U'wa Cobaria dance
U'wa Cobaria dance from the Andes in north-east Colombia. From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a collection of reel-to-reel recordings of U'wa songs and stories made by anthropologist Ann Osborn in the Northern Andes (Sierra Nevada del Cocuy region) in Colombia between 1969 and 1977. Recorded by Ann Osborn. Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum, Unive...
4m Feb 22
4m
Forest sounds with bird calls and distant thunder
From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a large collection of cassette tape and digital audio tape recordings of Bayaka music and soundscapes made by ethnomusicologist Louis Sarno mainly in the Central African Republic (and the Republic of Congo) between 1986 and 2009. Recorded by Louis Sarno. Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford. ...
8m Feb 22
8m
Floating waves on the Zambezi
 Imagine tuning a radio time-machine dial between the past and present of the Zambezi River valley; birds weave a tapestry in and out of the soundscape as static, magnetic drift, crosstalk and interference rise and fall with the signals in the atmosphere. The foundation of this mix, an original recording in the Pitt Rivers Museum collection, is a radio broadcast of singing and drumming by an un...
6m Feb 22
6m
Bari women chanting
While artist-in-residence at the Alice Boner Institute in Varanasi, India, I was lucky to hear chanting every day - nearly all day. The chanting is sacred - but it is also joyous. I wanted to capture that. Women singing reimagined by Paul Beaudoin. ——— Part of the project A Century of Sounds, reimagining 100 sounds covering 100 years from the collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum at the Unive...
4m Feb 22
4m
Bantu songs from Zambia
Bantu songs from Zambia: recording of a selection of Bantu songs and music, including drumming, issued by the Zambia Broadcasting Corporation. From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being one of a small number of recordings issued or released by foreign broadcasting corporations or radio associations. Recorded by Zambia Broadcasting Corporation. Copyright...
49m Feb 22
49m
Women singing
From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a collection of reel-to-reel recordings of music and spoken language (principally Thulung Rai) made by anthropologist Nicholas Allen in Nepal and India between 1970 and 1981. Recorded by Nicholas Justin Allen. Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford. ——— Part of the project A Century of Sounds, ...
3m Feb 22
3m
Along the Nile (Nuerland)
I came to this field recording by chance, yet I still remember the first time I listened to it, standing in my kitchen with headphones on, looking out the window. The second I pressed play, the singing moved me; it was abstract to me, yet full of movement, texture, and power. As I listened multiple times, different sounds and tones in the singing became noticeable. The sound felt alive and over...
6m Feb 22
6m
A centroid with Chocó
The development of this piece was particularly complicated for reasons I can’t fully explain. I tried various jumping off points, taking sections of the initial harmonica melody, and working on that with counter-melodies, call and response, writing on melodica and piano, working with voice, manipulating the original melodic phrasing, and nothing stuck for quite a while. Then I left the ideas a...
3m Feb 22
3m
Geedal (bow harp) in the forest with rain dripping
Mamadu playing the geedal (bow harp) in the forest with the sound of rain dripping. From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a large collection of cassette tape and digital audio tape recordings of Bayaka music and soundscapes made by ethnomusicologist Louis Sarno mainly in the Central African Republic (and the Republic of Congo) between 1986 and 2...
3m Feb 22
3m
An ode to a river, a parrot, a woman
What is the sound of a poetry work emerging from a fascinating, haunting, remote (for the poet) territory? A reverberation, a story, a journey within a journey, moving through spaces and beings. Awe and gratitude for merging voices temporally scattered. An original 55 second recording, an Indigenous woman calling to a parrot on the Purricha river, a diary, two students – Jonathan Ambache and R...
7m Feb 22
7m
Navel-Miel performance with rattle and seed pods
A Navel-Miel performance accompanied by shaken rattle and seed pods. From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a large collection of reel-to-reel tape recordings of music and soundscapes made by ethnomusicologist Raymond Clausen mainly on the island of Malekula (Malampa Province) in Vanuatu between 1960 and 1979. Recorded by Raymond Ernst Clausen. ...
4m Feb 22
4m
Chocó mouth organ music
From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a collection of reel-to-reel tape recordings of Chocó music and soundscapes made by students Jonathan Ambache and Richard Saumarez Smith in Colombia in 1965. Recorded by Jonathan Ambache and Richard Saumarez Smith. Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford. ——— Part of the project A Century of Sou...
