The Pacific fog ballad of Ucluelet lighthouse
"I wanted to convey the physicality of fog, how it defuses light, blocks and confuses the senses and becomes a thing, a blanket over the senses. Sound travels differently and light is refracted. This is reflected in the original long form field recording with the one constant of the fog horn. "I sampled the ambience of the original track and built the sonic ebb and flow ( fog phasing) around t...
11m May 28, 2024
11m
Soho flea market, 1993
New York City's Soho flea market, August 1993. Recorded by Ingrid Schulz.
1m May 28, 2024
1m
Billy down in Soho
"Delay and reverb blips and bits. Background conversation with Billy Joel kicking in on the radio part way through led me to use additional samples of 'Just the way you are'. Cleaner mix overlaying the existing field recording. Some of the drum beats were pulled from the recording and then overlayed with stretched samples. Wanted to bounce the sounds around to make it more dimensional so it can...
5m May 28, 2024
5m
Tuscan foxes
A not so quiet night in the Tuscan countryside, San Casciano in Val di Pesa, Italy. Recorded by Dan Rosato.
5m May 24, 2024
5m
New Year's Day loneliness
Creaking escalator in an empty shopping centre early on New Year's Day 2024, with the reverb from a pronounced squeak echoing across a large distance in a space usually filled by people. A small sound that's usually more or less inaudible taking centre stage. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
4m May 24, 2024
4m
The loneliness of the long distance runner
"I encoded the escalators as midi and then fed the results into my DAW (Bitwig) before adding effects etc. I like the pun of the title "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner"; appropriate both to the escalators running in the abandoned shopping centre and the fact that the squeaks sound like sneakers on the gym floor!" Escalators in Oxford reimagined by Michael Lilley.
3m May 24, 2024
3m
Moonlit melons
Reimagined sounds of foxes at night in Tuscany - a not-so-quiet night. By Dan Rosato.
7m May 24, 2024
7m
Midday in the Jardin du Luxembourg
A peaceful, crisp December morning in the famous Jardin de Luxembourg in Paris - passers-by chat next to the ornamental lake, while ducks quack and we can hear the bells gently chiming midday. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
4m May 22, 2024
4m
Desire paths
Desire paths are small, unplanned trails created by human and animal traffic, often to create convenient shortcuts. The field recording from the Jardin de Luxembourg inspired me by all the shared pathways expressed in a short amount of time - people moving, talking, laughing, and crying, birds and other animals, bells, bicycles, and everything else that is happening, but maybe not heard/sensed....
4m May 22, 2024
4m
A simple wish for happiness
"This composition was mostly written at 30,000 feet aboard a long-haul international flight, as I attempted to reconnect with the sounds of nature in an extremely unnatural environment. The recording is from very close to where I live, so in a sense I was also reconnecting with home with that slight edge of melancholy that sometimes comes with travel. "The piece is designed to duet with the so...
4m May 19, 2024
4m
The song thrush calls
The beautiful, complex and multifaceted calls of the song thrush, recorded in May 2024 in a patch of woods in central Oxford, UK. Recorded by Giulia Biasibetti. IMAGE: JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/), CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
3m May 19, 2024
3m
Bosnian dawn
"For two months in 2023, I lived in Varanasi, India. Each morning I would be awakened by the sound of chanting and dogs barking - not all that different from the field recording I used in this work. As with many of my compositional ambient pieces, I use a large chord with what might be called "fuzzy" canons to envelop the Bosnian morning, the way a big, warm blanket covers a child who wants to ...
10m May 19, 2024
10m
Voices of the velodrome
"The composition is made up of samples cut from the original field recordings. These samples were: commentator's voice, other voices, clapping etc. These samples have been mangled, chopped and diced and served with synths, white noise and drum machines." Padova velodrome reimagined by Simon Woods.
5m May 19, 2024
5m
Morning in a quiet village
On an August morning, I managed to record a quiet weekday in the village of 600 inhabitants. Beautiful, sunny weather, light wind and wonderful aura of this place. Recorded by Alex Banaszkiewicz.
