Forest with creaking branches
A peaceful morning in a forest, just a few miles from the suburbs but with a tranquility that could be from another world. Recorded by John Tenney. 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 17, 2023
2m
The Cahaba River
The Cahaba River is the longest substantially free-flowing river in Alabama and is among the most scenic and biologically diverse rivers in the United States. It is a major tributary of the Alabama River and part of the larger Mobile River basin. Recorded by Jake Carnley. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citi...
16m Sep 17, 2023
16m
Wright's Beach, Sonoma Coast
Waves crashing on the sandy shore. The "noise" of the waves contain frequencies that can help mask loud sounds that stimulate your brain. The expectant rhythm of the sounds of those waves can help support a cadence that allows for relaxation and sleep to occur. Recorded by Meghan Fohl. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visi...
1m Sep 17, 2023
1m
Spring peepers
This is the mating song of spring peepers and other frogs (the double-bass GUNG of a bullfrog can be heard near the end) in a rural beaver pond, recorded on my iPhone using Voice Record Pro the evening before my son and daughter-in-law celebrated their marriage there. The green sound speaks of life and desire, but also deep tranquillity: faith in continuance. Recorded by Maria Margaronis. Par...
2m Sep 17, 2023
2m
Song of somnia
"I layered Meghan's field recording of the crashing waves across the stereo field and then added my own slowly evolving pads to invoke the listener beyond a state of shallow slumber into deep dreams." Bodega Bay reimagined 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/
6m Sep 17, 2023
6m
Hypnagogia
"The underwater atmosphere of Singapore Hydrophone Underwater Labrador Park at night reminded me of the sensation I had for years as a kid to dive into the darkness of my sleep. I later learnt about Hypnagogia, the transition between wakefulness and sleep. I was experiencing visual and auditive hallucinations, which are still feeding my creativity today. The field recordings I have been inspire...
5m Sep 16, 2023
5m
Storm interrupted reverie
"The composition is inspired by one of those daydream moments that gets interrupted by a storm which then becomes part of the daydream. The idea was to use sparse orchestration and percussive sounds to create an ambience that compliments the storm and integrates it into the ambience." Singapore storm reimagined by Andy Lyon. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to he...
5m Sep 16, 2023
5m
Underwater at Merlion Park
Underwater hydrophone recording taken in Merlion Park, Singapore. 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: Ank Kumar, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
4m Sep 16, 2023
4m
Stillness at a forest pond
"Teals, mallards and green sandpipers come down to a small forest pond to bathe and drink water at dawn. Droprig recording close to the water surface. A relaxing background chorus of thrushes, warblers and tits can be heard throughout the recording." Recorded by Bo Soderstrom. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https:/...
20m Sep 16, 2023
20m
Slow-wave sleep
"The composition is inspired by the birdsong heard throughout the original recording, and the practice of unihemispheric slow-wave sleep. Some migratory birds use this as a way to allow one hemisphere of the brain to rest during flight. Similar to how, if we take a long flight, we may rest while flying without sleeping completely, only to sleep deeply at the first opportunity after landing. The...
9m Sep 16, 2023
9m
Sultry evening frogs
" Main interests in the recording? Bugs,noise,frogs.  Distractions? Noise, footsteps,dogs, masking. Filtered footsteps, and dogs. There are two main frog sounds that appear late in the recording. 3:30-3:45. The first 2 sounds were used as a kind of time keeper. the nest 6 sounds made a series and were used as themselves and also processed to make the midrange drone phrases.  The low drone is a...
6m Sep 16, 2023
6m
Lungshan Temple, 6am
"The lilting music from the end of the recording comprises the bulk of this piece. The synths applied, very loosely follow the voices, and a harmonious tuning between the oscillators and the recorded voices naturally drifts out, but comes together towards the end. Percussion runs through the piece to try and tie this all together." Taipei temple sounds reimagined by Finlay Wright. Part of the...
7m Sep 16, 2023
7m
Storm season in Singapore
"Residing in Singapore during its rainy season allowed us to experience frequent thunderstorms, yielding a rich archive of natural sounds. En route to Decathlon from the Ju Koon MRT station, a distant rumbling caught our attention. Armed with my audio gear - a Zoom F8n, DPA 4060, and Zoom H3 VR for ambisonic recordings, I seized the opportunity to capture the impending storm. Stationed at a br...