3m Feb 22
3m
Chocó woman calling a parrot
From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a collection of reel-to-reel tape recordings of Chocó music and soundscapes made by students Jonathan Ambache and Richard Saumarez Smith in Colombia in 1965. Recorded by Jonathan Ambache and Richard Saumarez Smith. Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford. ——— Part of the project A Century of Sou...
1m Feb 22
1m
Nuer people singing
From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being one of a number of miscellaneous or individual ethnographic field recordings (rediscovered during a recent research project). Unknown recordist. Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford. ——— Part of the project A Century of Sounds, reimagining 100 sounds covering 100 years from the collections of the ...
10m Feb 22
10m
Azul - two worlds
Azul means “hello” in Berber. Azul – Two Worlds is inspired by Akassar, a traditional Berber song recorded in 1961 as part of the Oxford University Expedition to the Atlas Mountains, now preserved in the Pitt Rivers Museum archive. When I first heard the field recording, its melodies and rhythms unexpectedly resonated with elements of traditional Korean music, evoking both familiarity and wonde...
4m Feb 22
4m
An endless vibration
When I listened to the recording, I went back to sit with my mother in nature in the village. The rhythm was beating her favourite song (Rewşenê) alongside '"Tu Paine", and it was reciting memories that will not be remembered unless passing through a genocide. It is inspiring how 14,000 kilometres of distance can vibrate the same feelings that I had in my childhood. It is interesting how a soun...
4m Feb 22
4m
The colonisation of language: a phraseology in five parts
The Colonisation of Language: A Phraseology in Five Parts explores, in a broad sense, aspects of oral storytelling and how the influence of colonisation can corrupt language and the sense of an origin story through multiple iterations over time. In much of my sound work, I’m drawn to the spoken word, and was immediately drawn to the characteristics within the vocal utterances contained in the ...
9m Feb 22
9m
Akassar (song) with violin and drum
From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a collection of reel-to-reel tape recordings of Berber (Ait Haddidu) music and soundscapes made by members of the Oxford University Expedition to the Atlas Mountains of Southern Morocco in 1961. Recorded by Audrey Butt, Michael R. Emerson or Ralph Hudson Johnson. Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum, University of ...
4m Feb 22
4m
Tu Paine: song for guitar
"Tu Paine": song for guitar performed by Robert and Paul. From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a large collection of reel-to-reel tape recordings of music and soundscapes made by ethnomusicologist Raymond Clausen mainly on the island of Malekula (Malampa Province) in Vanuatu between 1960 and 1979. Recorded by Raymond Ernst Clausen. Copyright ...
3m Feb 22
3m
Broadcast from a broken time machine
I was attracted to the age and broken nature of this recording and wanted to use the noise as a feature. All the sounds featured originate from the original, however mangled they have become. One could could hear all the layers of noise to be the 100+ years that have past since the recording was captured - with the original sounds still trying to break through. Balangi (xylophone) duet reimagi...
2m Feb 22
2m
Lullaby sung by Nadeng to her baby
From the sound collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, being from a collection of cassette tape recordings of music and spoken language (principally Laarim) made by anthropologist Patti Langton in South Sudan during 1979 and 1980. Recorded by Patti Langton. Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford. ——— Part of the project A Century of Sounds, reimagining 100 so...
2m Feb 22
2m
Nadeng's song - a lullaby in cycles
I listened to this beautiful excerpt of Nadeng singing to her child and the sonic presence of children and a baby. I grew increasingly attached to their voices and carefully traced their audible responses to each other. I read about the context of this recording – mother to child, mother to children, singing in South Sudan. The wars that have afflicted this place. The civil war that had recentl...
6m Feb 22
6m
On the footsteps of Khakcilik
"Fiat Lux". From the living breath of Genesis to the Kikuyu’s sacred seed, from the Greek cosmic egg to the Sulawesi tale of the earth-shaking boar scratching its itch — across countless traditions, humankind has always sought to explain the origins of the cosmos. Perhaps fewer people are aware that humanity has also tried to explain the origins of technological life, with ‘technology’ here mea...
13m Feb 22
13m
Bridge work (2018)
As a student during the early 00s I lived close to Hammersmith Bridge and would often spend time there along the river. The architecture of the bridge and particularly the sound of crossing traffic was always fascinating to me; during a visit to London in 2018 I made field recordings, and soon after made this composition with it. Hammersmith Bridge, London reimagined by Toby Kaufmann-Buhler.
