island Relay, at 1130 GMT the VOA programme in Spanish for South America began. Later in the recording you can also hear Radio Moscow's ID signal.
Recording by Manfred Reiff.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Filename: All-India-Radio-(AIR)_India
Bitrate Mode: vbr Channel Mode: mono Sample Rate: 44100 Hz
Recording by Jerry Johnston.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Filename: BBC_England_(Four-notes-B-B-B-E).mp3 (317.23 kB)
Bitrate Mode: vbr Channel Mode: mono Sample Rate: 44100 Hz
Recording by Jerry Johnston.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I worked on the recording of the Chinese invasion of Vietnam in 18th February 1979. I mixed it with Uh Yes Uh No, the voice of Andy Warhol from Jeff Gordon, Art Voices.
Gordon's interviewed Warhol but then he erased the questions and just left the “yes” and “no” answers. Warhol would talk a loved recordings of people’s voices. Gordon claims that his favorite was Jacqueline Kennedy’s because it was like a whispering breath. Somehow this tragic announce of the Chinese invasion of Vietnam is made by a very gentle voice which made me think of this piece: Uh Yes Uh No. (Source UbuWeb Sound)"
Composition by Giovanna Iorio.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"All sounds used were from the original recording, the psychogenic origin refers to the Havana Syndrome. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havana_syndrome for further details. The interesting element is the application of the various listing of potential causes and the application (by modulation and FX) of some of them within the composition.
All was edited / synchronised in Logic and some of the samples were modified by an approximation of the Havana Syndrome supposed causes. It would be tempting to add that it was recorded live at the Hotel Nacional, Havana, Cuba but was it not?"
Composition by Peter Hodgkinson.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
As a child, I was often found glued to my dad’s shortwave radio station in pursuit of voices from across the globe. If lucky, I would exchange a few words, in very limited English, with a stranger somewhere far away. Most of the time, all I got was static, in itself a hint of the vast universe yet to be explored by a young soul. This was in the 1970’s and it was my internet.
My piece is a treatment of my own childhood curiosity and the extreme autocracy of North Korea. I used bits of propaganda from North Korean radio, the Kim Jong-Un approved pop band Moranbong Band - performing tributes to their leader - and the massive impact of military parades regularly performed for the Kim family and potentates.
Sources used:
The invasion of South Korea by North Korea on 25 June 1950 announced by Swedish state radio SR.
Mix of “Voice of Korea”, short wave transmissions by North Korea state radio.
North Korean number codes, short wave transmissions date unknown.
Tapto by Moranbang Band.
Military parades of 2005 and 2012 in Pyongyang.
Patriotic Song by North Korean Military Choir.
Voice of Chairman Kim Jong-Un meeting President Donald Trump on 30 June 2019 at the Korean DMZ, related by Swedish state television SVT.
Short wave interference noise recorded from Lafayette HE-20T, a short wave base station used by my father in the 1970’s and still used by me.
All other sound clips from The Short Wave Radio Archive, Daily Mail, Swedish state Radio archives and YouTube. Composition by Eva Q. Mansson. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Voice of Vietnam, Chinese Invasion of Vietnam, 18 Feb 1979. 20-30 GMT (i.e. 6-30 am Eastern Standard Time, 19 Feb 1979) 10-40 KHZ
Recorded off-air by Ian Holder, Brisbane, Australia.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Speech by Fidel Castro (in Spanish) on the 15th Anniversary of the Cuban Revolution. Originally delivered January 2, 1974. Broadcast January 10, 1974- 0420GMT- 11.840khz.
Recording by Ian Holder.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
This recording comes from the aircheck archives of Michael Pool.
According to Michael’s notes, the following recording of the Voice of Korea was made on March 25, 2005 at 0300 UTC on 9345 kHz. The reception location was likely New York City. No other notes were included with this recording.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Radio France International. This broadcast was recorded on February 8, 2014 around 07:00 UTC on 9,790 kHz. This broadcast originates from the Issoudun transmitter site (500 kW).
Recorded by Thomas Witherspoon.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Death of Yuri Andropov (14 Feb 1984) (Tues 1200GMT). Andropov succeeded Brezhnev as General Secretary of the Communist Party.
Radio Moscow shortwave broadcast.
Recorded by Ian Holder.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Radio Moscow (8 August 1970). Propaganda broadcast discussing German-Soviet Treaty, Northern Ireland, Vietnam and the Middle East.
Recorded by Ian Holder.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Shortwave coverage from Radio Moscow of the Soviet October Revolution Parade (7 November 1970). The military parade celebrated the October Revolution beginning in 1918 and continued until 1990 (the year before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991).
Recorded by Ian Holder.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"The piece is called "A man of talent with great abilities", which is what Putin said about Yuri Andropov, which I thought sounded rather sinister. It's more of a soundtrack to the original recording. I wanted to do something a bit like Benjamin Britten's 'Russian Funeral' so it's mainly a horn based instrumental. There are three main parts to it - intro, march and bridge."
Composition by Richard Watts.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"There's something I loved about grit and the words coming out of the interference that grabbed me. My original idea was to try and make the whole track out of samples from the original piece. Although it didn't quite work out that way, I did create a lot of the drums, pads, bass and the kind of piano / xylophone lead thing at the end by dropping samples from the recording in to various ableton instruments and pitching / manipulating them until I could play them as instruments. It produced these brilliantly gritty sounds that had the character from the original recording
"I went through the track and pulled out the more melodic sections from the ident at the beginning of the recording and chopped and rearranged them ableton. I also went through the spoken section and pulled out some phrases that jumped out and panned and glitched them to create the wall of spoken dialogue.
"Once I laid out the main track with the instruments and direct samples I then added some new drums and guitar to the last section. I used ableton to kind of jam the whole thing out and added live guitar overdubs and some new drums to make it sound more alive."
Composition by Tiger Mendoza.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"The piece is made up of samples from the commentator's voice in a “Zoolook” style (JM Jarre 1984). Sometimes words can be heard and sometimes it is just rhythms."
