Located 270 kilometres northeast of Aberdeen, in the North Sea, the Brae Alpha oil platform has been in operation since 1983. Throughout that time, it has been central to offshore energy production in the UK. Along with other platforms in the Brae oil field, it has reached its Cessation of Production point and is scheduled for decommission, dismantling and removal by the end of the decade. Geographically remote and closed to the public, this is a rare opportunity to wander through the depths of a working oil rig, from the windy helideck down to the chemist’s lab and mess hall. Take a walk around the pumps, separators and external wellbays, eavesdropping on the platform’s aural character. 

Sound recordist Leigh Reuss-Daters explains about life on the rig: “Everyone onboard knows the sonic rhythms of a contented platform. We are acutely aware that we’re living on top of thousands of tonnes of highly flammable, explosive material. The sheer volume from a crude oil processing plant is impossible to convey but you need to listen for the sounds – they will tell you what’s happening”.

Location sounds and images by Leigh Reuss-Daters.

Technical production by Maties Palau.

The Radiophonic Travel Agency, a free to use resource brought to you by The Radiophonic Institute. 

​Walk, run, swim, drive, float, ride, fly, wheel and meander around the world as we transport you to places near and far, using only the magic of sound. Freed from guidebooks and narration and with only your imagination as companion, listen to the world in joyous new ways.

Discover more: https://li.sten.to/TheRTA

Follow us: instagram.com/radiophonictravelagency

If you would like to submit recordings to be considered for a Travel Agency journey then please get in touch: [email protected]

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Created in the autumn of 2024, during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, these recordings* bear witness to the evolving soundscape of Beirut. Recorded at home, from the same vantage point, we follow a typical day in the Lebanese capital during this time, from sunrise to sunset. Ordinary street sounds, barking dogs, generators, gunfire, sonic booms and exploding bombs mix together with the ever-present hum of military drones.

Reflecting on living through the everyday reality of the conflict, the sound designer Rana Eid said: “In this war we realised that it’s not only about taking the land and our homes anymore – it’s about taking the sky as well.”

*This episode contains sensitive material that some listeners may find disturbing.

Location sounds and images by Rana Eid.

Technical production by Maties Palau.

The Radiophonic Travel Agency, a free to use resource brought to you by The Radiophonic Institute. 

​Walk, run, swim, drive, float, ride, fly, wheel and meander around the world as we transport you to places near and far, using only the magic of sound. Freed from guidebooks and narration and with only your imagination as companion, listen to the world in joyous new ways.

Discover more: https://li.sten.to/TheRTA

Follow us: instagram.com/radiophonictravelagency

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This field recording project sprang out of the Soundscapes class offered in the Spring of 2025 at the University of Texas at San Antonio (taught by Justin Boyd, Assistant Professor in New Media and Sculpture, Art and Art History). As part of the curriculum students were asked to propose ideas around what San Antonio sounds like. Being a large city, they decided to split the recordings into three zones: The Outer Ring is based around Highway Loop 1604, The Middle Ring is based around Loop 410 and the Inner Ring is the downtown/near downtown area. The sounds you hear represent the students' travels within the city and provide a personal snapshot of San Antonio in the spring.

Location sounds and images by Kayla Byrd, Jaila Castro, Ruby Coker, Alma Cuellar Vazquez, Isabelle Davis, Sep Garcia, Elroy Kay, Nina Lemire, Bryce Mcgowan, Andrew Mendoza, Carmen Montoya, Alyssa Narvaez, Aniyah Nick, Aaron Olivarez, Noah Pitman, Kendell Price, A’Isha Walker and Laurel Westphal. Mixed by Justin Boyd and Charlotte Irakunda.

​Walk, run, swim, drive, float, ride, fly, wheel and meander around the world as we transport you to places near and far, using only the magic of sound. Freed from guidebooks and narration and with only your imagination as companion, listen to the world in joyous new ways.

Follow us on Instagram and discover more here: https://li.sten.to/TheRTA.

If you would like to submit recordings to be considered for a Travel Agency journey then please get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Arb is a year-long field recording and printmaking project by Rebecca Goldberg, created at Nichols Arboretum at the University of Michigan. 

Each season, Goldberg placed nearby organic materials on cyanotype paper for a fifteen-minute exposure while recording from ground level, capturing the ambient soundscape as the print developed. Once the exposure was complete, she washed the cyanotype in the waters of the Huron River, merging the print with its environment.

