XMTR Radio Hour: Recent Episodes
Social Broadcasts
Do you find yourself stuck in the same channels? Unable to break out of the echo-chamber of your media consumption and worldview. Transmitter is here to cut through the noise. Lucia Scazzocchio from 'Social Broadcasts' scans the digital soundscape every other month to bring you original sounds, new voices and archive treasures from podcasts, radio, sound installations and anything that catches her ears.
This Transmitter Radio Hour is an ode to tapes and time, featuring Glasgow based sound artist Steve Urquhart’s Doing Bird a mixtape recorded with inmates at Perth Prison (Scotland), a meditation on time by Brighton based composer and sound artists Joseph Wilkinson and a wonky plunderphonic mixtape by Bristol based Limbo Tapes.
- Radio producer and sound artist Steve Urquhart worked with inmates at HMP Perth engage with archive birdsong and oral history recordings from the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club in a unique, creative audio art collaboration.
You can listen to side B of Doing Bird here
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Joseph Wilkinson is a composer, sound designer and audio artist based in Brighton, exploring the relationship between sound and our inner worlds. He collaborates with his wife and creative partner Cam Brandow as Farfar Studio, their combined channel for enchanting experiences through bespoke music, sound, and storytelling.
I sit in the shade is a short form documentary that is a meditation on time, our relationship to it, and the world around us. A mix of introspection, interviews with thoughts from authors, thinkers and tree-people. -
Side B of Limbo Tapes is from a compilation of sounds made for monthly show Radio Limbo on Noods Radio, which is the flagship for cassette label, Limbo Tapes, a collaboration between Pete Hazell and Sean Lee.
You can hear side A of Limbo Tapes here
This next hour is dedicated to a single project recorded and produced by Lucia Scazzocchio in collaboration with the Tower Hamlets Regeneration team.
Docklands and the Isle of Dogs has changed dramatically since being established as a busy industrial hub centred around the docks to an industrial wasteland in the 1980's and then an ambitious redevelopment with the arrival of Canary Wharf.
The DLR and the infrastructure around this overground railway line has been key to the development of the area.
Talking to local people who live and work on the Isle of Dogs across four generations we will hear about the unique history of the island, how things have changed and how the DLR Underline could be used in the future.
Commissioned by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets as part of the ‘DLR Underline Activation’ project, this audio series recorded from Sept 21-May 22 aims to celebrate the area’s heritage to collectively reimagine the future of the Underline as a public active space.
Thank you to everyone who contributed their words and insights with special thanks to Cubitt Library and the Friends of Island History Trust.
Recording and Sound Design: Lucia Scazzocchio
Recording Assistant: Dhevia Sharma
Every location on the Cities and Memories sound map features 2 sounds, the original field recording of that place and a reimagined sound that presents that place and time as somewhere else, somewhere new. There are over 5,000 sounds featured on this sound map, spread over more than 100 countries and territories. We’ll visit a selection and keeping with the concept you will hear the original field recording of a place followed by a re-imagined piece.
Featuring:
1. Duet for breaking waves and the horizon by Cities and Memory (Caloura in the Azores)
2. Lockdown thunderstorm in Oxford by Cities and Memory (Oxford)
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Chongqing Docks by Andy McDade (Chaotianmen Dock, Chongqing, South West China recorded by Ian MacArthur)
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The loneliness of the late-night station by Cities and Memory (Berlin at Bellevue station recorded by Cristina Iscenco)
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It’s not a wave it’s a river by Cristina Marras (Carlo Scarpa, Antivole Italy)
6.The Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo in Venice by de Velden (Venice, Italy) -
Echoes by Bill Stevens (Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, New York, USA)
8 A recording of a story 'Alfons and the Magic Christmas Tree featured on HCJB’s DX Party Line hosted by Clayton Howard. Recorded by Paul Rawdon, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive for the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio.
9 War on Hugs by Kid Kin
The Devil Museum is a one man radio play, the audio diary of a man photographing all three-thousand of the museum’s devil sculptures. (And yes the museum exists, we looked it up)
For a number of reasons, however, the project cannot be completed. As the diary tracks these failings, the piece moves subtly into less tangible subjects such as boredom, isolation and loneliness.