Composition by Simon Woods.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I spent six months in the 1980s working at the BBC World Service, so I felt a particular connection to the original recording. The vast majority of the piece comprises clips of this, processed and manipulated. A montage of other Short Wave transmissions was added at the top - thanks to Electronic Battle for the loan of the SW Receiver (and for helping me to the rig the aerial over the roof!). The recurring six note keyboard motif is based on the syllables of "BBC World Service". The title - the BBC's motto - is used ironically here."
Composition by Nick St. George.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"I started by playing with the recording in my software - processing it in different ways. As I was messing around tinkering with sounds, the recording made me think of a deserted giant cargo spaceship and a lone character boarding and searching the ship while the recording mysteriously played through the ship's tannoy. I added some field recordings I made recently on a village green near me. And it felt like the searching character was remembering being back at home. So I think that maybe this track is a soundtrack to that imagined sci-fi movie scene. Later, I googled whether radio transmissions leak into space and they do, so maybe this scene actually happened. The final track is made of the original radio recording, a synth made from a sample of the recording, some preset digital synths, stock samples, a recording I made of HAM radio static, some of my original field recordings and I play guitar on it too."
Composition by Sam Care.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
A shortwave transmission from Radio Peking. Propaganda recording about the challenge to world peace posed by "the U.S. Imperialists”. Recorded in Australia by Ian Holder.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Radio Peking (6 November 1970). Commentary on establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Italy; message from China to Soviet Union.
Recorded by Ian Holder.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
The period before 1980s,1950s and 1960s were very active in terms of espionage. Many declassified documents tell us about CIA and SIS operations in Baltic States, Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and elsewhere using Morse code messages. Then there is a case of Operation SOLO of FBI infiltration in the American Communist Party and Soviet secret service, where numbers transmissions from the Soviet Union were involved.
Numbers stations were in the air and there were people listening to them. So this brings to the subject of this article: a authentic tape recording of several transmissions of Spanish language Five Digit numbers station recorded in 1966. What we have here is a recording of supposedly male voice Spanish language numbers station. The technical issues and specifics of the broadcasts may point to Cuba. Cubans in 1980s to early 2010s used voiced five figure stations with characteristic“Atencion” at the start of the broadcast. This is was known as V02 and V02a before moving on to hybrid digital and voice station HM01 This station however has no such prefixes. It could be old predecessor to Antencion station. CIA was caught using four figure numbers station in Spanish language, so CIA involvement also cannot be ruled out.
Recorded by Don Hibschweiler.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
"An original 1960s tape recording of shortwave Spanish language numbers stations is cryptically woven into this original musical composition of a reimagined spy network broadcast.
In addition to the numbers broadcast, you are listening to musical Morse code-like transmissions, and bursts of shortwave static.
The frenetic changes in musical passages occur as spymasters discover their codes are compromised and the realization dawns that they may have to eventually face the music."
Composition by Tom Thompson.
Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
Hedge sparrows in Maltby, UK reimagined by CuSi Sound (Alan Jackson).
"Hearing the sparrows chattering away in the hedge with traffic passing by reminded me of people gathering outside cafés to chat as others pass by going about their business. I recorded a sample of the sparrows and traffic as a tape loop then used this in a live studio performance with my Project XII modular analogue synth."
Sparrows chattering in a garden hedge at the side of the road with passing traffic and an occasional person. Recorded in Maltby, UK by Alan Jackson.
Crossbow competition in Volterra, Italy reimagined by de Velden.
"The setting of the original recording felt bathed in dappled sunlight, so I started with a piano accompaniment that played, flitted and drifted across and around the voices, the sounds of the crossbow competition and bells. The rest of the track grew from there."
Wandering around the medieval city of Volterra in Tuscany, what could be more appropriate than entering the main piazza to the sounds of an authentic crossbow competition taking place? Here you can hear the practice session ahead of the main competition, with the thwack of bolts hitting the target on the other side of the piazza, and the sound reverberating off every wall. Midway through, the bells from the campanile start to chime to bring even more interest and atmosphere to the recording.
Binaural recording by Cities and Memory.
Looking out from Piazza San Marco in Venice across the lagoon, there is a regular mooring spot for many of the city's iconic gondolas, and they rock back and forth, sloshing gently along as motor boat traffic stirs the waters nearby. Here we can hear the gondolas knocking into one another and riding the waves, as motorboats pass on one side, and passers-by walk behind us from another angle. Binaural recording by Cities and Memory.
Moored gondolas in Venice reimagined by Guyda Armstrong.
"This re-imagined sound is centred on an object from Venice’s past, a copy of Dante’s Divine Comedy printed in the city by Wendolin of Spira in 1477. It begins with present-day sounds which could have been heard at the time of the book’s making half a millennium ago, and then moves into the present day and to another city, with field recordings of the place where it now lives, deep in the climate-controlled stacks of the University of Manchester’s John Rylands Library. The original field recording of the gondolas was made on the Grand Canal, just outside the windows of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana's rare books reading room."
"Books (and not just Venetian books) are made in water as part of their paper-making process, and this is a particularly watery book, which has seen significant water damage in its long life. Subterranean and watery sounds tie the piece together, as it moves from the splashing of the canals of Venice, into the ambient sounds of the underground library book stacks, and up through the back stairs of the building as the book is taken to the photography studio.
"We capture various other noises along the way: the winding of the moveable shelves to access the book; the hum of the server fans and climate conditioning units; the intermittent beeps and thuds of the door alarms and studio equipment. Sounds from the original field recording are slowed down and resampled to provide a constant sonic undertow. The book itself can be heard as its pages are turned and photographed, and the piece closes at the end of its brief trip up into the world, as we switch off the equipment and prepare to return it to the depths."
San Gimignano sound installation reimagined by Scott Lawrence Whitman.
"The original field recording was a fervent spoken word performance about climate change from San Gimignano, Italy. I attempted to convey the urgency of the matter by manipulating the dialog and reinforcing the message with music."
