Cemetery water drops
The droplets of this leaky pipe at a Viennese cemetery caught my attention on a stroll, because I found their melody when diving into the basin to be beautiful and calming. There's also a bit background noise and the gargling voice of the pipe itself. I think it makes for a good sleep melody when heavily processed in panning, tempo and pitch. Recorded by Sandro Nicolussi. Part of the Music fo...
2m Oct 01, 2023
2m
Vento nos Pinheiros Mansos
Wind sounds on trees in Serra de Montejunto, a classified area in central Portugal. Recorded by Luís Antero. 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/
9m Oct 01, 2023
9m
Song of shadows
"This composition takes Oscar Marin’s wonderfully atmospheric field recording keeping its original length of 20 minutes, but cut, sampled and slowed down. I have then layered this with my own recorded and mixed and sampled sounds to create a composite soundscape that I hope creates a tranquil space for relaxation and sleep. Research indicates that pulsing and repeating sounds out of sequence ca...
20m Oct 01, 2023
20m
Ciclo do sono
"Our assigned field recording, captured in a Portuguese natural area near Vila Velha de Ródão, lulled us into daydreams that morphed into a short and pleasant nap. The familiar and comfortable feeling of bobbing up and down between conscious listening and unconscious sleep became an inspiration for this composition. Research into the human sleep cycle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_cycle)...
4m Oct 01, 2023
4m
My mother's keeper
My mother passed during the production of this theme. I dedicate this music to her and may she rest in peace. Portuguese nature reserve reimagined by June Lopez. 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/
15m Oct 01, 2023
15m
The floating cradle
"The roaring sound of the water inside the Coin Caves prompted me to express the idea of a perpetual swaying motion, which is communicated through the sloshing of the water inside the cave. The flow conveys a sense of tranquility and serenity, which I wanted to reconstruct by processing the sound of the water, which is perceived by the left ear in a natural way, while on the right it is in reve...
7m Oct 01, 2023
7m
Teasing the bells
"As a Classical Indian musician, my musical tradition is rooted in the natural environment. As such, I hear music in both the human and natural environment. There is always a medley of songs, notes and rhythms to be found in every landscape. The soundscape of the recording is no different. The bells, symbolic of the Church, represent for a Caribbean citizen as I, the European world, the world o...
3m Oct 01, 2023
3m
Ilha das Virtudes
Sounds of a natural classified area in central Portugal. Tranquility, water, wind. Recorded by Luís Antero. 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/
12m Oct 01, 2023
12m
Polje de Minde
Nature sounds from a natural classified area in central Portugal. Birds, wind, tranquility. Recorded by Luís Antero. 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/
9m Oct 01, 2023
9m
Mata do Bussaco
Nature sounds in a natural classified area in central Portugal. Water, birds. Recorded by Luís Antero. 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/
6m Oct 01, 2023
6m
Grutas da Moeda
Water sounds from a cage in a natural classified area in central Portugal - tranquility. Recorded by Luís Antero. 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/
6m Oct 01, 2023
6m
In-between state
"The piece is reflecting the feeling of falling in and out of consciousness just before deep sleep. I've manipulated the bird call recording throughout and interwoven several melodic ideas using various machines. Produced and mixed in Ableton Live." Lille lockdown reimagined by Alex Hehir. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, ...
4m Sep 30, 2023
4m
Piano haze
"I’ve been familiar with this this nocturne since childhood, and loved the timing and the dissonant resonances produced by the piano in this recording. Slowing it down and adding layers of effects emphasises the resonant sounds, and adding a “player piano” in the form of a flawed audio-midi extraction adds to the dream-like atmosphere." Lockdown piano practice reimagined by Andrew Tulloch. P...
9m Sep 30, 2023
9m
Longitudinal daydream
"During the pandemic I moved to Liverpool, UK to live on a park that has a lake. Each day birds, bats and insects sounds surround me as I balance in a fatigue state. I was excited to hear the recordings Fernando Gonzalez Garcia's made from their own terrace in Vera Cruz, Mexico. They felt alien yet familiar. The act of listening and capturing the wildlife of another ecosystem drew me into a sta...
4m Sep 30, 2023
4m
Bright starlings
"This composition uses only the noises of birdsong, recorded one night in Portugal during the Covid lockdowns. I find drones and low frequencies incredibly restful, so this composition mixes individual bird calls with heavily processed versions of their songs to create a deep, sonorous, and hopefully restful environment." Portugal quarantine night reimagined by Scott A. Wilson. Part of the Mu...
