Kids in the rain fountain, Tallinn
"The "kids in the rain" sculpture fountain in Tallinn heard from various angles, with trams passing in the background, and the crunch of walking down a gravel path." "Kids in the rain" fountain statue in Tallinn recorded by Cities and Memory.
4m Nov 11, 2024
4m
Cicadas vs. air conditioning
The somewhat unusual sound of cicadas audible in the centre of a city during late morning, as their chirping competes with air conditioning sounds from a neighbouring building. Recorded in Treviso, Italy by Cities and Memory.
4m Nov 11, 2024
4m
In a thermal pool, Gellert Baths
"Inside the stunning Gellert Baths, one of the most famous sets of natural thermal baths in Budapest - this is a recording from the interior of one of the thermal pool rooms." Recorded by Cities and Memory.
6m Nov 11, 2024
6m
Promenade
"I imagined a public piano by a public swimming pool, and someone sitting down and picking out a simple theme, becoming part of the general ambience. There were elements of both Eno's Ambient series and Satie's Furniture Music in its conception." Gellert Baths, Budapest reimagined by Simon Greenwood.
4m Nov 11, 2024
4m
Crossing a weir in Treviso
Crossing a weir that spans the width of a road in Treviso, Italy, recording it from different sides and angles. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
3m Nov 11, 2024
3m
Falling water
"I was inspired by the descending nature of water being pulled by gravity. The recording was rather full, so some frequencies needed to be trimmed to make way for musical aspects. Pads via the Vector synth & bass from Vital." Weir in Treviso reimagined by Leafblighter.
3m Nov 11, 2024
3m
Missed call
"There are those of us who cannot afford to mourn in private. We might spend a day with family but quickly find ourselves at work surrounded by an indifferent clientele, disassociating into loss only to be dragged back into reality by strangers. "Listening to the original recording, I was struck by the sound of the ringtone and how news of a loved one's passing is spread and mourned. This work...
4m Nov 11, 2024
4m
Sounds of the final journey
"I recorded this sound sitting next to a friend and the body of her deceased mother. The mourning song, sung by women young and old in one of the Pamiri languages, provided a sad comfort - knowledge of the finality of all human experience and confirmation that we all must make this final journey sooner or later. I also imagined that the song was meant to reassure the departing soul that her lov...
6m Nov 11, 2024
6m
Migration Sounds feature on CBC radio, November 2024
Migration Sounds feature on CBC Radio (Canadian national radio), on The Current show presented by Matt Galloway. The interview is with Cities and Memory founder Stuart Fowkes, and goes in depth into the Migration Sounds project, and how we can use sound as a tool to open up new angles on social issues and current affairs. The package features the following contributions to the project: - The...
27m Nov 10, 2024
27m
Migration Sounds full installation from the Pitt Rivers Museum
This is the sound installation of the Migration Sounds project, presented in the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford. Please note that the sounds are panned left and right, and this was designed to be played in a large physical space, so it is likely to sound somewhat unusual through headphones or in particular close sets of speakers. In this installation, on one side of the space listeners could hear...
53m Nov 10, 2024
53m
Sunrise in the forest
"Inspired by the early morning forest sounds of insects and birds in the field recording, I’ve composed a piece to convey a sunrise in the forest. The middle section of the piece allowing the forest's natural sounds to shine through.' Thai forest soundscape reimagined by Jaspal Singh Bhogal.
6m Nov 05, 2024
6m
Three fountains at Kardriorg Palace
"Slow melodic piano piece over top of morphing ambient pads with wind chimes from an alien planet. Mixed with fountains from Kardriorg Palace. I envisioned this piece as a lonely elderly man who visits the fountain every day to enjoy his lunch being around people." Kadriorg Palace fountains reimagined by Mathew Gracie.
20m Nov 05, 2024
20m
Thai forest at 7.00am
Early morning forest sounds with insects and birds recorded in a forest near Chiang Mai, Thailand. Recorded by Alex Boyesen.
