Laugther by the ancient well
Immerse yourself in the joyful ambiance of Madobag village, Mentawai Islands, where children's laughter and playful shouts fill the air. This soundscape captures the carefree moments of youngsters gathered around an ancient well, their giggles and splashing sounds blending with the serene atmosphere of the surrounding environment. Recorded in Indonesia by Farhan Boy.
1m Dec 07, 2025
1m
My grandfather's funeral
My grandfather's funeral was according to village customs. Recorded in Vietnam by Nhat Vuong Nguyen Trinh.
12m Dec 07, 2025
12m
Portland dreams
"I first visited Portland in the early 2000’s, as part of a DIY west coast tour with a band from my, (at the time) home of Brighton UK. "When I saw the option to work with a piece of Portland audio for this project, something resonated, connecting me to the idea of distance between then and now in my own life, and that of my bandmates. That sense of how things move forward, inevitably, but tha...
4m Dec 05, 2025
4m
Multiverse
I've always enjoyed Leo Villareal's "Multiverse" (2008) which is located between the East Building and the West Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC. The work, made of light-emitting diodes, surrounds you as you are transported via a moving walkway. In the recording, you can hear the sound of people chatting and laughing, (I swear I hear someone happily say "Jamiroquai!" to...
15m Dec 05, 2025
15m
Amusement park ambience, Shanghai
During the Spring Festival, the melodious tunes of traditional Chinese instruments can be heard in many places, serving as festive reminders that it is indeed the time of the Chinese New Year. Recorded by David Ge.
2m Dec 05, 2025
2m
A train passes the Memory Den
I'm visiting Portland from the UK. The Memory Den is a large warehouse converted to a vintage shopping Mall in the industrial area of Portland, Oregon, close to the Willamette River. Trains hauling a hundred wagons pass along the tracks just meters away from the building. Sounds from outside the building mix with the noises within it. This recording is from inside the Memory Den: a passing tra...
2m Dec 05, 2025
2m
Ambience of the Chinese spring festival
"I used sections of Chinese instruments from the original recording to create the piece. I used samplers to make the drone sounds; stretched the original tracks to make the sound shorter or longer; added big delay, echo and reverb to create the ambience sound." Shanghai spring festival reimagined by Ziyun Lu.
3m Dec 05, 2025
3m
A multiverse reimagined
"After selecting a field recording at random, I immediately researched the location… Upon looking at photographs of the location and watching a video of the installation in action…. "I wondered; “what if every one of the 142000 pulsing LEDs in Leo Villareal’s light sculpture ‘Multiverse’ were microphones?” "I then wondered; “what might a field recording sound like if we recorded via these ima...
9m Dec 05, 2025
9m
One last evening in Kashihara
"I chose this soundscape because I wanted to work with sonic elements far removed from what I’m used to hearing. That led me to explore sounds from Japan, and when I came across this recording, it struck me as something special because of its nostalgic quality. Like the person who captured it, I’ve also experienced “last evenings” in the places where I’ve lived. My own feeling isn’t always nost...
8m Dec 04, 2025
8m
Wëeña Rügaü (children of the river)
"Far deep inside the Amazon, after twelve hours on a canoe through green wilderness and mirrored skies, I arrived at a small indigenous Tikuna settlement nestled beside the river. There, children laughed as they bathed in the water’s bronze light, while their mothers washed clothes by the river, each rhythmic strike against the wood becoming part of the forest’s pulse — a gentle percussion olde...
5m Dec 04, 2025
5m
By the river's side
By the river’s side in the Amazon, Colombia, the soundscape blends the gentle rush of the water with the rhythmic motion of people washing clothes. Children play joyfully in the river, their laughter and splashes mingling with the natural flow, creating a lively, harmonious atmosphere. Recorded by Rafael Diogo.
6m Dec 04, 2025
6m
Prec-limit
"I made a number of live jams over a couple of weeks, each around an hour long, all manipulating a snippet of the recording, with some added synths; the final piece is an edit and amalgamation of two of these. A selection of others can be found at https://dtyb.bandcamp.com/album/warsaw. St. Martin's church, Warsaw reimagined by dtyb.
14m Dec 04, 2025
14m
Hachimanju noir
 "When I heard Miyu's recording of cicadas, I was brought back to humid late summers in Japan — where I lived for two years in the mid-aughts — particularly the time around the Obon festival, when, traditionally, the veil between the living and the dead is said to be at its thinnest. "Cicadas, in a synesthetic way to me, are the sound of that veil shaking in a hot breeze, the static cling of t...