13m Sep 30, 2023
13m
Delta wave insomnia
"When originally choosing the field recording I went for something that was rich and textural and not obviously relaxing, as I wanted to portray a different side to the normal calming idea of sleep. "Recently with hot nights and stress, I’ve been in exactly the right state to complete a piece that hopefully in some way represents the slow dread and rush of insomnia and broken sleep. "I took t...
4m Sep 30, 2023
4m
Unawatuna
"Working with my own sensor triggered instrument Fågelbord (Bird table) and field recordings of Swedish forest birds and the sounds of the jungle in Unawatuna, Sri Lanka, I have created a composition that hopefully will put you to wonderful sleep. Also inspired by the fact that science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke spent many years in Unawatuna and probably there wrote the epic film script fo...
10m Sep 30, 2023
10m
Air conditioning behind the Roman Baths
An air conditioning drone outside the ancient Roman Baths in Bath, England - the confluence of ancient history and the more industrial sounds of a modern city. Recorded by Lee Riley. 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:  Agadant, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.o...
2m Sep 30, 2023
2m
Paradise soundscape
Villa jungle paradise - Unawatuna, Sri Lanka, insect drones and dawn chorus. Recorded by Stéphane Marin/Espaces Sonores. 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/
6m Sep 30, 2023
6m
White nab
"The recording I chose was the resonance of beach wind from inside a flagpole. I live on the coast (hence the track title name) and this sound connected with me whilst having a unique character and energy; which I thought would be a good foundation to work with. The raw recording is intense with lots of low end frequencies, this was subdued using a dynamic EQ so it wasn’t too overbearing. I add...
15m Sep 30, 2023
15m
"...And I am in your cabin as you are in my heart"
"Sleeping on a ship. The thrum of the engine is the pulse of the body is the breathing of the sea. The ferry is the bourdon for a dance between cello and voice, outside and inside the body, outside and inside the skin. The title is a line from "Turbine Turns," an ode to an ocean liner by the Greek poet Andreas Embeirikos. Cello improvisations by Theo Guttenplan." Lullaby on a ferry reimagined ...
4m Sep 30, 2023
4m
The world is our oyster
"In this piece, dreams and reality blend together to transform the world, i.e. "the world is our oyster". "The source recording (i.e. reality) is chattering in a bar in Washington DC. Conversations are a basic form of human interaction, a powerful force that has transformed the world into the Anthropocene. Washington DC, as the capital of the United States of America, is one of the most powerf...
17m Sep 30, 2023
17m
Music for the nightmare of the flying penguins
"I love the power in the field recording and I wanted to use that to describe the feeling when you have a nightmare - how the brain fires off and the images you 'see'. I processed the original recording adding some distortion and tweaking the EQ. Then I overlayed some pads and sounds. I wanted to create something that was on the limit of overload." Farmoor reservoir water treatment reimagined ...
5m Sep 30, 2023
5m
The reservoir
"As a person that struggles with sleep, this has been a soothing piece, meant to be a "sub-bathed" repetitive sequence. Almost all elements (bass, kick, melodies, ambient creature) have been derived from the sample itself using granular synthesis on DAW. "Intended to keep the entire project sample based at first, but towards the end of the project, vocal sample and modular synthesizer drone ha...
7m Sep 30, 2023
7m
My robot puts me to sleep
"Imagine robots, equipped with sensors, monitoring your sleep patterns and mimicking the conditions of REM sleep. Here the Moog Subharmonicon emulates the original fan, and the field recording, mangled by the Octatrack, signifies Robot REM." Ceiling fan reimagined by Alan Cook. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https:...
20m Sep 30, 2023
20m
Pond, frogs and cicadas
My sound "Pond & Frogs & Cicadas" is a field recording from a night I spent sleeping in an artwork (a small cubus made of plexiglass with a bed inside) on a pond. The surrounding sounds of the animals, small ones and big ones, each pursuing their inclinations completely undisturbed, had a very soothing effect on me and I did relax and sleep. Recorded by Sylvia Hinz. Part of the Music for Slee...
18m Sep 30, 2023
18m
Supra sleep
I've been suffering with insomnia for most of my life but I have figured out how to ensure that I can get a good night of sleep: no coffee after 12 noon, drink plenty of water throughout the day (except towards the end of the evening, of course), refrain from alcohol & streaming services before bed. It's almost impossible. But there's one other method that works for me: listening to the radio w...
