Open air buffet
"I was inspired by the natural reverberation of Commercial Square in Coimbra, Portugal,  with its outdoor activity of high pitched birds, dogs, and people. I re-imagined it as a boundless dreamscape to be savored sonically." Praca do Comercio, Coimbra reimagined by Dixie Treichel.
3m Dec 07, 2022
3m
Troubles / trioblóidí: Orange disorder
"A simple idea. Locate and have a conversation with a woman who was born in the late 1960s on or around the 12th of July in Belfast as the so called ’Troubles’ began to escalate. I wanted to hear what that small girl thought, felt and experienced growing up in such a place. "I spoke with Mary*. Female, born 12 07 1968, raised Catholic and living just off the Falls Road in West Belfast. What Ma...
39m Dec 07, 2022
39m
Chicago airport food court (Andy Lyon reimagining)
"Food courts are typically pretty hectic places, I wanted to provide the contrast of a bystander taking a step back and listening to what is happening, the way you tend to focus for a while and then let it wash over you at other times.  I've used the Crave Synth by Behringer as the sound source, there are two self-generating patches that I've recorded and layered, processing with a variety of r...
9m Dec 07, 2022
9m
Sunday morning mass in Coimbra
A recording of part of a Sunday mass in the Igreja de Santa Cruz in central Coimbra, Portugal. Hymns sung by the congregation, prayers in Portuguese and fading into street sounds as we step outside the church into the square. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
4m Dec 07, 2022
4m
Northern Ireland centennial parade, May 2022
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Northern Ireland Centennial Parade was delayed by one year. It was finally held on May 28, 2022, and hosted by The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland. The parade featured around 130 bands and it began at the Stormont Estate, moving through to Belfast City Hall. This event marks the 100th birthday of Northern Ireland, with approximately 20,000 people in attendance. ...
4m Dec 07, 2022
4m
Restaurants and swifts
As the sun begins to go down in Praca do Comercio in Coimbra, Portugal, restaurants start to set up with diners taking a pre-dinner drink on the tables outside, while swifts fly overhead calling to one another. A dog barks, breaking the peace. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
1m Dec 07, 2022
1m
Chicago airport food court
A busy, noisy food court in O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, recorded by Marcel Gnauk. IMAGE: https://www.flickr.com/photos/15216811@N06/, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
8m Dec 07, 2022
8m
Busking with wine glasses in Venice
A busker plays a series of famous tunes on a selection of wine glasses filled to different levels with liquid, creating a haunting, ethereal sound as she performs outside the Libreria Toletta bookshop in Venice. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
3m Dec 07, 2022
3m
Believe in yesterday
"The piece selected was based on a soundtrack made in Venice - buskers producing melancholy music from wine glasses. This resonated with us because we had visited Venice repeatedly throughout the last decade and coincidentally enjoyed this busker’s music ourselves. "We layered other sound memories onto this original track - these were made by us over the years. Almost all came from our Italian...
3m Dec 07, 2022
3m
On the Luis I bridge
One of the most famous sights in Porto is the triumphant, sky-level Luis I bridge, a feat of engineering and a genuinely beautiful thing. The top of the bridge sees walkers, lovers and tourists sharing the space as the sun sets over Porto's iconic riverscape, while local trams rumble past periodically and gulls circle overhead. Evening life in Porto, captured in one recording. Recorded by Citi...
4m Dec 07, 2022
4m
Over seas, over scenes, over flow
"Seagulls fly from place to place, trains travel across the land, breathing takes us from moment to moment. A circular text has no end and no beginning. Scenes that are put together in a free improvisation process. Loops and sequences moving back and forward. One laptop, one MIDI device and two people." Porto Luis I bridge reimagined by Katerina Minga-Gkagkopoulou and Andreas Papakostas-Smyris.
6m Dec 07, 2022
6m
Urban autumn
"Representing the fading light of the sun on urban environments, marking the passing of time, time it seems without progression and a decaying hope for the brighter futures. "The recording was of a place I am very familiar with, and I remembered those days watching the autumnal sun fade whilst waiting for a train or tram. The recording features the Manchester tram soundmark, which I wanted to ...