Produced by Jacob Dywer on residency at Rupert (Lithuania) and contains original compositions by Kareem Lotfy.
The Transmitter radio hour showcases the kind of works you will find on xmtr.fm, a sonic storytelling platform dedicated to independent and archive audio. The next hour is dedicated to sounds from the North Yorkshire Coast and more specifically the Wild Eye Project by Invisible Dust. If you miss the sea or just want to enjoy a moment near the water, the next hour features audio postcards from Scarborough by Lucia Scazzocchio and Silvia Malnati, Sea Songs from beneath the waves by Rob Mackay and words from Alice Sharp from Invisible Dust bringing artists and scientists together to explore environment and climate change.
This episode has a distinctly European flavour and will be showcasing work from the Italian radio platform Radio Papesse, the Belgian space for sonic creations RadioLa as well something from the prolific Italian multi-media artist Cristina Marras and a short from the Social Broadcast archive.
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Me My English and all the languages of my life by Anna Raimondo
From Radiola.be -
The Smell of Naptha by Cristina Marras
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Love and Life on Lincoln Road - Francesco Costa by Lucia Scazzocchio
From Radio Local -
Meteor Bodies by Kate Donovan with mentorship from Katharina Metts
From Radio Papesse
The next hour will be showcasing some audio works featured on xmtr.fm as well as some works produced by Social Broadcasts over the past year. The first piece you’ll hear is from a series of Audio Postcards commissioned for the Wild Eye Project by Invisible Dust in Scarborough who work with artists to explore the environment and climate change. Here are some sounds sent from the North Sea. Produced by Lucia Scazzocchio with sound design by Silvia Malnati.
Next, we travel down south to London and more specifically Hackney’s Ridley Road market where May Robson meets the local traders who are struggling with the imminent changes and inevitable gentrification.
Produced by May Robson with Tamara Stoll who is working on the save Ridley Road campaign. It was broadcast as part of the online magazine The History Workshop
Now, close your eyes and get ready to experience something a little more ethereal as we enter the cosmos through a rich tapestry of sound by Belgian artist Adrien Pinet. This is just one of the many sound works you can hear on xmtr.fm’s Francophone cousin, Radiola.be. It’s an amazing resource.
Our final selection of this hour is from an oral history project Lily’s Legacy, celebrating the life Lily Montagu a magistrate, social worker, writer and co-founder of the Liberal Jewish movement in the UK. Here are some memories of Lily. Project produced by Liberal Judaism with the National Heritage Lottery Fund. There is plenty more to listen to and watch on lilyslegacyproject.com
The next hour showcases some winning and shortlisted English language or no language works from the Phonurgia Nova Awards - a celebration of radiophonic creation.
Winner of the Field Recording category Tom Fisher aka Action Pyramid captures the Suffolk countryside with ‘Hoverflies, Reed Pipes, Cockchafers and Bullroearers’, there’s surreal interrogation with 'Daisy Daisy' by Phoebe McIndoe, ‘Loss in Translation’ speech prize winner up by Lucia Scazzocchio and Sasha Edye-Lindner, captures loss and grief during lockdown and ’The Floating Exchange’ by Pierre Costard transports to the troubled waters of Lake Nokoue in Benin.
We continue our exploration of the art of conversation with Joy Kahumbu who spent several years coordinating the ‘Compassionate Neighbours’ initiative at St Josephs Hospice in Hackney; essentially a match-making service connecting mobile with more isolated house-bound members of the community to create regular social interaction. Conversation is at the heart of this initiative, which has since been rolled out in different boroughs creating a network of peer to peer support that feels especially relevant now. We also eavesdrop on some candid conversations between community members recorded at St Joseph’s in 2017.
Hosted and produced by Lucia Scazzocchio -
Telling Stories is hosted and produced by Phoebe McIndoe and Redzi Bernard.
Listen and subscribe to Telling Stories here
The audio storytellers featured where:
Arlie Adlington
Axel Kacoutié
Bea Duncan from ELAN
James T Green
Ariana Martinez
Sarah Geis (Audio Playground)
Transmitter is hosted and produced by Lucia Scazzocchio from Social Broadcasts.
In this episode we explore what it means to escape;
From the separation caused by Covid with a A Lockdown Love Letter from a daughter to her mother, read by poet and author Julieann Campbell in Derry. Produced by Peter Curran at The Foghorn Company as an Audio Content Fund commission for community radio stations across Northern Ireland.