A sound art installation pumps out of a large speaker cone-like structure into the Piazza del Duomo, San Gimignano. The subject matter is around climate change and the impact it's having globally, with impassioned speeches from Italian activists mixed in with soundscapes.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
A busker of west African origin sings under the porticos in Padova, Italy - this particular singer always chooses this spot for the excellent reverb it offers, as well as the healthy number of passers-by. He has a beautiful voice, and often sings what appear to be exrtemely heartfelt songs in what we assume is his mother tongue - this is an excerpt of one such lovely song. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Padova busker reimagined by Barney Spigel.
"Moved by the music being performed as well as the sense of place captured in the recording, I wanted to zoom in on some of my favourite slices of the soundscape by looping and layering them into an evolving pattern of rhythm, texture, harmony and timbre so as to hypnotise the listener into perceiving the original recording with an extremely heightened sense of what I love about it."
Dolomite cows feeding reimagined by Janae Jean.
"The sounds of cows grazing in the mountains with their bells jingling gave me the impression of shimmering light on a summer day. I used the audio to generate MIDI data from I constructed the melody, harmony, rhythm, and tempo of the piece."
Stromboli beach reimagined by John Savarese.
"A walk along an imaginary shoreline, using sounds from the volcanic stone and sand on Stromboli and a rocky beach on Long Island Sound."
Sottopasso delle Cure, Florence reimagined by Hansklammer.
"We reimagined the underpass as an underground florentine network of tunnels through which the listener explores. We took inspiration from the Lou Reed track Glory of Love that is can be heard in the original field recording and based our soundscape on different interpretations of that song using guitar / synth / bass and samples."
Camposampiero mass bells reimagined by Lisa Rae Bartolomei.
"The act of atonement, contemplation and faith in a higher power brings light to the darkest of times , and we are all finding our own ways to find hope amongst the blackness of a year of misery and confinement. The bell a symbol of love, warning and the heart of community acts as a guiding force through the stormy weather.
"This recording is built from abstractions of church bells. Bells being an archetypal sound and electroacoustic staple I was interested in exploring the possibility of working with their rich sonic textures to explore the emotions of a city longing for spring to come after a very dark winter."
Dolomite mountain stream reimagined by Andy Truscott.
"A simple synth part that has been processed through some modular equipment. Some side chain compression is introduced to add movement to the piece. I felt inspired to write a simple ambient, evolving piece for this field recording."
Villa del Conte campana della sera reimagined by Rafoo.
"When I first heard and picked the field recording, I remembered it being warm and idyllic. However, the day I finally got to working on it, I couldn't feel anything but discomfort/uneasiness. The resonance from the bells which builds up in the later part of the recording sounded like something straight out of an avant garde horror flick.
"As hard as I tried to remove that feeling from the recording (by actually editing out that part), it persisted and spilled into every simpler instrument I was creating, the editing, everything. It didn't matter what the field recording was, I was feeling a certain way and projecting that everywhere. The reimagined sound is a piece of my current mind and self; ugly, angry, chaotic, untethered. I almost hate it as much as I hate myself."
Cows feed in the Dolomites close to a mountain rifugio, their cowbells clanking melodically - a classic European mountain sound. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Close to Rifugio Contrin in the Italian Dolomites, a mountain stream rushes past under a simple wooden bridge. We placed the Zoom H6 recorder close to the water under the bridge to get as close a take as possible of the sound.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
On a Sunday morning, as dozens of people queue up outside the hospital at Camposampiero in Italy for a Covid-19 test as part of ongoing pandemic precautions across the country, the bells ring out for Sunday mass from the town beyond, to remind us of life trying to go on as normal in the midst of such unprecedented times.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
A second recording in a few years of the "campana della sera" (evening bell) in Villa del Conte, Italy, as the original repetitive chime that signals 9pm every day has now been replaced with a series of melodic patterns at the same time every day. The bell has the same purpose - to mark the end of the day to the town, but a very different feel with the new sound.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Abbazia Pisani September bells reimagined by Steve Germana.
"For the Cities and Memory Italian remix project, I chose a field recording that began with steady bells and transitioned into bird calls. I found a tuning for a guitar to match the bells and improvised with the sounds.
"Using one of my own patches in max/msp, I changed the pitch, speed, and duration of many tracks of the field recording, and mixed those with my guitar improvisations. My intention with this work is give impressions of displacement, miscommunication with unyielding patterns of repetition and a bit of pathos."
On a Wednesday morning in September, bells chime across the village of Abbazia Pisani in Italy - we hear a couple of cars pass by, birds chirping in the trees and passers-by. A peaceful, everyday soundscape.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Binaural recording from Campo Santa Margherita, Venice - this square is one of the social hubs of the city, a large open space filled with cafes and bars. This recording really conveys the sounds of a late, warm August afternoon, with cicadas buzzing, life passing by in the bars and cafes, and towards the end the piazza's church bells ring for 5pm. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Binaural recording from one of the most striking cities in Tuscany, San Gimignano. This is a recording of passing crowds in the unusually-shaped Piazza della Cisterna, surrounded by tall buildings with a lovely reverberation. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Campo Santa Margherita, Venice, reimagined by Una Walker.
"Working on this piece exactly two years since my last trip to Venice provided an opportunity to re-live walking through the streets, over bridges, by the lagoon, and eating lunch in Campo Santa Margherita. The original recording is used as a spine throughout the piece around which I have woven my own recordings."
Piazza della Cisterna, San Gimignano reimagined by Audio Obscura.
"I asked Cities and Memory to allocate me a random field recording which seemed a fun way to approach this. I listened through to the recording only once and then decided to cut up the recording into small fragments and begin to assemble a piece this way.
"It was made in a very haphazard way and after a short while I had a basic cut up section that I then recorded and improvised on top of, adding beats and synth sounds and effects. It felt like a jam and I didn't tidy it up too much, rather liking the fragmented nature of the piece."
La Campana dell'Amicizia e della Concordia (the bell of friendship and peace) is a monument on top of Monte Piano in the Dolomites. The bell monument was created as a warning to remind us to look for peace between peoples, and is located on a trench crag, between the first Italian-Austrian line. When you ring the bell, it resounds over an enormous distance across the mountains that surround you on all sides.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
The Bell of Friendship on Monte Piano reimagined by Michael Lilley.