5m Dec 04, 2025
5m
Archipelago of echoes
"The interface of humans and water is celebrated in the recording and composition. I collected bell sounds from the recorded soundscape, and brought them to the forefront in a reverberant timed and tonal pattern, emphasized with percussive textures, while the original soundscape forms foundation and harmony throughout, ultimately zooming to power and reflection." It-Tlett Ibliet sounds from Ma...
1m Dec 04, 2025
1m
Surface obsessions : I
"This piece starts with the original recording, which consists of lively, beautiful species. However, as we move forward new, unconventional sounds are introduced. I have been obsessing over sounds, in its raw state, without any acoustic characteristics of a space imbibed in it. I have used a lot of surface recordings done with contact mics. All these are recordings of vibrating surface, which ...
5m Dec 04, 2025
5m
Tsukutsukuboshi
Japanese people call the loud cicada sound “Tsukutsukubōshi,” because that’s what it sounds like they’re singing. Don’t you think so when you try saying it out loud quickly? This recording was made in Niigata, a region in Japan famous for its rice production. The area also has a thriving garment industry, with factories scattered among the rice fields. If you listen closely, you can hear dist...
1m Dec 04, 2025
1m
Kokoro no Furusato
This field recording was made on the embankment of the Yamato River. You can hear the soft flow of the river, distant cars passing by, and the 6:00 p.m. evening chime. In many parts of Japan, melodies like this chime are played every evening through outdoor speakers. Originally part of disaster warning systems, they’ve become a daily signal for children to head home and a calming ritual for th...
2m Dec 04, 2025
2m
Farm life, Kerala
"Farm life" captures the soundscape of an open paddy field in southern India - long after the harvest season, when weeds have reclaimed the land and rural fauna slowly returns. Recorded just as the day was winding down, the acoustic landscape features a chorus of birds, insects, frogs and distant vehicles that are layered beneath the prominent and resonant calls of Greater Coucals engaging in w...
5m Dec 04, 2025
5m
St. Martin's Church, Warsaw
Inside St Martin's Church, which was founded in 1356 by the Duke of Mazovia Ziemowit and his wife Euphemia. It has been repeatedly reconstructed in the Baroque style, following destruction in 1944, the Baroque interior was not rebuilt and now it is largely modern, with the only surviving original element being the partially burned crucifix in the main nave. Recorded by Maria Papdomanolaki.
3m Dec 04, 2025
3m
It-Tlett Ibliet
The recording was made at the harbor of Malta’s Three Cities: Vittoriosa, Senglea, and Cospicua - which sit directly across from the capital city of Valletta. The sound of church bells dominates, their deep tones reverberating over the water, creating a harmonious link between these historic cities. As the bells toll, the sounds of modern life emerge - vehicles moving through narrow streets, b...
3m Dec 04, 2025
3m
Placid island
"The recording is of a tornado warning siren with howling wind and rain. Although we don't get tornadoes in my part of the world, I do enjoy stormy weather- from the comfort of my own cozy home. This is what I imagined when creating this piece: a warm cozy home where you can ignore the chaos going on around you. "The title, "Placid island" is from a H. P. Lovecraft- Call of Cthulhu quote, "We ...
6m Nov 30, 2025
6m
Calm before the storm: Kentucky tornado
There have been talks of a large storm moving in after many tornadoes had already touched down in the western part of the state earlier that day. Just before midnight, the rain calms down as the clouds lower, and the tornado sirens begin. I sit outside recording the dissonant yet beautiful cacophony of the overlapping sirens while neighbours step outside to asses the situation before the storm...
5m Nov 30, 2025
5m
Irreversible change
"Irreversible Change is an ambient track built around a field recording captured at the Pryvoz Market. The natural bustle of the environment is anchored by a sparse, glitchy beat created withthe Air DrumSynth. The rest of the soundscape is shaped by a piano-like Sonic Charge Synplant 2 patch, which floats over the glitchy percussion and the chaotic market noise." Pryvoz market, Ukraine reimagi...
3m Nov 30, 2025
3m
Red earth, white paint
This recording was made during a Kathakali performance — a traditional Indian theatre art form native to the Malayalam-speaking state of Kerala. It captures a 9-minute percussive piece performed by an ensemble featuring the Chenda and Maddalam, two prominent drums of the tradition, accompanied by the echoing tones of Chengila (gong) and Elathalam (cymbals). Recorded from the audience’s perspec...
10m Nov 30, 2025
10m
Pryvoz market, Odessa
Recording at Pryvoz Market in Odessa was a mix of emotions. The market buzzed with life, as vendors sold goods and people clung to everyday routines despite the ongoing conflict. There was a sense of resilience in the air, but beneath the bustle, a quiet sadness lingered. It reflected the uncertainty of the war between Ukraine and Russia, casting a shadow over the moments of normalcy that stil...