10m Dec 07, 2022
10m
Trams and pianos
In Victoria Station, Manchester, the screeching and hooting of local trams coming and going fills the huge space as we listen and record. We then move across onto the platform, listening to local tram and train announcements, before discovering that there is a piano on the platform, with someone there entertaining passers-by and travellers with music to accompany them on their way. Recorded by...
10m Dec 07, 2022
10m
Misty walk
"The field recording 'Azores Sanguinho' transported me to a space of peace and tranquility, the bird sounds, rain sounds made me virtually experience a journey through the woods. "In the reimagination of this sound, I combined it with one of my own compositions called 'Timeless'.  It is a piece for 4 performers. The sound that I used is from a live performance played by Gargi Chowdhury, Goutam...
7m Dec 07, 2022
7m
Im Herbst
Bells are always a profound inspiration as they often herald the start of something new or the passing of something important. Autumn is the beginning of the passing of the year and although a joyous and wonderful time, brings with it an air of solemnity. This track focuses on the solemnity, not the joy. Oxford bells for Elizabeth II reimagined by Moray Newlands.
5m Dec 06, 2022
5m
Bells to mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Magpie Lane, Oxford
Bells ring out on 9 September 2022 from Merton College chapel, Oxford continuously for an hour to mourn the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. The second, quieter bell is the more distant St. Mary's Church, which alternates chimes with this church for a haunting stereo effect. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
9m Dec 06, 2022
9m
Bells to mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Radcliffe Square, Oxford
Bells ring out on 9 September 2022 from St. Mary's Church, Radcliffe Square, Oxford continuously for an hour to mourn the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
8m Dec 06, 2022
8m
Beset
As soon as I heard the inharmonic sounds of the bells I wanted to use it as a reverb. I selected the most prominent ring and used it as an impulse response in a convolution reverb - giving the whole piece an eery sound, almost as if it is being played inside a large bell. I used various synthesis techniques to create underlying pads to accompany a basic piano sound and looped a small section of...
3m Dec 06, 2022
3m
Doe bay
This piece is a study of the gestural qualities of bodies of water. In maintaining the stereo image of the original field recording, but heavily manipulating its timbre through granular processing and convolution, "doe bay" invokes a pencil sketch, a charcoal contour, of the delicate monstrosity of our seas. Vicenza stream reimagined by Ryan Kessler.
3m Dec 06, 2022
3m
Binaural stream, Vicenza
A binaural recording of two layers of a small weir stream around Parco Querini, Vicenza, Italy.
3m Dec 06, 2022
3m
A space walk on the sound side
"I cut up the most distinct parts of the original track to highlight and repeat them. The rest of the track was kind of atmospheric and ambient sounding, so I layered up a bunch of  sounds I had kicking around put some effects on them to back them off and put them together in an attempt to create a piece that was a bit of real world space walk in New York City. Nine and a half minutes to get lo...
10m Dec 06, 2022
10m
As mouras encantadas do Sanguinho
"As I listened to the field recording while looking at photos of Sanguinho, I immediately thought of a lost place. But not in a gloomy sense, since it seems as if the flora and fauna of the abandoned village had simply taken over. Everything seems bright and peaceful. "The Portuguese fairy tale of the enchanted Mouras came to mind: I saw these beautiful maidens (bound by a spell to bridges, fo...
6m Dec 05, 2022
6m
Movement (Dappled mix)
"The field recording I worked with was one of prayer flags blown by the wind. I wanted to try and aim for a musical equivalent of that movement, the sunlight catching fabric from different angles, shadows dancing across the ground." Prayer flags in China reimagined by de Velden.
3m Dec 05, 2022
3m
The abandoned village
The village of Sanguinho was inhabited for more than a century by a population that took refuge in this area due to the overflow of the Faial da Terra River. Twenty houses were built with pig pens, four sheds and a haystack. The emigration in the 60s and 70s and the difficulty children faced getting to school were the main causes of depopulation and the abandonment of this village. Today it has...
3m Dec 05, 2022
3m
The sound of prayer flags by Qinghai Lake
The sound of prayer flags by Qinghai Lake mixed with birdsong and wind sounds. Recorded in Gonghe County, Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province by Lang Tao.
