Phonophany, or the all-revealing medium
Phonophany, or the All-Revealing Medium dramatises the manifestation of occult and hidden mediation processes present in both audio technologies and Zande magic practices. As a composition, it works from a field recording of a Zande revelation song used to detect witches, employing audio mediation to allow the listener to experience a progressive unfolding of the recorded voice from initially u...
4m Feb 22
4m
Ceremonial (wedding) music from the Himalayas
Ceremonial (wedding) music from the Eastern Himalayas in Nepal. From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a collection of reel-to-reel recordings of music and spoken language (principally Thulung Rai) made by anthropologist Nicholas Allen in Nepal and India between 1970 and 1981. Recorded by Nicholas Justin Allen. Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum, Uni...
5m Feb 22
5m
Kukimi Lakuhu 'Le (Song of the Kuki War)
"Kukimi Lakuhu 'Le" (Song of the Kuki War): polyphonic song about Sümi Naga interpreter Kekheche, who was involved in the Anglo-Kuki War of 1917–19, performed by a group of Sümi Naga singers ("Kekheche, my father,/ Kekheche, my father"). From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a collection of wax cylinder recordings of Naga (Angami, Sümi, Lotha, C...
3m Feb 22
3m
Wading through the crackles, hisses and surfaces of time
This recomposition begins from a deep interest and curiosity towards the material life of the archival recording itself. The source comes from the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum: wax cylinder recordings of Naga (Angami, Sümi, Lotha, Chang, and Sangtam) songs recorded between 1915 and 1919 by administrator and anthropologist John Hutton. Rather than treating the recording of a polyp...
3m Feb 22
3m
Blue mystique mountain
The original sound source for this composition is a selection of Nuristani songs. The voice is accompanied by a plucked and bowed string instrument as a type of rhythmic drone. This recording is a recently rediscovered item in the Pitt Rivers sound museum and I was drawn to it based on its historical and tonal ambiguity. I find it interesting that the library information is not able to give an ...
18m Feb 22
18m
Bulgarian village conversations and women singing
From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being one of a number of miscellaneous or individual ethnographic field recordings (rediscovered during a recent research project). Recorded by Anne Elizabeth Pennington. Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford. ——— Part of the project A Century of Sounds, reimagining 100 sounds covering 100 years from the...
28m Feb 22
28m
Chuluth: a song for a favourite bull
"Chuluth": a Laarim man's song for a favourite bull ("I love cattle without horns/ This bull is called Logralim"). From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a collection of cassette tape recordings of music and spoken language (principally Laarim) made by anthropologist Patti Langton in South Sudan during 1979 and 1980. Recorded by Patti Langton. ...
3m Feb 22
3m
Logralim
With a project like this, I knew the work had to begin with research. I immersed myself in the cultural textures of South Sudan: its music, its landscapes, its people. From photographs and descriptions, a sense of place started to form. I wanted the first section of the piece to feel intimate yet quietly observant. I found myself picturing the Laarim man and his beloved bull, Logralim, moving ...
5m Feb 22
5m
Boundless
The warrior sings gently and lovingly to his favourite bull. As he repeats his song, we're drawn into the beautiful moment and as the communication continues, voices weave in and out with the past and present. A reminder of the musical connection between humans with each other and other animals on the planet. Laarim warrior singing to his favourite bull reimagined by Lostworldsounds. ——— Par...
8m Feb 22
8m
Laarim warrior singing to his favourite bull
Laarim warrior singing to his favourite bull ("This bull is the whole of my love/ I will never say anything against it"). From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a collection of cassette tape recordings of music and spoken language (principally Laarim) made by anthropologist Patti Langton in South Sudan during 1979 and 1980. Recorded by Patti Lan...
5m Feb 22
5m
Traditional Nuristani songs
Nuristani music: recording of traditional Nuristani songs, featuring the waj (five-stringed harp) and sarangi (two-stringed fiddle), with vocal accompaniment, recorded in Afghanistan by anthropologist Lennart Edelberg. From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being one of a number of miscellaneous or individual ethnographic field recordings (rediscovered duri...
49m Feb 22
49m
Stringed instrument and tabla
From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a collection of cassette tape recordings of songs and instruments made by playwright David Mowat across several different states in India during 1987. Recorded by David Mowat. Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford. ——— Part of the project A Century of Sounds, reimagining 100 sounds covering 10...