By repeating this process every three months, over the course of a year, Goldberg sought to trace the Arboretum’s evolving character. Through changes in light, texture, and tone, and its shifting sonic atmospheres, The Arb represents a dialogue between natural rhythms and artistic intervention, offering a layered portrait of place through time.

Location sounds and images: Rebecca Goldberg.

​Walk, run, swim, drive, float, ride, fly, wheel and meander around the world as we transport you to places near and far, using only the magic of sound. Freed from guidebooks and narration and with only your imagination as companion, listen to the world in joyous new ways.

Follow us on Instagram and discover more here: https://li.sten.to/TheRTA.

If you would like to submit recordings to be considered for a Travel Agency journey then please get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A journey from the South to the North of the UK via the National Cycle Network. Visiting the cities of Bristol, London, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh, pedal power and two wheels will transport you through rural, urban, modern and historical landscapes.

Location Sounds & Images: Ella Kay, Dan Pollard, Boris and Ilia Rogatchevski, Laura Rogatchevskaia, Elliot Rea, Lottie Simpson

The Radiophonic Travel Agency, a free to use resource brought to you by The Radiophonic Institute

​Walk, run, swim, drive, float, ride, fly, wheel and meander around the world as we transport you to places near and far, using only the magic of sound. Freed from guidebooks and narration and with only your imagination as companion, listen to the world in joyous new ways.

Follow us on Instagram and discover more here: https://li.sten.to/TheRTA.

If you would like to submit recordings to be considered for a Travel Agency journey then please get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The chaotic soundscape of Mexico City, home to 22.5 million people. Listen out for the tamale and sweet potato vendors, the regular explosions of cohete fireworks and children setting of firecrackers. Hear the musical traditions of the Mariachis, the organ grinders and the Catholic church or escape to the fringes of the city to the Pyramids of Teotihuacan and the mountains of the Desierto de los Leones.

Location Sounds & Images: Dan Pollard

The Radiophonic Travel Agency, a free to use resource brought to you by The Radiophonic Institute

​Walk, run, swim, drive, float, ride, fly, wheel and meander around the world as we transport you to places near and far, using only the magic of sound. Freed from guidebooks and narration and with only your imagination as companion, listen to the world in joyous new ways.

Follow us on Instagram and discover more here: https://li.sten.to/TheRTA.

If you would like to submit recordings to be considered for a Travel Agency journey then please get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Follow the incredible 3,000 mile migration of the Monarch Butterfly. From the Canadian shores of the Great Lakes through the US, taking in the coastline of Virginia, an urban park in Texas, then on to the forested mountains of Mexico.

Location Sounds & Images: Rob Mackay

Livestream recordings: Rob Mackay via Soundcamp & Locus Sonus

Thanks to:

Point Pelee National Park

Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory

Phil Hardberger Park Conservancy

Butterflies & Their People Arborists

UNESCO Monarch Butterfly Reserve

BIOM - Biosphere Soundscapes

Soundcamp

Locus Sonus

The Radiophonic Travel Agency, a free to use resource brought to you by The Radiophonic Institute 

​Walk, run, swim, drive, float, ride, fly, wheel and meander around the world as we transport you to places near and far, using only the magic of sound. Freed from guidebooks and narration and with only your imagination as companion, listen to the world in joyous new ways.

Follow us on Instagram and discover more here: https://li.sten.to/TheRTA.

If you would like to submit recordings to be considered for a Travel Agency journey then please get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever wanted to be in several places at once? With this journey you can visit eight different locations in the seaside town of Margate simultaneously. The recordings were collected from key spots chosen for their sonic footprint or importance to the town and were all captured at the same time – 1pm on a Friday afternoon.

Waves overlap with train station announcements while native birdsong and incidental chatter mirror the hallucinatory sounds of the arcades. The field recordings – each one 30 minutes in duration – were played back simultaneously with the public invited to mix their own soundscape. Created in collaboration with Margate Radio. Recorded live at the grassroots venue Where Else?.

Produced by Paul Camo and Tim Garratt.

Location sounds by Chris Cholmondeley, Jack Goldstein, Clementine Blue, Melinda Bronstein, Chase Coley, Tim Garratt, Paul Camo and Buddy Peace.

