Tuna
Mar 23, 01:40 PM
Share
Subscribe
"I chose a field recording, by Erick Ruiz Arellano, about a tunas seller in Zacatecas, Mexico.
"I did a bit of digging to discover that Zacatecas is on the historical 'El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro' (aka the Silver Route) – a 2,500km road between Mexico City and San Juan Pueblo (in America) that was used from 1598 to 1882.
"As I sought to translate and understand the conversations in this recording, I discovered that a "tunas seller" is someone who sells prickly pears.
"Inspired by the repetitive creaking sound that this seller's equipment made as they walked from door to door, coupled with the rich ambience of the original recording, I immediately knew I wanted to use this creaking as the foundation of the track. I subtly sharpened up the timing between each creak and incorporated interesting snippets from the original recording.
"The composition features vocal samples from online translation and pronunciation tools, discovered while researching the tunas/prickly pear connection. I also included a playful sample from Baloo's 'Bare Necessities' song from 'The Jungle Book' (1967), where he coincidentally sings about prickly pears.
"What began as curiosity about a street vendor's creaking equipment evolved into a composition that celebrates the unexpected connections between modern Mexican street commerce, historical trade routes, and a bit of pop culture."
Tunas sellers in Zacatecas reimagined by Tim Ferguson.
———————
This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights.
Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage
"I did a bit of digging to discover that Zacatecas is on the historical 'El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro' (aka the Silver Route) – a 2,500km road between Mexico City and San Juan Pueblo (in America) that was used from 1598 to 1882.
"As I sought to translate and understand the conversations in this recording, I discovered that a "tunas seller" is someone who sells prickly pears.
"Inspired by the repetitive creaking sound that this seller's equipment made as they walked from door to door, coupled with the rich ambience of the original recording, I immediately knew I wanted to use this creaking as the foundation of the track. I subtly sharpened up the timing between each creak and incorporated interesting snippets from the original recording.
"The composition features vocal samples from online translation and pronunciation tools, discovered while researching the tunas/prickly pear connection. I also included a playful sample from Baloo's 'Bare Necessities' song from 'The Jungle Book' (1967), where he coincidentally sings about prickly pears.
"What began as curiosity about a street vendor's creaking equipment evolved into a composition that celebrates the unexpected connections between modern Mexican street commerce, historical trade routes, and a bit of pop culture."
Tunas sellers in Zacatecas reimagined by Tim Ferguson.
———————
This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights.
Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage