Piazza Dalmazia in Florence reimagined by Ross Burns.

"The inspiration behind the piece: When you are falling asleep in the afternoon on a beach and you start to hear only the sounds around you as you slowly drift to sleep. The field recording reminded me of these moments I have had in the past. 

"The track is made by cutting the field recording in half and placing side by side. I panned one side to the left and one side to the right. I then added processing and some texture in the low-end to fill the space. The keys sound for the chords and the pad sound are both made from small pieces of the field recording. I stretched them, put them into a sampler and assigned to a keyboard. The keys sound is layered with the top end of a piano and I put the pad through some reverb."

Kotor clock tower reimagined by Camilla Fanning.

"The Montenegro bell recording is perfectly pleasant, unfortunately the year that's in it all I could think of was a warning bell. The piece reflects a sense of swirling words, numbers, unease and alarm. 

"The tracks are taken from real emails and texts received over the last year, as well as some official advice. In all it felt like a general blur of related, ominous yet somehow inadequate communication. Responding to and trying to keep a record of this moment in time seemed the right approach. Frankly, it was impossible to avoid."

Inside a ferry in Piombino, Italy reimagined by Richard Gadd.

"I wanted to use as much of the original sound as possible for its 'industrial' quality. Among those qualities are resonance and confinement. Within a shuddering steel hull the sounds of the ship are compressed into a bewildering cacophony."

Recording from inside the hull of a car ferry from Elba to Piombino, Italy, arriving at our destination. It's a claustrophobic, dense soundscape in which the overwhelming drone of the ferry's engines is punctuated by a car alarm going off, and towards the end the ferry doors open, letting in the summer morning daylight and an escape to freedom.

Recorded by Cities and Memory.

"The Baie de Cayola is located on the western shores (Atlantic Ocean) of France near Les Sables d'Olonne. It is a very small bay (800 meters wide), with a pebble beach. 

"There is a road nearby, but you won't hear it on this recording.
It was recorded in autumn 2018 under beautiful blue sky and orange light."

Recorded by Jeremy Simoncello.

Baie de Cayola, France reimagined by Andy Lyon.

"Initially I was going to use a full on experimental / glitch approach but I find the sea quite mesmerising, it's alluring and mysterious. So I went with a minimal approach to compliment the recording adding tension, dark and light with a hint of glitch. 

"For me it came out a bit darker than I intended but I think it works really well, I tried to leave it open to interpretation so listeners can come to their own conclusion."

Bells in Pomonte, Italy reimagined by Phexioenesystems.

"This piece is based on a field recording of church bells and the surrounding ambience from Pomonte on the Island of Elba. 

"The bells themselves are used in multiple ways: pitched to fit with the Hexany tuning system (but otherwise untreated) and as a granulised layer. 

"The remaining ambience is also left untreated but appears with bell-like envelopes across the track. The additional tones and textures are also intentionally bell-like, with stochastic bursts throughout. 

"The titles 'Stepping Stones' is a reference to Via del Passatoio, on which the church sits."

Milan Stazione Centrale reimagined by Simon Woods.

"The piece is performed entirely with instruments from Italy. 

"Samples of classic Italian synths made by Crumar, Siel and Elka, whilst most of the other instruments are made by IK Multimedia from Modena. 

"The lead violin is Native Instruments Stradivarius."

Listen to the sounds of the evening bells for mass ringing in the sleepy village of Pomonte, in the south-west of the island of Elba. The sun is beginning to set in late August after a long day on the beach, and the bells ring out across the sky. 

Recorded by Cities and Memory.

The hustle and bustle of an early morning in Milan's main Stazione Centrale. You can hear us making our way along the moving walkways through the station as crowds pass us and announcements ring out around the station - we then emerge out into the main platform hall with its huge reverberation and the sound of trains preparing to leave.

Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Giardino Baden Powell, Florence, reimagined by Karhide.

"This started out as a different kind of remix and then I came up with a guitar line and started to test some new plugins. The plugins used are the Audio Damage Other Desert Cities delay  and the Klirrton Grindstein amp sim by Audiority plugins.

"The only other plugin used in the project is the Audio Damage Eos reverb and then mastered using Ozone."

Stazione Le Piagge, Florence, reimagined by Chelidon Frame.

"This summer I had the pleasure of reading Bernie Krause's The Great Animal Orchestra. One thing that fascinated me was how a natural soundscape can be altered by external noises, such as a plane or a train passing by: sometimes the biome takes a lot of time to restore its perfectly calibrated concert. In the original field recording, I sensed some moments that got me thinking about this phenomenon, and in my track I've explored and enhanced this experience.

"'Cicadas' is arranged in four parts, divided by the sound of a passing train: at each iteration, the soundscape is increasingly processed and paired by synthesized sounds and glitched elements, until the original equilibrium is restored, when the last train arrives at the station."

Cities and Memory founder Stuart Fowkes is interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Sunday programme about the Inferno project, marking the 700th anniversary of the death of Dante. The interview features an overview of the project plus selected sound clips.  

Piazza San Marco, Venice reimagined by Cristina Marras.

