Cities and Memory - remixing the world

Cities and Memory - remixing the world

By Cities and MemorySociety & CultureArtsMusicPlaces & Travel
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Cities and Memory - remixing the world episodes

  • 3640: The woodpecker and the motorway
    "Normally you mainly hear traffic noise here, but now the birds dominate, including a woodpecker. The recording was made in April 2020 during the 1st Covid-19 intelligent lockdown, during the morning rush hour, about 300 meters away from an 8 lane highway. 

    "The recording location is in a residential area in Waalre, near Eindhoven, in the south of the Netherlands."

    Recorded by Peter de Wit.

    Part of the StayHomeSounds project to map and reimagine the sounds of the Covid-19 lockdowns.
    4 min
  • 3639: Weymouth Bay in lockdown
    "Weymouth is a seaside town on the Jurassic Coast of England. A popular holiday resort that normally resounds to all manner of activity all year round, especially on the beach. 

    "Recorded early afternoon, the only noticeable sound was the breaking of small waves on the sandy beach."

    Recorded by James R. Nicholson.

    Part of the StayHomeSounds project to map and reimagine the sounds of the Covid-19 lockdowns.

    1 min
  • 3638: Xiyi fang (Taiwan)
    Taiwan laundry pit reimagined by Richard Watts.

    "This piece is called 'Xiyi fang'. 

    "I really like the purity of the original recording so have left that as is, apart from a little chorus and EQ on it. I've used a few Chinese instruments on this piece and wanted it to sound a bit haunting. 

    "The end section is about the rhythm created by doing laundry at the location (or what I imagine it would be like)."
    5 min
  • 3635: Corona rotations
    Kessel-Lo, Belgium during lockdown, recorded by Johan Krist.

    "Corona strongly contrasted the opposition between indoors and outdoors. Being outdoors became more valuable, and as cities remained fairly quiet, people flocked the countryside for a breath of fresh air or an exercise. Cycling, as the coolest outdoor sport, ranked number one in the corona activity ranking. The rural soundscape became filled with the ticking of chains, rubber on tarmac, and the panting of sweaty cyclists.

    "I made these recordings on Sunday the 3rd of May 2020 near the small village of Neerijse. People chat about their cycling adventures, their buttom padding and of course corona. Some of them comment on my roadside equipment (Zoom F4, Nevaton MC59C ORTF)"


    Part of the StayHomeSounds project to map and reimagine the sounds of the Covid-19 lockdowns.
    9 min
  • 3636: Richmond in lockdown
    Richmond, Virginia in lockdown recorded by Chip Sovek.

    "Richmond, VA is a very vibrant and historical city on the east coast of USA.  The Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 changed it forever.  Richmond is an 'easy to walk' city and there are always people, traffic and the hustle-bustle noise of everyday life is happening on every single corner. 

    "That all changed during the pandemic. Outside of the height of the protest periods and vandalism it was very quiet, strangely quiet. This is a recording from a chilly evening in late November when there wasn't much happening no matter which way you look. 

    "This recording was made two blocks from the Robert E Lee statue that made the cover of National Geographic magazine."

    Part of the StayHomeSounds project to map and reimagine the sounds of the Covid-19 lockdowns.


    9 min
  • 3634: From my balcony in lockdown (Varaždin, Croatia)
    "A quiet afternoon in my neighbourhood. Croatia is in partial lockdown. The stores are open, but restaurants and cafes are closed. People are allowed to go out, but it is advised to stay at home. I guess I'm happy because I'm living with my wife. And to be honest, she's the perfect person to be locked in with."

    Recorded by Vlatko Blažek.

    Part of the StayHomeSounds project to map and reimagine the sounds of the Covid-19 lockdowns.
    6 min
  • 3633: The gamelan cows of Monte Grappa
    Cows feeding on Monte Grappa reimagined by Cities and Memory.

    Reimagining the sound of cow bells on Monte Grappa, we were drawn to how the sound was simultaneously melodic and chaotic, like a musical system alien to western ears being played out. That sense and the sonic quality of the cowbells brought to mind gamelan music, which was the inspiration for this piece.

    The cowbells sounds were transposed to MIDI, which was then used to play a series of gamelan instruments, so the cows' feeding becomes musical notation for the piece. Blended in lower in the mix are some dreamy, effected versions of the original field recording, and a sung gamelan prayer takes centre stage. The whole piece becomes a gamelan prayer song transported to the mountains of northern Italy. 
    3 min
  • 3632: A signature sound of mountainside life
    After a long walk on Monte Grappa in northern Italy and a late lunch in a lovely mountainside malga, we looked down the mountainside and listened to the sound of cows feeding, their bells ringing out for hundreds of metres through the air, simultaneously chaotic and melodic, and a signature sound of mountainside life.

    Recorded by Cities and Memory.  
    3 min
  • 3631: Repainting Cromarty
    Waves on Cromarty beach reimagined by Cities and Memory.

    The natural rhythm of the waves on the beach informed the backbone of this composition, with a Badalamenti-inspired delayed acoustic guitar picking out a pulse to match the repetitive beauty of the waves. The guitar line is joined by other, more effected versions as the pieces goes on, the heavier effects representing the waves finally breaking on shore as they move into the land. The piece is underscored by some effected cello and woodwind lines, which occupy the lower end and represent the low-end sound of the rigs from the original recording - really, it's a re-painting of the original recording through music.
    7 min

About Cities and Memory - remixing the world

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Cities and Memory remixes the world, one sound at a time - a global collaboration between artists and sound recordists all over the world.