"I took the central bell clang and jammed (solo) with it in Endlesss until I had hammered the original sound, beyond recognition.
"The final arrangement was in Bitwig."
Mass bells in Abbazia Pisani reimagined by Neil Spencer Bruce (Light B4 Sound).
"The importance of bells in soundscape and culture is well documented as a way of controlling people and providing a sense of community. I wanted to explore both the tonality of the bell and the spaces in which the chime. On first hearing the field recording, images of Nick Roeg's Don't Look Now and the Giallo films of Dario Argento became the inspiration, films had a sense of dimension and space to them, and a sense of impending doom.
"Izotope's RX was used at the basis for the tone palette, creating samples using spectral frequency elements from the recorded bells. Spectral repair was used to highlight the 'noise' in the recording and then use this to form part of the underlying pad sounds. Additionally stripping elements from the original recording, also provided sources for a number of convolution reverb impulses which tracks elements were then processed with.
"Binaural processing was used to further to add an immersive layer to the piece and to give it an additional authentic 80's feel, the mix was then processed on to an analogue cassette tape, for added hiss and nostalgia."
Mountain stream in Alba reimagined by Kenya DuBois.
"Before the Covid-19 pandemic, I was planning a visit to several European countries. The meditative sound of the recording in tandem with my composition represents a portion of the sensory experience of sound and fragrance that I looked forward to experiencing, such as cafés, countrysides, and the white truffles of Alba."
Dolomite mountain stream reimagined by Nicolo Scolieri.
"In looping sections, searching for rhythms in the noisy stream, and adding some tones and pitching them together, it seems like the interlocking waters made a chamber, reverberant and dark, but shining too, a cave."
Piazza Dalmazia, Florence reimagined by Mike Rucinski.
"The original recording from the Piazza Dalmazia was almost ten minutes long, so I knew some careful selection was required in order to draw out a narrative. On second listen it became clear that while this was a busy street with people, vehicles and cafes / shops, a darker undertone began to present itself in the form of coughing people, and lots of them. This coughing, combined with the distinctive Italian siren sound became the sonic framework for this piece.
"I added some piano, played while listening to the original recording, and layered, morphed, looped and snipped many elements from the original recording to build a feeling of busy Italy, intense city movement, and the safety of indoors vs the uncertainty of outdoor life in 2020/21; as many of us have felt strong anxiety brought on by public places and human interaction in recent times. While this piece represents the dark in life, there is also very much a feeling of uplift and positivity layered alongside, waiting to come forward stronger than ever."
Cinque Torri, Italy reimagined by Liz Hanks.
"The field recording of birds, people and a distant aeroplane inspired me to contemplate on the increasing polarisation between, nature, humans and technology. The three elements currently co-exist but we as a human population need to make huge changes to make this sustainable. The piece is a lament for our future."
Cimitero Verano in Rome reimagined by Leon Muraglia.
"Emiliano rushed home after making the recording. It was his turn to make dinner and his girlfriend was due home just after 5. The bus was a bit late so he just made it before she got home. After dinner, they talked about how their days had gone and watched a film. Emiliano then prepared his books for the next day. It was then that Emiliano realised he had mislaid his glasses. But where? He needed them the next day for lectures.
"He searched the whole flat before realising that he must have left them at the cemetery. They would be easy to find, as he had stood next to a wall. Of course! He had taken them off to focus on the screen on his audio recorder and put them on top of the waist-high wall whilst he recorded. 25mins later, he was at the site. After jumping the wall, he was in the pitch-black of the cemetery. An oasis of darkness in the city centre. Feeling uneasy, he felt along the wall for his glasses, but found nothing. Where could they be? He kept searching, with only the light from his mobile phone. Colder, uneasier now, he kept stretching out in the black. Suddenly..."
Mercato delle Cascine, Florence reimagined by Laura Jacobs.
"I only used sounds from the sample because I felt there was so much life and music in it already. I looped and used effects to highlight and add playfulness to the sections I particularly liked. I hope the listener feels they are floating inside and around the market, zooming in and out of all these activities that are happening simultaneously."
Via Vincenzo Gioberti, Florence reimagined by David McKenna.
"In Concrete Gazebo we use samples all the time, incorporating and 'playing' them during jams that are then are then edited and mixed. This sample was tried in a few ways but this piece perhaps best reflects the bustle of a city street as captured in the original recording."
Piazza del Duomo, Siena reimagined by Bartosz Panek.
"I really missed even the shortest journeys during recent lockdowns. Before the latest, introduced in Poland in October 2021, I travelled to Łódź, a city where you can hear trams everywhere. They are quite old and old-fashioned. Looking at them I realised they resemble old trains moving slowly on peripheral railway lines. When I was a child, I used to dream of travelling by train, although – or because – in a small city in Eastern Poland where I was brought up train connections were suspended for many years.
"And during long months of lockdown my hearing changed a bit – I’ve been suffering from tinnitus. Sometimes I fell like I hear my dreams in which the sounds you listen to are distorted, sharpened or enhanced.
When I find out a mother calling her son and a suitcase being dragged on the pavement in the original source sound from Siena, all my yearning was woken up. Including a journey to Siena."
Stromboli beach reimagined by Giovanni Verga.
"An ancient legend tells us that Strombolicchio is the cap of the Stromboli volcano thrown into the sea by a violent eruption. And indeed, this small volcanic island is located right opposite the volcano.
"This image took me back to 20 years ago on a cold April morning when I was in the island walking on the beach. The sea was in a storm, the Stromboli erupting and Strombolicchio just there a few meters away, looking at volcano as if it were a bottle cork thrown into the sea. I wanted to compose a small piece as a tribute to that magical and energetic vision."
Verano Cemetary: a huge monumental burial, full of tombs of important people in Rome and in Italy, surrounded by giant walls and a circle of trees.
Its dimensions, walls and trees makes it a quiet place: traffic noise is barely audible from the centre of the cemetery (where the audio starts) with birds singing, then moving gradually to the exit the city noises increase.
