Cities And Memory

"I drew inspiration for this piece from the serene sounds captured in a field recording done by Ben Gale of life around a river in Ukraine. The tranquility of that moment—especially in light of Ukraine’s current circumstances—moved me to create a soundscape that both contrasts with and complements it.  "I was aiming to capture a delicate balance between beauty and unease, and the resilience of trying to live peacefully amidst conflict."   Ukraine riverside at Sosonka reimagined by Antifilm.

"All the sounds in this piece were present in the original file. It was a delight to listen again and again to Erick’s recording and find new and surprising sounds each time. "In making this piece I used a tension present in that recording - the calm, incessant rain of the jungle - here reimagined as layers of repeated, wave-like sound - punctured by sporadic individual sounds - a bird calling from close by, muffled coughing, the loud crack of something like a twig snapping." Morning rain at Palenque jungle reimagined by Chris Lillywhite.

"When I think about Portugal the beaches and the Atlantic Ocean come to my mind. When I heard the silent drops of the sample I had the idea to connect that water source sound-wise to the ocean.  "Small bits of the sample (single drops) were taken to create a somewhat random rhythm. A bigger part of the sample was taken and slowed down a lot using Paul Stretch.  "The output was fed into two different effect chains. These sounds represent the waves of the ocean. Sequenced sounds were added to connect the drops of water in the mountains flowing finally into the big ocean."  Fraga da Pena, Portugal reimagined by Bernhard Straub.

"Just having some fun at 96 BPM in Ableton Live."  Protest in Paris reimagined by Hens Zimmerman.

"Imagine that you are in a boat or canoe on the river, the water goes here and there, it starts in very calm waters, you listen to the birds and float along. Then, gradually, the voyage becomes slightly more agitated, or is it even changing direction? More waves come and the water run fast, but then suddenly you are in still waters again, back in the calm stillness of nature.  "This piece is inspired from the flowing of the St John River, the longest in eastern Canada that, like many rivers, changes speed and quality during its course, but is mostly calm except for some waterfalls. The recording of birdsong comes from the river, as recorded by Cathy McKelvey. The music was created with a Steinway B grand piano and Ableton Live." Birdsong at St. John River, Canada reimagined by Stefan Klaverdal.

Birdsong in a quiet rural spot on St. John River in New Brunswick, Canada. According to Birdnet, the species you can hear include the swamp sparrow, eastern Phoebe and Wilson's snipe. Recorded by Cathy McKelvey. 

"The sonic landscape of this audio recording felt very familiar to me, reminding me of wind chimes in my childhood home, and the many feathery neighbors who wake me up in the morning with their cheerful chirps. Special thanks to my friend for their help." Abandoned tower in Sao Miguel, Azores reimagined by Anni Elea.

On São Miguel Island in the Azores, there is a decommissioned satellite communication Earth station featuring a 32-metre parabolic antenna. It was once integral to satellite communications, given its strategic mid-Atlantic location. Though it is not explicitly documented, we can assume it became redundant from the mid-1980s onward due to advancements in satellite communication technologies and the expansion of digital ground optical fibre networks. I chanced upon the station when I was travelling around São Miguel in March 2024. Though visibly pronounced, I had not come across anything about it in my research before visiting the island. I was struck by many things as I walked around its grounds and climbed up the structure. Foremost, how this technologically derelict site had become home to a plethora of birdlife and other creatures. This recording is taken in one of the chambers just below the main parabolic dish, where I found many birds nesting. The microphones are inside the chamber, and in this recordi

"The field recording brought back memories of camping holidays we took in Wales. It always rained (or seemed to). I added additional field recordings of some thunder storms and some drone and voices sounds generated by a selection of synths. The aim was to produce a hymn or lamentation for those wet holiday memories." Nant-Yr-Onnen rainstorm reimagined by Barry Cooper.

This recording was captured from the second floor of an open window while it was raining in Wales. The listener can feel the rain drops lick the window sill as they slide to meet the muddy grass down below.  Recorded in Nant-Yr-Onnen, Wales by Shaye Thiel.

"My initial listening to the source sound evoked strong feelings of nostalgia, (when I was younger, I spent many months travelling around India and stayed in Chandni Chowk near the Wazirpur Industrial Zone a couple of times.) The hubbub of the crowd and general sense of a 'kinetic buzz' would be familiar to anyone who has spent time on the sub-continent. I recalled the feelings of awe and fascination that accompanied my travels. "My piece attempts to distill something of my emotional reaction to, and the industrial nature of the sounds; as well as capturing something of the atmosphere of excitement and pure human energy in the original recording (including the background din of massed humanity, industrial sounds and the repetitive, amplified voices.) "This piece is another step in my series of works centred around the interrogation of the space between cultural appreciation and appropriation, influence and pastiche."  Wazirpur Industrial area, Delhi reimagined by Dead Kousin.

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.  Photo Credits – Jignesh Mistry. Recorded by Bariya.

"I initially wanted to pick a sound from nature to work with, but the Reitaisai Festival grabbed my attention as soon as I came across it. I didn’t want to manipulate the recording too much so I kept the clip I worked with intact and didn’t chop it up to keep to a certain tempo. I wanted to preserve the energy of the recording and for it to feel as if I was joining in spirit, swooping in to play with my friends and then floating away again.  "We sometimes slightly fall away from each other rhythmically and then come together, as you would do if playing and chanting through the streets. I used keyboard, synth, hammered dulcimer and tongue drum to play along from afar.  "At the end I imagine going into a house, running up the stairs and opening a window onto the streets below, getting a last burst of the crowd chanting “Reitaisai” before retreating back through whichever portal I came through." Reitaisei festival, Tokyo reimagined by Jess Bryant. IMAGE: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France, CC BY 2.0 <

Immerse yourself in the enchanting soundscape of the Camargue, a region in southern France renowned for its breathtaking landscapes and iconic wildlife. This recording captures the mesmerizing nuptial dances of flamingos during their reproduction period, as they perform an intricate ballet of courtship rituals. The distinctive calls and gentle murmurs of these majestic birds create a symphony that is quintessentially Camargue. The sound is instantly evocative of this unique region, where white horses roam free, black bulls graze in the marshes, and pink flamingos add a touch of vibrant color to the landscape. Recorded by Colin Hunter.

"I used the field recording of the flamingos to inspire my composition. I mimicked their clatter and calls with rattle, whistle and drum. Over the top of this I added one of my older poems, a triolet titled: What Grandmother Taught. "I brought the flamingos recording in at the end, merging the two pieces into one song – as my bit faded the flamingos take over."   Flamingoes in Camargue reimagined by Allis Hamilton.

Reitaisai is an important festival held by Shinto shrines in Japan. People from the town where the shrine is located gather and carry a mikoshi (portable shrine) as they parade through the streets. This is a recording capturing the mikoshi approaching and then moving away. Recorded in November 2024 by Miyu Hosoi. IMAGE: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

"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.