Cities and Memory remixes the world, one sound at a time - a global collaboration between artists and sound recordists all over the world. The project presents an amazingly-diverse array of field recordings from all over the world, but also reimagined, recomposed versions of those recordings as we go on a mission to remix the world. What you'll hear in the podcast are our latest sounds - either a field recording from somewhere in the world, or a remixed new composition based solely on those ...
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"Inspired by the early morning forest sounds of insects and birds in the field recording, I’ve composed a piece to convey a sunrise in the forest. The middle section of the piece allowing the forest's natural sounds to shine through.' Thai forest soundscape reimagined by Jaspal Singh Bhogal.Por Cities and Memory
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"Slow melodic piano piece over top of morphing ambient pads with wind chimes from an alien planet. Mixed with fountains from Kardriorg Palace. I envisioned this piece as a lonely elderly man who visits the fountain every day to enjoy his lunch being around people." Kadriorg Palace fountains reimagined by Mathew Gracie.…
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Early morning forest sounds with insects and birds recorded in a forest near Chiang Mai, Thailand. Recorded by Alex Boyesen.Por Cities and Memory
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Three fountains and water features in the gardens behind Kadriorg Palace, Tallinn. The microphone moves from fountain to fountain from different angles and proximities, along with the crunch of the gravel paths underfoot. Recorded by Cities and Memory.Por Cities and Memory
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"The Medellin traffic sample shapes both the atmosphere and structure of the piece. In the opening, isolated fragments—like engine hums and the sharp sounds of brake noise—are presented with minimal processing, immersing the listener in the city’s raw soundscape. "Following a moment of silence, which contrasts sharply with the noise, the piece evol…
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Noise, the soundtrack of our everyday life in a city. If you look at the spectogram of the recording you'll find it very boring and static, almost like a pink noise. It is mandatory to remember that noise pollution is a big issue for our wellbeing. The recording was made in Pueblito Paisa, Medellín, Colombia on 21 december 2023 at around 1 p.m. wit…
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"My piece “returning” was inspired by the field recording “in the turbine hall” by Cities and Memory. As I listened to the field recording, especially the resonance of the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, I immediately thought that it would blend well with some of my own recent experiments with resonance to create a new sonic landscape. "The sound sourc…
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A soundscape from the Tate Modern's famous Turbine Hall, moving into a sound and video installation by Paul Maheke (August 2024), and back into the hall, which has a very distinctive reverberation character. Recorded by Cities and Memory. IMAGE: the wub, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons…
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"I tried keeping the integrity of the field recording with the aim of telling a story. However, I did edit out some coughing from tram passengers as this was too distracting. To provide some consistency, I added a piano melody, and wove in some ambience through drums. I liked the talking from the passengers and kept that in, allowing the piece to e…
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A ride from the trendy cultural hub of Telliskivi in Tallinn to Kanuti aboard the ubiquitous trams - all public transport is completely free to residents of Tallinn. Here we listen to the sounds of the tram journey, complete with announcements, doors sounds, exiting the tram and listening to it depart. Recorded by Cities and Memory.…
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"Märket is a tiny 3.3ha island shared by Sweden and Finland in the middle of the Baltic Sea. I imagined the being on the ferry passing this island of two equal but slightly different halves, hence the structure of this reimagined piece." Ferry across the Baltic Sea reimagined by Moray Newlands.Por Cities and Memory
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"The title of my piece for the Autumn Project is called “Falling”. It is based on a field recording of fore and aft engine rooms on the Suur Toll museum ship in Tallinn Estonia. "I was very drawn to the percussive metallic clangs in the recording. For me autumn has a definite impact on my senses, which reminds me of distinctive percussive sounds co…
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Crossing the Baltic Sea from Tallinn to Helsinki aboard a large ferry, the deep pulsing of the ferry's engines mingles with light rain on the canopy overhead, and the faint piping of the music that can be heard much more loudly throughout the interior of the ferry. Recorded by Cities and Memory.Por Cities and Memory
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Aboard the Suur Toll museum ship in Tallinn, we take a tour around the engine deck, exploring the fore and aft engine rooms, before climbing a metal ladder and listening to a recreation of the sound of the ship's engines at work, and the regular ship's bell. Recorded by Cities and Memory.Por Cities and Memory
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"A talented but tormented artist grapples with existential questions, consumed by his obsession with proving or disproving the existence of God. His creativity, fuelled by strange and often unsettling ideas, leads him into a spiralling journey of philosophical inquiry. "His lover, a narrator who has long since abandoned faith without much thought, …
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Children play football in the spacious Campo San Giacomo in Venice, while people sit in local bars and cafes enjoying a drink in the late afternoon Venetian sunshine. The bouncing ball and cries of the children reflect off the reverberant spaces between the buildings in the campo. Recorded by Cities and Memory.…
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Markets, streets and people - Poland and England
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"I was struck by the similarities between the sounds of the people, streets and market of Blonie in Poland and those of Newton Abbot: the town in southwest England near where I live. "I made some field binaural recordings in Newton Abbot town centre and combined them with the Blonie market. There's the obvious difference in language but the overwhe…
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Soundwalk through the city market in Blonie, Poland. Recorded by Dominik Witaszczyk. IMAGE: MateuszEs, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia CommonsPor Cities and Memory
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"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 Woo…
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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.Por Cities and Memory
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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 gentl…
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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 …
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"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 worke…
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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.Por Cities and Memory
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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.Por Cities and Memory
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"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.Por Cities and Memory
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BBC World Service interview on Migration Sounds
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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.…
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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, r…
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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 t…
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Justice on the streets of Pailoucun, 1987
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"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 pull…
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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.Por Cities and Memory
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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 f…
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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.Por Cities and Memory
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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 c…
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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.Por Cities and Memory
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"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 usi…
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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.Por Cities and Memory
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"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…
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"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 …
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"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…
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"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 …
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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 c…
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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 Temp…
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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 beca…
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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…
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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…
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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 …
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"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 …
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"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 proce…
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"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 travell…
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