10m May 19, 2024
10m
Cycling competition at the Padova Velodrome
A local cycling competition taking place at the city centre velodrome in Padova, Italy. We can hear commentary about the racers and the race, and cyclists whizzing past us periodically. Since this recording was made in August 2023, the velodrome has now permanently closed, making this sound recording a piece of the city's history. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
7m May 19, 2024
7m
Trading in Budapest's Central Market Hall
A walkthrough of the famous Central Market Hall in central Budapest, with various market traders and customers doing their morning shopping. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
3m May 19, 2024
3m
Voice of strangers
"Voice of Strangers has been reimagined from the recording of a Budapest marketplace, Hungary. The central focal point of this work is the selected portions of that marketplace sound manipulated with several effects like reverb, delay etc. To me it appears like sound of some spirits around the listener representing some old time that doesn't exists anymore." Budapest Central Market Hall reimag...
3m May 19, 2024
3m
Close-up Roman traffic
A very close-up recording of traffic whizzing past on a classic Roman tiled section of road, making a very particular sound, while typically Italian pedestrian crossings beep periodically above us. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
4m May 13, 2024
4m
Terrified to cross a busy road
"A man tries to cross a road choked with traffic--cars, trucks, scooters. The stream of traffic ignores the pedestrian crossing signals as the man gets more and more anxious. Eventually he gets ready to make his move, thanks to a short meditation, only to find that he has forgotten that it's a train crossing as well." Traffic noise in Rome reimagined by John Tenney.
3m May 13, 2024
3m
The Drinkery in New Orleans
Live music in the Drinkery bar on Bourbon Street, New Orleans. Recorded by Alex Clifford. IMAGE: MusikAnimal, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
4m May 07, 2024
4m
Gator sax
"It's spring, humidity and temps. are high. Off in the Bayou, through the Spanish moss. The gators are restless. "Bass, sax, and drone sounds are from the original recording. Swamp and birds are of my own design using Ambigen and creaking pier sounds." Drinkery in New Orleans reimagined by Joel Graham. IMAGE: MusikAnimal, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wik...
3m May 07, 2024
3m
Rain on roof during a humid thunderstorm
"The constant tapping of heavy rain is accented by deep thunder. The rain so heavy it caused floods. You can still hear people driving in this weather. The pictures were taken shortly after the rain." Recorded in Hanoi, Vietnam by Kit Wilmans Fegradoe.
3m May 07, 2024
3m
Tay Ho rainstorm
"I combined the storm in Hanoi with the output of some iOS music apps (Rings FX, Other Desert Cities, PaulXStretch, Relic Flow, Rymdigare and BounceBud to imagine a storm heard both inside and out." Vietnamese rainstorm reimagined by Roland Pyle.
7m May 07, 2024
7m
Line 3
"The composition is made up of samples cut from the original field recordings. These samples were: Voices, gears, doors, announcements etc. These samples have been mangled in sequencers, wavesynths and any other gear they could be put in. Synths were added to taste." Paris metro line 3 reimagined by Simon Woods.
4m May 03, 2024
4m
Line 3 from Pere Lachaise
On the Paris metro, travelling from Pere Lachaise to Parmentier - train noises, platforms, doors opening and closing and announcements in French. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
5m May 03, 2024
5m
Industrial port sounds, Belfast
Industrial port noises and drones heard at a distance next to The Great Light, with gentle wave sounds and the occasional seagull. An oppressive, industrial soundscape. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
5m May 03, 2024
5m
Industrial port and cigars
"The original recording had a nice drone to it which I heightened with resonators. There was also some wind booms which I isolated and looped. I then mixed this down and did some live looping with it, adding dubby delays and reverbs too." Belfast port soundscape reimagined by Wave Debb.
5m May 03, 2024
5m
When birds do sing
"I wanted to capture the rolling rhythm of a water in the original field recording so I've used a series of pads and synth sounds to create that feeling. I also used a repeating piano melody to mimic the sounds of the water going over rocks etc. I tweaked the original recording to bring up the bird song." Vermont bird soundscape reimagined by Richard Watts.