7m Feb 22
7m
Look me in the eye
This recording was originally broadcast in 1963, in the first year of Taiwan’s first terrestrial TV station, the Taiwan Broadcasting Company. "Look me in the eye" takes a short sequence of a mountain folk song sung by a women’s chorus, from the original 30-minute recording. I layered sound in GarageBand, selecting and editing archival material, contemporary field recordings, overheard dialogue...
6m Feb 22
6m
Jaibaná
A significant aspect of this project has been research into the location of the recording - the Colombian Chocó department, one of the rainiest regions on Earth. With dense rainforest and flooding, the terrain is uncompromising and one of the most isolated regions of Colombia, with no major infrastructure due to underdeveloped roads, yet it is one of the most richly biodiverse zones on the plan...
14m Feb 22
14m
All in Elgar
I composed this piece in an attempt to understand trance. I sought to merge specific leitmotifs and elements,embedding them within a classical orchestral context. This purely intuitive and emotional act, guided by the sensations inspired by the sound archive, follows no predefined methodology other than that narrated by improvisation itself, as articulated by the archive. The guiding thread is...
6m Feb 22
6m
Torrential rain in Colombia
Storm: recording of torrential rain made during fieldwork in Colombia. From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a collection of reel-to-reel tape recordings of Chocó music and soundscapes made by students Jonathan Ambache and Richard Saumarez Smith in Colombia in 1965. Recorded by Jonathan Ambache and Richard Saumarez Smith. Copyright Pitt Rivers...
4m Feb 22
4m
Cezve
After several listenings to the beautiful 30-minute music program of Turkish folk songs (I encourage all of you to listen to the original audio in its entirety. It's a wonderful cultural window), I selected my favourite piece. From there, I chopped out the main musical theme and then I dissected that section into even smaller bits. I then played along with in on my piano and came up with the m...
2m Feb 22
2m
Turkish folk songs about weddings and wrestling
Turkish Folk Songs and Dances about Weddings and Wrestling": a recording of fourteen Turkish folk songs and dances issued by the Turkish Radio and Television Association (with publicity sheet). From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being one of a small number of recordings issued or released by foreign broadcasting corporations or radio associations. Reco...
31m Feb 22
31m
Regional music of the Republic of China (Taiwan)
"Regional Music of the Republic of China" (Taiwan): a recording of instrumental music and folk songs issued by the Broadcasting Corporation of Taiwan (literally: 'Broadcasting Corporation of China'), performed by its national orchestra and choir. From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being one of a small number of recordings issued or released by foreign b...
33m Feb 22
33m
What are they doing for us?
I joined the project late and so this was one of the only remaining sounds - The Bwiadogan Kadede from Goodenough Island chose me, recorded by anthropologist Diamond Jenness. I was delighted because this randomness fits with my experimental approach to creating music. But I became increasingly concerned with the disconnect between this project and the people who live in the place the sound was ...
4m Feb 22
4m
Bwaidogan kadede: a dance song
"Bwaidogan kadede": a dance song performed by Biliko, Kwaiago and Wakalubu, a trio from the Bwaidoka district of Goodenough Island. From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a collection of wax cylinder recordings of songs and spoken language (principally Bwaidoka) made by anthropologist Diamond Jenness and Methodist missionary Reverend Andrew Balla...
1m Feb 22
1m
A case of tongues
I love the rhythm of the exchange between the anthropologist and the Chidigo speaker in the first section of this recording, and at first I thought about building a percussion piece around it. But I chose this piece to work with because of my deep interest in languages, especially marginalised ones, so I decided to work with words in the tradition of the Pitt Rivers collection, which brings tog...
5m Feb 22
5m
Researcher discussing vocabulary and translations of various English words
"American researcher discussing vocabulary and translations of various English words": fieldwork recording of anthropologist Roger Gomm discussing with several men and women the language of the coastal Digo people of south-east Kenya, asking his interlocutors for the translation and precise meaning of many different words in the Digo (Chidigo) language. From the sound collections of the Pitt R...
2hr 16m Feb 22
2hr 16m
Downstream
When approaching a project like this I try to come up with a concept quickly - the immediacy of ideas is what makes most sense to me. To me, the sample reminded me of people rapping, and the flow of the original sample seemed to ask for some accompanying electronic instrumentation to give them centre stage. I tried three different approaches and stitched them together - the first part lends it...
