Cities and Memory - remixing the world

Cities and Memory - remixing the world

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Cities and Memory - remixing the world episodes

  • 2865: Light Symphony
    Virginia lockdown sounds by Will Thornton.
    "This sound is derived from me walking around my house with a Light2Sound PX photosensor microphone and recording the different "sounds" of various light sources (multiple lights in the living room, a computer screen, etc). 
    "It's fairly quiet outside (and it was night time when I recorded the lights). No shelter in place order yet, but all nonessential business must close tomorrow. We are facing an uncertain time with a terribly mis-managed response from the government."
    Part of the #StayHomeSounds project, documenting the sounds of the global coronavirus lockdown around the world - for more information, see http://www.citiesandmemory.com/covid19-sounds
    4 min
  • 2860: Grill waiting
    New Orleans lockdown sounds recorded by Elizabeth Joan Kelly. 
    "Recorded while sitting on my carport, waiting for the grill to heat up.  Sounds of birds and neighbor's AC unit in the background.
    So far my family is ok, but the situation in New Orleans is very bad. We are asked to stay home as much as possible. 
    "We're a city whose economy depends on food, music, and tourism, and the virus has already had devastating effects. 
    "I'm thankful for my quiet spot out here on the edges of town, but I worry about how the city can recover and for all those sick, out of work, or unable to stay home."
    Part of the #StayHomeSounds project, documenting the sounds of the global coronavirus lockdown around the world - for more information, see http://www.citiesandmemory.com/covid19-sounds
    2 min
  • 2861: Dawn in Leeton
    Australian lockdown sounds recorded by Bassling. 
    "Australia is starting to see a massive growth in COVID-19 infections, but the closest confirmed case is still at least an hour and a half away from our small town. 
    "The hum of the nearby Rice Cooperative keeps permeating Leeton, as well as the rumble of passing trucks as produce travels from the "food bowl" that is our region.
    "In the state of New South Wales parents have been encouraged to keep children home from school and, while it feels like the school holidays have started again, we're working on setting a timetable for activities and assignments. I also plan to start a school of rock, since my son is missing out on playing in his school band.
    "In the recording you can hear the typical sound of galahs waking with dawn and also magpie-lark, as well as possibly a plover. The songbird that can be heard are pied butcherbirds, who seem to visit our suburb with the changing of the seasons at the start of autumn and spring."
    Part of the #StayHomeSounds project, documenting the sounds of the global coronavirus lockdown around the world - for more information, see http://www.citiesandmemory.com/covid19-sounds
    3 min
  • 2862: People cheering the police
    Lima lockdown recorded by Cesar Callirgos. 
    "I am in Lima, Peru and we are in a 15-day lockdown. We can only go out to buy food and medicine between 5 am and 8 pm. After that no one can go out. 
    "We are ok for now but I don't how what will happen if the government extends the lockdown. That will bring  huge consequences for the economy for everyone especially for artists like me and my wife. 
    "This recording was made from my  apartment window on the 7th floor, around 8 pm when the curfew begins. You can hear people cheering to encourage the police and the doctors that are working to fight the virus. 
    "It was made with a Sony PCM-D100 recorder using its internal mics, no editing or eq just fade in and out."
    Part of the #StayHomeSounds project, documenting the sounds of the global coronavirus lockdown around the world - for more information, see http://www.citiesandmemory.com/covid19-sounds
    4 min
  • 2863: Brushbox Mountain
    Australian lockdown sounds recorded by Jon Panther. 
    "While visiting a friend in Mullumbimby Creek NSW we went for frequent evening walks into the bush capturing audio imagery for our online streaming project: "TheGenerativeCollaborationMachine". 
    "This is one of our evenings sitting upon the ridge as the sun retreated toward the horizon listening to lorrakeets and corrawongs while watching countless varieties of butterflies dancing between the shrubs. 
    "There was no sense of a connection to any emergency up there in the beautiful Northern Rivers region. On return to Sydney NSW the fallout was beginning to bite mainly due to inadequate Government response. We feel a strong sense of lack of leadership here in Australia. We seem to be taking our cues from New Zealand."
    Part of the #StayHomeSounds project, documenting the sounds of the global coronavirus lockdown around the world - for more information, see http://www.citiesandmemory.com/covid19-sounds
    9 min
  • 2859: Cordoba en Cuarentena
    Argentina lockdown sounds recorded by Atilio Sanchez.
    "Argentina began its quarantine on March 20. This recording is from March 22. 
    "It is the first time that a measure like this has been taken in the face of a pandemic, with great control by the government. I live on an avenue with a lot of traffic, in an area with great real estate development in recent years. 
    "The noise level, before quarantine, is very high throughout the day. The recording was made with a Roland R26 and a pair of Rode NT5s. In the recording dogs, cicadas and a single car are heard passing in 6 minutes, a very unusual thing."
    Part of the #StayHomeSounds project, documenting the sounds of the global coronavirus lockdown around the world - for more information, see http://www.citiesandmemory.com/covid19-sounds