5m Apr 25, 2024
5m
Forest stream and birdsong, Vermont
In this scene in Berkshire, Vermont, a small babbling stream takes center stage as a variety of birds can be heard singing both near and far. Recorded by Chris Ruprecht.
3m Apr 25, 2024
3m
The seven artists of San Stae
"Inside the church of San Stae, the right wall contains altars with works by Niccolò Bambini, Giuseppe Camerata, and Antonio Balestra. The three chapels on the left house works by Giuseppe Torretto, Pietro Baratta, Francesco Migliori, and Jacopo Amigoni. "There are seven distinct synth sounds within the piece - each representing a different artist whose work can be found within the church, lay...
5m Apr 16, 2024
5m
The Grand Canal heard from San Stae
The iconic sounds of the Grand Canal in Venice, as heard from outside the Chiesa di San Stae. The low thrum of vaporetto taxis and smaller boats, the lapping of water on the sides of the canal, the conversations of locals zipping up past us on boats, all on a warm, sultry summer afternoon. Reimagined by Cities and Memory.
7m Apr 16, 2024
7m
Spice market, Pointe-à-Pitre
"A walk through the Spice Market and the surrounding area in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe.  It's 11 a.m. on September 7, 2019." Recorded by Azadeh Nilchiani.
5m Apr 16, 2024
5m
Pointe-à-Pitre
"My track “Pointe-à-Pitre” is based on a field recording from a spice Market in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe. I was drawn to the field recording because it captures the magical atmosphere of the city. I can imagine being taken away by the smell of the spices, fruits and vegetables at the market on this Caribbean paradise. "It is this feeling that I have infused in this reimagined music, of being...
5m Apr 16, 2024
5m
Haunted streets of Montmartre
"Reimagined the streets of Montmartre as haunted from the ghosts of the past." Montmartre street recording reimagined by VVHΛLTHISИEY.
3m Apr 16, 2024
3m
Four o'clock in a perfect world
"My recollection of this field recording was standing in Campo San Giacomo di Rialto at 4pm, after an entire day of recording the sounds of Venice - my favourite urban space in the world for sound recording. The sun was warm and mellow, and the campo was unusually quiet and empty considering its proximity to the Rialto Bridge, one of Venice's most popular and crowded tourist spots. "The trickl...
5m Apr 09, 2024
5m
A lazy afternoon in Rialto
A walkthrough across Venice's iconic Rialto Bridge, through the market at the bottom of the bridge, and out into Campo San Giacomo di Rialto. In this quiet square just away from the hustle and bustle of one of Venice's most popular tourist spots, all we can hear is the gentle trickle of a water fountain, and the bells chiming for 4pm. An unusually contemplative and mellow end to a soundscape o...
4m Apr 09, 2024
4m
Migrating terns
"The sound of the migrating terns is replaced by violins playing a the same rhythm as a short loop of the field recording. This pattern is faded in and out with other orchestral string instruments playing similar tern patterns." Migrating terns reimagined by Simon Woods.
14s Mar 29, 2024
14s
Tern colony at Cemlyn Bay
Tern colony at Cemlyn Bay, Anglesey. Sandwich, Common and Arctic tern migrate from Africa or as far as the Antarctic for the Artic tern every spring to breed there and then head back each autumn hopefully with young terns following them. Recorded by Phil Cunliffe.
4m Mar 29, 2024
4m
Promise of the pier
"In my mind, a pier is almost always a busy place, people are coming or going and that alone brings excitement. For those who in fact are on the pier to embark on a voyage it is perhaps even more exciting. Remember the feeling as a child going on your first travel by boat, being in the moment just before embarking, feel the tremble of joy, but also of fear of the unknown. What may happen once o...