From one country to another with an episode from 'Foreign Insiders' - a series exploring migration to the Czech Republic produced by Morgan Childs and Giuseppe Picheca. Listen to the whole series.
From our own prisons with ‘Mirrorsong' a radio poem written by frgmt and performed by Emeka Diamond, with sound design by Lucia Scazzocchio.
This episode takes a break from the conversation theme and introduces a new audio experiment: LEvitAtion. An immersive radiophonic mix of music, found sounds, field recordings and original recordings. The theme is ‘Blackout’ as we’ve all been grappling around in the dark somewhat recently and hopefully there is a glimmer of light on the horizon.
This programme is the result of two alter egos colliding and distilling; (DJ) Princess Lea and (Radio Maker) Lucia Scazzocchio = LEviTation, a radio broadcast you can dance to or a DJ mix for meditation, take your pick.
In the next few episodes Lucia Scazzocchio from Social Broadcasts explores 'the art of conversation'. As we become more connected and paradoxically more isolated, face to face conversation is increasingly rare and coveted. Especially now. This episode explores the role of conversation in faith leadership and practice with Claire MacDonald; artist, writer and Unitarian Minister at Lewisham Unity. She suggests that her role as a faith leader is to ‘create a conversational space across communities’ and that being part of Unity isn't so much about what you believe in, but more about what you practice. This exploratory conversation meanders through thoughts around tools for conviviality, the role of ritual and how that conversational space is found or created.
Cathy Fitzgerald has been making audio documentaries, installations and audio tours for a decade now and she has a knack of turning the everyday into moments of wonder.
This is what happens when you get two fiercely independent slightly misfit radio makers in a room.
Cathy runs workshops in audio magic at her school Strange & Charmed
This episode includes audio clips from:
Life on Lockdown (Cathy Fitzgerald)
Thames Water Radio (Cathy Fitzgerald)
White Stiletto Dreams (Cathy Fitzgerald)
Little Shop of Colours (Cathy Fitzgerald)
In the next few episodes Lucia Scazzocchio from Social Broadcasts explores 'the art of conversation'. As we become more connected and paradoxically more isolated, face to face conversation is increasingly rare and coveted. Especially now! Radio and increasingly podcasting provide the perfect medium for more exploratory long-form conversations to occur, providing the space and the context often missing in the everyday. In this episode, Lucia is in conversation with Suzanne O’Connell, co-founder of multi-disciplinary collective The Decorators and now working as a landscape architect based in Dublin. Making space for and initiating conversation has been central to her work in designing for public realm.
The next few episodes will be dedicated to the art of conversation. As we become more connected and paradoxically more isolated, face to face conversation is increasingly rare and coveted. Radio and increasingly podcasting provide the perfect medium for more exploratory long-form conversations to occur, providing the space and the context often missing in the everyday. We begin this season with an hour dedicated to how Social Broadcasts has been exploring ways of initiating and recording conversations, giving a unique insight into the wider social discourse through everyday encounters and lived experience.
Radio has been, since its introduction into the family home, or as an accompaniment on long car journeys and now through the ear buds of a smart phone, the perfect medium for the spinning of yarns.
We begin with a folktale adapted and narrated by Sarah-Lisa Willkinson for The Embers podcast. The Embers collective are a group of story-tellers and musicians who bring stories into a live setting. Their podcast combines old myths, funky folklore and original stories all accompanied by live music. In the tradition of the Christmas spooky story, this is the rather disturbing and dark tale of The Devil’s Violin with musical accompaniment by Tim Karp.
Next is something from the archives, taking us back to a bygone era, to Burslem in Stoke on Trent in the 1950’s and 60’s. Sometimes compared to Dylan Thomas’ Under Milkwood this wonderful piece of prose is a perfect portrait in words of a scene that spectacularly brings local characters to life. Lament for the Lost Pubs of Burslem written and narrated by Stoke born artist, play write and poet Arthur Berry recorded by Arthur Wood.
We travel further afield to Kampala in Uganda where local writer and narrator Masembe blurs fact and fiction with her tales from Punishment Island, an island on Lake Bunyoni where up until the 1930’s unmarried pregnant girls where left to die.