"I worked on subtractions, using my recent experience in Piazza San Marco to bring together a past that seems now almost retro-futuristic, with a present that no science fiction could have ever imagined."

Repairs on Fondamenta della Canonica, Venice reimagined by Jeff Dungfelder.

"I decided to use the field recording of repairing a gate near the Bridge of Sighs Fondamenta della Canonica because the bridge is rich with historic meaning. The Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri) was built in the year 1600 and connects the Doge's Palace to the historic prison across the canal. Prisoners that were tried in Venice were initially held in the underground prison chambers inside the Doge's Palace. As the number of prisoners grew, the prison was expanded to a building across the canal named the New Prison, and the Bridge of Sighs was constructed to shuttle passengers directly from their trial into their cells. 

"According to legend, the name of the bridge comes from the sighs of prisoners who crossed the bridge on the way to their prison cells or the execution chamber, catching their last glimpses of Venice through the tiny windows. The arched bridge isn’t open air like many of the bridges in the city, there are just two small rectangular windows with a lattice-like screen. Inside, a stone wall divides the interior into two narrow hallways, so prisoners who were entering and leaving could never cross paths.

"I was interested in the idea of creating sounds from repairing not just the bridge, but in a larger context, reflections of what the prisoners experienced as they saw this last view. Hopefully my piece “The Bridge of Sighs” helps the listener consider for just a few minutes what it might have been like to see such beauty before being imprisoned underground. I do think that sound can reveal a history all of its own if one listens closely enough. Enjoy."

On any normal day in Venice, roadworks are a little different from your average city, with repair boats on the city's canals looking after its unique system that keeps the entire city afloat. Here, we can hear gate repairs taking place on Fondamenta della Canonica, just a short distance from the iconic Bridge of Sighs. Recorded by Cities and Memory.

The iconic Piazza San Marco on an August afternoon in 2021, as the city returns to normal levels of tourism after the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the piazza fills with tourists. Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Cittadella stadium announcer reimagined by Richard Watts.

"I found the original recording imposing (and slightly sinister for some reason) so I've tried to capture that in the reimagined piece. I've used lots of samples from the original recording and manipulated them using the Alchemy, a sample manipulation synthesizer in Logic Pro."

At the Stadio Tombolato, Cittadella, Italy for Cittadella vs. Crotone, August 2021 - the stadium announcer reads out the Cittadella teamsheet before a match that the home team would go on to win 4-2.

Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Passo Rolle ski lift reimagined by John Tenney.

"Happy and unhappy memories while riding on a ski lift."

The sounds from on board a simple two-seater ski lift transporting skiers up the mountain in Passo Rolle, San Martino di Castrozza, Italy. Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Yorkshire Dales field of sheep reimagined by Paul Walsh / Foldhead.

"This piece is in part inspired by the memory of a long, lost walk through the hills and valleys of Mayerhofen, Austria, a few years ago. 

"Having walked for hours through increasingly heavy falling snow we took what we hoped was a shortcut through a large field. 

"After a few minutes traipsing through the snow I looked to my right and what appeared to be dozens of sheep very slowly and in what appeared to be perfect unison turned their heads to look at us as one. It felt quite surreal at the time."

A field of sheep bleating, calling and frolicking at dusk on a beautiful April evening in the Yorkshire Dales, England. The air is clear, the atmosphere is pure with no traffic noise, just the placid hum of the village and the reverb of the hills above.

Recorded by Cities and Memory.

AH-64 Apache flypast in Italian Dolomites reimagined by Richard Watts. 

"I really like the rhythm in the original recording so have tried to capture that in the reimagined piece. I've used samples of the helicopter and fed them through a filter generator to create the background sounds then added drums, pads and a couple of melodies that seemed to fit."

An Apache AH-64 helicopter on training manoeuvres next to Tre Cime di Lavaredo in the Italian Dolomites, as heard from halfway down Monte Piana, August 2021. The helicopter can be heard long before and after its appearance with an enormous reverb trail generated by the sound bouncing off the mountains on every side. An impressive sound.

Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Bellevue station, Berlin reimagined by Cities and Memory.

"The original recording conjured up a mental image of a deserted, lonely station late at night, with just the occasional traveller passing through, trying to get home. A place of isolation as much as a place of connection.

"For the reimagined piece, we've tried to emphasise the 'coldness' of a lonely station late at night and the sense of isolation and loneliness through waves of very slow (25bpm) guitar pulses and reverb-drenched melodies to create a slow-moving, contemplative reflection on how it feels to pass through a transient place alone at night."

Bellevue station, Berlin, Germany recorded by Cristina Iscenco.

"I was walking home after a rehearsal. The sound of the trains was blending with the drone of the bells coming from nowhere. It was only about 20:30, but everything was asleep and dark."

Torrent at Brent de l'Art, northern Italy reimagined by Karhide.

"The idea behind the track was the slow erosion of the rock to form the canyon."

Brent de l'Art is a natural rock formation similar to a canyon, created by thousands of years of erosion by water, which has exposed layers of rock formed millions of years ago.