4m Mar 08, 2024
4m
To step outside time's relentless flow
"I listened and listened to the beautiful recording and played along the best I could on my acoustic guitar to form an idea. I used the recording complete in places and cut up and sampled in others , to creat a kind of vocal line to the piece. "To step outside of times relentless flow is a journey , a holiday if you like. A trip away from the everyday. Music for me is the escape , the trip , t...
6m Mar 08, 2024
6m
Path
"I loved how the field recording provided a really nice atmospheric layer to the song. The interesting thing is that the recording has different moments as in one part you hear the sounds of the waves and in another, human voices combined with other elements that inhabit the place. "This song talks about the wish of feeling nature, of experimenting the outside. I think that the feelings of tra...
6m Mar 08, 2024
6m
A page of the night book
"A period of time a few minutes long fifty-eight years wide." "This recording gave such a strong sense of a moment in time held still - the way in which the space of a minute in the middle of the night can take on the same qualities as an hour during daylight. "The nighttime rainfall sits as a bed throughout the track, which overall is structured into one section punctuated by the calls of an...
4m Mar 08, 2024
4m
Early morning at Pepperskär Hamnen
"A sleepy harbour at Pepperskär on the island of Järsö, 12km south of Mariehamn, Åland's capital. It's just after 7am on a Sunday. The roe deer on the road vanish into the woods as I arrive, the gulls haven't yet flown in from the rocky havens in the bay. "A slight breeze stirs the tide to softly lap the the wood-clad harbour walls and the hulls of the handful of boats moored therein. Alongsid...
14m Mar 08, 2024
14m
Finlandia
"I used the field recording unedited and throughout the duration of my piece. It inspired me to put myself in the outdoors, listen to the sounds of nature in the recording and transfer how this made me feel into music: peaceful and hopeful, and then adventurous. I started with a piano solo and build instrumentation around it. I also drew inspiration from the classic composition by the Finnish c...
5m Mar 08, 2024
5m
Sting Club Muay Thai gym, Chiang Mai
"People from across Chiang Mai and the globe training in a Muay Thai gym." Recorded in Chiang Mai, Thailand by Alex Boyesen. Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/adventure.
21m Mar 08, 2024
21m
Unboxing
"The field recording from the martial arts studio in Thailand is over 20 minutes long, so I initially selected several parts that appealed to me because of their athletic energy, community spirit and sweat. "I chose sound sections that reflect the general training atmosphere in the room and, of course, the sports activities with rhythmic sequences. Muay Thai is a national sport in Thailand, so...
4m Mar 08, 2024
4m
CO-PI-I
"Quite coincidentally, the track "CO-PI-I" was made on the go during my recent travels in late 2023. I believe it happened for a good reason since it serves the purpose of the "Sound of Adventure" project. "Over the years I made an interesting observation. Before venturing into new territory, two things happen: first - we suddenly are opened to fantasy, meditating on possible/probable experien...
4m Mar 08, 2024
4m
On the edge of a lake in the jungle
"A dense and captivating dawn chorus of Vietnamese wildlife in Huyện Đà Bắc, Hòa Bình, Vietnam. The waking of animals, birds, insects and people on the edge of a lake in the jungle at around 5am." Recorded in Vietnam by Kit Wilmans Fegradoe. Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.c...
20m Mar 08, 2024
20m
Shadows unveiled
"The field recording in this piece inspired me to create a story about how an adventure can begin feeling dark and uncertain but can then open up to an expanse of lightness and magic. "Often when I have travelled, being in an unknown places it can feel unsettling but often hidden gifts reveal themselves when you immerse yourself in all that it has to offer." Vermont, USA dawn chorus reimagine...
6m Mar 08, 2024
6m
Vermont's dawn chorus
"The wildlife of Berkshire, Vermont awakening. The scene features Morning Doves' distinctive calls, along with other song birds, a few Raven calls, as well as the croaking of frogs at a nearby pond." Recorded in Vermont, USA by Chris Ruprecht. Part of the Sound of Adventure project in partnership with Exodus Travels. To learn more and explore the full collection, visit https://citiesandmemory...
3m Mar 08, 2024
3m