Her fictional character Naka, shares her story and those of others from around Uganda. In this episode, A History in Punishments we hear Jajja’s tale, a grandmother’s experience of Punishment Island.
Finally, we head to Ireland where actor Kevin C Olohan takes on the role of a fireside bard and skilfully spins us a yarn by the light of the flames for his podcast, Fireside. In this tale, the power of music is present again when a blind piper plays a highly addictive ditty and ends up in deep water. This is The Wonderful Tune.
Links to podcasts / audio featured:
The Embers Podcast
Lullaby of Queens Street by Arthur Berry
Punishment Island
Fireside
An hour dedicated to the wonderful world of the Goodwin Sands Radiogram. A part ethnographic, part sound art, podcast series written and produced by Ben Horner with the announcer performed by Peter Kelly.
Goodwin Sands Radiogram is broadcast from an imaginary shipwreck off the South East coast in Kent where we meet some of the people who inhabit this part of the world. This magical radio experiment with a wink at pathe news-reels, takes a nostalgic look at what radio once was and what it could be with a little imagination.
This is an extract from ‘Transmission’ a live edition of Radiogram recorded in Canterbury, where classically trained musicians where asked to improvise to the pre-recorded interviews in the style of an old time live radio broadcast.
The theme is based around journey’s, trips and transformation so get ready to be transported to Goodwin Sands..
Subscribe the Goodwin Sands Radio Podcast here
Learn more about Ben Horner at http://theaudiosphere.weebly.com/
Part 1: An extract from The Art of The Heist from the podcast Undiscovered produced by London based team Message Heard. This investigative piece narrated by Jake Warren and produced by Sandra Ferrari, uncovers why Chinese artefacts have been been disappearing from cultural institutions and museums around the works and are being bought by Chinese billionaire collectors and how the Chinese government might be involved.
Part 2: An extract from Amanda Fielding from The Last Bohemians podcast produced by Kate Hutchinson with this episode produced by Lucy Dearlove. The Last Bohemians is a series of interviews with women and mavericks in art and culture. This episode features Amanda Fielding an Oxfordshire baroness who founded the Beckley Foundation to research the benefits of psychedelic drugs.
Part 3: Two episodes from The Cherrytree Chronicles produced by Lucia Scazzocchio as part of a residency for Hunt&Darton's Radio Local. Each episode is an audio vignette of a day at the shopping centre with a soft focus and different people met along the way. Here we sit down for lunch at Jeanie's Cafe.
We begin with an extract from Master of The Vessel, episode 2 of The London Compass podcast produced by Joel Cox and Theo Johnson where Nigel Pickford, shipwreck explorer and Mike Catcher, deeps sea diver take us into the murky waters of treasure hunting below the waves.
We then surface above water to the coastal town of Withernsea, where writer and Leed’s based artist Samra Mayanja reflects on change, boundaries and living by the sea. This is an extract from Edging Home, Episode 1, Withernsea.
Final stop Ireland, and more specifically to the mountain village of Kilfinane in County Limerick. In April 2019 audio artists and radio producers gathered there for the fourth installation of the Hearsay audio festival, 4 intensive days of listening to and talking about radio and the audio arts. As part of the festival sound artists and radio makers are invited for a residency in the village of Kilfinane to create a piece that reflects their time there. I heard this composition by French sound artist and documentary maker Benoit Bories at the festival and I think it truly captures through sound, the community spirit and generosity of the place. For the next 30 minutes I invite you to just close your eyes and let yourself be taken to this remote village in the hills. This is Kilfinane Heart Songs by Benoit Bories - Faidos Sonores.
Transmiter is produced and narrated by Lucia Scazzocchio for ResonanceFM
In this hour we hear clips from writer and poet Ross Sutherland's podcast Imaginary Advice podcast (Episode 54: One More Song) where Ross uses poetry to deal with anxiety and prepares a DJ set for bears. We witness a teenage shooting in the first half of The treachery of sounds from Robert Anderson's podcast Awful Grace or The Tolling of the void bell and we go to Thamesmead in South East London where change is under way in Changing Places: Abbey Wood by Social Broadcasts commissioned for The London Transport Museum.
Transmitter is hosted and produced by Lucia Scazzocchio.