Workers of the world
"The composition samples the original field recordings, mainly drills and the tools from the roadworks. These make up the percussion track and are the waves in several Wavetable synths. "Added to this are the sounds of various plumbers and joiners who have visited my home over the last few weeks." Roadworks in Treviso, Italy reimagined by Simon Woods.
4m Oct 14, 2024
4m
Roadworks and drilling interrupt the day
Loud industrial drilling from roadworks in the centre of Treviso, Italy. The sound reverberates around the historic city centre, spreading for huge distances - here we record a close-up walkpast of the roadworks in action. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
5m Oct 14, 2024
5m
As this wave from memories flows in
Standing atop the TV Tower in Tallinn, with the city opening up around you, the rising sound almost feels like the inhalation and exhalation of the city itself, as it comes to life each morning through the breath of its citizens awakening. This composition highlights the emotions felt while standing 300 metres above the city, listening to its gentle inhalations as the low drones and pulses of ...
6m Oct 13, 2024
6m
The hum of the city
From the top of the TV Tower in Tallinn, Estonia (the second-highest point in the entire country), the views are stunning - but the sounds are also fascinating. The hum of the city rises from below us, a vast, encompassing drone that is occasionally punctured by a specific, recognisable sound such as a chainsaw or motorbike. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
7m Oct 13, 2024
7m
To the max in Morocco
 "The noise and chaos first drew me to having a go at re-imagining this field recording, to see if I could rein it in to a beat, but still retain some of the chaos. Every single sound in this piece was sourced and sampled from the original field recording, then passed through various effects to give the resulting piece .Not sure whether it has worked or not, but I had a lot of fun doing this. ...
6m Oct 13, 2024
6m
All aboard tram number 9
A tram ride from Kamppi in Helsinki city centre out to the ferry port terminal, with announcements, the drone of the tram, the sound of passengers, doors closing and so on. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
13m Oct 13, 2024
13m
In the streets of Awrir
In the streets of Awrir, Morocco, you'll hear the constant hum of cars and trucks passing by, mixed with the sounds of people walking around. It's a lively scene that captures the everyday hustle and bustle of this vibrant Moroccan town. Recorded by IMESLI.
2m Oct 13, 2024
2m
Tram 9 from outer space
"Setting off on a tram in a foreign country, where you don't know the language and so, have no idea where you're going. Just sit back, fasten your seat belt and enjoy the ride." Helsinki tram ride reimagined by Dave Webb.
6m Oct 13, 2024
6m
BBC World Service interview on Migration Sounds
An interview with Cities and Memory creator Stuart Fowkes on BBC World Service's Weekend programme, broadcast on 22 September 2024. The interview discusses the project and its importance in offering a different perspective in the portrayal of migration, as well as sound samples from the Mediterranean, Mexico and Slovenia.
5m Sep 22, 2024
5m
Rispetto per la montagna
While most mountain excursions pass off without a hitch, every year there are accidents in every mountain range, and the Dolomites is no exception. This composition was spurred by hearing that someone had unfortunately fallen to their death on the same mountain we had been hiking on just the previous day. The composition begins and ends brightly, representing a typical day on the mountain, but...
5m Aug 25, 2024
5m
Mountain stream, Monte Civetta
A mountain stream close to Torre Trieste, part of the Monte Civetta group in the Dolomites, Italy. Recorded on a long hike around the complete circuit of Monte Civetta, at 8.30am in the still-fresh morning air at the beginning of a hot August day. Mountain soundscapes are surprisingly silent, with occasional bird or animal calls and a slight wind the other main sounds to be heard other than th...
3m Aug 25, 2024
3m
Justice on the streets of Pailoucun, 1987
"Rain at night in big cities hits differently. Against the backdrop of neon lights, throbbing traffic and pulsating crowds of people, the steady beat of rain adds a deep cinematic quality to a city. "This sound of night rain in Beijing has been reimagined with the soundtrack of a 1980s thriller/mystery in mind, as perhaps an intrepid detective pulls his collar up to face the rain and head out ...
6m Aug 18, 2024
6m
Night rain, Pailoucun, Beijing
It's raining on the summer night of 24 July, 2024. Raindrops falling on the ground present the real natural sound of a summer night. Recorded by Denver Wang.
2m Aug 18, 2024
2m
Upon the slowest night
The sounds of an open fire cooking food are very gradually transformed into a sweeping ambient soundscape in this composition, representing the slow speed at which a few scraps of kindling and some logs becomes a open camp fire. The slow transformation of matter into flames and ash. Every sound in the composition apart from the guitars is derived from the original field recording, as convoluti...