37s Dec 05, 2022
37s
Swimming practice
"The piece is comprised of the waterfall field recording from the archive, 2 of my own recordings (dripping faucet and kettle boiling), voice track and family footage audio from my childhood. "'Swimming practice' explores the duality of nostalgia, as both a comforting and warm experience of memory, and an unsettling and anxious sense of loss." Salto do Prego waterfall reimagined by Ariella Fi...
8m Dec 05, 2022
8m
Church bells in the forest
"The recording contains the sound of bells on the Chapel Hill in Osobowice - a district of Wroclaw. The recording was made at noon in September 2022. The chapel is surrounded by trees and stands on the edge of the forest. You can hear some wind, the sound of trees and shifting leaves. At the beginning of the recording you can hear a train in the distance and the barking of dogs from the local a...
4m Dec 05, 2022
4m
Somos el aire
"Since the sound is recorded at a climate protest, I directly thought about what could convey the idea of resistance. As a musician, when thinking about resistance, I always tend to go towards afrobeat and other sounds inspired by it, but this time I thought about going in the reggae direction, which has always been a form of protest and a voice for the oppressed. "Also, COP 27 (the climate su...
4m Dec 05, 2022
4m
Salto do Prego, Azores
Deep in the Azorean forest, we trekked to the Salto do Prego waterfall to take some recordings of this hidden gem on the island of Sao Miguel. Recording just above the fall rather than beneath it meant that the resultant recording was richer and more tonally satisfying. Recorded in Sao Miguel, Azores by Cities and Memory.
6m Dec 05, 2022
6m
The Chilean climate chant
"On Saturday 12 November 2022 in Edinburgh, a coalition of climate groups marched through the city to demand Climate Justice in solidarity with the Global Day of Action called by Egyptian groups at COP27. Performances, songs and chants featured throughout, some of which captured via field recordings. "This recording was from the end of the march outside the Scottish Parliament and includes a c...
2m Dec 05, 2022
2m
A gossip of bells
"I like both the musical unpredictability, and familiarity of church bells, and I wanted to play on this with this piece. I decided to take out aspects of the total recording, and mess with them, sometimes changing their pitch, other times playing with filters or rhythmic changes. I wanted to reemphasise their somewhat wonky nature and how they can both challenge and comfort the listener." Bel...
3m Dec 05, 2022
3m
Later still remember
"The airport recording with its many languages brought back memories of a trip to Santorini with my close Greek friends when I was just 18 and the Aegean islands were still undiscovered by mass tourism. The island seemed to us part of another world. One of those friends and I remembered that trip together, and I fractured and rearranged that conversation to disrupt time and place in a way that'...
4m Dec 05, 2022
4m
In Santorini airport
Inside a busy departure hall at Santorini airport, Greece, with lots of travellers, some nervous tourists and security sounds. Recorded by Marcel Gnauk. IMAGE: Hhss8228, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
5m Dec 05, 2022
5m
Obsolete Sounds interview on BBC Radio 4 World At One
Cities and Memory founder Stuart Fowkes talks to Sarah Montague on BBC Radio 4's World At One programme on 28 November 2022 about the launch of the Obsolete Sounds project and the emotional resonance of disappearing sounds - and we listen to typewriters, cassette recorders, Super-8 projectors and a composition from the project.
5m Nov 28, 2022
5m
Changing seas
"The ocean is a very special place for me. I am drawn to its tumultuous beauty and constant changing personality which I wanted to express in this work. The recording has different positions in the track sometimes in the forefront, sometimes as background just like in life as we experience nature." Rajbag beach, India reimagined by Firephly.
6m Nov 26, 2022
6m
The sound of geothermal cooking
A sound not heard anywhere else in the world - this is the sound of the geothermal fumarole pools in Furnas in the Azores. These bubbling pools are naturally geothermal, and are used to cook the cozidos stew, which is submerged in pots each morning by local restaurants, cooks through the heat of the Earth and is retrieved by ropes at the end of the day. It's a dish - and a cooking method - uniq...
5m Nov 26, 2022
5m
The wind also rises
"The mellow evening ambient sounds of a garden in Goa are the perfect catalyst for a transportive journey. I added a progression to colour the journey and provide a bit of context to the fantasy world I was aiming for." Hotel gardens in Natravali reimagined by Eulipion Corps.
