When I first came here, I didn’t even want to sleep
Nantou Mountains, Taiwan at 6.00am, recorded by James Holland.  “It's the sound of what is essentially mountainous jungle terrain in Nantou county at dawn.”    The interview with a Nanatou local that you can hear in the recording is translated as follows:    “I really love this place.    When I first came here I didn’t even want to sleep -     I just sat outside, watched the stars, the...
5m Jun 17, 2021
5m
Make a good thing for your life and for somebody else's life
Doi Saket Temple, Thailand recorded by Alex Boyesen.  "Doi Saket temple is situated on top of a steep hill in a small country town called ....Doi Saket! In the 15 years I have been here it has changed from a quiet backwater to a bustling market town.   "There are 3 Italian restaurants if you get bored with rice. Doi Saket is next to the A118 road which takes you directly to Chiang Rai and Mai...
5m Jun 17, 2021
5m
Night of the cicadas, Chiang Mai
The sounds of cicadas, across the fields at night outside Chiang Mai, Thailand, recorded by Alex Boyesen.  "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 b...
5m Jun 17, 2021
5m
The announcement from here, Chiang Mai
Announcement over small town tannoy system in a Thailand station, recorded by Alex Boyesen.  "I recorded this from outside of my studio door.  The local village community that I am a part of  - Tumbol Palan - has a tannoy system in which the Puya Baan (Head villager) will announce things to everyone living there.   "This can range from deals that a farmer may have for food they have grown, up...
5m Jun 17, 2021
5m
Wulai Old Street, New Taipei City
The sounds of everyday life on Wulai Old Street in the rain, New Taipei City, recorded by James A. Holland. Assisted by Tobie Openshaw and Billie Cheng. Part of the 5,000 Miles project in partnership with Ithaca Studio, an immersive 360-degree audio experience that transports you to another place through the evocative sounds of places 5,000 miles from the UK through spatial audio technology an...
5m Jun 17, 2021
5m
Prayers in Lungshan Temple
The early morning sounds of Lungshan Temple, Taipei City, at 6.00am, recorded by James A. Holland. Assisted by Tsai Hsiao-Tz. Part of the 5,000 Miles project in partnership with Ithaca Studio, an immersive 360-degree audio experience that transports you to another place through the evocative sounds of places 5,000 miles from the UK through spatial audio technology and ambisonic 3D recording.  ...
5m Jun 17, 2021
5m
The power people
New Orleans casino floor reimagined by Richard Watts.  "'The Power People' is a reference to a sample I've used in the piece. The original recording was very busy with lots going on so I've tried to capture that by using a repetitive gated synth to drive it along.  "There are various sampled sounds which I have cleaned up and used too. I always feel that casinos are sad places where people dr...
4m Jun 14, 2021
4m
On the casino floor at Harrah's
Sounds recorded at Harrah's Casino in downtown New Orleans, Louisiana. These are some of the typical sounds you'd expect to hear in a casino in this region.  Recorded by Silas VDS. 
7m Jun 14, 2021
7m
Ruptured barrier
Burlington gates reimagined by Brian Collins. "The track was created using only field recording samples of an industrial gate being closed.  "The approach for Ruptured Barrier was to use Max for Live granular synthesis tools and sound stretching tools in Ableton for the reimagined piece. It is part of a project called MODULATIONS."
6m May 18, 2021
6m
Burlington gates
A short recording of an industrial gate being closed outside an abandoned factory in Gillogue, Ireland, recorded by Brian Collins. 
18s May 18, 2021
18s
Unite for Freedom anti-lockdown rally April 2021 - Oxford Street
Several thousand anti-lockdown demonstrators marched through central London on a Saturday in April 2021 despite restrictions on mass gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was billed by organisers: "Unite for Freedom". The protesters viewed COVID-19 restrictions as unnecessary and a breach of their human rights. They opposed vaccinations, mask-wearing and so called health passport...
4m May 18, 2021
4m
Unite for Freedom anti-lockdown rally April 2021 - Monument
Several thousand anti-lockdown demonstrators marched through central London on a Saturday in April 2021 despite restrictions on mass gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was billed by organisers: "Unite for Freedom". The protesters viewed COVID-19 restrictions as unnecessary and a breach of their human rights. They opposed vaccinations, mask-wearing and so called health passport...