6m Aug 13, 2024
6m
Cooking on an open fire
Cooking potatoes wrapped in foil, and sausage in a pan on an open wood fire while camping in the Brecon Beacons national park in Wales. In this recording you can clearly hear the fire flickering and licking the wood while the food cooks. Recorded by Cities and Memory, summer 2024.
3m Aug 13, 2024
3m
We walk in the sun in hundreds
Early morning English village ambience takes inspiration from Tomas Transtromer's wonderful poem "The Half-Finished Heaven", as we attempt to translate these words into a reimagination of the source sound that evokes some of the simple joy and complex melancholy of a bright summer morning: Despondency breaks off its course. Anguish breaks off its course. The vulture breaks off its flight. The...
5m Jul 26, 2024
5m
Early morning birdsong at a stream
An early morning recording next to a quiet stream in Gittisham village, England. Birds are singing all around us as the stream rushes past, glistening in the June sunlight. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
5m Jul 26, 2024
5m
Solympics
"I wanted to compose something as a clarion call for cities across the world in an Olympic year, so this was perfect. Using the sound of the traditional Chinese instrument which was then stretched and chopped up into a 'siren' sound, which was then turned into a loop on which the whole track was based. "The sound was then stretched and modified using granular synth plugins to act as a basis fo...
5m Jul 26, 2024
5m
Chinese violin vs. leafblower, Boston
A busker plays an amplified Chinese traditional stringed instrument in the Boston public park for passers-by, competing with the industrial drones of leaf-blowing machinery, but cutting through very clearly as we pass closer and closer by him. Recorded by Cities and Memory.
3m Jul 26, 2024
3m
Foam and flow
"When I first considered the themes relevant to the Migration Sounds project I instantly thought of the oceans. Living in the UK, an Island surrounded by water, we often hear of people attempting to cross the channel to find safety, with frequent news reports of drownings due to unsafe, overcrowded boats. All too often, these people are dehumanised by simply being referred to as 'migrants', as ...
5m Jul 22, 2024
5m
Portland
"My piece "Portland" is my emotional response to the field recording of anti-Trump protestors following an election in Portland, Oregon. "Say it loud, say it clear" they chant about welcoming immigrants to the USA. "In the second part of my piece I incorporate the chant, manipulating it to time with the music as if they were performed together. My aim was to give an emotional companion to the ...
3m Jul 22, 2024
3m
Flower devotion
"When I first heard the field recording before even reading the description it really took me back to conversations in the temple (Cambodian and Vietnamese where I am from). The chatters between elders and sense of calm flew over me. When I read what the field recording was about that is when I knew this was right up my alley. A lot of my music has field recordings of moments in time that mean ...
4m Jul 22, 2024
4m
A space for Joseph
"Joseph describes himself as a painter by profession - this piece attempts to paint musical scenery around the edges of Joseph's story, recounting his own journey of migration, and wanting to place him very much at the centre, and highlight rather than draw attention away from his words. The tone of the accompanying music is a simple reflection of some of the emotions his story generated in me ...
6m Jul 22, 2024
6m
UK/FR border crossing
This recording was anonymously submitted from a recent migrant to the UK, who has a partner with a job in the UK but still works in the Netherlands themselves. Here, he is passing the border and going through the passportcontrol to get to and from work. It's illegal to record at the border crossing, but this restriction makes you wonder why - why can't the public record or document what is happ...
6m Jul 22, 2024
6m
Double migrations, part two
In 1196 AD, the Minnan people established the Quanzhou A-Ma Temple, dedicated to A-Ma, the goddess of the sea. The spread of A-Ma's belief led to the establishment of A-Ma Temples in Xiamen and later in Qingdao in 1467 AD, as maritime trade flourished from south China to the North. After relocating to Xiamen for work, I visited the Xiamen A-Ma Temple one afternoon. In this recording, administr...
2m Jul 22, 2024
2m
Double migrations, part one
In 1196 AD, the Minnan people established the Quanzhou A-Ma Temple, dedicated to A-Ma, the goddess of the sea. The spread of A-Ma's belief led to the establishment of A-Ma Temples in Xiamen and later in Qingdao in 1467 AD, as maritime trade flourished from south China to the North. Growing up in Qingdao, I never visited its A-Ma Temple until I became a sailor and felt moved by the devotion to ...