3m Sep 16, 2023
3m
Underwater at Labrador Park
Underwater hydrophone recording taken in Labrador Park, Singapore. 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: See page for author, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons
2m Sep 16, 2023
2m
Drowning in sounds and silence
"The original hydrophone piece is part of the backing, played unedited, as received. Overall the piece forms the soundtrack to a dream which, like a lot of dreams, is not entirely comfortable." Merlion Park reimagined 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:...
4m Sep 16, 2023
4m
Birds, insects and frogs
"This was recorded in our rice paddy. Super muddy and will steal your sandals given half a chance! The rice had just been harvested so it was full of birds and insects foraging, mating and just having fun. Right now the sound is changing to a heavy duty frog chorus as the paddies are being flooded for a second harvest. Nothing stands still here. Over the past few days I have encountered two gol...
5m Sep 16, 2023
5m
Morning prayers
Sound of chanting of first morning prayers in Lungshan Temple, Taipei. Recorded by James A. Holland. 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 16, 2023
5m
The empty hours
"I wanted to convey deep, simple and sleepy underwater sounds to go along with the waterflow field recording for a calm and dreamy effect." La Reunion river sounds reimagined by Andy Cartwright. 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: JoKerozen, CC BY-SA 2.5 <https://crea...
5m Sep 16, 2023
5m
When Hiroshima dreams
"The composition starts with the flowing water track recorded in Hiroshima by Gretchen Jude. The beginning symbolizes pleasant dreaming. The middle section contains an audible "explosion" sound to indicate the dropping of the first atomic bomb in Hiroshima, Japan. Chaos and nightmares result and are musically represented in the middle of the piece with dissonant electronic loops and sporadic pe...
6m Sep 16, 2023
6m
Waves of sleep
"I live within hearing distance of the Southern Ocean, and fall asleep to the sound of the waves every night, and wake up to them every morning. I was inspired by Marcel's recording of waves on a Penang beach, and wanted to let their sound take the listener on a journey into the depths of sleep by stretching and twisting the recording and bringing out the harmonics 'sleeping' within the sounds ...
12m Sep 16, 2023
12m
Malta lullaby
"For my composition Malta Lullaby, I reimagined a field recording of folk songs being sung by old men at a cafe in Malta. This was my starting point for opening up memories of tranquillity, gently leading one to rest and sleep. My approach of spoken word combined with ambient textures and calming electronic patterns lure ones thoughts to take a back seat to total relaxation and sleep. I was ins...
5m Sep 16, 2023
5m
Sleep junkie
"My intention was to create a musical soundscape that suggests the phases of sleep. The original recording was done at Muracciole farm in Canino, Italy. We hear a gentle stream, crickets. Incredibly peaceful and relaxing. The perfect starting point to enter into a dream state." Canino soundscape reimagined by Eulipion Corps. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to he...
4m Sep 16, 2023
4m
Old men singing Maltese folk songs outside a cafe
"This is a a chance recording of two old men singing folk songs for my mother when we took her to see the town where she was brought up." Recorded by Mary Hooper. 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/
10m Sep 16, 2023
10m
Batu Ferringhi beach
Waves recordings from Batu Ferringhi beach, Penang. 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: Marek Slusarczyk, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
2m Sep 16, 2023
2m
Flowing waters, La Reunion
"River flowing sounds recorded in Langevin, La Reunion. Its an incredibly beautiful area and I started recording at the Grand Galet waterfall." 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: JoKerozen, CC BY-SA 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
2m Sep 16, 2023
2m
Waterfall at 8:15am Monument, Hiroshima
"The sound in itself is very soothing to me, a pleasing combination of abstract and organic, as rushing water pours down over a textured surface in a reverberant stone stairwell, creating a density of natural white noise. The artistic intention, as a memorial to those who died there in August 1945, is poignant and even painful. Yet as a tribute to those who suffered long ago, I find it to be a ...
33s Sep 16, 2023
33s
Night insect chorus
"This gentle insect chorus was recorded late at night on the Muracciole Farm on the outskirts of Canino in the Lazio region of Italy. We hear stridulating insects and the constant flow of water from a trickling stream, a delicate balance resulting in a calming natural soundscape." Recorded by Colin Hunter. Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from...
6m Sep 16, 2023
6m
Pengempu stream
"I really like the movement and the almost textural quality of the hydrophone recordings. They have a physicality that recording via microphone doesn't capture. The recording also captured a clear relationship of immersion, movement and depth, which I immediately associated with the levels of consciousness in sleep. I took apart the recoding and separated zones of equalisation into lows and mid...
13m Sep 16, 2023
13m
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