Recorded by Emiliano Venanzini.
A powerful mountain stream close to Malga Rin Bianco in the Italian Dolomites. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
The stunningly-beautiful Piazza del Duomo is one of two extraordinary piazze in Siena, Italy - this one hosts the city's magnificent Duomo, and is both a major thoroughfare and a magnet for the city's tourists. Recorded by Cities and Memory, August 2021.
Bells call the village of Abbazia Pisani, Italy to mass on a Sunday morning in August.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Soundscape from Via Vincenzo Gioberti, Florence, Italy.
Florence is not only a city centre with countryside surrounding it, but there are also many other areas to be explored. These places do not only offer original and unexpected points of interest for art lovers, but they also have a kaleidoscope of sounds that really tell you something about life in Florence. Abandon yourself in a soundwalk through Isolotto and San Frediano, with their veracious people; among the elegant XIX century buildings just outside the centre; through Campo di Marte, where sporting events are held; or in the small country villages still belonging to the city municipality, like Galluzzo, Settignano and Serpiolle. You will find the true soul of a city that did not stop living in the Renaissance, but still breathes and sounds today.
Recorded by Valerio Orlandini.
Soundscape from Piazza Dalmazia, Florence, Italy.
In every corner of the city there is a market at least once a week. Ostensibly they look very similar, but each one has its own features, according to the zone of the city in which it is held. You can guess the typical inhabitant of every area by listening to the voices and the way the customers approach to their local market. Moreover, some markets attract people from all over the city, like the one held in Cascine park on Tuesdays or the monthly antique market of Vittorio Veneto.
Recorded by Valerio Orlandini.
Soundscape from the Mercato delle Cascine, a street market in Florence, Italy.
Recorded by Valerio Orlandini.
The sound of birds nesting, the occasional bird of prey overheard, a passing aeroplane and hikers at Cinque Torri, a stunning location in the Italian Dolomites. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
In Alba in Trentino, Italy, a mountain stream runs through the centre of this town in the heart of the Dolomites, where the sound has that typical purity one only gets up in the mountains. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Walking on a stone/sand mixed beach, on which the sand is coloured black due to volcanic activity, on the island of Stromboli, which boasts an active volcano as its centrepiece. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Crickets in Scopello, Sicily reimagined by Michael Reiley.
"The piece started with the high pitch din of the night-time crickets. After all my work with Echozoo reimaging the sounds of extinct animals I got very inspired by imagining and interpreting what is it that animals hear. How is their interior soundscape different that what humans hear? With this piece I was exploring the resonance of what does a field of crickets sound like to the crickets themselves. Is it soothing, peaceful, or agitating? The result of this piece is a meditation on that point of merging of our human-centric sound of the field of crickets and the crickets' perspective on their own song."
Lerici birdsong reimagined by Cameron Lovegrove.
"All sounds used are manipulations of birdsong, which I used to create sustained drones that formed the basis of the sounds heard. The aim was to create a blend of the real forest sound, and a fictional sound world."
Bells in San Gimignano reimagined by Jase Warner.
"'Campane Italiane' features a field recording of bells ringing out in San Gimignano, a hill town in Italy’s Tuscany region.
"The composition is made up of multiple layers of the original recording, each accompanied with its own particular drone texture. Synthesiser tracks have also been added to compliment the patterns and movement of the bells."
From the top of a high viewpoint in the incredibly picturesque Tuscan town of San Gimignano, Italy, late afternoon bells ring out in the golden sunshine.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Bells ring out for morning mass in Abbazia Pisani, Italy - in the background you can hear the morning radio show burbling away to itself, while periodically two dogs bark at everyone who passes their house across the street. A typical soundscape of morning life.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Bells in Abbazia Pisani reimagined by Xqui.
"The church bells act as a percussive sound in tandem with the occasional dog bark - music in itself. The added 'reverse' echo and ambient streams developed the piece."
Siena's Piazza del Campo is known all over the world for its stunning beauty and unusual shell-like shape, and its size and shape also gives it fascinating sonic characteristics. Here we stand in the centre of the piazza to take a binaural recording of a typical August afternoon in the centre of Siena.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Piazza del Campo, Siena reimagined by Andy Billington.
"I worked into the original recording of Siena Piazza del Campo a number of forgotten "sonic sketch book ideas" found on an old computer hard drive. Abandoned song ideas, Zoom recorder piano motifs from lockdown 2020 and some fragmented reverse piano tape experiments were re appropriated. These slowly formed the basis for the track.
"Some form of rotary synth effect from Apple Logic Pro 8 (2008) added to the movement of the track as did a fragment stock loop sample of a jazz trio. Adding reverse reverb to one section of the jazz drums gave the final rhythmic chaos finish.
"Finally the all important dog yelp samples were repositioned (a part of the original recording that really stood out). In a town famous for horse racing it is somewhat ironic that the dogs finally get a look in..."
Villa del Conte thunderstorm reimagined by Eulipion Corps.
"Thoughts roll in with the storm, some passing quickly, others lingering demanding attention. A strong feeling of longing or nostalgia emerges. Breathe in, breathe out."
A huge thunderstorm captured in a field of maize in Villa del Conte, Italy - recorded by Cities and Memory. Heavy rain splashes off the leaves of the maize plants, while thunder rumbles threateningly above.
Palermo airport reimagined by Mat Ward.
"Leaving Sicily is a poetic remembrance, expressed through sound, of my travels across the Island in 2017. For me the island was a constant barrage of wonder; both beautiful and terrifying, welcoming and isolating, modern and ancient and familiar yet alien.
"The piece heavily manipulates samples from the field recording captured at The Falcone Borsellino airport to express some of the dichotomies above. Leaving Sicily finishes with the ‘raw’ sound of the crowd of the airport terminal representing the transition from my surreal and personal travel back into the world of normality - just another tourist in the crowd about to return to his normal life."
Via dei Calzaiuoli, Florence, reimagined by Nick St. George.
"All you really need to know about this piece is that Via dei Calzaiuoli is THE shopping street in Florence..."