6m Feb 22
6m
U'wa group chant
U'wa group chant from the Andes in north-east Colombia. From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a collection of reel-to-reel recordings of U'wa songs and stories made by anthropologist Ann Osborn in the Northern Andes (Sierra Nevada del Cocuy region) in Colombia between 1969 and 1977. Recorded by Ann Osborn. Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum, Univers...
5m Feb 22
5m
Anew
I chose this field recording because I liked that it’s a documentation of someone imitating the music of nature. In that original recording itself there’s so many layers of the art. There’s the birdsong that the person presumably heard many times, then spent time learning how to make the whistling sound, then they made their song, which was recorded onto magnetic tape, and converted into a digi...
6m Feb 22
6m
Gooma (tree drum) played with sticks
From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a large collection of cassette tape and digital audio tape recordings of Bayaka music and soundscapes made by ethnomusicologist Louis Sarno mainly in the Central African Republic (and the Republic of Congo) between 1986 and 2009. Recorded by Louis Sarno. Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford. ...
2m Feb 22
2m
U'wa whistling
U'wa whistling from the Andes in north-east Colombia. From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a collection of reel-to-reel recordings of U'wa songs and stories made by anthropologist Ann Osborn in the Northern Andes (Sierra Nevada del Cocuy region) in Colombia between 1969 and 1977. Recorded by Ann Osborn. Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum, Universit...
1m Feb 22
1m
Aural sunbeam (six records of gongs and singing)
I decided to reimagine the recording of “Six Records of Gongs and Singing”: six phonograph records of drums and singing. Originally recorded in 1914 on Atchin Island in Vanuatu, these recordings were made using wax cylinders by anthropologist John Willoughby Layard. Later, in the late 1930s, they were transferred to 78rpm records, and in 1979, they were transferred to reel-to-reel tape. In my ...
8m Feb 22
8m
Six records of gongs and singing
"Six Records of Gongs and Singing": six phonograph records of drums and singing from Vanuatu, originally recorded on wax cylinders by anthropologist John Layard, later transferred (here) to tape. From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being one of a number of miscellaneous or individual ethnographic field recordings (rediscovered during a recent research pr...
31m Feb 22
31m
Haldora Davidsen in conversation
From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being one of a number of miscellaneous individual recordings. Unknown recordist. Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford. ——— Part of the project A Century of Sounds, reimagining 100 sounds covering 100 years from the collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford. Explore the full proje...
10m Feb 22
10m
Barrel organs
Barrel organs: recording of three English barrel organs in the Pitt Rivers Museum's collections, comprising songs played by Freddy Hill (restorer). From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being one of a small number of recordings of the musical instruments in the institution's collections being played or discussed. Unknown recordist. Copyright Pitt Rivers ...
42m Feb 22
42m
Excerpts from expedition tapes
Excerpts from expedition tapes: recording of songs and the playing of musical instruments in the northern part of the Oriente of Ecuador made by members of the Oxford University Expedition to Ecuador in 1960. From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being one of a number of miscellaneous or individual ethnographic field recordings (rediscovered during a recen...
35m Feb 22
35m
Looking for spirits
The recording I started with came with a description, which included the following phrase: "youths [...] drum on trees as they pass through the forest, sometimes spirits may drum the tree during boyobé ceremonies." I was keen to both explore the rhythms and that sense of being joined by spirits - the ambiguity about who plays; as much in the lack of information about the actual individuals as ...
3m Feb 22
3m
Eulogy for Freddy Hill
As a starting point for this project, I did some research into the person who played the barrel organs on the recording. It transpired that Freddy Hill (born 1932 in Sussex, UK) was a very gifted man. The son of a headmaster and a clockmaker by profession, he also taught carpentry and music and was an expert restorer of antique musical instruments including the chamber barrel organs in this re...
5m Feb 22
5m
Antisana
This is about feeling that you don’t know enough to handle something properly. It’s built from samples of the opening horn blast, but what really interested me was the surrounding story: a group of explorers and botanists’ attempt to climb the active, glaciated volcano Antisana; they surveyed the forests up to the snowline, and the northern and western ice tongues, but were cut short when the s...
4m Feb 22
4m
The spectre of recorded time and place
This piece for the Century of Sound project began with a single field recording drawn from the archive of the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford. Rather than this recurring functioning as an objective document of place or event, I approached the recording as a temporal fracture, a sound that had already been severed from the moment that produced it. I was inspired by the thought that a recording is mad...