4m Nov 30, 2025
4m
Dance of the shards
"In reimagining this field recording, I drew upon the raw power of musique concrète by manipulating and deconstructing the layered sounds from the Kathakali performance. I used noise synths to push these textures into distorted, static-filled territories, creating a sense of immersion that moved away from the traditional and into the realm of sonic experimentation. "The distant murmurs and amb...
10m Nov 30, 2025
10m
The Singing of Basilica di Santa Maria
The sound of religious singing in the Basilica di Santa Maria in Rome. A calm evening in February before the Basilica shuts its doors for the night, I wandered into the near-empty church to record the soothing sounds of religious hymns that seeped into the dimly lit streets of Rome. Recorded by Andrew Ramsey.
2m Nov 29, 2025
2m
Closing time
"Upon first hearing the Santa Maria field recording, I felt a strong sense of place. It was as if I were right there in Rome. I cut a section of the field recording and used the priest's words and the loudest plainchant singing to compose a story song. To create a character and add atmosphere, I added a short recording of my own footsteps walking. The song unfolds: a curious traveler; what she ...
5m Nov 29, 2025
5m
Cairo streets at night
Sunset in Cairo, by the Nile River, during evening call to prayers. Recorded by Helen Copnall.
3m Nov 29, 2025
3m
Hong Kong dawn chorus
 |The recording is made in the night, we hear a chorus of morning birds with some unique vocalisations, the perspective is typical for Hong Kong which is defined by skyscraper architecture, this recording was made from an apartment on the 18th floor through the window, which gives an indirect impression - an observation in sound of city going quiet in the night, creating space for non-human exp...
2m Nov 29, 2025
2m
Too many Koel calling
"The original soundscape contains the call of the Asian Koel, a bird whose song is highly characteristic of Hong Kong, my hometown. This distinctive, rising 'ko-el' call, heard at dawn during the springtime, carries a strong personal resonance; it often signalled the arrival of the sun as I worked into the early hours. "For this composition, I drew from my personal sound library to layer sever...
2m Nov 29, 2025
2m
Streets of Cairo tales: The Jinn and Anthony Eden
"The original soundtrack I used from Cities & Memory's archive was recorded on a street in Cairo at sunset, outside the Marriott Hotel and Omar Khayyam casino, on Saray El Gezira Street. The famous Gezirah Palace was completed in 1869 by Khedive Ismail, to host dignitaries for the opening of the Suez Canal that year. When I first listened to this piece I heard, among the sounds of car horns and...
5m Nov 29, 2025
5m
The golden hour
The field recording upon which this piece is based doesn't sound like much, but it represents a huge moment for the Cities and Memory project, and a personal moment for me. The first ever overseas recording submitted to the project back in 2015 was from Sofienbergparken in Oslo, and it felt incredible that the project had managed to reach anyone outside of the UK and inspire them to submit a so...
4m Nov 28, 2025
4m
A special moment in Sofienbergparken
A special recording for me - the very first recording from outside the UK submitted to Cities and Memory in 2015 was from Sofienbergparken in Oslo. It seemed like a dream that not only had the project somehow managed to cross borders, but had also made a connection of some kind, so to me even this humble city park held a kind of magic. To go there ten years later and record it for myself felt ...
5m Nov 28, 2025
5m
Quiraing sunrise
"Having enjoyed family holidays on Skye in the past I was immediately drawn to this recording as Quiraing is one of those places that makes you really appreciate what an amazing thing this planet is. "Catch a good sunrise/sunset and it's genuinely breathtaking. I wanted to try and capture just a little bit of that feeling in my piece." Quiraing, Isle of Skye water sounds reimagined by Exit Ch...
3m Nov 28, 2025
3m
Nobuo in the between
"The spacious, off-tempo, off-tune malaise of the Wakimachi field recording creates an in-between space that mirrors Japanese Canadian performance artist Nobuo Kubota’s reflections on childhood memories and the threshold between cultures and languages." Nighttime soundscape in Wakimachi reimagined by Emiko Morita.
3m Nov 28, 2025
3m
Mirage
"The original field recording had a mesmerising quality that pulled me toward Bamiyan’s complex and fascinating history. I wanted my remix to encapsulate the emotions I experienced along the way. The piece is a very minimal, improvised song, centred on one instrument supported by a time-stretched slice of the field recording." Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Gholghata reimagined by Anni Elea.