4m Nov 26, 2022
4m
Lake turns
"I knew there was music in the ripple and found a faded memory of lakeside reels and a wide angled shot of a small boat in a body of water. Sampled looped and processed with Akai MPC, finished in Ableton. The amazing Audiority Grainspace for unduelling banjoes." Lough Doon, Ireland reimagined by Simon Greenwood (Nonalogue).
5m Nov 26, 2022
5m
Purl and plash
"I found the original recording mournful (rather than sad) and slightly comic. I have used some of the original recording and altered (using filters) fragments. To this I added sampled instrument and vocal sounds." Fumaroles in Furnas reimagined by Richard Gadd.
5m Nov 26, 2022
5m
Lough Doon dawn paddle
A field recording made on a dawn kayaking adventure on Lough Doon, in County Clare Ireland. I made an early start and headed to the lake to paddle for a while and make a coffee, before the school run and work. This was recorded just as the sun began to rise and the mist that hung over the cool lake burnt off. Other that my inefficient paddling style, you can hear the logging trucks on the road...
2m Nov 26, 2022
2m
Nocturnal wildlife in a hotel garden
2022-06-16 8.47PM; The Postcard Hideaway resort gardens, Natravali, at night; the sound of evening wildlife in tropical rural India. Recorded by Mark Wilden.
4m Nov 26, 2022
4m
Awaiting the monsoon rains
2022-06-18 5.05PM; Rajbag beach, Goa, India, almost deserted, just before the late monsoon under doomy clouds.  Recorded by Mark Wilden.
5m Nov 26, 2022
5m
Rise in love
"The inspiration behind this piece was the story of the Phoenix, the immortal bird associated with Greek mythology, which symbolizes rebirth and new purpose in a never-ending cycle. Its imagery of passion, love, will, creativity and life remind us that we have within us the fire and resources to heal and become new again. "This track was created with the help of my friend Nico Meyering, an ama...
7m Nov 20, 2022
7m
Bells of Padova
"I used the sound of the bells sampled from the field recording. Samples were adjusted using Volca Sample. I also used AE Modular synthesizer to create my own bell-like sounds and put them through various modular filters, and effects (phaser, delay, shimmer). Other synths used: Behringer Neutron, Korg Minilogue XD. The whole piece was arranged and recorded in real time using hardware synths onl...
5m Nov 20, 2022
5m
Voce pura
"The idea for this composition came to me quickly after listening to the field recording of a mountain stream, near Rifugio San Marco, in the Italian Dolomites for the first time. I immediately imagined a cascading stream on a sunny day, a clear blue sky and light reflecting off the surface of the water as it descended through nature, a song of hopeful potential. "Although this particular reco...
3m Nov 20, 2022
3m
Autumn waves (for Christian Doppler)
"Over the last few months i have been obsessively listening to the music of Phillip Jeck and Janek Schaefer again, whilst becoming more comfortable building songs and textures outside of a DAW environment. Working with the original field recording of train station sounds, sirens, bells and the doppler effect present, I decided to use a pared-down recording set up for the Cities and Memory Autum...
8m Nov 20, 2022
8m
Midday bells in Ponta Delgada
At the Igreja Matriz de Sao Sebastiao church in Ponta Delgada (Sao Miguel, the Azores), church bells ring out and play their daily melody at midday, taking their place among the sounds of daily life in the town. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
2m Nov 20, 2022
2m
Doppler effect at a Portuguese train station
At Coimbra B train station, sets of bells ring to warn of approaching trains, so that pedestrians move away from the track crossing. The bells are arranged so they swap tones, creating a fascinating and distinctive Doppler effect - you can also hear announcements and a passing police siren in this rich field recording. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
5m Nov 20, 2022
5m
Mountain stream in the Dolomites
A trickling, peaceful mountain stream crosses a footpath close to Rifugio San Marco, close to San Vito di Cadore in the Italian Dolomites. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
4m Nov 20, 2022
4m
The eternal return
"A lost soul on their eternal return to the same space, their beautiful memory of their last and eternal journey." Manchester tram journey reimagined by Jon Ogara. Image: G-13114, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
13m Nov 20, 2022
13m