This erosion is due to the debris that the water carries across these narrow valleys. Stones and plants overwhelmed by the flood of water, once they enter the canyon they create whirlpools, they hit the walls, digging into the rock and then flow downstream. The flow of water in narrow valleys like this is also characterized by the greatly amplified noise of flowing water, which does not happen in normal more open valleys, and can clearly be heard in this recording. 

Recorded by Cities and Memory.

An idyllic scene from Lago Antorno in the Italian Dolomites, as a pack of horses with cowbells attached to their necks feeds on lush grass next to a mountain stream. In this recording you can hear the horses, the bells and the water rushing by in a binaural recording taken close by. Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Horses by the stream at Lago Antorno, Italy reimagined by Cravune. 

"The original piece evokes tranquillity and peacefulness. I wanted to overemphasise this aspect of the recording by chopping the audio, pitching it down and rearranging it on top of a simple low frequency drone."

Marriott hotel sounds from Riyadh reimagined by Andy Lyon.

"I wanted the focus to be on the recording, I really like the flow and contrast.  I've added subtle orchestration and effects to try and create a 'floaty' kind of ambiance to compliment the recording."

One of our earliest recordings from Saudi Arabia, sadly only able to be captured on a mobile phone, but evocative of the soundscape nonetheless. In 40 degree heat outside the Marriott hotel, we can hear police sirens in the distance, the heavy drone of Riyadh's constant traffic, and a light chorus of birdsong in the hotel garden. 

Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Starling murmuration in Curtarolo, Italy reimagined by Cities and Memory.

"Seeing a murmuration of any size is a truly wonderful event, and in this recording we're close to the roosting birds and their sound is pushed directly down to us, so the soundscape is full and loud. 

"The reimagined piece is based around trying to musically visualise the absorbing and miraculous patterns of the murmuring birds above - when we close our eyes and imagine a soundtrack to a grand murmuration, this piece is something like what we hear." 

A small murmuration of starlings swirling around in the sky and then landing in large numbers to roost and chatter on a mobile mast in Curtarolo, Italy on a hot August day. Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Bindertwine Park, Ontario reimagined by Neil Wiernik.

"Birds chirping in a forest meadow, it feels like we are in a remote place away from the cars and the city but if you listen closely you can hear the rumble of the cars and trucks on the highway off in the distance. 

"What if the birds voices became louder, deeper, doubled, what if the sound of the breeze through the trees became tones, droning in the wind? What if the meadows and surrounding forests made their own sounds to drown out the human made ones? 

"What if the animals, trees and plants in these meadows and forests created its own music and sound loud enough to just barely be heard past the forest by the cars and trucks on the highways in the distance?" 

"This recording was made in a meadow surrounded by the forest of Bindertwine Park, in Vaughan, Canada. Birds chirping and if you listen closely you can barely hear the highway off in the distance, all ending with a gust of wind."

Recorded by Neil Wiernik.

Rio de Janeiro Panelaço protest reimagined by Jochen Edmund Pendleton.

"Pots and pans make wonderfully festive musical instruments.  Here I've added a few others of my own design and, channelling Walter Smetak, tried to find some stillness amidst the commotion."

Radio mast on Monte Capanne reimagined by Cities and Memory.

"Having looked for more information on the masts atop Monte Capanne, we discovered that one of them is the key Italian mast for Radio France (you can see Corsica across the water from Elba), which became the starting point for this piece. 

"A sample from Radio France (courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive) forms the crackling backdrop, as disjointed speech crackles in and out of earshot.

"The droning backdrop is built entirely from effected tracks of the original mast drone, creating a kosmische piece for 2021 built from radio waves, static and pulses of electrical power."

Having climbed to the top of Monte Capanne on the Italian island of Elba, we were greeted by the sight of several enormous radio/mobile masts at the summit. 

Not exactly the most beautiful sight, necessary though these masts are, but the perfect peace at the top of the mountain was broken by the incessant, pulsing drone from the masts, which becomes the key sound signature at the summit. 

This recording captures that drone, and how it is effectively the only sound signature at the top of the mountain.

Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Kotor old town reimagined by Bev Craddock.

"When I visited Kotor at the end of an exhausting and emotional bike trip from Split via Mostar I stumbled across a Jazz cafe called Evergreen in the Old Town which has Tom Waits pictures on all the tables and live music. 

"I sampled a loop from a track, used a music box recording of the sonata, stretched the supplied recording and played some played notes from the C minor chord in the Helm synth app and fiddled with them all in Audacity along with the original recording. 

"As the tracks came together I wanted to recreate that dreamlike state where memories and the outside world drift in and out of your consciousness."

Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford sound installation reimagined by Scott Lawrence Whitman.

"The source of the original field recording was a sound installation at the Pitt Rivers Museum at Oxford University involving windmills. 

"My reimagined piece, like a windmill, revolves and evolves around the field recording, part of which can be heard as a buzzing, insect-like drone  and child's voice, which I sampled and processed to create the various sound elements aside from percussion."

Venezia vs. Cittadella football match reimagined by de Velden.

"The field recording that started this track was made amongst football fans, away from the pitch. 