Checking in at Falcone Borsellino airport, Palermo, recorded by Giuseppe Calisti.
"While I was waiting to check-in I found myself in front of a long line of passengers and I took the opportunity to record the audio and the din of that moment."
Giardino di Villa Strozzi, Florence, reimagined by Sarah Knudtson.
"The sounds of the Giardino di Villa Strozzi reminded me of dusk and I imagined a magical stroll along its wooded paths. As I began to play with remixing the recording I suddenly remembered a series of anti-records I had created from discs I had inherited from my grandmother. Looking through the abandoned project, I found an Italian record called, La Voce di Wilma Doich and began to make recordings by dropping the needle on the scratched and shattered surface as it spun on the turntable. The title was taken from the song, Io Non Ci Saro, which references my absence from the garden and the absence of my grandmother."
Inside the Duomo di Volterra in Tuscany, Italy, we can hear a group of young people singing a hymn, accompanied by acoustic guitar and organ. As we walk around the cathedral, the recording takes in different sonic perspectives of the performance.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in Volterra reimagined by Artur Kinal.
"As may be seen from the title I was inspired by Guy Debord quote: "each person will live in his own personal 'cathedral'". So I reimagined this actual cathedral singing to make it more personal and fitting to my imagination of my own cathedral and how it would sound.
"In the process I used AE Modulkar only, deforming the sampled piece to the point where it was more to my liking and adding some other sounds to accompany it. This was my way to create and enhance the recording's solemn and uplifting mood."
Piazza Dalmazia in Florence reimagined by Ross Burns.
"The inspiration: You are falling asleep in the afternoon and are somewhere warm. As you drift off, lightly in the background you begin to hear only the sounds around you. This field recording reminded me of these moments.
"The track is made by panning different parts of the field recording to the left and right. I then added processing and texture in the low-end to fill the space. The chord sound and pad sound are made from fragments of the field recording stretched, placed into a sampler and processed differently. The top end of a piano is layered on the keys sound. With regards to the chords it’s one take, I tried to play the chords taking into consideration the movements created by the field recording."
Kotor clock tower reimagined by Camilla Fanning.
"The Montenegro bell recording is perfectly pleasant, unfortunately the year that's in it all I could think of was a warning bell. The piece reflects a sense of swirling words, numbers, unease and alarm.
"The tracks are taken from real emails and texts received over the last year, as well as some official advice. In all it felt like a general blur of related, ominous yet somehow inadequate communication. Responding to and trying to keep a record of this moment in time seemed the right approach. Frankly, it was impossible to avoid."
Inside a ferry in Piombino, Italy reimagined by Richard Gadd.
"I wanted to use as much of the original sound as possible for its 'industrial' quality. Among those qualities are resonance and confinement. Within a shuddering steel hull the sounds of the ship are compressed into a bewildering cacophony."
Recording from inside the hull of a car ferry from Elba to Piombino, Italy, arriving at our destination. It's a claustrophobic, dense soundscape in which the overwhelming drone of the ferry's engines is punctuated by a car alarm going off, and towards the end the ferry doors open, letting in the summer morning daylight and an escape to freedom.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
"The Baie de Cayola is located on the western shores (Atlantic Ocean) of France near Les Sables d'Olonne. It is a very small bay (800 meters wide), with a pebble beach.
"There is a road nearby, but you won't hear it on this recording.
It was recorded in autumn 2018 under beautiful blue sky and orange light."
Recorded by Jeremy Simoncello.
Baie de Cayola, France reimagined by Andy Lyon.
"Initially I was going to use a full on experimental / glitch approach but I find the sea quite mesmerising, it's alluring and mysterious. So I went with a minimal approach to compliment the recording adding tension, dark and light with a hint of glitch.
"For me it came out a bit darker than I intended but I think it works really well, I tried to leave it open to interpretation so listeners can come to their own conclusion."
Bells in Pomonte, Italy reimagined by Phexioenesystems.
"This piece is based on a field recording of church bells and the surrounding ambience from Pomonte on the Island of Elba.
"The bells themselves are used in multiple ways: pitched to fit with the Hexany tuning system (but otherwise untreated) and as a granulised layer.
"The remaining ambience is also left untreated but appears with bell-like envelopes across the track. The additional tones and textures are also intentionally bell-like, with stochastic bursts throughout.
"The titles 'Stepping Stones' is a reference to Via del Passatoio, on which the church sits."
Milan Stazione Centrale reimagined by Simon Woods.
"The piece is performed entirely with instruments from Italy.
"Samples of classic Italian synths made by Crumar, Siel and Elka, whilst most of the other instruments are made by IK Multimedia from Modena.
"The lead violin is Native Instruments Stradivarius."
Listen to the sounds of the evening bells for mass ringing in the sleepy village of Pomonte, in the south-west of the island of Elba. The sun is beginning to set in late August after a long day on the beach, and the bells ring out across the sky.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
The hustle and bustle of an early morning in Milan's main Stazione Centrale. You can hear us making our way along the moving walkways through the station as crowds pass us and announcements ring out around the station - we then emerge out into the main platform hall with its huge reverberation and the sound of trains preparing to leave.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Giardino Baden Powell, Florence, reimagined by Karhide.
"This started out as a different kind of remix and then I came up with a guitar line and started to test some new plugins. The plugins used are the Audio Damage Other Desert Cities delay and the Klirrton Grindstein amp sim by Audiority plugins.
"The only other plugin used in the project is the Audio Damage Eos reverb and then mastered using Ozone."
Stazione Le Piagge, Florence, reimagined by Chelidon Frame.
"This summer I had the pleasure of reading Bernie Krause's The Great Animal Orchestra. One thing that fascinated me was how a natural soundscape can be altered by external noises, such as a plane or a train passing by: sometimes the biome takes a lot of time to restore its perfectly calibrated concert. In the original field recording, I sensed some moments that got me thinking about this phenomenon, and in my track I've explored and enhanced this experience.
"'Cicadas' is arranged in four parts, divided by the sound of a passing train: at each iteration, the soundscape is increasingly processed and paired by synthesized sounds and glitched elements, until the original equilibrium is restored, when the last train arrives at the station."
