Ashley Elsdon: Recordings

Kings Wood is a very old, if small wood. It is only a few miles from where I live, so, today, I walked there and spent some time trudging around and occasionally stopping to listen. When I did stop and listen I recorded these sounds. There are four clips from different parts of the wood. The third is a recording of me walking through leaves and mud. I haven't managed to post a lot of sounds this year. But I plan to change that going forward. In part because I want to record more and to use that as a way of remembering my friend Ian Rawes. He was an inspiration to me and a prolific field recorder. He is greatly missed.

Thunder is one of my favourite sounds. I recorded this yesterday at home during a downpour. 

After too many days of baking hot weather we got some rain, and it made a nice sound too. So I set my recorder to capture it for a while. I hope you enjoy it.

I made this recording yesterday whilst spending a few brief moments on Winchelsea beach. It was beautiful and very peaceful. Just before the heavens opened.

Taking my normal morning walk in the mornings but on the 8th there had been snow, and, as I was walking the snow started again. I love the stillness that snowfall brings. I also enjoy the crunch of it underfoot. I hope you'll enjoy this recording.

I got a new coffee bean grinder, which inspired me to record the entire process of making a cup of coffee from start to finish.

Whilst we are all in lock down again finding interesting sounds is not that easy. Everyday sounds are all around us and sometimes comforting, sometimes not. This is just me walking to the shops and back again. But I thought I would publish it, if for no other reason than to start publishing this podcast again.

Sheffield Park was wet yesterday, but even so it was lovely to walk around it. I ventured into a part of the park that I've never been in before. It was so peaceful and restful. I recorded just a minute of it with my iPhone as I didn't have my zoom recorder with me.

RHS Wisley is open again. I went for a walk around this lovely garden and recorded some of the fountains there. You'll find 3 distinct clips in this episode. I hope you enjoy the sounds.

Some morning birdsong from my lockdown world. Quieter than it has been for years, but not for much longer I'm afraid.

This time from the various appliances inside my living room. 

Something a little different. I thought I'd record the electromagnetic sounds of the various appliances in my kitchen. Some interesting sounds I think. You might agree, you might not.

This was taken back in February at the Troy exhibition at the British Museum.

Given everything that's happening in the world I have noticed how much quieter the environment is, and that bird song has noticeably increased. Which is lovely. Here's a few minutes of where I live.

I was mowing the grass at paths at the allotment and I thought that the mower made a quite nice sound. So, of course, I recorded it. Sadly only briefly. Because I had to get on with actually mowing the grass!

This recording was taken a week before Christmas in the Whitgift Shopping Centre in Croydon. There was a school singing in the middle of the centre. So I stopped to listen, and then they started singing this, which I didn't think was terribly Christmassy, but then, what do I know? Apparently nothing.

Another recording of Surrey Street Market. This one taken a few days before Christmas. It wasn't a weekend though, hence it isn't as busy as it could be. I hope you enjoy it.

I love the sounds of children playing happily. This recording was made recently and is a sound that always lifts my mood. So I thought I'd share it with you.

This is a little different. I recently purchased a device called an "Ether". The device converts the electromagnetic spectrum to audible sound. It can make for a quite interesting experience. This recording is of my journey to London Victoria station. It's about 20 minutes long. At times the audio is quite interesting, and others not so much so. This really is an experiment, and one I'll be repeating when I've found more electromagnetically interesting environments to record.

I really love this annual local event. It's a lovely community focus, and they always have a brass band.