"It captured the excitement on the stands, which, in my track, I have tried to bring together with a musical interpretation of the drama and particularly the dynamics of a game of football."

A rare recording from the away end at a Serie B football match in Italy, December 26 2019. The Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo in Venice is unlike any other in the world, requiring arrival for the away fans via a vaporetto water taxi across Venice. 

During this match, which Cittadella won 2-1, we hear the aftermath of one of Cittadella's goals, with songs, chanting and general merriment (and abuse) being dealt out by the passionate away fans. Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Chinatown, New York City reimagined by Kathleen Judge.

"Having lived in New York City’s Chinatown many years ago, listening to the original field recording brought many memories to mind. Visions and sounds full of static—distorted by time. Moments of clarity, a solid memory surfaces— and then vanishes. 

"I approached this piece as if I were tuning into a memory of a place, like turning a dial to tune into a radio station. Things clarify and then disintegrate. The repetitive childlike pattern and the high random chimes/bells are to evoke a feeling of reflection and looking for something thats gone. The distorted frequencies dishevel the recording, to make the listening feel unsteady, as tho the threads of sound will unravel soon."

Recording from Mott and Hester in Chinatown, New York City by Cities and Memory. 

A soundwalk through the Chinatown district, with multiple open shop fronts and customers giving the feel of a busy Chinese market right in the heart of Manhattan. 

Abandoned hospital sound reimagined by Cities and Memory.

"The original field recording is a sinister drone right out of a dystopian tale, and I wanted to accentuate that sinister quality, along with the mechanical, industrial nature of the sound. 

"This is a 'self-generating' piece with various arpeggiators and loops playing the same chord and developing themselves over the course of the piece. Some suitably industrial drum parts were added, and to add the final touches an enveloped distortion effect applies as the piece progresses, so the sound seems to degenerate and almost fall apart on itself by the end."

Abandoned hospital drone recorded by Connor Orrico.

"The children's hospital moved, so this is just ambience of the abandoned central plaza of the old building next to a fairly busy street."

Starling murmuration reimagined by thequietwood. 

"The field recording reminded me of walks and runs (very slow jogs), on my local moor (Dartmoor).

"I imagined myself going for a run on a crisp spring morning, crunching my way over icy grass  and stopping by a hedgerow where I briefly disturb the Starlings, and then I proceed to run on, watching the murmuration display of the soaring and swirling Starlings.

"The field recording was used to create all the additional drum sounds (Snares, Hi-hats) and the pulsating "wind" rhythmical elements. I have additionally layered simple simple arpeggios to represent the "running" and then further synth work for the flying Starlings.

"This piece was also inspired by the latest Leafcutter John album, Come Parade With Us."

A freezing cold afternoon in winter, and we visited the RSPB nature reserve at Otmoor in Oxfordshire to try to see the starling murmurations. The main event happened way off in the distance and was impossible to record, but walking back along the icy, flooded path, we accidentally disturbed a huge number of starlings in a hedgerow right next to us, who took to the skies and circled above our heads, captured in this recording.

Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Oxford New Year's Eve bells reimagined by Matt Chapman Jones.

"As I listened to the recording, I ended up thing of how they are such a constant part of a city; all the comings and goings, rises and falls but the bells sounding out the passage of time are in fact much more permanent."

New Year's Eve 2020 in Oxford - the country remained in a state of lockdown, with citizens only allowed out to exercise outdoors in their own local area, with no socialising allowed with others, truly the most bizarre festive season anyone has experienced. We wandered around the centre of our home city in thick fog on a freezing night, and right next to the famous Radcliffe Camera, the bells of St. Margaret's Church chimed for what would be one of the final times of the year. Ringing out through the mist, they symbolised a truly sad end to an unprecedented year. 

Little Tribune Bay barnacle recording reimagined by Donia Jourabchi.

"The composition is composed of only one sound, namely the recording made in Canada by Rogalsky: Little Tribune Bay - low tide barnacles. 

"The sound was processed and synthesized in various ways to accentuate the manipulation of the recycled elements. The rhythms are inspired by the repetitive patterns present in the nature."

Image credit: Tyler Ingram on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tyleringram

Barnacles at very low tide, July 2015 at Little Tribune Bay, Hornby Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Recorded with Telinga Stereo MK2 parabolic mic and Tascam DR-680mkII by Matt Rogalsky.

Image credit: Tyler Ingram on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tyleringram

Donald Trump motorcade reimagined by Marg Laing.

"The street sounded frenetic and noisy at first, but the rhythm emerged, as voices pinged back and forth over cars hooting. I like isolating sounds and tones and creating new sequences and finding melodies."

Image credit: Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead.

Recording from the Trump/Kim Jong Un summit in Hanoi, Vietnam in February 2019 as Trump's motorcade travels across the city. Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.

"While driving across the city I saw American and North Korean flags all across the capital.

"I discovered that Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un were having their second meeting in Hanoi.

"A great opportunity to record convoy, motorcade sound effects, crowds, visitors and reporters!"

Image credit: Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead.