20m Sep 30, 2023
20m
Dream of a pond with frogs and cicadas
"A quiet afternoon. Dozing off under the sun, lulled by the surrounding sounds. The noises slowly turn into a distant resonance, a hazy soundscape to a late spring dream, and then slowly regain their shapes. "I have simply processed Sylvia Hinz’s sounds through modular synths and effect pedals, trying to transform her recording into a blurred, remote memory." Pond with frogs and cicadas reima...
7m Sep 30, 2023
7m
Sounds inside a flagpole
Koggala beach, contact mic recording the resonance of the wind in a flagpole. Recorded by Stéphane Marin/Espaces Sonores. 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/
8m Sep 30, 2023
8m
The insomniac moves in stealth
"I wanted to make a piece comprised of smooth shifts with the occasional lift/twist to tickle the ear... I took the original bird sound source and gave it a slowly undulating base/bass to emerge from and be absorbed back into." Spring Peepers reimagined by Suzi Lamb. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesand...
3m Sep 30, 2023
3m
Shh, shush, shh, shush!
A lullaby on the ferry from a father to his little daughter. Recorded with Tascam DR-05X. Recorded by Hatiye Garip. 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/
5m Sep 30, 2023
5m
Water treatment as an aural relaxant
The thunderous pulsations of huge amounts of water moving beneath us at a water treatment plant at Farmoor Reservoir in Oxfordshire, England. The intensity rises and falls in dramatic pulses, which moves this soundscape away from the blanket white noise of constant water flow to something much more dynamic and varied. Industrial-scale water treatment as a relaxing soundscape. Recorded by Citie...
7m Sep 30, 2023
7m
Sheltering from the storm
 Sheltering inside a bird hide looking out directly over Farmoor Reservoir, as a rainstorm sweeps in and across the water, we listen to the roar of the wind, the pounding rain and the calls of swifts flying in front of us, all from the safety of this wooden shack, which creaks periodically as it responds to the rainstorm. Recorded by Cities and Memory. Part of the Music for Sleep project - fo...
8m Sep 30, 2023
8m
My background fan puts me to sleep
This is a recording of my ceiling fan and me turning in my sleep. You may hear an airplane passing by too. Each night, I fall asleep to the sound of my ceiling fan. It's there to keep me cool and maintain my rest. It may be just brass and metal spinning in the air, but I am grateful for its secret hypnotic and sedating powers. Recorded by Xavier Johnson. Part of the Music for Sleep project - ...
2m Sep 30, 2023
2m
Spring Peepers and two other frog species calling in early spring
I grew up in a swampy rural area where Spring Peeper frog calls were a prominent and peaceful sound of early spring. Their peeping starts at just about my childhood bedtime. For a blissful few weeks in March or April I'd fall asleep to their persistent drone. This delicate whistle-like call is one of my favorite sounds on earth. Recorded by Neal Johnson. Part of the Music for Sleep project - ...
2m Sep 30, 2023
2m
The night is for building castles the day won't allow
"The recording I worked with felt extraordinarily sparse, and after several listens brought to mind how the night is a vast blank canvas in which the ordinariness of the daytime world can segue into a realm of dream-like potential - culminating in that world our dreams build for us, only for it to be dismantled in the morning. I responded musically by building something similar; a melody (itsel...
6m Sep 30, 2023
6m
Saving fish from drowning
""Saving Fish From Drowning" is a profound soundscape serving as a manifesto on the impact of commercial fishing and the urgent need to protect the local minority of fishermen who safeguard Portugal's cultural heritage and maintain a sustainable connection with the sea.In this enchanting track, a dreamy and airy atmosphere gracefully unfolds, artfully capturing the beautiful connection between ...
3m Sep 30, 2023
3m
The tides of memory
""The Tides Of Memory" is an incredibly powerful and personal soundscape. It evokes nostalgic feelings of my youth spent by the sea, observing the fishermen who lived their lives dedicated to the ocean. This piece reflects my everyday thoughts of returning home and carries a sense of deep nostalgia. I crafted it using tape loops to create tension and distortion, along with granular loopers that...
4m Sep 30, 2023
4m
Crystal myth
"My approach to reimagining "music for sleep" was deeply inspired by the serene ambiance of the water's gentle cadence and the harmonious chorus of birds captured in the field recording. I delved into the realm of frequencies, particularly focusing on the number 120. Using a checksum of 3, I crafted delta frequencies around 3 Hz through binaural beats and isochronic tones, aiming to induce deep...