Location images: Nigel Chadwick, Pam Fray, Chris Whippet, Acabashi, Derek Bennett, John Myres, No Swan So Fine, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Radiophonic Travel Agency, a free to use resource brought to you by The Radiophonic Institute

​Walk, run, swim, drive, float, ride, fly, wheel and meander around the world as we transport you to places near and far, using only the magic of sound. Freed from guidebooks and narration and with only your imagination as companion, listen to the world in joyous new ways.

Follow us on Instagram and discover more here: https://li.sten.to/TheRTA.

If you would like to submit recordings to be considered for a Travel Agency journey then please get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Maunsell Forts were constructed in the Thames and Mersey estuaries during the Second World War. Their imposing and somewhat alien shape – tall platforms balancing atop legs jutting out from the sea – is reminiscent of the Martian Tripods from “The War of the Worlds”. Following their decommission, in the 1950s, some of the forts were squatted and used for broadcasting pirate radio. One even became a micronation called The Principality of Sealand. This journey documents a family trip to Whitstable, Kent. You can hear them exploring the town, beachfront and harbour before boarding the Vulcan and setting out on a boat trip to the forts at Red Sands. 

The Radiophonic Travel Agency, a free to use resource brought to you by The Radiophonic Institute 

​Walk, run, swim, drive, float, ride, fly, wheel and meander around the world as we transport you to places near and far, using only the magic of sound. freed from guidebooks and narration and with only your imagination as companion, listen to the world in joyous new ways

Location Sounds & Images: Ilia Rogatchevski. Special thanks to Whitstable Boat Trips.

Follow us on Instagram and discover more here: https://li.sten.to/TheRTA.

If you would like to submit recordings to be considered for a Travel Agency journey then please get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Taking place in the 18th and 19th centuries, the Highland Clearances saw people from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland forced from their homes. Whole communities had to seek opportunities elsewhere. The clearances were sometimes violent, with houses being burned down, and led to famine, displacement and mass emigration.  

This fictional journey, based on a script by Kenneth Murray, travels through time. We hear Scotland from the 1700s to the present day from the point of view of different characters. The journey connects contemporary and historical social challenges, specifically what the writer calls “disposable places”, which existed for working class people during the clearances and still do today. The award winning sound designer Ella Kay interprets Murray’s script. Hear blacksmiths and farm animals, waulking songs and Gaelic psalms alongside voices and hubbub under the Hielanman's Umbrella. 

The Radiophonic Travel Agency, a free to use resource brought to you by The Radiophonic Institute 

​Walk, run, swim, drive, float, ride, fly, wheel and meander around the world as we transport you to places near and far, using only the magic of sound. freed from guidebooks and narration and with only your imagination as companion, listen to the world in joyous new ways

Dramaturg - Kirsty Housley

Writer - Kenneth Murray

Sound Design - Ella Kay

The recording “Wool Waulking Display at the inaugural Outlander Day at Highland Folk Museum” (Newtonmore, 2015) appears courtesy of Steve McLeish and Outlandish Journeys. “Gaelic psalms at Back Free Church” (Isle Of Lewis, 2003) was produced by 

Calum Martin and appears courtesy of Leum Music. Samples of dialogue are derived from “The Western Isles” (1941, dir. Terence Egan Bishop) and appear courtesy of the British Council film archive under a CC BY-NC 3.0 licence. 

Journey Images from: Old House of Belford, The Smithy, Kinlochewe, Ross-Shire, Market Cross, Aberdeen, At the Head of Aberdeen Docks, The Bridge at Connel Ferry, The Crinan Canal - Argyll, The Day's work begins, sheep grazing, St Saviour's Church, Ballater, Glenmuick Chapel, Ballater, The Chancel, Rosslyn Chapel, Ships in Granton Harbour, The MacKinnon Collection. Acquired jointly with the National Library of Scotland with assistance from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Scottish Government and Art Fund. Scotland market 1700 - British Library Archive C.128.k.10 69, Inverness 2024 - Image by Wolfgang Claussen Pixabay, Glasgow Bridge 1890-1900 Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Ian Cylkowski, Unsplash, David Brooks - Abandoned Croft - Unsplash.

Follow us on Instagram and discover more here: https://li.sten.to/TheRTA.

If you would like to submit recordings to be considered for a Travel Agency journey then please get in touch: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.