A mass protest held at the height of the global Covid-19 pandemic in Oxford, UK. Following the global Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020, there was renewed pressure to remove the statue of slave trader Cecil Rhodes from Oriel College in Oxford. 

This translated into a mass protest against the statue and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in central Oxford. Cities and Memory took part in the protest, and recorded its sounds. 

Oxford Rhodes Must Fall protest reimagined by Margaret Fischer. 

"Rhythm is such an interesting force - it creates a sense of unity and community, and yet it is also a weapon of war. In this reimagining, I wanted to highlight how the shared mindset and singular purpose of this group of protestors spontaneously and naturally found its collective rhythm. Midway, you’ll hear the rhythms of pencil on paper and a typewriter, to represent protesting happening via the written word, as well as highlighting the role higher education has in this movement. 

"Since the Rhodes Must Fall movement had its origins in South Africa, the added percussive rhythms are a nod to rhythms found in South African toyi-toyi, perhaps the epitome of a nonviolent call to arms… rhythm and melody as tools for a revolution. The track ends with the sound of a door opening — opening the door for discussion, for reflection, for future change."

The sound of sea otters and the natural soundscape at Morro Bay Marine Nature Reserve, California, USA - recorded by Marcel Gnauk.

Morro Bay sea otters reimagined by Baying Ridges. 

"This recording immediately took me to a casual Sunday enjoying the sun and the breeze.  So we have a nice relaxing chord progression with the original file coming through in the background and in the underlying pad."

Earth God celebration in Taiwan reimagined by Alex Hehir. 

"This recording sounded loud and celebratory so I wanted to use fairly unprocessed snippets throughout. All of the 'drums' are built from the original as well as some melodic sections. As in some of my previous submissions, I have woven in heavily processed traditional instruments alongside some modular synths."

A traditional music show to honour the Earth God at the Wencun Earth God Temple, Taichung City, Taiwan. Recorded by Elfo. 

Venetian recording from Fondamenta Savorgnan reimagined by John Savarese.

"The field recording is a soundwalk through Venice, starting (I gather) around the Ponte della Crea and moving southeast along the Cannaregio, past a school. 

"I wanted to keep the soundwalk intact, and scored it by following some of the main sounds: boat noise, voices, waves, a howling dog."

As part of a day of field recording in Venice, we explored some of lesser-walked (by tourists) parts of the city to examine daily life as it's lived by Venetians. 

In this recording, you can hear school classes being taught as we walk past the windows of classrooms, teenagers leaving class and chatting by the side of the canal, and machine/work boats passing back and forth. Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Hungarian beach reimagined by Andrew Tulloch. 

"When I initially chose the sound, I envisaged making a melodic summery piece which would float over the recording, but in the end it turned out rather darker sounding.

"The quiet droning boat sound in the background provides an interesting counterpoint to the natural wave sounds, and put me in mind of the Danube's history of trade. The overall character of the piece is intended to reflect the river's nature/industry duality.  

"The original recording is used throughout, mildly processed, as well as a synth sound made from the boat noise, and drum sounds built out of wave snippets. I liked the one piece of recognisable human voice (laugh?), and it ended up becoming a filtered rhythmic loop. Additional sounds included some soft synths, and improvised guitar/ebow notes."

Field recording of ambient beach sounds, vehicles, people, waves from Zebegény, Hungary by Ádám Szegvári. 

Costa Rican beach reimagined by Sherman and Field.

"This piece utilises the original field recording in full. In accompaniment is a field recording taken early one morning of local bird life shortly after moving in to our new home, and a section of an improvised piece utilising guitar, electronic drum machine and other devices.

"The name is a hybrid of Costa Rica capturing the original recording, and Sadliers Crossing, where we live and captured the other components of the piece.

"Our approach is one of minimal interference and production to the original  recordings."

Field recording of ocean waves at Playa Carrillo, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica by Marcel Gnauk. 

Outside La Moneda palace in Santiago, the site of so much of Chile's recent history, and tuning in to the ceremonial changing of the guard - with a modern twist, as the accompanying military band breaks into a cover of "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk for the tourists.

Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Santiago military band reimagined by David Dasinger.

"I wanted to focus on the phrase "to the stars" from the lyrics and give the recording a more ethereal  feeling, a soundtrack for drifting through space and time. I extracted sections of the original recording and used PaulXStretch to sculpt the sound while retaining the essence of the tune."

"Melodic Malaysian shama, along with other birds and insects, can be heard. The wind kicks up and starts bamboo clacking on the hillside." Recorded by Gretchen Jude. 

Pisa bells reimagined by Nick St. George. 

"A bit of a departure for me - something of an academic exercise in sound manipulation. A musician neighbour recently introduced me to "granular synthesis" and, as a result, all of the audio in the piece (bar the poem and a little vinyl surface noise fx at the very end) originates in the field recording. 

"This was then processed via "granular" software and various Garage Band filters. Reading by Jemma Blythe c/o librivox.com."

Hawaiian shama reimagined by Audio Obscura.

"I tried making various tracks using this source sound and in the end went for a more stripped down feel. 