15m Sep 30, 2023
15m
Storm - night with Helene
"With my piece I want to invite someone into a cosy room during a thunderstorm: there is a thunderstorm outside, soft rain, birds and crickets. Cat Helene joins purringly and mellow music and singing can be heard. In this stormy night one can fall asleep to a verse from german "Abendlied" from 1790. "The source recording is the thunderstorm - outside, nearly unchanged by me.  I created the roo...
3m Sep 30, 2023
3m
Chamber for dreams
"The sea as enveloping, floating; freeing tethers, allowing a quietude, a sleep." Teignmouth waves reimagined by Nimmi Naidoo. 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/
6m Sep 30, 2023
6m
Thunder lullaby
"The starting point for the composition was the intention to preserve the wonderful, atmospheric field-recording and try to artistically enhance it and add new dimensions. For me, rain and thunderstorms are background sounds that help me sleep. I was happy to have the opportunity to work on this audio. "The following techniques were used: the recording was split into different frequency bands ...
4m Sep 30, 2023
4m
Der Traum
"Rather than make music that listeners would fall asleep to I used, in part, the waves and the child's voice from the field recording to make, for want of another word, a dreamscape. Irrespective of whether dreams have a psychoanalytical value or a more prosaic 'defragging' of the brain they are essential to sleep. "I invite my listeners create a space to listen and allow this piece to bring i...
7m Sep 30, 2023
7m
Fishing port, Lapa Das Pombas
Immerse yourself in the ethereal soundscape of one of the most enchanting and ghostly fish ports within the Vicentine Coast Natural Park, Portugal. As a lover of fishing ports, I am captivated by the serene symphony created by the gentle lapping of water against the ropes of boats, evoking tranquility during those precious moments of gazing out at the vast sea. Recorded by Rafael Diogo. Part ...
10m Sep 30, 2023
10m
114 sleeps
"This piece is entirely derived from the original recording (Port of Lewis 14th Jun 2023 by Rod Dykeman) with all the pitched parts created by spectral processing of the original field recording. I was immediately drawn to this sound for two reasons #1: 114 (the number of the sound) has always been a favourite number and I have a large collection of photographs of this number where I have encou...
19m Sep 30, 2023
19m
Listening to the sound of your sleep
"Our piece recreates that moment in the darkness where one person restlessly relives the trauma of yesterday and anticipates the dramas of tomorrow. Meanwhile, their partner sleeps soundly beside them. Additional field recordings include the sleeping man, recorded at 4am in London, UK; the sound of the wind and mechanics at Maryport Harbour, Cumbria, UK; a busker playing the piano in Amsterdam,...
3m Sep 30, 2023
3m
Fishing port, Baleeira
Being an aficionado of fishing ports, my visit to Baleeira in Sagres was a revelation. As I immersed myself in its ambiance, I became mesmerized by the symphony of various breeds of Atlantic seagulls, gracefully scavenging the remnants of mussels being cleaned by two diligent fishermen, who maintained the rhythm of daily life in Portugal in perfect harmony. Recorded by Rafael Diogo. Part of t...
10m Sep 30, 2023
10m
Mexican slumber
"I used the full recording, of what sounded like a Mexican rainforest/forest, in the morning with sounds of rain and birds. I imagined the kind of sleep being the kind when you fall back alseep after first waking up - not a deep sleep, but one that gets deeper the longer it goes. I purposely didn't 'resolve' the ending of the piece - the same way that if you listen to music before sleeping, you...
3m Sep 30, 2023
3m
Autumn insects on Watts Ranch
In much of the United States, insects start calling in the evening in late summer and into autumn. This sound is to me in equal measure soothing as a drone but also filled with melancholy... we're listening to the mating calls of things that won't be alive in a week or two. They represent a reflective, restful part of the year, a transition from one season to another. Recorded by Neal Johnson....
13m Sep 30, 2023
13m
Crystal Spring source in Bentonville
The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas is named for the nearby Crystal Spring. During wet seasons, the spring is more active and its burbling sound soothes the ear. I worked at the museum took breaks to walk up the ravine, sit awhile by the spring, and feel rejuvenated. Recorded by Neal Johnson. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hea...
2m Sep 30, 2023
2m