7m Nov 05, 2024
7m
Three fountains
Three fountains and water features in the gardens behind Kadriorg Palace, Tallinn. The microphone moves from fountain to fountain from different angles and proximities, along with the crunch of the gravel paths underfoot. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
7m Nov 05, 2024
7m
Autumn thieves
"The Medellin traffic sample shapes both the atmosphere and structure of the piece. In the opening, isolated fragments—like engine hums and the sharp sounds of brake noise—are presented with minimal processing, immersing the listener in the city’s raw soundscape. "Following a moment of silence, which contrasts sharply with the noise, the piece evolves as these sample fragments create semi-rand...
4m Nov 05, 2024
4m
Traffic noise in Medellin
Noise, the soundtrack of our everyday life in a city. If you look at the spectogram of the recording you'll find it very boring and static, almost like a pink noise. It is mandatory to remember that noise pollution is a big issue for our wellbeing. The recording was made in Pueblito Paisa, Medellín, Colombia on 21 december 2023 at around 1 p.m. with a Zoom H1N. Recorded by Cosmin Sandu.
1m Nov 05, 2024
1m
Returning
"My piece “returning” was inspired by the field recording “in the turbine hall” by Cities and Memory. As I listened to the field recording, especially the resonance of the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, I immediately thought that it would blend well with some of my own recent experiments with resonance to create a new sonic landscape. "The sound sources consist of field recordings of a playground...
9m Nov 05, 2024
9m
In the turbine hall
A soundscape from the Tate Modern's famous Turbine Hall, moving into a sound and video installation by Paul Maheke (August 2024), and back into the hall, which has a very distinctive reverberation character. Recorded by Cities and Memory. IMAGE: the wub, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
9m Nov 05, 2024
9m
Tram ride ambience
"I tried keeping the integrity of the field recording with the aim of telling a story. However, I did edit out some coughing from tram passengers as this was too distracting. To provide some consistency, I added a piano melody, and wove in some ambience through drums. I liked the talking from the passengers and kept that in, allowing the piece to end on a child saying 'OK.' I also enjoyed heari...
6m Nov 05, 2024
6m
Tallinn's famous trams
A ride from the trendy cultural hub of Telliskivi in Tallinn to Kanuti aboard the ubiquitous trams - all public transport is completely free to residents of Tallinn. Here we listen to the sounds of the tram journey, complete with announcements, doors sounds, exiting the tram and listening to it depart. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
7m Nov 05, 2024
7m
Passing Märket
"Märket is a tiny 3.3ha island shared by Sweden and Finland in the middle of the Baltic Sea. I imagined the being on the ferry passing this island of two equal but slightly different halves, hence the structure of this reimagined piece." Ferry across the Baltic Sea reimagined by Moray Newlands.
5m Nov 03, 2024
5m
Falling
"The title of my piece for the Autumn Project is called “Falling”. It is based on a field recording of fore and aft engine rooms on the Suur Toll museum ship in Tallinn Estonia. "I was very drawn to the percussive metallic clangs in the recording. For me autumn has a definite impact on my senses, which reminds me of distinctive percussive sounds coming from unknown directions. I do a lot of wa...
7m Nov 03, 2024
7m
The intense throbbing of engines
Crossing the Baltic Sea from Tallinn to Helsinki aboard a large ferry, the deep pulsing of the ferry's engines mingles with light rain on the canopy overhead, and the faint piping of the music that can be heard much more loudly throughout the interior of the ferry. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
3m Nov 03, 2024
3m
In the engine room
Aboard the Suur Toll museum ship in Tallinn, we take a tour around the engine deck, exploring the fore and aft engine rooms, before climbing a metal ladder and listening to a recreation of the sound of the ship's engines at work, and the regular ship's bell. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
7m Nov 03, 2024
7m
One unconfutable proof
"A talented but tormented artist grapples with existential questions, consumed by his obsession with proving or disproving the existence of God. His creativity, fuelled by strange and often unsettling ideas, leads him into a spiralling journey of philosophical inquiry. "His lover, a narrator who has long since abandoned faith without much thought, watches as the artist delves deeper into the r...
