Cities And Memory

Feature on French national radio station Radio France on Sonic Heritage, broadcast on 9 May 2025 - French language only. "Une bibliothèque où sont rangés les environnements sonores de 270 sites du patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO Et aussi des objets immatériels , tous réimaginés par des artistes du monde entier. « Accessible gratuitement cette collection permet d’écouter les sons emblématiques du Taj Mahal, des gondoles de Venise, du Fado portugais et de la Tour Eiffel » lit-on dans Times.. Le nouveau projet de l’artiste que l’on pourrait dire gigogne vient s’intégrer à une collection encore plus vaste Cities and memory qui donne d’ailleurs son nom au site internet où l’on peut naviguer sur des cartes interactives à la recherche d’un lieu du monde que l’on voudrait visiter par les oreilles. Cathédrales, ponts, monuments, parcs et square, places et marchés mais aussi danses et chants traditionnels. Aujourd’hui elle compte près de 7000 enregistrements réalisés par plus de 2000 artistes dans 130 pays. Sonic

This recording captures the early morning sounds of an ancient Waorani warrior in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Staying with him in his traditional palm-thatched longhouse, the tranquility of the environment was profound, with minimal external noise. Despite a language barrier—he spoke only Waorani (Sabela)—we connected through gestures and shared moments. At dawn, as we emerged from our hammocks, I asked if I could record him. The resulting sounds offer a glimpse into a way of life that has remained largely unchanged for centuries, providing a powerful auditory link to the past. Recorded in the Amazon rainforest, Ecuador by Rafael Diogo.

"The original field recording is awesome so I wanted to keep as much of that as I could in the new piece. The background rhythm is created from a small sample of the orginal with some echo added. I then added some background melodies and overlay the original recording." Ancient Waorani Icaro in Ecuador reimagined by Richard Watts. 

"The original recording reminded me of woozy days listening to my children play when they were young. The music I've added intentionally loses focus / zones out and hopefully evokes a dreamlike state." Swimming in Mooste reimagined by Adam Leonard. 

It was beautiful summer day in 2013 August and I was staying at the artist residency in Mooste. I wanted to record some local sounds and went to the swimming place at the lake nearby.I asked the people who were picnicking by the lake if they thought it would be ok to record and they said yes. I sat on the pier. Recorded in Mooste, Estonia by Sirpa Jokinen.

Waves crash onto a rocky beach in Elgol, with the close sound of water smacking against the hard rocks of the beach. One boat passes by into the harbour during the recording.  Recorded on the Isle of Skye by Cities and Memory. 

"I recorded and reinterpreted this sound myself. Our common bond, apart from kinship, is playing the guitar." Cemetery in  Kemerovo, Russia reimagined by Pavel Lopatin.

The sound is in good weather at the cemetery, near my great-grandmother's grave. It's a bright place, despite the sadness. On the recording, you can hear birds, rustling, and a few other people, perhaps you can hear the wind.  Recorded in Kemerovo, Russia by Pavel Lopatin.

"A dense re-mix for the Cities and Memory project." Waves on Elgol beach reimagined by {AN} EeL.

"The composition is made samples cut from the original field recording, with a little additions, looped and rearranged. It finishes with a nod to a Paris Jazz great." Jazz show at Le Baiser Salé, Paris reimagined by Simon Woods. 

A lively jazz sextet led by Michel Zenino recorded at the tiny, intimate Paris jazz club Le Baiser Salé.  Michel Zenion Zewoaï: Michel Zenino - contrebass Leo Montana - piano Christophe Monniot - alto saxophone Jeff Boudreaux - drums Manu Codija - guitar Adriano Tenorio - percussion  Recorded on 14 December 2024 by Cities and Memory. 

The recording contains the ambience at "Kjærlighetsstien" at Utøya, close to Oslo, in the morning of 22nd July 2022. Utøya was the site where mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik massacered 69 young people on July 22nd, 2011, exactly 11 years earlier. At "Kjærlighetsstien" 11 youth tried to hide and play dead, but were discovered and shot by Breivik, only a single survivor. The sound of the waves, forest, birds etc. is the same while recording as it was during the shooting 11 years before, minus the cries of pain and panic and shots. Recorded by Anders Vinjar.

Recording at Privoz market in Odessa was a mix of emotions. The market buzzed with life, as vendors sold goods and people clung to everyday routines despite the ongoing conflict. There was a sense of resilience in the air, but beneath the bustle, a quiet sadness lingered. It reflected the uncertainty of the war between Ukraine and Russia, casting a shadow over the moments of normalcy that still persisted. Privoz market, Odessa recorded by Rafael Diogo.

"This is a lovely field recording of the everyday bustle and chatter. I used a recording of shortwave radio (Web SDR) and a clip from Hat Note (the sonification of real time changes to Wikipedia) to try and convey the global backdrop to the everyday business of the buyers and sellers at Privoz Market in Odessa." Privoz market, Odessa reimagined by Roland Pyle.

"Ramblings and sound variations with and in the source landscape... dreamy moments... lunar thoughts..." "Kjærlighetsstien" at Utøya reimagined by Philippe Neau.

A feature on CBC, Canadian national radio, broadcast on 21 April 2025 about the Sonic Heritage project. Features an interview with Cities and Memory founder Stuart Fowkes, and several field recordings from the project.  

Interview with Cities and Memory founder Stuart Fowkes on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme on 18 April 2025, introducing the Sonic Heritage project. Features sound clips from the Tower of London, the Sistine Chapel and Valparaiso, Chile. 

Interview with Cities and Memory founder Stuart Fowkes on BBC World Service's Newshour programme on 18 April 2025, introducing the Sonic Heritage project. Features sound clips from the Sistine Chapel, Coimbra in Portugal and Okarito in New Zealand. 

"It was fascinating in the course of working on this piece to learn more about the significance of the Te Wahipounamu region to the Māori people, and to read of the world-building legends about how this part of the world came into being.  "I wanted to hold this sense of the sacred close to me as I explored the sound - and what it represented - more deeply. This piece contemplates the very different meanings of the same heritage space to different people. What might be one person's stunning view or rewarding hike could be another person's sacred space, and in exploring the world we are also intruding into other people's worlds and values, and must be respectful of that. This is a composition of contemplation, repetition and respect. The title comes from the Māori translation of Te Wahipounamu - 'the place of greenstone'." Okarito soundscape reimagined by Cities and Memory. ——————— This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights. Find out more and ex

This is a recording of a dawn chorus after two days of hard rain at Ōkārito. Pīpipi Brown Creepers, Mātata Fernbird, Tauhou Silvereyes, and other manu birds are busy feeding and grooming in the warm sunlight. Mixing with this birdsong is the constant rumble of waves that can be heard wherever you are in town. The trail where this was recorded was dripping with rainwater and steaming as the temperature quickly rose. Residents and visitors to Ōkārito frequent this trail as it leads up to a gorgeous view of the native bush, lagoon, and beach. UNESCO listing: Te Wahipounamu Recorded by Janina Castro. ——————— This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights. Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage