Subaquatic daydream
"After choosing my audio recording, I created a background drone with a coastal/nautical feel to accompany the field recording in some way… I imagined what it might be like to be suspended in the sub aquatic world… I used a synthesiser that uses granular synthesis to create the drone and textures. I especially liked the little pops and squeaks in the underwater hydrophone recording, I visualise...
13m Sep 16, 2023
13m
Sleepy sleep in waves
"The sound of the sea hitting the shore is brings with it an inherently sleepy feeling. So I used the pure sound, then doubled it and applied some effects to push it back off to ‘sleep’ in the background. I added a couple of tracks I had kicking around that had a dreamy quality to them and effected them as well. I then put it all together to create a wash of sound that induces - to me at least ...
6m Sep 16, 2023
6m
Voyage in blue
"The piece is inspired by an ambiance of meditative dream. It is a construction of harmonies and modified sounds that invite us to go into the details of listening and the passing of a liquid time of the body." Indonesian waterfall reimagined by Elena Castillo / Elentric. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citi...
9m Sep 16, 2023
9m
Remote remnants of remembered REM dreams
"I enjoy listening to water sounds and the given recording was taken as a constant background that sometimes is totally occluded by the music, but it is still there, flowing along the musical flow. I wanted the music could be used to soothe oneself or even inducing sleep, but I always like to introduce dissonant or noise elements in my tracks so, who knows if the music will help or not? Maybe i...
13m Sep 16, 2023
13m
Pengempu waterfall, Bali
"Pengempu waterfall, Bali. As a field recordist, I've traveled the world to capture the sounds of nature at its finest, and Bali's waterfalls are some of the most breathtaking I've ever recorded. I've made recordings from three of Bali's most iconic waterfalls: Tegenungan, Tibumana, and Pegembu. Using great recording equipment, I've captured every nuance of these cascading waterfalls, from the...
1m Sep 16, 2023
1m
Lovina fishing harbour - hydrophone recording
Hydrophone recording from a beach in Bali. Recorded by Marcel Gnauk. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/ IMAGE: Photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas
3m Sep 16, 2023
3m
Sanur Beach, Bali
Sanur is a seaside town in the southeast of the island of Bali, in Indonesia. Its long stretch of beach offers shallow waters. Colorful jukung fishing boats rest on the sand, backed by a paved cycling path. Recorded by Marcel Gnauk. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/ IMAGE:...
3m Sep 16, 2023
3m
Tibumana waterfall, Bali
"Tibumana waterfall, Bali. As a field recordist, I've traveled the world to capture the sounds of nature at its finest, and Bali's waterfalls are some of the most breathtaking I've ever recorded. I've made recordings from three of Bali's most iconic waterfalls: Tegenungan, Tibumana, and Pegembu. Using great recording equipment, I've captured every nuance of these cascading waterfalls, from the...
2m Sep 16, 2023
2m
Svartifoss, Iceland
"Svartifoss - Thin, 20m-high waterfall tumbling down the centre of a dramatic 3D wall of hexagonal basalt columns." Recorded by Marcel Gnauk. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/ IMAGE: Andreas Tille, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedi...
2m Sep 16, 2023
2m
Evensong
"I'm not particularly religious or spiritual, but I have always found the experience of attending Evensong to be comforting in a way that continues to surprise me. I leaned into that comfort, and the theme of tranquility that comes with it for me, in this composition (though I have to admit that I do have enough theological knowledge to know whether the original recording was even of Evensong i...
4m Sep 16, 2023
4m
Basilique Saint-Sernin de Toulouse
"Sound space immerses us into his environment." Recorded by Dan Capture. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
11m Sep 16, 2023
11m
Napo reimagined
"Some bird sounds are from the field recording and some are synthesised." Napo Wildlife Centre reimagined by Simon Woods.
7m Sep 12, 2023
7m
Napo Wildlife Centre, Ecuador
Insects and birds at the Napo Wildlife Centre, Ecuador in 2014. Recorded by Phil Cunliffe.
1m Sep 12, 2023
1m
Clock drift / bit slip
"For this project, I wanted to use techniques and tools that I found helpful in my personal quest for healthy sleeping. The loss of the natural ability to rest peacefully and reload seems evident: the recent major shifts and events in our lives eventually took their toll, resulting in a somewhat drained battery existence. Still, it's no secret that our brain can restore itself, reinstate peac...
8m Sep 10, 2023
8m
Ásatrú's prayer
"Goðafoss, meaning "waterfall of the gods," carries with it a tale of tranquility. When Iceland was initially settled during the 9th and 10th centuries, the majority of its inhabitants were Norwegian, adhering to the Old Norse faith and venerating deities like Thor, Odin, Loki, and Freya. However, as of AD 930, the pressure to adopt Christianity began to mount from Christianized Europe. By the...
7m Sep 10, 2023
7m
Slumber (opium den)
""Slumber (Opium Den)" seamlessly blends the recorded essence of shoreline night waves with rhythmic elements, resulting in a hypnotic and calming soundscape. Inspired by the organic tranquility of the recording, PureH transformed these gentle waves into a rhythmic foundation, enhanced by soft ambient textures. The composition draws listeners into a tranquil state reminiscent of a smoky atmosph...
7m Sep 10, 2023
7m
Descending into a nightmare
"An experimental piece intended to convey the experience of gradually descending into a nightmare. Percussion provided by the reference clock tick-tock transformed into the sound of a sledge hammer against a metal anvil." Keitum ticking clock reimagined by Scott Lawrence Whitman. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit http...
9m Sep 10, 2023
9m
The sleeper awakened
Samuel Kudjodzi's field recording of wetlands at midnight in Ghana interested me because it was just very beautifully done but also because it made me feel peaceful and alert--that odd combination-feeling you get for example when being awoken from a deep sleep. (Hence the title, which is taken from a chapter in Jacqueline Risset's Sleep's Powers.) Looping part of the original recording is paire...
8m Sep 10, 2023
8m
3:46
"What does the time 3:46 mean, without an am or pm behind it? Maybe it exists as a reference point. Maybe it is a time suspended in time before finally falling asleep. But what if sleep doesn’t come, easily or at all? Is someone awake at 3:46 or…awakening? Does the time 3:46 connote sleep during the day or at night? Listening deeply to the field recording of an Icelandic waterfall inspired th...
19m Sep 10, 2023
19m
Gluggafoss
Gluggafoss (Merkjárfoss), Gluggafossavegur, Iceland. During my three-week journey through Iceland in a camper van, I was in awe of the country's breathtaking beauty. I had the chance to capture the natural sounds at several locations, including Dettifoss, Godafoss, Gluggafoss, Dynjandi, Svartifoss, Fjaðrárgljúfur, Thingvellir, Goðafoss, Seljalandsfoss, Glanni, and Haukadalur. Using the Zoom F...
2m Sep 10, 2023
2m
Godafoss
Goðafoss Waterfall, Iceland. Recorded by Marcel Gnauk. IMAGE: Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
2m Sep 10, 2023
2m
Dettifoss
Dettifoss. Take a journey into the serene and tranquil environment of Iceland through the sounds of its cascading waterfalls and flowing rivers. During my three-week journey through Iceland in a camper van, I was in awe of the country's breathtaking beauty. I had the chance to capture the natural sounds at several locations, including Dettifoss, Godafoss, Gluggafoss, Dynjandi, Svartifoss, Fjað...
2m Sep 10, 2023
2m
Wetland voices at midnight
Constant pulsating calls and songs of frogs, toads and subtle insects. This particular location, space or settlement could have been used for educational purposes for future generations to: I. Learn about the importance of wetlands and aqua-habitats to the ecosystem. II. Document individual species and ecological functions on site. III. Observe and research the sonic structures, communication ...
4m Sep 10, 2023
4m
Gentle evening waves, Amarynthos
The sound of the sea can help slow down the mind and help promote relaxation. Late one evening I recorded this soundscape of gentle waves lapping onto the shoreline just outside Amarynthos Village on the island of Evia in Greece. Recorded by Colin Hunter. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/m...