1m Jul 22, 2024
1m
An elegy for birds in paradise
In this audio recording, you can hear the gentle sound of small waves crashing onto the shore, accompanied by the sweet melody of birds singing and the distant chime of a train bell signalling its upcoming stop. The recording captures the beginning of spring as the sun rises, bringing in a new day. After relocating to this city a little over a year ago, I was inspired to learn more about the i...
3m Jul 22, 2024
3m
Say it loud, say it clear
November 2017, Portland, OR - anti-Trump chants following the election in Portland, with this particular chant about welcoming immigrants to the USA - "say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here!" Recorded Benjamin Glas-Hochstettler. Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration. For more information and to explore the project...
26s Jul 22, 2024
26s
Joseph's story
This is testimony from Joseph, an asylum seeker from Nigeria, onboard the charity rescue ship the Ocean Viking. Joseph along with over a hundred other people was rescued from an unseweaworthy rubber boat headed for Europe from Libya. Several days later, he sat down to record his story, leaving from Nigeria, across the desert to Libya and onto that rubber boat headed North. He describes sufferi...
14m Jul 22, 2024
14m
Opera of Qingdao
"Qingdao was once a German colony and the city is an exotic place with Western-style buildings. It is also relatively close to Japan and has historical ties. The recorded opera is probably Peking Opera, judging from the language. "Mainland China is so vast that the West could completely fit in it, and it is likely that the performers of this opera toured around the country." Local music at a ...
4m Jul 22, 2024
4m
And I know this distance between us
"I wanted to capture that sense of secrecy and tension that seems to exist within the narrative of the story. This idea that you cannot record in these areas and also the idea of stress associated with travel and border control etc. This idea that it's illegal to cross a border without going through this process but also illegal to record the process you go through to remain legal. The whole fe...
7m Jul 22, 2024
7m
Saippuakivikauppias
"We used most of the whole of the recording as the recording is so poignant and beautiful. "We generated and overlayered soundscapes, and a reverse of the recording we used an envelope follower (MI Ears) to trigger the piano essentially then two overlaid soundtracks in a journey in opposite directions; some lows and highs undulate. "We hope traveller to one day reverse his journey and return ...
9m Jul 20, 2024
9m
Just me
"I chose a clip of an interview of a man from Brazil talking about his experience with jumping the US border, adjusting to life away from his family, not understanding the people around him, and trying to act straight. The reason that I chose this clip is that his story immediately interested me, and I thought that it was such a strong point of inspiration; I immediately had ideas of how I coul...
4m Jul 20, 2024
4m
Samarkand old city
This recording was made in the midst of my migration from Russia to Uzbekistan, through Kazakhstan. This recording was also made in the Hamida guest house in Samarkand, but in the internal open courtyard. In the recording, you can hear the hum of the air conditioner, the quiet conversation of guests and the distinct speech of the muezzin coming from the mosque on the next street. Despite the ...
15m Jul 20, 2024
15m
Hum in the air
"The source field recording was captured in the Alpha King, a vibrant barbershop in the heart of Kasarani, a bustling district in Nairobi, Kenya, owned by a Congolese refugee. Hum in the Air was composed using only sound from the field recording. "The composition reflects the warm camaraderie, the connection through music, and the idea of the hum of the barber’s clippers vibrating in the air, ...
4m Jul 20, 2024
4m
Shimoliy
"I was deeply moved by the recording and text of this artist as soon as I heard and read them. What an incredible sense of space and movement in the recording. It let so many different feelings coexist, a sense of frustration, of feeling stuck but also of hope for what this particular journey will bring. It gives the listener a deep sense of nostalgia in that suspended waiting time, but is also...
6m Jul 20, 2024
6m
Raindrops on the roof
 The recording was made from the window of my room in an Aks Sado emergency residence for sound artists in the village of Ulugbek, a suburb of Tashkent. At the moment of this recording I have been in emigration for 2 months, and after the initial inspiration upon arrival in Uzbekistan, I again fell into a depressive state and time seemed to stand still for me. For me, as a person who has lived...
11m Jul 20, 2024
11m
And though we seem to be sleeping
"My composition “And though we seem to be sleeping” is based on a field recording from Uzbekistan of rain drops falling on a roof in Ulugbek, Tashkent. Reflecting on the concept of migration, being exiled in a new place, and being ultra sensitive to new sounds in new surroundings was my inspiration here. "The listener feels like this place is a dream, and even though they try to look forward, ...