"There is a beauty to the bird song in the field recording and I wanted that to still have prominence so the rest of the musical backing I tried to keep subtle and not clutter the piece too much."

Bells ringing out from the iconic Leaning Tower in Pisa, Italy, recorded by Alberto Trinco.

Tirana mosque prayer reimagined by Mark Taylor. 

"The final piece was created using 6 fragments of audio taken from the original field recording – all processed and edited within Omnisphere using its extensive granular synthesis and sampling capability."

A tram journey in Kadikoy, Istanbul, recorded by Marcel Gnauk. 

Nepal traffic reimagined by Simon Kennedy.

"The more than brilliant Dillon Bastan’s Emit was used for the work. There is no processing at all other than slowing time by 4000%.

This study is what I am calling a Ganzfeld audial experiment. Ganzfeld is a Gestalt term describing a phenomenon of perception caused by exposure to an unstructured, uniform stimulation field. The effect is the result of the brain amplifying neural noise in order to look for the missing visual (or audial) signals. If you have seen a James Turrell environmental installation then you’ll get the idea of the Ganzfeld effect. Max Neuhaus is an artist whose sound work encourages the effect. 

Many composers (John Cage, Pauline Oliveros and Eliane Radigue) have worked with a form of composition that combines their spiritual (often Buddhist) practise with a sonic minimalism. Many academics refer to this work as requiring a focussed, reduced, deep, layered or quantum listening. 

This piece offers a mandala or quadrat to stimulate reflection. 

Katmandu lies in the valley known as the Nepal Mandala. A mandala is known, in some faiths, to represent the spiritual journey, starting from outside, venturing to the inner core, through transitional and increasingly enlightened layers. The mandala is a meditative simulacrum to be repeatedly contemplated to the point of saturation, such that the stimulus becomes fully internalised in even the minutest detail and can then be summoned and contemplated at will as clear and vivid.

A mandala traditionally has four gates. This quadrat imagines four gatekeepers offering wayfinding to, perhaps, a spiritual meditation on the four stages to enlightenment. Or the four deracinating stages of culture shock: disorientation, negotiation, adjustment and assimilation (or, often, revulsion). Maybe we follow the path from simulacra to simulation when we realise we do not experience a faithful image or copy of a place but a perversion in which our experience has no relationship to any reality or place whatsoever. The final gatekeeper suggests we reflect on the environmental and ecological consequences of our journey and our impact on this place: creation-germination; croissance-augmentation; existence and division; degradation, collapse and extinction."

Istanbul trams reimagined by Matthew Zook.

"Listening to the original field recording I felt I was actually present on the train. The sounds inspired very real sensations and feelings. Using samples from the original field recording only, I wanted to capture the same transit experience, the same journey, but through a different lens- whether that be manipulating the listener's sense of time(temporal) or producing an experience related to that of a heightened state of consciousness or awareness. Perhaps this reimagining is a memory of the trip? It is the same journey but looked at from another perspective. Due to the emphasis on subtle volumes and low frequencies, it is recommended you use headphones or stereo speakers to fully experience the piece." 

Saint Petersburg escalator reimagined by dssPower. 

"In this piece the Gorkovskaya metro station in St Petersburg Russia is transformed by the addition of past, and future yet-to-be memories of a time when humans were more connected to nature and the Earth that was.  These faint, ancient memories create a yearning for this fragile connection. With the addition of animals like Loons (Northern Hemisphere), Flamingos (Southern Hemisphere), and Bats (both Hemispheres) and the sounds of the resonance of fragile glass the space is now artificially connected to nature like a zoo with glass walls.

The original audio was split and processed through a number of outboard paths and then re-mixed to create the desired effect when layered with the additional material. The equipment used in various combinations was: Aphex Compellor, Yamaha R1000, Carver C-9, ART FXR Elite, Electro Harmonics Blurst, Joyo D-Seed, and Shure Audio Master, and one fine wine glass."

Field recording from the escalators at Gorkovskaya metro station, Saint Petersburg, Russia, by Masha Sha. 

Bangkok shrine dances reimagined by Vlad Suppish.

"Before making a reimagined version of the recording I've watched a few videos about Erawan Shrine and its deity - Than Tao Mahaprom. 

"What caught my attention is the amount of offerings to it, especially garlands. Layers upon layers of them. 

"Also layers of overpasses above the shrine. Spiritual sanctuary in the heart of large and busy city.

"My version is precisely that - layers upon layers of heavily processed original recording. No external sound sources were used.
 
"I hope that while listening to my composition, people will get some of the virtues from Than Tao Mahaprom - kindness, mercy, sympathy and impartiality."

Field recording from Bangkok, Thailand by Shaun Malone.

"A recording of several ritual dances at Erawan Shrine, at the corner of a very busy and noisy intersection in central Bangkok. The BTS (skytrain) passes by during the second dance. Recorded 5 Jan 2020."

Elephants in Mweya, Uganda, July 2018 recorded by Daan Hendriks.

"While in technical terms I don't consider this my "best" recording, it is one of my favourites of the last year due to the intense emotions conveyed by this elephant herd.