3m Sep 10, 2023
3m
Tick tock, Keitum
This is a recording the soft and relaxing ticking of a historic wall clock exposed in the museum of the island Sylt in Keitum, Germany. Recorded by Martin Juenke. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
1m Sep 10, 2023
1m
A night chorus
"This piece is built on top of a nocturnal insect drone, and takes its rhythm from the insect chorus’s irregular cycles of pulses and swells. Those insect rhythms can be simultaneously soothing and a little unsettling, and the result is a piece that feels languid and sleepy even as it is also pulsating with the sounds of nocturnal activity." Grand Bornand soundscape reimagined by John Savarese...
4m Sep 10, 2023
4m
Cricket song
"The seconds pass with cricket song... Exploring the stretch and pulse of time at night, led by the rhythmic crickets in the field recording and enhanced with gentle piano interjections." Crickets in Bad Boll reimagined by Sarah Keirle. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
4m Sep 10, 2023
4m
Subbubbling
"This is how I imagine the sounds heard in almost-sleep, in which the real world can still be sensed along with the hazy recombinations of sounds stored deep in the brain. I used a few swelling rain excerpts from the Bijilo recording (including one with the meow) in a custom granular synthesis program (https://github.com/jimkang/graphback/). I also added some synth trombone and a field recordin...
3m Sep 10, 2023
3m
Cathedral of rest
"Cathedrals can be places of calm. Here, someone seeks peacefulness and rest, and finds them. Medieval music, then a chorus of penitents (from a Palm Sunday procession in Portugal), the mumbles of a priest’s sermon during mass (in Krakow, Poland), and finally the Blessing Of the Animals (here recorded in St. John the Divine Cathedral in New York City). Our seeker hears neighbors starting to sno...
4m Sep 10, 2023
4m
The night has a thousand voices (Insomnia)
"Have you ever had one of those nights when you just can’t get to sleep no matter what you do? As always, there’s a story behind my track about insomnia. At first, when I was allocated this sound, I thought I might create a lullaby from the chirping noises of the toads, since they were Midwife Toads. Something quiet and ambient that would lull your baby to sleep. However, also as always, trac...
7m Sep 10, 2023
7m
The Church of the Jacobins
The Church of the Jacobins, Toulouse - "Sound space immerses us into his huge reverb." Recorded by Dan Capture. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
11m Sep 10, 2023
11m
Crickets in gentle summer rain
A gentle soundscape of crickets stridulating late at night whilst gentle summer rain falls on the surrounding vegetation. As I sat quietly to record along an abandoned railway track in Bad Boll, Baden-Württemberg, the nearby village remains in silence. Recorded by Colin Hunter. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https:...
5m Sep 10, 2023
5m
Outskirts of Lerouville
This recording captures the numerous flute like calls of Common Midwife Toads in an old disused quarry. The toads begin calling at dusk and when the conditions are right, continue on throughout the night. Recorded just after midnight when hundreds of toads were calling simultaneously at slightly different pitches, resulting in a beautiful soundscape. Recorded by Colin Hunter. Part of the Musi...
4m Sep 10, 2023
4m
Siesta summer insect chorus
This gentle summer soundscape, featuring bees, grasshoppers and crickets, was recorded in an open meadow near the Col de Châtillon at an altitude of 1680 metres above sea level. A perfect summer soundscape for an afternoon siesta. Recorded by Colin Hunter. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/...
3m Sep 10, 2023
3m
Cat in the rain, Gambia
Rain falling on the balcony of our room in The Gambia with a cat behind the glass. Recorded by Michael Lilley. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
14s Sep 10, 2023
14s
Dreamscape 08.07.23
"While listening to my chosen sound while reflecting on the theme I became inspired to create a sort of log of a dream, or a Dreamscape. Dreamscape 08.07.23 is a live improvised piece based on a dream I experienced on August 7, 2023, or was it July 8, 2023, hmm. The original sound can be found in the bass pad (a wavetable was created from a short snippet and used to make the bass pad), and then...
20m Sep 10, 2023
20m
Twilight's serenade
"Twilight's Serenade is a short ambient soundscape composition intended to promote sleep. As the sun's warm embrace begins to yield to the cool embrace of the night, this piece captures the gentle, romantic essence of that fleeting moment. The white noise, pink noise and binaural beats give a calming background - while the soft choir sound and gentle flourishes which feature are like whispered ...