3m May 18, 2021
3m
Unite for Freedom anti-lockdown rally April 2021 - Hyde Park
Several thousand anti-lockdown demonstrators marched through central London on a Saturday in April 2021 despite restrictions on mass gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was billed by organisers: "Unite for Freedom". The protesters viewed COVID-19 restrictions as unnecessary and a breach of their human rights. They opposed vaccinations, mask-wearing and so called health passport...
8m May 18, 2021
8m
Unite for Freedom anti-lockdown rally April 2021 - Westminster
Several thousand anti-lockdown demonstrators marched through central London on a Saturday in April 2021 despite restrictions on mass gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was billed by organisers: "Unite for Freedom". The protesters viewed COVID-19 restrictions as unnecessary and a breach of their human rights. They opposed vaccinations, mask-wearing and so called health passport...
5m May 18, 2021
5m
You're a tune that keep turning the pages
Wytham church choir reimagined by Cities and Memory. "A looped section of the choir's song flows in and out of the piece, and the upbeat, summery hymn is overtaken by a darker mood of sitar and tabla beats floating around a central low drone.  "Is there something darker lurking beneath the veneer of this quintessentially English garden party in a churchyard?"
5m May 16, 2021
5m
Overheard outside a church
Outside a tiny village church in Wytham, Oxfordshire, we stumble across a quintessential garden party in the churchyard, with clinking wine glasses and English conversation. In the background, the piece is underpinned by the church choir singing an upbeat hymn - we record a snippet of singing and conversation, and then we're on our way. Recorded by Cities and Memory. 
1m May 16, 2021
1m
Clock shop modular
Polish clock shop reimagined by Cities and Memory. "For this piece, we set the tempo clock of a Moog Subharmonicon to track one of the ticking clocks in the original field recording, and set it relatively low in the mix, as if the synthesiser is playing the role of one of the clocks in the shop, bedding into the wall of ticks in this immensely-rich recording. Synth pads over the top build the ...
4m May 15, 2021
4m
Clock shop in Szczecin, Poland
A rich and unique soundscape from the inside of a clock shop in Poland, recorded by Simon B. "A clock shop at the bottom of a tower block that is full of clocks, all ticking together."
1m May 15, 2021
1m
Stubble field in the rain, Canada
Rain in a stubble field at the edge of Waterloo, Canada, where corn is planted by the highway between commercial lots.  It’s April, a year in, and Ontario is locking down again. The sounds are rain on last year’s dried corn, stalks under foot, traffic noise, inland seagulls. Recorded by John Savarese.  Part of the StayHomeSounds project to map and reimagine the sounds of the Covid-19 lockdowns.
2m May 15, 2021
2m
The Blue Line
Bangkok metro reimagined by Cities and Memory. "This field recording brought back strong memories of my first visit to Bangkok, falling in love with the hectic, constantly-moving city as it swirled around me. Bangkok seemed to me a confluence of futuristic aspiration and millions upon millions of people doing their best to make in a competitive conurbation.  "The metro was the fastest, simple...
5m May 02, 2021
5m
Bangkok metro journey, Thailand
Bangkok metro recorded by Colin Hunter. "This recording captures a ride on the MRT Blue Line from Lumpini Station to Hua Lumpong station and includes the station atmosphere before the train arrives, and walking out through the ticket barriers after I got off the train."
9m May 02, 2021
9m
Synthesiser in a country churchyard
Yorkshire churchyard reimagined by Cities and Memory. This was a moment of pure peace, a snapshot of rural life in England, and for the reimagined piece we were keen not to intrude on that. Instead, we've recorded two separate Moog synthesiser improvisations live over the field recording, responding to the moments when the birds are most active or quieter, and bringing in more activity when th...
7m Apr 25, 2021
7m
Sunday morning in a Yorkshire village
The idyllic sounds of morning life in a small village in rural Yorkshire, England. It's 10am on a Sunday morning in Dent, and we're sitting in a churchyard, overlooking the fields from a hill. We're surrounded in the trees and bushes by all kinds of birds making their spring announcements, while down in the fields it's lambing season, so the sheep are constantly chattering, calling out to their...
