Cities And Memory

"The natural sounds were highly rhythmic in a complex almost unsettling way. I pulled key elements from the soundscape and highlighted them as percussive and rhythm sections.  "These play along with the entire unaltered original soundscape, as a highlighter to particular aspects of its own patterns. I also added bells and bass to serve as tour guides." Jellybean Pool, Australia reimagined by Heather Spence.

Cicadas at the Jellybean Pool, Blue Mountains, Australia. Recorded by Richard Watts.

The original field recordings is symphonic in its beautiful showcase of nature at its finest, with birds, frogs and insects interweaving in the atmosphere of a spring evening - a perfect recording to choose as part of the annual Spring Project.  Wanting to keep that feeling of the natural soundscape being a live performance, this composition is also a live performance, with various different synth and instrument parts laid down onto a Torso S-4 sampler, then performed live in response to the natural sounds. Its aim is to embellish and sit alongside the natural sounds, and to create an immersive nine-minute experience in which the listener can lose themselves equally in the natural or the synthesised sounds (and their interaction).  The title comes from this wonderful Tomas Transtromer poem:  In February life stood still. The birds refused to fly and the soul grated against the landscape as a boat chafes against the jetty where it’s moored. The trees were turned away. The snow’s depth measured by the stubb

The soundscape captures the vibrant symphony of a late spring evening. The serene ambiance unfolds with the rhythmic calls of frogs resonating across a nearby pond, blending harmoniously with the melodic chirps of evening birds. Crickets add a delicate, persistent undercurrent, enriching the texture of the soundscape.  In the distance, the low, rumbling echoes of an approaching storm introduce a sense of anticipation, subtly intensifying the atmosphere. This recording encapsulates the interplay of nature's voices, evoking a profound connection to the shifting moods of the evening landscape.  Recorded by Martina Testen & Simon Šerc. 

Sound of Jews performing a ritual at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem on a special day during Jewish Easter celebrations. The recording is done in the middle of the crowd of bystanders, mostly children and family of the praying men.  This soundscape-composition is part of the HEYR project, presenting 3-dimensional soundscapes from special locations, connected to special events. Find out more by visiting https://www.heyr.no © Anders Vinjar, 2025 Recorded by Anders Vinjar. 

This recording is the intense sound from a "Bring them home"-protest march in Jerusalem, the crowd shouting, chanting,talking, demanding the Netanyahu-government do what's necessary to "bring home" the Israeli hostages. The microphone is placed right in the centre of the large crowd, recording the extreme intensity and strong presence of frustrated people protesting their Israeli political leaders failing to do whats necessary to get the hostages home. The recording is of the sound of frustration and anger amongst a large part of Israeli people during Israels latest war with Hamas. This protest took place around 9 o'clock in the evening of 27th. April 2024 in Jerusalem. This recording is part of the HEYR project, presenting 3-dimensional soundscapes from special locations, connected to special events. Find out more by visiting https://www.heyr.no © Anders Vinjar, 2025 Recorded by Anders Vinjar. 

Recordings of ambience from Aṭ-Ṭūr (Mount of Olives) overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem. The Al Aqsa temple-mount in the distance, the jewish graveyard close by, site of important historic and contemporary events. The recording is from April 2024, while the catastrophic war in Gaza was going on full speed.  This soundscape-composition is part of the HEYR project, presenting 3-dimensional soundscapes from special locations, connected to special events. Find out more by visiting https://www.heyr.no © Anders Vinjar, 2025 Recorded by Anders Vinjar. 

This recording captures the vibrant atmosphere of Ubud's local market, where the sounds, sights, and aromas of Balinese culture come alive. This recording captures the morning bustle of the market, as vendors and shoppers go about their day amidst a kaleidoscope of colors and textures. The air is filled with the lively chatter of locals haggling over prices, the clinking of pots and pans, and the sweet scent of incense wafting through the stalls. The soundscape is a rich tapestry of Balinese dialects, laughter, and music, creating a sense of community and warmth. Recorded in Ubud, Bali by Colin Hunter. 

"The bees swarming and the sound of footsteps in the old street of Shanghai indicate the entrance into a fantasy world.  "The original field recording inspired me to escape into the world of dreams where sharing, friendship and love reign." Sanlin old street, Shanghai reimagined by Cristina Italiani. 

"I jumped at the chance to use audio from a market, thinking that humans gathering together at market must be nearly as old as civilization itself. The rhythm of the audio file inspired me to use its elements exclusively for the percussive parts of the piece, and keep it simple and fun." Market in Ubud, Bali reimagined by Voltij / Paul Clement.

