Cities and Memory - remixing the world

Field recording from the London Underground by The London Sound Survey.

Part of our project The Next Station, reimagining the sounds of the London Underground and creating the first ever tube sound map. August 2016 - for more information see www.citiesandmemory.com/thenextstation

Willesden Junction reimagined by Robin Parmar.

"This piece was composed entirely from a field recording of Willesden Junction, London. As a train pulls into the station, wheels vibrate steel rails, and the resulting resonance sounds out the environs. The music was created to reflect this physical origin. Short moments of pitched sonority were layered to create sustained tone-clusters, in the manner of drone metal. The result is a temporal and timbral extension to the original, enhancing innate characteristics of the recording that would otherwise pass unnoticed."

Part of our project The Next Station, reimagining the sounds of the London Underground and creating the first ever tube sound map. August 2016 - for more information see www.citiesandmemory.com/thenextstation

Embankment reimagined by Howlround. Track written and produced by Robin The Fog.

"The 'melodic' part of the piece was constructed largely from a small part of the original recording, the high-pitch squeak of a train entering the station on the District line platform. This sound was dubbed onto tape, cut into a loop, stretched across the studio and then played back at different speeds to create different pitches. The slight fluctuations in pitch you'll hear is the tape loop snagging on various items of furniture. Additional parts of the piece were made by recreating the original journey between platforms and making new recordings. Despite parts of the final track having a very saturated feel, I like to think the subject matter remains unmistakable. Even though the sounds were very brief and recorded on the platform, it feels as though you're on a train in a tunnel travelling under the Thames (which is appropriate, given Embankment's location). I suppose I was trying to evoke the impact the Underground had on my imagination during rare trips to London as a youngster with its soundtrack of distant subterranean rumbles and sudden unearthly screeches. I've been trying to make music that evokes that world ever since!"

Part of our project The Next Station, reimagining the sounds of the London Underground and creating the first ever tube sound map. August 2016 - for more information see www.citiesandmemory.com/thenextstation

Victoria tube station reimagined by nobodisoundz (Philippe Neau).

"The idea of this track is to create a " sound vision " of an imaginary landscape. Different field recordings are mixed, remixed and reworked in a mood rather dark and ambient. "

Part of our project The Next Station, reimagining the sounds of the London Underground and creating the first ever tube sound map. August 2016 - for more information see www.citiesandmemory.com/thenextstation

Maida Vale station reimagined by Tate McNeil.

"I started it in Audiomulch, a modular software which I often use to get the creative juices flowing. I stretched an original sample and then used a granulator module to really chop up both the original sample and the Maida Vale sample. This created some odd, choppy string like effect.

From here I exported to FLStudio 10, which I use for arrangements and mixing. I used the original Maida Vale sample as a bed for the whole track, applying some light reverb and cutting out some of the harsher frequencies. I then added the export. I also used a scraping metal sound from the sample as an incidental motif throughout the track. From here I added some low end with a FL native synth. this also helped build some melodic structure to the track. I then used Ozone 5 to produce a final master.

In terms of my goal, I really wanted to create the effect of a journey of some kind without focusing to heavily on the maida sample as the vehicle to doing so. I used the drawn out string sound and panning to create the effect of 'underground' movement (no pun intended)."

Part of our project The Next Station, reimagining the sounds of the London Underground and creating the first ever tube sound map. August 2016 - for more information see www.citiesandmemory.com/thenextstation

Field recording from the London Underground by Cities and Memory.

Part of our project The Next Station, reimagining the sounds of the London Underground and creating the first ever tube sound map. August 2016 - for more information see www.citiesandmemory.com/thenextstation

Field recording from the London Underground by The London Sound Survey.

Part of our project The Next Station, reimagining the sounds of the London Underground and creating the first ever tube sound map. August 2016 - for more information see www.citiesandmemory.com/thenextstation

Field recording from the London Underground by The London Sound Survey.

Part of our project The Next Station, reimagining the sounds of the London Underground and creating the first ever tube sound map. August 2016 - for more information see www.citiesandmemory.com/thenextstation

Warwick Avenue to Maida Vale reimagined by Manuel Guerrero.

"A part of the Warwick Avenue to Maida Vale field recording have the sound of the wheels hitting the rails, producing a screech that it’s disturbing. Listening this, it reminds me that the 12th subway line of the Mexican public transport system have a similar sonic phenomena: in a part of the line, by the structure, the bend it’s too tight , so that spooky sound –as if the ghost riders in the sky should come- fill the entire wagon.

I found curious how that strange sound can bond the two transport systems, in specific contexts; from the economy and politics, through the demographical levels till the cultural meaning for the people of each city."

Part of our project The Next Station, reimagining the sounds of the London Underground and creating the first ever tube sound map. August 2016 - for more information see www.citiesandmemory.com/thenextstation

A journey from Blackfriars to Cannon Street on the Circle Line during the morning rush hour.

Field recording from the London Underground by Cities and Memory.

Part of our project The Next Station, reimagining the sounds of the London Underground and creating the first ever tube sound map. August 2016 - for more information see www.citiesandmemory.com/thenextstation