"It was recorded during an overnight session in the Mweya peninsula of Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, July 2018. I had tracked this herd during the day in my car as far as I could until they disappeared into the  bush, after which I set up a microphone rig in the general direction of the river where they were presumably heading. I left this mic behind as it recorded throughout the rest of the day, night and the next morning.

"There was a real intensity in the air that night, with the frog chorus going at full strength, insects stridulating feverishly, occasional strong wind gusts and regularly barking hippos. I am not sure what caused distress to this elephant herd but they vocalised all night, continuously rumbling and often screaming and trumpeting loudly. The overall result was a night that conveyed a really wild and primeval sound scape, and for that reason I love this recording quite a bit."

Elephants in Uganda reimagined by Peter Hodgkinson.

"Elephants are capable of hearing at low frequencies and are most sensitive at 1 kHz" so the  exploration began figuratively inside the elephant head between the two wondrous ears. 

"The original recording is wonderful in itself, but given an emphasis on the infrasound element of the elephant and the rhythms of breath through the trunk, the piece unfolded. Unfortunately, so did the Mac computer and the result was edited on a not so familiar software on a new PC. 

"I hope to complete a surround sound mix in the future to give real acknowledgement to elephant acoustics. The piece is entitled 'Proboscidean lament' in homage to the terrible plight of the elephant today."

Thingvellir national park reimagined by Allis Hamilton.

"This track is a conversation between midwinter, in my bushland home of Heron Cottage in Southern Australia, with that of the Iceland Thingvellir National Park. It is a song of the elements of rain and ice, wind and spirit. 

"The night I first heard the Icelandic track was an evening of an enormous storm, a tornado of sorts, and the recordings I made of that fierce wind and the trees in my garden swaying and swirling in their unified response to the wind created my first thoughts for the music. 

"Over the winter, through frosts, thunderstorms and rain I recorded the sounds of the natural world outside my squeaky front door. Alongside these I played some piano, ocarina; and added vocal layers laid like whispers on the wind over the footsteps of the other sounds, including the Icelandic recording which bookends the song alongside thunder and the calls of the mystical and mythic black cockatoos, the rain bringers."

Thingvellir National Park, Iceland recorded by Richard Watts.

"The sound of the wind, tourists and walking on a stone path."

Foyleside shopping centre reimagined by Nigel Lloyd.

"An ambient soundscape using a recording of Foyleside Shopping Centre."

Foyleside shopping centre, Northern Ireland, recorded by Nigel Lloyd.

"A short recording of Foyleside Shopping Centre in Derry Northern Ireland, which includes cafe and tannoy sounds."

Kafiche cafe in Sarajevo reimagined by Andy Billington.

"The original field recording of a string instrument being played in the city of Ferhadija is beautiful, uplifting and haunting, filled with drones and complex melody lines. You get a sense of the town, people and architecture with the natural reverb.

"I wanted to try and capture these architectural parts and capture a sensation you were (like in the film Enter The Void by Gasper Noi) floating around the city. 

"I layered the sounds, resampling them many times onto tape cutting and repeating the exercise and changing the pitch. Finally, a sort of sonic framework emerged and was anchored by soft synths. 

"I then re-added the original field recording, cutting out phrases of melody, adding echo and positioning until happy with the track. Ferhadija Summer was completed."

Saint Petersburg art exhibition reimagined by Simon Woods.

"The piece is built up from the original field recording. Added to this is an ever changing series of sequences, rhythms and sounds – the notes, scales and chords dictated by the original recording. 

"The music is constantly changing with new sequences coming in and dropping out – at least one new track (often more) was added each day, 31 in all."

Recording from the Manege Exhibition Hall in Saint Petersburg, Russia by Valo Tsvetkutia.

"The Laboratory of the Future is an exhibition that took place in the "Manege", at which I volunteered at. 

"There was an art installation, a piano cut in two, and there was a magnetic coil that is making the sound you hear in the recording."

Uzbekistan Khiva Star hotel sounds reimagined by Martha Riva Palacio Obón.

"Night is a liminal spacetime where, paraphrasing Salomé Voegelin, different rhythms and beings converge creating simultaneously many possible worlds. 

"In this brief aural essay, I bring forward the background sounds in the field recording and mix them with a hybrid chorus of human and insect voices. The mechanic hum is replaced with the reverberation of wine glasses. 

"The main structure of this piece is built from two tracks that run in different directions: backwards and forwards. 

"Past, present, future: I evoke the memory of many nights spent alone and with company. A cacophony that flows into silence. Nocturnal disjunctures and entanglements, every ghost requires a translation."

Soundscape recorded at the Orient Star Hotel in Khiva, Uzbekistan by Mark Wilden.

Klein Karoo nature reserve, South Africa, reimagined by Emmy Tither: "I was inspired by the dry and the dust."

Klein Karoo nature reserve, South Africa, recorded by restive.

"Field recording made on a recent trip to the Klein Karoo near Ladismith. This was recorded during the day; you can hear the sound of a tractor plowing a field, workers in the fields, water rushing down an irrigation furrow, various bird and frog calls, the occasional car passing on the road."