4m Feb 09
4m
Underneath Hammersmith Bridge
This was recorded in June 2018 on the Lower Mall path under Hammersmith Bridge, London, during a busy time for pedestrian traffic; this was less than a year before the bridge completely closed for extensive repairs. Recorded by Toby Kaufmann-Buhler.
2m Feb 09
2m
Every form of transport at once
An interesting spot in central Berlin at Gontardstrasse - an intersection with passing trams and buses from two sides, while trains pass overhead to our right. As an added bonus, we stand between two pedestrian crossing boxes, with a stereo effect as they exchange pulses on either side of us. Recorded by Cities and Memory, September 2025.
8m Jan 26
8m
Every form of transport and voices (stereo effect)
I was especially inspired by the rhythmic, stereo qualities of the traffic sounds. Their sound texture gave me new inspiration every time I listened to them. The reimagined piece is nostalgic and dreamy. I was really focused on the storytelling aspect, in a kind of post-cinematographic way. The composition is built partly from « tape music » using the original recording, then layered with two ...
4m Jan 26
4m
Indonesian reverie
"This recording felt introspective, reflective and meditative and the Indonesian chant took me back to Bali, where I had just been in April 2025. I used some recordings I took in Bali such as a dawn chorus and placed birds and rustles in the wider stereo field. I recorded myself playing the flute, basing the melody on the chant, which is woven throughout the piece."  reimagined by Sarah McRuvie.
4m Jan 21
4m
Rumah Tangga's back yard
There are various insects and birds in Rumah Tangga while the space is filled with gardens. During the morning time, there used to be a 'sholawat' (a praise to God from a nearby mosque) until noon. Because of the vast lands, the megaphone sound from the mosque sprawls nicely throughout the area. The sound of the inhabitants gives a calm and soothing feeling. I love to wake up early in the morn...
6m Jan 21
6m
Riffbert the frog
"I found inspiration for this piece within the first few seconds of listening to the recording, it quite literally leapt out at me (Pardon the pun), a very distinctive rhythm, I quickly wrote a riff that followed the rhythm and made it the focal point of this piece with it reappearing throughout, some very chaotic sections (similar to the hopping of a frog). I used guitar amps on a lot of the f...
7m Jan 21
7m
The frogs of Varka
"One night the frogs of Varka village were improvising!" Recorded in Varka, Greece by Agapi Zarda.
3m Jan 21
3m
Kelvingrove
The original sample was resampled, with a lot of treatments. Guitar samples were added, as well as synth and keyboards sounds. The idea was to end up with an ambient piece in which you would still hear the original atmosphere. The piece was mastered by Fabric Decay, an electronic / experimental artist from Kyiv, Ukraine. Kelvingrove museum, Scotland reimagined by Abstrakt Lake. IMAGE: 瑞丽江的河水,...
8m Jan 21
8m
Kelvingrove museum atmosphere
The atmosphere of the Kelvingrove art museum in Glasgow. People walking, talking, children playing. The amazing reverberation of the building makes steps sound a bit like treated percussion, at times. Minimum editing (fade in/out and EQ). Recorded by Balthazar Klimt. IMAGE: 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
2m Jan 21
2m
The ballad of Bab Doukkala
The most striking feature of the original field recording is dozens of motorbikes and scooters zooming past and dodging their way through the pedestrians. Throughout the day when it's busier they can only pass very slowly, but with sparser crowds at night they rip past us on both sides. This composition brings to life some of the energy of the city of Marrakesh by night, with the instrumentati...
5m Jan 08
5m
The bikes of Bab Doukkala
Marrakesh, Morocco - at 9.30pm in the Bab Doukkala district, the city is full of life. Shops are open and bustling, the area is mostly locals and few tourists, but the most remarkable thing is the sheer number of scooters and motorbikes passing - in the space of just a few minutes, more than 20 motorbikes zip and slalom past us in the narrow alleyway, zig-zagging between pedestrians. You can h...
4m Jan 08
4m
Midnight in an amphibian world
For this piece, multiple layers of synths, strings and other instruments layer on top of one another, performing variations of the same melody, to mimic both the repetition and individual variations within the the frog choruses. Each instrument becomes a voice joining in with the frogs’ calls, creating a melodic bed that reflects on the majestic beauty of nature’s large-scale gatherings of anim...