4m Nov 28, 2025
4m
Shahr-e-Gholghola
Soundscape at Shahr-e-Gholghola - Dari: شهر غلغله - City of Screams, City of Woe, City of Sorrows - in Bamyan, Afghanistan. Completely destroyed and population massacred by Genghis Khan in 1221. In the recording you can hear the wind, the dust, the sorrow, possibly some screams. This soundscape-composition is part of the HEYR project, presenting 3-dimensional soundscapes from special locations...
10m Nov 28, 2025
10m
Nighttime, Kichwa territory
Captured deep within Kichua tribal territory in the Ecuadorian Amazon, this nocturnal soundscape reveals a hidden world that awakens after dusk. Above, bats flicker through the darkness, their wings slicing the air in delicate beats. Insects surge into a symphony of pulses and hums — sharp, electric, as though the forest itself were alive with circuitry. A solitary monkey stirs unseen branches...
20m Nov 28, 2025
20m
Forgetting will begin with your eyes
"For reasons I can't fathom when I heard this sound file I instantly thought of Moondog. So this is my attempt at a Moondog type composition - almost mathematical in approach. The title is a quote from the 1959 film 'Hiroshima Mon Amour' which explores themes of memory, love, and the lasting trauma of war." Lecture in Hiroshima City reimagined by Adam Leonard.
2m Nov 28, 2025
2m
Portal Lookout, Blue Mountains
Cicadas at the Portal Lookout in the Blue Mountains, Australia. Recorded by Richard Watts.
1m Nov 28, 2025
1m
Lecture of young female student, Hiroshima
This is a recorded audio of a presentation by a fourth-year female university student in Japan. I became interested in the audio aspects of her powerful and rhythmic delivery, which reflected her confidence in her research. In the contradiction between her confidence and anxiety about her first presentation, I found an intriguing aspect of universities as educational institutions. Recorded b...
5m Nov 28, 2025
5m
Atop the mighty Quiraing
Atop the famous Quiraing, after a climb of hundreds of metres, we reach the summit, with incredible views on all sides. Here we record the sound of a small stream, which are frequent across the surface of the plateau at the top of the Quiraing, and contribute to the sometimes-boggy going underfoot. Recorded on the Isle of Skye, Scotland by Cities and Memory, April 2025.
3m Nov 28, 2025
3m
Indigo wind chimes
A summer morning walking in Udatsu, Wakimachi, Japan. A piano lesson resonating in the empty street under the heat, wind chimes spell some fresh air. I bought an indigo fūrin for my mother. Recorded by Guillaume Piccarreta.
3m Nov 28, 2025
3m
Within Kichwa nights
"Recorded deep inside Kichwa territory in the Ecuadorian Amazon, this nocturnal soundscape draws the listener into the forest’s hidden hours - where every sound carries the presence of something living, alert, and unseen. "When darkness settles over the canopy, the rainforest begins its slow transformation. Bats cut swift paths through the night, their wings beating in soft, fleeting pulses. I...
8m Nov 28, 2025
8m
Blue Monserrate
"The field recording I started with was the Blue Mountains Portal Lookout in Australia. What I found inspiring about this recording is the pointillist long tones created by the insects. Specifically, the contrast between the theoretically relaxing sounds of nature and the reality of how intense the sounds become. "I played the original sound, layered with a slowed down and pitch shifted versio...
3m Nov 28, 2025
3m
The bookshop under the railway arches
Inside the Bücherbogen bookshop in Savignyplatz, a fantastic bookshop of art, design and architecture books built under a set of railway arches. A unique soundscape of the quiet of a bookshop, with the flicking of pages, with the deep rumble overhead of periodic passing trains. Recorded in Berlin, September 2025 by Cities and Memory.
6m Nov 24, 2025
6m
Pontis (2025)
"In Latin, 'Pontis' not only refers to a physical bridge, but also a metaphorical crossing - a psychological parallel between lived reality and its parallel, hyper-real counterpart. My work explores the threshold of human imagination, and the subtle ways our perceived reality changes when consuming art. When reading or listening to material, our psychic perception of reality changes: the enviro...
6m Nov 24, 2025
6m
Bellemar
"When I listened to this beautiful recording of the Pharo bells of Marseille, I immediately felt transported to the south of France, which I recently visited and adore. The memories of those places surfaced together with the splendid sound of the different bells ringing over the sea, forming a simple and delicate melody. "This piece grows from that melody and from the sea itself, symbolising h...
5m Nov 24, 2025
5m
A celebration at Wat Ku Tao
This recording displays the sounds of a local celebration stumbled upon in the city of Chiang Mai. People of all ages gathered together to play music and dance, at a buddhist temple called Wat Ku Tao. Recorded in Chiang Mai, Thailand by Jake Edwards.
6m Nov 24, 2025
6m