4m Oct 18, 2024
4m
Kids in Campo San Giacomo
Children play football in the spacious Campo San Giacomo in Venice, while people sit in local bars and cafes enjoying a drink in the late afternoon Venetian sunshine. The bouncing ball and cries of the children reflect off the reverberant spaces between the buildings in the campo. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
5m Oct 18, 2024
5m
Markets, streets and people - Poland and England
"I was struck by the similarities between the sounds of the people, streets and market of Blonie in Poland and those of Newton Abbot: the town in southwest England near where I live. "I made some field binaural recordings in Newton Abbot town centre and combined them with the Blonie market. There's the obvious difference in language but the overwhelming feeling the commonality of the sounds of...
3m Oct 18, 2024
3m
Blonie city market, Poland
Soundwalk through the city market in Blonie, Poland. Recorded by Dominik Witaszczyk. IMAGE: MateuszEs, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
2m Oct 18, 2024
2m
Workers of the world
"The composition samples the original field recordings, mainly drills and the tools from the roadworks. These make up the percussion track and are the waves in several Wavetable synths. "Added to this are the sounds of various plumbers and joiners who have visited my home over the last few weeks." Roadworks in Treviso, Italy reimagined by Simon Woods.
4m Oct 14, 2024
4m
Roadworks and drilling interrupt the day
Loud industrial drilling from roadworks in the centre of Treviso, Italy. The sound reverberates around the historic city centre, spreading for huge distances - here we record a close-up walkpast of the roadworks in action. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
5m Oct 14, 2024
5m
As this wave from memories flows in
Standing atop the TV Tower in Tallinn, with the city opening up around you, the rising sound almost feels like the inhalation and exhalation of the city itself, as it comes to life each morning through the breath of its citizens awakening. This composition highlights the emotions felt while standing 300 metres above the city, listening to its gentle inhalations as the low drones and pulses of ...
6m Oct 13, 2024
6m
The hum of the city
From the top of the TV Tower in Tallinn, Estonia (the second-highest point in the entire country), the views are stunning - but the sounds are also fascinating. The hum of the city rises from below us, a vast, encompassing drone that is occasionally punctured by a specific, recognisable sound such as a chainsaw or motorbike. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
7m Oct 13, 2024
7m
To the max in Morocco
 "The noise and chaos first drew me to having a go at re-imagining this field recording, to see if I could rein it in to a beat, but still retain some of the chaos. Every single sound in this piece was sourced and sampled from the original field recording, then passed through various effects to give the resulting piece .Not sure whether it has worked or not, but I had a lot of fun doing this. ...
6m Oct 13, 2024
6m
All aboard tram number 9
A tram ride from Kamppi in Helsinki city centre out to the ferry port terminal, with announcements, the drone of the tram, the sound of passengers, doors closing and so on. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
13m Oct 13, 2024
13m
In the streets of Awrir
In the streets of Awrir, Morocco, you'll hear the constant hum of cars and trucks passing by, mixed with the sounds of people walking around. It's a lively scene that captures the everyday hustle and bustle of this vibrant Moroccan town. Recorded by IMESLI.
2m Oct 13, 2024
2m
Tram 9 from outer space
"Setting off on a tram in a foreign country, where you don't know the language and so, have no idea where you're going. Just sit back, fasten your seat belt and enjoy the ride." Helsinki tram ride reimagined by Dave Webb.
6m Oct 13, 2024
6m
BBC World Service interview on Migration Sounds
An interview with Cities and Memory creator Stuart Fowkes on BBC World Service's Weekend programme, broadcast on 22 September 2024. The interview discusses the project and its importance in offering a different perspective in the portrayal of migration, as well as sound samples from the Mediterranean, Mexico and Slovenia.
5m Sep 22, 2024
5m
Rispetto per la montagna
While most mountain excursions pass off without a hitch, every year there are accidents in every mountain range, and the Dolomites is no exception. This composition was spurred by hearing that someone had unfortunately fallen to their death on the same mountain we had been hiking on just the previous day. The composition begins and ends brightly, representing a typical day on the mountain, but...