5m Jul 20, 2024
5m
Tashkent, Yangiobad flea market
This recording was made in the midst of my migration from Russia to Uzbekistan, through Kazakhstan. At this moment, I have been in a position of forced exile for a little over a month. If I were to describe my condition, the words would be shock, depression and complete confusion. But at the same time there is hope for the best. The recording was made at probably the main flea market in all o...
11m Jul 20, 2024
11m
Toshkent-Shimoliy railway station
By the time of this entry, I have been in exile for half a year and am forced to draw disappointing conclusions. I never managed to assimilate and form any working contacts. The formats of sound work in which I have worked and want to continue working are not in demand in the local context. I am actively involved in field recording, keeping a kind of sound diaries, trying to record the maximum ...
7m Jul 20, 2024
7m
Divine intervention
"The audio that I selected for this project is of a call to prayer in Uzbekistan. In the sound I created I wanted to showcase the role and the power that religion has for people who are in migration. "This work is drawn on an intersection between the fieldwork I did while working along the Bosnian/Croatian borders and the field recordings I took. These sounds can be heard in the background suc...
6m Jul 20, 2024
6m
Alpha King, the Congolese refugee barber shop
Alpha King is a vibrant barbershop in the heart of Kasarani, a bustling district in Nairobi, Kenya, owned by a Congolese refugee. It serves as a sanctuary for many refugees in the neighborhood seeking a fresh haircut. The hum of the clippers fills the air as skilled refugee barbers meticulously groom their clients. Outside, a lengthy queue snakes along the sidewalk, filled with eager clients a...
6m Jul 20, 2024
6m
Juan Pablo jumped the border
Juan Pablo is 19 years old. I randomly approached him in Dolores Park in San Francisco and asked to record him speaking about what he's learned about himself so far in life. He's explaining his migration from Brazil to the US. This piece explores his journey through the confines of cultural, social, and political borders. Emotions in this story seems to include pensiveness, fear, confusion, se...
1m Jul 20, 2024
1m
I am you, you are me
Somali immigrant speaking to opposition rally, recorded during "Louisville Movement Against Trump" rally to oppose visit by Trump to Freedom Hall at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center, Louisville, Kentucky, March 20, 2017. The rally was held along an access road a few hundred yards from the entrance to Freedom Hall, which is located near Louisville International Airport. Recorded by Aaro...
1m Jul 19, 2024
1m
No fascist USA
President Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 27, 2017 "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States." Thousands around the US protested at airports following the executive order. Many have argued that the order was a Muslim ban. Others contended that it was for the safety and security of the United States. The field recording was captured Jan. 29 during one of...
1m Jul 19, 2024
1m
After the dust bowl
Late summer insects buzz in Cimarron County, the remote westernmost section of the Oklahoma Panhandle. (It is the only county in the United States that borders four additional states: Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Kansas. In the 19th century, the region - ancestral lands of the Southern Plains Wichita and Affiliated Tribes - was under the flags of Spain and then an independent Mexico before b...
1m Jul 19, 2024
1m
Migrants leaving El Paso airport
Small groups of migrants (a family with small children, and some young individuals) are at the board at El Paso airport getting ready to board a flight to Chicago. Very likely from Central America, most migrants arriving in El Paso are escaping extreme poverty and crime and risk a perilous journey to get to the southern border and into the United States. At the airport they usually do not carr...
7m Jul 19, 2024
7m
The sounds of Chinatown, NYC
A soundwalk around the streets at the heart of Chinatown in New York. With an estimated population of 90,000 to 100,000 people, NYC's Chinatown is home to the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere. In this recording we explore the shops mostly selling Chinese products, with conversations happening among the Chinese community all around us. Recorded by Cities and Me...
5m Jul 19, 2024
5m
Community music and games, New York
Columbus Park in Chinatown, New York was created in 1897, but since 2013, the park has served as a gathering place for the local Chinese community, where the neighbourhood meets up to play mahjong, perform traditional Chinese music and practise tai chi in the early mornings. In this recording from 2019, the park is filled with mostly elderly members of the Chinese community meeting up to socia...
8m Jul 19, 2024
8m
South Williamsburg (inside no mask land)
It was during my first month in New York in July 2020, even with a visa I’ve been received as an alien. I left my country, the country where I immigrated (Denmark), and my continent during a strange period. It was more than coming from outside; all those mouths, lips, teeth, and tongues hidden behind masks created another layer of distance. Can you belong when you cannot touch, face, embrace or...
20m Jul 19, 2024
20m