"The subject of the original recording gave me pause. My overwhelming reaction was one of sadness at how little humanity changes, and how painful and disastrous the situation is for all involved. I read about the Mount of Olives - the location where the recording was made - and that it was a place of mourning. "This response tries to express that feeling, but also to try and suggest the passing of things, and the possibility of change and renewal.  "I took some short samples from the recording and looped them, playing multiple copies pitched up and down. A few takes were made, playing with these and some effects to create new tracks, which were then blended together, mixing into a recording that I had made of the rain falling here on my roof. I hadn't originally realised that there were birds audibly singing in amongst that, and though initially I hadn't wanted anything but the sounds of water, it felt like their song provided a symbolic note which was apt." Mount of Olives, Jerusalem reimagined by Sum Cro

"The original field recording is called ‘Jerusalem Palestine Prayer’ and we selected this because of the unity and energy of the voices. These voices, from a location caught up in war, ride above the present and echo the ancient past. Interwoven with this are field recordings made at London’s Union Chapel, where the voices tell their own stories of struggle and the perseverance for freedom.  "To this, we added prayers recorded on 15th June 2025 at the Chapel’s Trinity service, featuring the prayers of the Revd Cathy Bird and voices of the Union Chapel Singers. The piece ends with a mechanical sound which nudges into silence. We placed this here as a punctuation with the present, as we await the future." Wailing Wall, Jerusalem reimagined by Caroline Grimshaw & Stephen Mugford.

"“Echoes of the Wall” is a haunting and deeply evocative musical composition built around a field recording taken at the Wailing Wall (Western Wall) in Jerusalem. The piece carries the raw, ambient sounds of prayer: whispered Hebrew verses, the rustling of bodies in motion, and the quiet weeping of worshippers. These organic, unfiltered audio elements form the emotional and spiritual foundation of the song, grounding it in one of the world’s most contested and sacred spaces. Layered over the recording is a slow, minimalist instrumental arrangement: a droning synth that mimics the tension of held breath, sparse piano chords echoing like footsteps on ancient stone, and electronic pulses that resemble a faltering heartbeat.  "The composition deliberately avoids lyrics, allowing the natural soundscape and instrumentation to carry the emotional weight and ambiguity of the moment. The silence between notes becomes as significant as the notes themselves—a metaphor for voices unheard, lives paused, and hopes suspend

Stepping on leaves, old man sneezing, birds singing, kids' laughter, water flowing, dog gasping, people talking, scooter siren, sparrow calling, wind blowing.  Recording was made by students Phineas, Morpheus and Neil, during a sunny morning visit in late March.  Recorded by Phineas, Morpheus and Neil (students in Kirk Kenney's CPET-YouCH Music and Community class, Spring 2025).

"I listened to the Barcelona Auction by Ferran Destemple and I knew that I could do something interesting with the auctioneer's voice. I wanted to create something artful and strange but my background as a musician took over as it often does. Watcha gonna do? The finished remix has a song-like structure but I like to thing that it's suitably weird. Enjoy!" Flea market in Barcelona reimagined by Bill McKenna. 

This recording captures the auction at the "flea market" of the "Encants" in Barcelona.  The auction takes place every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8 to 9 a.m. All kinds of old objects, collector's items, closed deals, emptied apartments, etc. are auctioned at this market. All these items are auctioned in lots and then sold at retail. Recorded by Ferran Destemple. 

"The field recording from Perugia, Italy instantly reminded me of long summer days lying in the grass looking at clouds. I decided to keep as much of the piece in as possible just fading in and out as the tones ebbed and flowed. "I wanted to create something that captured that summer nostalgia feeling, but as with all my music, there's always a tone of longing—a slight ache, a feeling of grief. I guess it's the grief of not being a kid anymore, of not being free to just laze in the grass. But also, maybe it's a reminder that we just need to lie in the grass and listen to the distant noises a bit more." Countryside soundscape in Perugia, Italy reimagined by Trees Can Talk (Rebecca Vaughan).

The recording is from April 16, 2025 at 16:27 and was made at the Parco della Pescaia, a small park located in the south-west area of the city of Perugia, Umbria, Italy. The Park occupies an area characterised by the presence of a system of basins for collecting spring water from the area as well as water from the Pescaia ditch which ran alongside the current park, and which were used both for irrigation purposes and for fish farming. This park bears witness to an ancient time when the soundscape was profoundly different, with a high acoustic definition. Today the park is completely surrounded by roads, buildings and concrete. What you hear is the fragile balance between two acoustic ecosystems. Recorded by Nicola Fumo Frattegiani.

"This sound was all recorded and played, composed by me/the last parts with Mubilla  my mother. A field recording from a walk at Mt. Mitake is mainly walking. I enjoy  creating sound walks - in Japanese this is "osanpo". The osanpo with the Ghana Pantuase recording  was a great moment, thank you!" Chorus of insects in Pantuase, Ghana reimagined by Ayane Sato.

"I took a small segment of the snapping shrimps and slowed this down significantly by differing amounts then layered these new files. A recording of squelching seaweed, slowed down birdsong and horn was added. GRM evol plug in was applied to some of the tracks to increase the intensity. It evokes in my mind an underwater experience." Hydrophone recording of shrimps in Canaveral Park reimagined by Alison Beattie.