7m Apr 25, 2021
7m
Panelacõ nº2 (pot-banging), Rio de Janeiro
"This is a third recording of pt-banging on 19 March 2020, with even more people participating. This noise was audible all over the city. The neighbourhood has lots of hills and the rocks make the sounds reflect and travel long distances. Note the variety in the rhythm and especially timbre: people using different pans and sticks to beat the pans make up for a large variety. "There are also so...
6m Apr 13, 2021
6m
Panelaço (potbanging) in Rio de Janeiro
"This is a short recording of a pot-banging protest in the Catete neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro, March 2021. When people cannot go on the streets to protest, they bang pots to show their displeasure with the government.  "In this case, the protest was a general protest against the president of Brazil, Bolsonaro. Pot-banging is a relatively easy form of protest: it makes lots of noise, does n...
2m Apr 13, 2021
2m
Duet for modular and birdsong
Early morning forest ambience reimagined by Cities and Memory. There's something special about the sound of a forest just waking up at the beginning of the day, and I wanted the reimagined piece to capture a little of that wide-eyed optimism and beauty. This is a modular synth improvisation performed alongside the (slightly-manipulated) birdsong field recording in real time, to react to the so...
7m Apr 10, 2021
7m
Early morning forest ambience, British Columbia
Local birds, blackbirds & jays chirping early in the morning. Small bugs buzzing around, quiet drips of water and a gentle breeze in Belcarra, British Columbia, Canada. Recorded by Latham Elle.
4m Apr 10, 2021
4m
Helsinki to Heathrow
Pre-flight safety checks before a BA flight from Helsinki to London Heathrow, recorded by Cities and Memory. Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.
8m Apr 09, 2021
8m
Tablets
Helsinki to Heathrow flight reimagined by Nisha Duggal and James Broomfield. "Plugging into the intensity of the pre-flight safety: nerves, excitement, the jitters of travel." Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.
4m Apr 09, 2021
4m
Riding the rails in San Francisco
San Francisco BART reimagined by Scott Whitman. "I enhanced the field recording with additional Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) sounds plus original music to convey the experience of rail travel and the passage of time." Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesand...
2m Apr 09, 2021
2m
On the San Francisco BART
"Traveling on the BART train/subway in San Francisco is always an experience. This recording gives a glimpse into four minutes of a ride." Recorded by Sound Brigade - Brett Bach, Ken Cain, Luke Bechthold. Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.
4m Apr 09, 2021
4m
The bells that sound at the bottom of the world
Punta Arenas bells reimagined by Cities and Memory. These bells have a particular emotional resonance, sounding out in the most southerly place I've ever visited on a particularly special trip - to me at the time, these bells were an opening up onto a world of promise and adventure, as they are for so many other Patagonian visitors.  The reimagined piece, then, opens with the pealing of the b...
4m Apr 05, 2021
4m
Church bells in Punta Arenas
Church bells ringing out at 7pm in the town centre of Punta Arenas in Patagonia, southern Chile, as heard from the balcony of a nearby hotel.  Punta Arenas is the most southerly airport in South America, and the town is the gateway to Chilean Patagonia.  Recorded by Cities and Memory.
2m Apr 05, 2021
2m
Tegel hexagon waiting
Tegel airport reimagined by Clelia Ciardulli. "Until we travel, we are waiting, remembering the time warp of airports with their echoing announcements of lockdowns, with the merging of what we had hoped and what we hope anew, the clicking ticking and slipping and sliding of clocks, until we travel, the travels are inwards, waiting to cross, to lift off, to meet, to leave, to arrive. Until we t...
5m Apr 05, 2021
5m
Inside Tegel airport
This sound was recorded in the waiting room of the flight that was going to take me to Chile in January 2015. Listening to this recording you can perceive the classic acoustics that are produced in airports, a lot of reverberation and little intelligibility. So far nothing very new. However, the history of this sound is related to the place where it was recorded. The basic architectural motif ...
5m Apr 05, 2021
5m
Cais do Sodre ferry
Cais do Sodre ferry in Lisbon, Portugal recorded by Marcel Gnauk. Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.
5m Apr 05, 2021
5m
Freight train (Ohio remix)
Freight trains passing reimagined by David Cowlard. "The remix extends the timing and mood of the original recording into a cinematically imagined time and space, one where the antagonist is identified amidst a landscape of graffitied concrete rail bridges, underpasses and sodium vapour lighting. "Samples are stretched and looped to provide the basis for this, while the visceral experience of...
3m Apr 05, 2021
3m
Dawn smoke on distant seas
Hong Kong ferry reimagined by Owen Sennitt. "I had great fun playing with the original recording and coming up with this piece. I didn't necessarily have any particular ideas in mind when I started out, instead it just developed as I gathered different sounds and manipulated them before then putting them together. In the end, the engine chugging in the recording reminded me of being out on the...
5m Apr 05, 2021
5m
Embarcation
Lisbon tram reimagined by Andy Lyon. "The ferry in the recording departs from a terminal that is typically used for commuter journeys rather than tourist journeys. This got me thinking about how journeys to work have changed drastically in the past year, reflecting on rare moments of calm, daydreams and the more usual urgency in our former routines and whether we really want or need a return t...
7m Apr 05, 2021
7m
The sense of Mayura Raksha
Colombo train trip reimagined by Ali Mohajer. "Due to my researches about Sri Lankan culture, I got a lot of wonderful points about the simple lives and rich culture; however, the one, which was the most attractive to me, was their symbols of different Gods that each brings a different thing in life. "The most interesting one was "Mayura Raksha", which brings peace, harmony and wealth to our ...
7m Apr 05, 2021
7m
Passing freight trains
"Waiting for a definitive UK freight train, late at night, many cancellations  etc. Then two come along at once! Tempsford, 40 miles north of London, heading south..." Recorded by Rob Godman. Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.
3m Apr 05, 2021
3m
Tsim Sha Shui Star ferry, Hong Kong
Tsim Sha Shui Star ferry in Hong Kong recorded by Marcel Gnauk. Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.
1m Apr 05, 2021
1m
Train to Colombo
"Recorded during the train journey from Hikkaduwa to Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2013. A busker plays a flute as the train pulls into the station. Numerous buskers and food sellers with baskets of homemade snacks pass through the carriages. When the train gets up to speed you can hear the differences in the sound of the tracks as the train passes over bridges and crossings." Recorded by Mark Vernon....
4m Apr 05, 2021
4m
The last train from Liverpool to Bangkok
Bangkok metro reimagined by Rebecca Ainsworth. As soon as I heard the original recording, I wanted to work with the ambient sounds in it. Inspired by this and The KLF's Chill Out album and my love of ambient music, soundscapes & field recordings, I started to work with the sounds in  the original and overlaid a recording from near the train station in my town, taken in a cone shaped building w...
4m Apr 05, 2021
4m
Dream of Moscow, envy the moths
Moscow escalators reimagined by Meg Walker. "Like so many of us I've been missing travelling in this last year. The desire to see new places, feel new music, taste new spices, is a lifelong one. I've also been very grateful that I haven't had to travel. "While listening to the mesmerizing escalator sounds recorded in the Moscow metro Ploshchad Revolyutsii, I thought of the endless, and equall...
3m Apr 05, 2021
3m
Finland (untitled)
Helsinki airport train reimagined by Ghislain Gabrelle. "It is a three-part composition, using the recording alone and declining the same materials in different ways. Three listening "plans", representing the three states of contemplation that I enjoy experiencing while traveling. "A distant, diffuse shot, punctuated by almost scattered projections - like a journey - playing on the frames and...
4m Apr 05, 2021
4m
Travelling into Helsinki
The super-slick and efficient airport transit trains from Helsinki airport into the city centre. Recorded by Cities and Memory. Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.
4m Apr 05, 2021
4m
Moscow's escalators
The sound from the long, slow escalators in the Ploshchad Revolyutsii station on the impressive Moscow metro network. Recorded by Cities and Memory.  Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.
2m Apr 05, 2021
2m
All aboard the Bangkok metro
"This recording captures a ride on the MRT Blue Line from Lumpini Station to Hua Lumpong station and includes the station atmosphere before the train arrives, and walking out through the ticket barriers after I got off the train." Recorded by Colin Hunter. Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the w...
3m Apr 05, 2021
3m
Music for waiting rooms
Paris Charles de Gaulle reimagined by Janae Jean. "Listening to aural ambience of train station at Charles de Gaulle Airport brought me right into the sticky vinyl seats or unfriendly wooden benches of any transport waiting area anywhere on Earth. I had a sense of sentimentality and familiarity with the process of travel, recognizing that even the waiting or stationary times are part of the jo...
5m Apr 04, 2021
5m