Cities and Memory founder Stuart Fowkes is interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Sunday programme about the Inferno project, marking the 700th anniversary of the death of Dante. The interview features an overview of the project plus selected sound clips.
Piazza San Marco, Venice reimagined by Cristina Marras.
"I worked on subtractions, using my recent experience in Piazza San Marco to bring together a past that seems now almost retro-futuristic, with a present that no science fiction could have ever imagined."
Repairs on Fondamenta della Canonica, Venice reimagined by Jeff Dungfelder.
"I decided to use the field recording of repairing a gate near the Bridge of Sighs Fondamenta della Canonica because the bridge is rich with historic meaning. The Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri) was built in the year 1600 and connects the Doge's Palace to the historic prison across the canal. Prisoners that were tried in Venice were initially held in the underground prison chambers inside the Doge's Palace. As the number of prisoners grew, the prison was expanded to a building across the canal named the New Prison, and the Bridge of Sighs was constructed to shuttle passengers directly from their trial into their cells.
"According to legend, the name of the bridge comes from the sighs of prisoners who crossed the bridge on the way to their prison cells or the execution chamber, catching their last glimpses of Venice through the tiny windows. The arched bridge isn’t open air like many of the bridges in the city, there are just two small rectangular windows with a lattice-like screen. Inside, a stone wall divides the interior into two narrow hallways, so prisoners who were entering and leaving could never cross paths.
"I was interested in the idea of creating sounds from repairing not just the bridge, but in a larger context, reflections of what the prisoners experienced as they saw this last view. Hopefully my piece “The Bridge of Sighs” helps the listener consider for just a few minutes what it might have been like to see such beauty before being imprisoned underground. I do think that sound can reveal a history all of its own if one listens closely enough. Enjoy."
On any normal day in Venice, roadworks are a little different from your average city, with repair boats on the city's canals looking after its unique system that keeps the entire city afloat. Here, we can hear gate repairs taking place on Fondamenta della Canonica, just a short distance from the iconic Bridge of Sighs. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
The iconic Piazza San Marco on an August afternoon in 2021, as the city returns to normal levels of tourism after the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the piazza fills with tourists. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Cittadella stadium announcer reimagined by Richard Watts.
"I found the original recording imposing (and slightly sinister for some reason) so I've tried to capture that in the reimagined piece. I've used lots of samples from the original recording and manipulated them using the Alchemy, a sample manipulation synthesizer in Logic Pro."
At the Stadio Tombolato, Cittadella, Italy for Cittadella vs. Crotone, August 2021 - the stadium announcer reads out the Cittadella teamsheet before a match that the home team would go on to win 4-2.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Passo Rolle ski lift reimagined by John Tenney.
"Happy and unhappy memories while riding on a ski lift."
The sounds from on board a simple two-seater ski lift transporting skiers up the mountain in Passo Rolle, San Martino di Castrozza, Italy. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Yorkshire Dales field of sheep reimagined by Paul Walsh / Foldhead.
"This piece is in part inspired by the memory of a long, lost walk through the hills and valleys of Mayerhofen, Austria, a few years ago.
"Having walked for hours through increasingly heavy falling snow we took what we hoped was a shortcut through a large field.
"After a few minutes traipsing through the snow I looked to my right and what appeared to be dozens of sheep very slowly and in what appeared to be perfect unison turned their heads to look at us as one. It felt quite surreal at the time."
A field of sheep bleating, calling and frolicking at dusk on a beautiful April evening in the Yorkshire Dales, England. The air is clear, the atmosphere is pure with no traffic noise, just the placid hum of the village and the reverb of the hills above.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
AH-64 Apache flypast in Italian Dolomites reimagined by Richard Watts.
"I really like the rhythm in the original recording so have tried to capture that in the reimagined piece. I've used samples of the helicopter and fed them through a filter generator to create the background sounds then added drums, pads and a couple of melodies that seemed to fit."
An Apache AH-64 helicopter on training manoeuvres next to Tre Cime di Lavaredo in the Italian Dolomites, as heard from halfway down Monte Piana, August 2021. The helicopter can be heard long before and after its appearance with an enormous reverb trail generated by the sound bouncing off the mountains on every side. An impressive sound.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Bellevue station, Berlin reimagined by Cities and Memory.
"The original recording conjured up a mental image of a deserted, lonely station late at night, with just the occasional traveller passing through, trying to get home. A place of isolation as much as a place of connection.
"For the reimagined piece, we've tried to emphasise the 'coldness' of a lonely station late at night and the sense of isolation and loneliness through waves of very slow (25bpm) guitar pulses and reverb-drenched melodies to create a slow-moving, contemplative reflection on how it feels to pass through a transient place alone at night."
Bellevue station, Berlin, Germany recorded by Cristina Iscenco.
"I was walking home after a rehearsal. The sound of the trains was blending with the drone of the bells coming from nowhere. It was only about 20:30, but everything was asleep and dark."
Torrent at Brent de l'Art, northern Italy reimagined by Karhide.
"The idea behind the track was the slow erosion of the rock to form the canyon."
Brent de l'Art is a natural rock formation similar to a canyon, created by thousands of years of erosion by water, which has exposed layers of rock formed millions of years ago.
This erosion is due to the debris that the water carries across these narrow valleys. Stones and plants overwhelmed by the flood of water, once they enter the canyon they create whirlpools, they hit the walls, digging into the rock and then flow downstream. The flow of water in narrow valleys like this is also characterized by the greatly amplified noise of flowing water, which does not happen in normal more open valleys, and can clearly be heard in this recording.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
An idyllic scene from Lago Antorno in the Italian Dolomites, as a pack of horses with cowbells attached to their necks feeds on lush grass next to a mountain stream. In this recording you can hear the horses, the bells and the water rushing by in a binaural recording taken close by. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Horses by the stream at Lago Antorno, Italy reimagined by Cravune.
"The original piece evokes tranquillity and peacefulness. I wanted to overemphasise this aspect of the recording by chopping the audio, pitching it down and rearranging it on top of a simple low frequency drone."