    7 min
  • 2867: Coal train
    Australian lockdown sounds recorded by Dean W. Denham.
    "This is the coal train that comes through Toowoomba; Australia's largest rural city, 2 hours drive west of Brisbane, in Queensland, Australia. Big industry, like the coal industry, keeps running while the "unessential" businesses have had to shut down. Despite the climate crisis, Australia still invests heavily in coal. 
    "A lot of people, particularly the younger people, have not been practising social distancing so the beaches and pubs and clubs have been forced to close. People are hoarding food and other items so I feel bad for the elderly who can't get basic necessities and are alone. Queensland has closed its borders, along with several other Australian states. 
    "I am here from Melbourne, Victoria, about 1800kms away, visiting my long-distance partner and it may be quite some time before I can go home and see my children. At least Victoria has closed the schools. The rest of the country is saying you can send your kids to school if you want to. 
    "I'm 57 years old and though that's not particularly old I still feel like I'm in a fairly high risk category, so, like many, I am trying to avoid contact with others and spend most of my time inside. I feel very sorry for people working in the medical profession and also very grateful! 
    "The sound of the coal train is very haunting, particularly at night which is when this was recorded from the kitchen window. It comes into town down the west side of the valley from the north, pulled by two big diesel engines, makes a huge 180 degree turn near town and heads back up the east side of the valley. 
    "The squeal of the wheels on the turn is truly remarkable, and a little scary. These are scary times. Things will get worse before they get better. Be safe. Be kind. Stay strong."
    Part of the #StayHomeSounds project, documenting the sounds of the global coronavirus lockdown around the world - for more information, see http://www.citiesandmemory.com/covid19-sounds
    6 min
  • 2858: Great Tom rings out for lockdown
    Oxford lockdown sounds recorded by Cities and Memory.
    "Great Tom, the bell in Tom Tower at Christ Church college, is the loudest bell in Oxford at 6.5 tons. It's still rung 101 times every night, as a tradition marking the original 100 scholars of the college plus one, at 2105 each evening. Apparently this is 9pm in "Oxford time", which always used to be five minutes later than the rest of the UK (I have no idea why!).
    "So it's a highly traditional, distinctive soundmark of the city, but here we're hearing it on a remarkable day, just 30 minutes after the British Prime Minister called for a full lockdown of all citizens in the UK to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
    "As you can hear from the recording, the UK has had some problems with its citizens not taking the coronavirus warnings very seriously, and going about their business pretty much as before, while the government was very slow at introducing strict measures to combat this.
    "Here you can hear a queue at the kebab van across the road, multiple buses going past, a couple of joggers, a taxi idling away right in front of us for the entire recording, and other cars passing by - all this often drowns out the sound of the bells, as Oxford enjoys perhaps its last evening of vague normality for quite some time."
    Part of the #StayHomeSounds project, documenting the sounds of the global coronavirus lockdown around the world - for more information, see http://www.citiesandmemory.com/covid19-sounds
    5 min
  • 2857: A day at night
    Paris lockdown sounds recorded by Théo Serror.
    "Paris, France, fourth night of global lockdown.
    "I thought my neighbourhood would be more affected than it seems to be. So far, lockdown makes everyday look and sound like a very long Sunday morning. Low traffic, but traffic still, always a dozen pedestrians in sight under my windows, most shops closed except food stores...
    And nights aren't that much quieter either.
    "This scene happened around 3am. I happened to live nearby the Sacré-Cœur, and was having a walk nearby. Upon reaching the  basilica, I was met by a small group of teenagers. They had turned a bedspring into a sled, and were sliding down the massive stairway which lies before the Sacré-Cœur's square.
    "This square, usually flooded by tourists and onlookers had suddenly turned into an ephemeral theme park.
    "Once they had left, there only remained what's probably the closest one can get to Paris' breath. Heard from one of Paris' highest position. A deep, low and wide rumble, arising from its persistent traffic despite the lockdown and the countless air vents of its buildings and shops.
    "And then, a wren woke up. It's 3.30 am, the night is pitch black. But here it is, chirping, where there's usually no bird to be found.
    "This lonely dot of wildlife, created a sharp contrast in this urban, exclusively human-made soundscape, where it almost sounded out-of-place, and yet infinitely refreshing."
    Part of the #StayHomeSounds project, documenting the sounds of the global coronavirus lockdown around the world - for more information, see http://www.citiesandmemory.com/covid19-sounds
    7 min
  • 2856: Dorian's experimental playground
    Skopje lockdown sounds recorded by Toni Dimitrov.
    "Experimenting with sound with my one-and-a-half year old son."
    Part of the #StayHomeSounds project, documenting the sounds of the global coronavirus lockdown around the world - for more information, see http://www.citiesandmemory.com/covid19-sounds
    6 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.