5m Jan 07
5m
Boat launch blues
"Reimagination of Hastings Boat Launch with a blues shuffle feel to it." Hastings boat launch reimagined by Gareth Eckley.
6m Jan 07
6m
Green vs grey
|Trees and birds have always been considered the lungs of a neighbourhood. Yet, even though we recognise their value, the policy of too many (Belgian) cities is to trade vibrant greenery for dull, grey concrete. This is a call to action: we must do more to protect our scarce green spaces." Bos forest, Amsterdam reimagined by Jade Yorks.
2m Jan 07
2m
Midnight froglings, Goa
This was recorded near a field after the rain around midnight where frogs were having a huge discussion about meeting their future partners. Recorded in Goa, India by Anantha Krishnan.
1m Jan 07
1m
Launching
his recording, made in January 2025, is of one of the fishing boats being launched from the beach in Hastings. This sustainable fishing fleet has a history spanning over 200 years and faces many challenges, such as the gradual decline of fish stocks, damage to the marine environment from pollution and climate change, over regulation and unfair competition and encroachment from the european indu...
18m Jan 07
18m
Amsterdamse Bos
Amsterdamse bos is a 100-year-old forest surrounded by a 750-year-old city. This artificial forest is both a forest and park-like. It provides a significant habitat for non-human creatures within the city. Meanwhile, behind the voices of birds, you can hear the constant sound of airplanes passing overhead on their way to Schiphol Airport, which was built on reclaimed land just like the forest. ...
3m Jan 07
3m
Checkpoint Charlie
Ambisonics recordings at Checkpoint Charlie, the famous crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War. Recorded by Anders Vinjar.
10m Jan 07
10m
Checkpoint
"I wanted to keep the original recording as intact as possible. I had some chord progressions I was already working on, and they seemed to fit the theme, so I orchestrated from there. Wanting something that reflected both the past, present and future of the location, the Berlin School influenced was obvious, but then it needed to break down a bit, before coming back to the reality of the presen...
11m Jan 07
11m
Chimes revisited
"My first ever Cities and Memory track was a response to a very similar recording; that one, too, featured chimes. For that first track I re-sequenced the ringing and built my response on that 'quantised' structure. "Some five years on I have changed very little to this original recording, leaving most of the irregularity in the ringing in place and working with and around its rhythm, embracin...
3m Dec 18, 2025
3m
The Untuned Bell
The Untuned Bell sound installation in Radhusplassen in Oslo. This 1.4-ton bell (anno 1949) was removed from the bell tower of Oslo City Hall because it was no longer in tune with the other 48 bells. The artist found the bell lying silent on the ground and restored its voice. From its new home on Radhusplassen, here outside the City Hall, the bell can once again interact with the bells in the ...
3m Dec 18, 2025
3m
Chaffinches in McCaig's Tower
In McCaig's Tower, overlooking the bustling harbour town of Oban, finches call out from all sides as we walk around the inside of the tower walls, while the hum of the harbour rises up the hill from below us. Recorded in Oban, Scotland by Cities and Memory in April 2025.
4m Dec 18, 2025
4m
Look out
"The piece takes its cue from McCaig’s Tower in Oban, Scotland—not as an architectural curiosity, but as an acoustic world. It begins and ends with the finches that inhabit the open structure, their calls forming the work’s natural frame. "The music moves through evolving motifs: a peaceful drone and the suggestion of bagpipes represent the quiet of the unfinished enclosure overlooking the tow...
6m Dec 18, 2025
6m
The company of others
"In approaching the project I was struck by the evocative and ethereal quality of the original recording, in particular the call to prayer, and have tried to retain that in the three sections of this piece. There is also a timeless quality to the original, which I wanted to retain and develop. "The piece is intended to present those sounds in different yet related contexts; the first section i...
16m Dec 18, 2025
16m
Call to prayer at the floating village
A call to prayer at the Bang Phat floating village in Thailand, known for its "floating" houses on stilts and a simple fishing community. Recorded by Jake Edwards.
3m Dec 18, 2025
3m
Cuckoos
"I used the cuckoos as a backdrop for a story about death in the forest, of disappearing back into the earth and how that would feel. I wanted it to sound sort of dreamy and slightly off balance." Cuckoos in Tomintoul, Scotland reimagined by Dermot Fitzsimons.
5m Dec 18, 2025
5m