5m Feb 22
5m
Little train
From the moment that I first heard this sound, I thought the flute sounded very much like a little steam train. At first, I researched about Columbian trains and found there is a tourist train to the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá, an underground Roman Catholic church built within the tunnels of a salt mine, 200 metres (660 ft) underground in a halite mountain near the city of Zipaquirá, in Cundin...
5m Feb 22
5m
Trumpets and horns
"Trumpets and horns": narration by musicologist Jeremy Montague about the contents of the trumpets display in the Pitt Rivers Museum, with examples of instruments being played. From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being one of a small number of recordings of the musical instruments in the institution's collections being played or discussed Unknown record...
30m Feb 22
30m
The horn sounds like this
"The horn sounds like this" originates from a December 1966 reel tape recording featuring musicologist Jeremy Montague demonstrating various horns. The 30-minute document represents a specific moment in museological practice: a scholarly voice explaining before sounding, contextualising before experiencing. Rather than preserving the integrity of this material, Francesco Ganassin and Sergio Ma...
4m Feb 22
4m
Project war drum
This piece began with the field recording: Bom war song and dance from Cameroon. I decided that rather than treating this recording as an objective document of place or cultural practice, I approached it as a temporal fracture in time, the past reanimated. I looked at the recording as a rhythm already severed from the moment that produced it, yet able to reengaged and affect the listener in 202...
5m Feb 22
5m
Homemade jam across time
When I first heard this field recording, I wanted to join in with the band on the beach. With every subsequent listen, I always find myself tapping or nodding along with the beat and wanting to dance. I decided to pursue this idea of jamming with the band across time, mixing in both my own high and low-tech approaches to creating sounds. The recording database and archival descriptions for this...
2m Feb 22
2m
Lost in this world
I spend a lot of time thinking about a project before I even begin to work. I wanted to create something that would feel odd and a bit disorienting to the listener. I got started and spent weeks reinterpreting the percussive music of the earth bow, a single-stringed musical instrument. Some ideas morphed from one place to another but then I got lost. So, I stopped and started again from scratch...
3m Feb 22
3m
Chocó panpipe music
From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a collection of reel-to-reel tape recordings of Chocó music and soundscapes made by students Jonathan Ambache and Richard Saumarez Smith in Colombia in 1965. Recorded by Jonathan Ambache and Richard Saumarez Smith. Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford. ——— Part of the project A Century of Sou...
2m Feb 22
2m
Laarim elder recounts the history of his people
Loprimoi, a Laarim elder, recounts the history of his people, with the sound of blacksmiths working, hammering metal, nearby. From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a collection of cassette tape recordings of music and spoken language (principally Laarim) made by anthropologist Patti Langton in South Sudan during 1979 and 1980. Recorded by Patti...
14m Feb 22
14m
Bom war song and dance
From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a collection of reel-to-reel tape recordings of songs and musical instruments made by journalist Lois Mitchison in Cameroon during 1958. Recorded by Sonja Lois Mitchison. Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford. ——— Part of the project A Century of Sounds, reimagining 100 sounds covering 100 yea...
2m Feb 22
2m
South Pacific "pop" music
South Pacific "pop" music recorded on the beach with full band, including guitar, tea chest bass and spoons. From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a large collection of reel-to-reel tape recordings of music and soundscapes made by ethnomusicologist Raymond Clausen mainly on the island of Malekula (Malampa Province) in Vanuatu between 1960 and 19...
6m Feb 22
6m
Ngbanda playing the ngbindi (earth bow)
From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a large collection of cassette tape and digital audio tape recordings of Bayaka music and soundscapes made by ethnomusicologist Louis Sarno mainly in the Central African Republic (and the Republic of Congo) between 1986 and 2009. Recorded by Louis Sarno. Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford. ...
5m Feb 22
5m
Subsidence
The work is inspired by the island’s natural beauty and by the evening songs, chants, and slit drum ceremonies of the Indigenous People of Vanuatu. The slit drums were carved from extraordinarily large, hollowed-out trees, often standing two or three times the height of the performers. The original recording was made over half a century ago, before the islands felt the first signs of rising sea...
4m Feb 22
4m
Durei-na-mbwe song
Durei-na-mbwe song (late evening performance). From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a large collection of reel-to-reel tape recordings of music and soundscapes made by ethnomusicologist Raymond Clausen mainly on the island of Malekula (Malampa Province) in Vanuatu between 1960 and 1979. Recorded by Raymond Ernst Clausen. Copyright Pitt Rivers...
4m Feb 22
4m