Marriott hotel sounds from Riyadh reimagined by Andy Lyon.
"I wanted the focus to be on the recording, I really like the flow and contrast. I've added subtle orchestration and effects to try and create a 'floaty' kind of ambiance to compliment the recording."
One of our earliest recordings from Saudi Arabia, sadly only able to be captured on a mobile phone, but evocative of the soundscape nonetheless. In 40 degree heat outside the Marriott hotel, we can hear police sirens in the distance, the heavy drone of Riyadh's constant traffic, and a light chorus of birdsong in the hotel garden.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Starling murmuration in Curtarolo, Italy reimagined by Cities and Memory.
"Seeing a murmuration of any size is a truly wonderful event, and in this recording we're close to the roosting birds and their sound is pushed directly down to us, so the soundscape is full and loud.
"The reimagined piece is based around trying to musically visualise the absorbing and miraculous patterns of the murmuring birds above - when we close our eyes and imagine a soundtrack to a grand murmuration, this piece is something like what we hear."
A small murmuration of starlings swirling around in the sky and then landing in large numbers to roost and chatter on a mobile mast in Curtarolo, Italy on a hot August day. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Bindertwine Park, Ontario reimagined by Neil Wiernik.
"Birds chirping in a forest meadow, it feels like we are in a remote place away from the cars and the city but if you listen closely you can hear the rumble of the cars and trucks on the highway off in the distance.
"What if the birds voices became louder, deeper, doubled, what if the sound of the breeze through the trees became tones, droning in the wind? What if the meadows and surrounding forests made their own sounds to drown out the human made ones?
"What if the animals, trees and plants in these meadows and forests created its own music and sound loud enough to just barely be heard past the forest by the cars and trucks on the highways in the distance?"
"This recording was made in a meadow surrounded by the forest of Bindertwine Park, in Vaughan, Canada. Birds chirping and if you listen closely you can barely hear the highway off in the distance, all ending with a gust of wind."
Recorded by Neil Wiernik.
Rio de Janeiro Panelaço protest reimagined by Jochen Edmund Pendleton.
"Pots and pans make wonderfully festive musical instruments. Here I've added a few others of my own design and, channelling Walter Smetak, tried to find some stillness amidst the commotion."
Radio mast on Monte Capanne reimagined by Cities and Memory.
"Having looked for more information on the masts atop Monte Capanne, we discovered that one of them is the key Italian mast for Radio France (you can see Corsica across the water from Elba), which became the starting point for this piece.
"A sample from Radio France (courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive) forms the crackling backdrop, as disjointed speech crackles in and out of earshot.
"The droning backdrop is built entirely from effected tracks of the original mast drone, creating a kosmische piece for 2021 built from radio waves, static and pulses of electrical power."
Having climbed to the top of Monte Capanne on the Italian island of Elba, we were greeted by the sight of several enormous radio/mobile masts at the summit.
Not exactly the most beautiful sight, necessary though these masts are, but the perfect peace at the top of the mountain was broken by the incessant, pulsing drone from the masts, which becomes the key sound signature at the summit.
This recording captures that drone, and how it is effectively the only sound signature at the top of the mountain.
Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Kotor old town reimagined by Bev Craddock.
"When I visited Kotor at the end of an exhausting and emotional bike trip from Split via Mostar I stumbled across a Jazz cafe called Evergreen in the Old Town which has Tom Waits pictures on all the tables and live music.
"I sampled a loop from a track, used a music box recording of the sonata, stretched the supplied recording and played some played notes from the C minor chord in the Helm synth app and fiddled with them all in Audacity along with the original recording.
"As the tracks came together I wanted to recreate that dreamlike state where memories and the outside world drift in and out of your consciousness."
Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford sound installation reimagined by Scott Lawrence Whitman.
"The source of the original field recording was a sound installation at the Pitt Rivers Museum at Oxford University involving windmills.
"My reimagined piece, like a windmill, revolves and evolves around the field recording, part of which can be heard as a buzzing, insect-like drone and child's voice, which I sampled and processed to create the various sound elements aside from percussion."
Venezia vs. Cittadella football match reimagined by de Velden.
"The field recording that started this track was made amongst football fans, away from the pitch.
"It captured the excitement on the stands, which, in my track, I have tried to bring together with a musical interpretation of the drama and particularly the dynamics of a game of football."
A rare recording from the away end at a Serie B football match in Italy, December 26 2019. The Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo in Venice is unlike any other in the world, requiring arrival for the away fans via a vaporetto water taxi across Venice.
During this match, which Cittadella won 2-1, we hear the aftermath of one of Cittadella's goals, with songs, chanting and general merriment (and abuse) being dealt out by the passionate away fans. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
Chinatown, New York City reimagined by Kathleen Judge.
"Having lived in New York City’s Chinatown many years ago, listening to the original field recording brought many memories to mind. Visions and sounds full of static—distorted by time. Moments of clarity, a solid memory surfaces— and then vanishes.
"I approached this piece as if I were tuning into a memory of a place, like turning a dial to tune into a radio station. Things clarify and then disintegrate. The repetitive childlike pattern and the high random chimes/bells are to evoke a feeling of reflection and looking for something thats gone. The distorted frequencies dishevel the recording, to make the listening feel unsteady, as tho the threads of sound will unravel soon."
Recording from Mott and Hester in Chinatown, New York City by Cities and Memory.
A soundwalk through the Chinatown district, with multiple open shop fronts and customers giving the feel of a busy Chinese market right in the heart of Manhattan.
Abandoned hospital sound reimagined by Cities and Memory.
"The original field recording is a sinister drone right out of a dystopian tale, and I wanted to accentuate that sinister quality, along with the mechanical, industrial nature of the sound.
"This is a 'self-generating' piece with various arpeggiators and loops playing the same chord and developing themselves over the course of the piece. Some suitably industrial drum parts were added, and to add the final touches an enveloped distortion effect applies as the piece progresses, so the sound seems to degenerate and almost fall apart on itself by the end."