5m Aug 25, 2024
5m
Mountain stream, Monte Civetta
A mountain stream close to Torre Trieste, part of the Monte Civetta group in the Dolomites, Italy. Recorded on a long hike around the complete circuit of Monte Civetta, at 8.30am in the still-fresh morning air at the beginning of a hot August day. Mountain soundscapes are surprisingly silent, with occasional bird or animal calls and a slight wind the other main sounds to be heard other than th...
3m Aug 25, 2024
3m
Justice on the streets of Pailoucun, 1987
"Rain at night in big cities hits differently. Against the backdrop of neon lights, throbbing traffic and pulsating crowds of people, the steady beat of rain adds a deep cinematic quality to a city. "This sound of night rain in Beijing has been reimagined with the soundtrack of a 1980s thriller/mystery in mind, as perhaps an intrepid detective pulls his collar up to face the rain and head out ...
6m Aug 18, 2024
6m
Night rain, Pailoucun, Beijing
It's raining on the summer night of 24 July, 2024. Raindrops falling on the ground present the real natural sound of a summer night. Recorded by Denver Wang.
2m Aug 18, 2024
2m
Upon the slowest night
The sounds of an open fire cooking food are very gradually transformed into a sweeping ambient soundscape in this composition, representing the slow speed at which a few scraps of kindling and some logs becomes a open camp fire. The slow transformation of matter into flames and ash. Every sound in the composition apart from the guitars is derived from the original field recording, as convoluti...
6m Aug 13, 2024
6m
Cooking on an open fire
Cooking potatoes wrapped in foil, and sausage in a pan on an open wood fire while camping in the Brecon Beacons national park in Wales. In this recording you can clearly hear the fire flickering and licking the wood while the food cooks. Recorded by Cities and Memory, summer 2024.
3m Aug 13, 2024
3m
We walk in the sun in hundreds
Early morning English village ambience takes inspiration from Tomas Transtromer's wonderful poem "The Half-Finished Heaven", as we attempt to translate these words into a reimagination of the source sound that evokes some of the simple joy and complex melancholy of a bright summer morning: Despondency breaks off its course. Anguish breaks off its course. The vulture breaks off its flight. The...
5m Jul 26, 2024
5m
Early morning birdsong at a stream
An early morning recording next to a quiet stream in Gittisham village, England. Birds are singing all around us as the stream rushes past, glistening in the June sunlight. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
5m Jul 26, 2024
5m
Solympics
"I wanted to compose something as a clarion call for cities across the world in an Olympic year, so this was perfect. Using the sound of the traditional Chinese instrument which was then stretched and chopped up into a 'siren' sound, which was then turned into a loop on which the whole track was based. "The sound was then stretched and modified using granular synth plugins to act as a basis fo...
5m Jul 26, 2024
5m
Chinese violin vs. leafblower, Boston
A busker plays an amplified Chinese traditional stringed instrument in the Boston public park for passers-by, competing with the industrial drones of leaf-blowing machinery, but cutting through very clearly as we pass closer and closer by him. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
3m Jul 26, 2024
3m
Foam and flow
"When I first considered the themes relevant to the Migration Sounds project I instantly thought of the oceans. Living in the UK, an Island surrounded by water, we often hear of people attempting to cross the channel to find safety, with frequent news reports of drownings due to unsafe, overcrowded boats. All too often, these people are dehumanised by simply being referred to as 'migrants', as ...
6m Jul 22, 2024
6m
Portland
"My piece "Portland" is my emotional response to the field recording of anti-Trump protestors following an election in Portland, Oregon. "Say it loud, say it clear" they chant about welcoming immigrants to the USA. "In the second part of my piece I incorporate the chant, manipulating it to time with the music as if they were performed together. My aim was to give an emotional companion to the ...
3m Jul 22, 2024
3m
Flower devotion
"When I first heard the field recording before even reading the description it really took me back to conversations in the temple (Cambodian and Vietnamese where I am from). The chatters between elders and sense of calm flew over me. When I read what the field recording was about that is when I knew this was right up my alley. A lot of my music has field recordings of moments in time that mean ...
4m Jul 22, 2024
4m