3m Sep 10, 2023
3m
Edro III shipwreck, Cyprus
The Sierra Leone-flagged EDRO III ran aground off Pegeia on 8 October 2011 in heavy seas, during a voyage to Rhodes, from Limassol, Cyprus with a cargo of plasterboard. At the time of the accident, the ship had nine crew members – seven Albanians and two Egyptians. The crew were rescued and airlifted to the safety of Paphos by a local British Military helicopter. Recorded by Marcel Gnauk. Par...
5m Sep 10, 2023
5m
Yulara [DreamStepper]
"The original recording is by definition disembodied and, (as someone who has never visited Australia), I found it to be familiar yet alien. Taking this ethereal sound as a starting point I built up a track that hopefully has a dreamlike quality." Yulara light field reimagined by Dead Kousin. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collectio...
5m Sep 10, 2023
5m
Paphos Mediterranean Sea
"This recording inspired me because it captured the sound of the wind and waves near an ancient burial site, dating back to the 4th century BC. The sounds now are the same as they were then, and this recording gives a sense of the depths of time and the gravity of history. This piece includes the ethereal singing of Danica Hoffart and the resonant tones of the wind and waves to convey a sense o...
14m Sep 10, 2023
14m
Tomb of the Kings, Cyprus
Coastal sounds at the Tomb of the Kings archaeological site, Cyprus. Recorded by Marcel Gnauk. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/ IMAGE: Mgiganteus1 at the English-language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons
3m Sep 10, 2023
3m
Thrush and wren, Peak District
Mainly songthrush, accompanied by a wren. During lockdown. Longest unbroken song ever heard by a thrush. Recorded by Ian Evetts. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/ IMAGE: Taco Meeuwsen from Hellevoetsluis, The Netherlands, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2...
5m Sep 10, 2023
5m
FIeld of light at night
Wildlife in the uluru field of night after sunset with harmonic processing. Recorded by Michael Lilley. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
26s Sep 10, 2023
26s
Ambience and reverb in a station
I liked the impression of walking, moving around, as if we were following someone's walk in sound with voices, noises, wind, a breath. I liked the title of the piece too. An evocation of a distant land. From there, I imagined a stroll through a city wetter, more oragnic and with a pale glow. Noises, muffled sounds, textures, voices, the wind create another more incongruous or surprising densit...
4m Sep 10, 2023
4m
Bermuda static
"The rhythm of waves on the coast can calm our restless brain. Looking for patterns helps with that. Yet there is always that little bit of static in the back of our minds that never quite goes away. Focusing your concentration on the calming effect of sounds, that is the art of it..." Bermuda Great Sound reimagined by Molenari. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and t...
5m Sep 05, 2023
5m
Dreamfall
"This piece is about where we go when we are asleep and the different states of our sleep. I began by listening to the original sound which is described by the recordist as a 360 degree recording of a waterfall. I was intrigued by the subtle changes to the sound as the microphone moves around. I decided that I would keep the recording intact as it would be very difficult to break it up. My th...
3m Sep 05, 2023
3m
Nightmare (behind the yellow line)
"'Nightmare (behind the yellow line)' is the story of someone waiting at a train station for a lover who will never arrive. I interpreted the theme "music for sleep" by playing with the presence of nightmares. The original sound has been slightly modified to accentuate the haunting ambiance and melancholic tones of the composition, used to set a sombre mood that ideally, resonates with the list...
4m Sep 05, 2023
4m
Giant sleep
"I did minimal edits on this magical field recording from Australia, composing musical cells that directly connect to its sound-structures, adding multi-track piano with multi-track e-bows on piano strings, in static and traveling spatialisations. "Giant Sleep" feels to me like all kinds of literal or metaphorical sleep, where we exist in and outside of ourselves, like slumbering giants, where ...
6m Sep 05, 2023
6m
Distant train
"This is a recording from a night of open air camping that captures different relations to sleeping outdoors: the momentarily interrupted sleep of the recordist, the sounds of a distant train that occasioned this late-night recording session, and the snores of other campers resting uninterrupted." Recorded by John Savarese. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hea...
1m Sep 05, 2023
1m
Great Sound, Bermuda
"Overlooking Cavello Bay which overlooks Great Sound.  The sound of waves on the shore." Recorded by Mark Wilden. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/
2m Sep 05, 2023
2m