Laos forest sounds reimagined by Martin Juenke.

"I took the recording, cleaned and streamlined it, pitched it down a bit to avoid harshness and fatiguing highs and stretched it to an appropriate length. 

"Then I added kind of Berlin School arpeggios and harmonies, a layer of pulsing tones and other stuff to create a rich, calm, flowing atmosphere."

Recording from a forest near Luang Prabang, Laos, recorded by Manuel Oberkalmsteiner.

"Birds singing in the forest somewhere in the nowhere."

Petra traditional flute music reimagined by Nigel Lloyd.

"The reimagined piece is built from a few recordings taken on a trip to Jordan and Israel in 2019. The recordings were mostly from Petra in Jordan during a sound and light show where a man was playing a traditional piece of flute music.

"On the long walk down to the building in the accompanying photograph there was an atmospheric drone echoing through the cleft in the mountain called the Siq. In the piece you can also hear some chattering sparrows and a recording of people at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem."

Field recording from the famous archaeological site at Petra, Jordan (otherwise known as The Rose City due to its pink sandstone cliffs), during a sound and light show featuring pieces of traditional flute music.

Recorded by Nigel Lloyd. 

Pyramid of Tirana reimagined by Museleon.

"What things do you think of as summer?

"Sun, sea, sandcastles, ice creams melting, strawberries and cream and aliens enjoying a competitive game of tennis at Wimbledon…

"Hang on there... aliens at Wimbledon?

"Starting with the field recording from the Pyramid of Tirana, I heard a tiny sample of what seemed like cutlery or metal clanging, that when looped sounded like a game of ping pong. This became the rhythmic basis of the whole track. 

"Like most of my tracks they go through metamorphoses during development, and a ping pong match became something bigger in scale when I came across a field recording of a tennis match on Freesound - Tennis Match by Huubjeroen (licensed under Creative Commons 0  https://freesound.org/people/huubjeroen/sounds/114052).

" edited the match down and rearranged it into a shorter length and then took several samples from the Tirana sound file to create the rallies and ball sounds. I did not process the samples at all, as I liked the sounds of the metal clanging and banging and so it sounds as if the players are using large metal ladles to play the match.

"The final idea of my track came from the group of alien monsters I have sitting on top of my studio speakers …small rubber ones... and my imagination ran riot as I thought it would be fun to imagine them having a game of tennis. The MIDI information from the field recordings was used as a basis for synths, to create alien type sounds. For the full effect the track is best listened through headphones.

"Aliens for tennis, anyone?"

Burmese monk singing reimagined by Geraint Rhys.

"Inspired by the project's title 'remix the world' I didn't want to confine myself to a particular genre, so when I chose this clip I picked it because there was a clear rhythmic musicality to it and allowed that to lead the way. 

"I then built the piece around these vocal rhythms allowing it to develop into something which takes in elements of house, techno, chill and even added some horns too. 

"Although the clip clearly has a spatial origin, which is Myanmar, rather than create a piece that is cemented in one place, through using the various genres of it allows the piece to be multi-spatial. "

"Recording taken during a trek from Kalaw to Inlee Lake, Burma when we passed a small wooden monastery." 

Recorded by Manuel Oberkalmsteiner.

At the Durdle Door area of outstanding beauty in Dorset, England, the Stair Hole cove is a secluded, reverb-drenched cove tucked away behind the cliffs. The gentle swish of waves blends with the sounds of holidaymakers escaping the 2020 Covid-19 lockdowns, and above that the sounds of gulls wheeling and arguing among themselves is the key feature in the soundscape. Recorded by Cities and Memory.

On board the funicular that descends from SchatzAlp into the town of Davos, we're visiting the 2020 World Economic Forum, and keenly listening in to the types of conversations that take place when the world's business leaders (and corporate marketeers) descend on one small town in Switzerland. Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Lulworth Cove reimagined by Richard Gadd.

"A collective noun for gulls is a squabble which is also descriptive of the noises they make. On the other hand they can soar gracefully arcing in the sky. 

"I was struck by the existence of two worlds in the recording, one of the holiday makers and the other more mysterious and enduring of the gulls and the cove itself and the piece is a description of that."

Conversations on board the SchatzAlp funicular at the World Economic Forum in Davos reimagined by Xqui - "experimentations in delay times and quarters."

Stream at Malham Cove, Yorkshire, England reimagined by Canis Arboris.

"It's a soundtrack for journey into the woods. The deeper we get, the more we can separate from everyday world of small, unimportant things, which in turn allows us to dive deep into the space of our own mind.

"I approached the piece by playing with two simple chords on electric guitar, then added another layer of guitar on top of that, then bass and synths. Finally, I tweaked and automated some parameters while mixing."

Malham Cove is a huge curving amphitheatre-shaped cliff formation of limestone rock about 260 feet high, and is one of the major tourist destinations and beauty spots in the Yorkshire Dales national park in England. At the bottom of the cliffs, the soundscape is calm and the air empty, carrying any sound large distances, and a small trickling stream is the main sonic feature on this quiet day, with pockets of birdsong and the odd passing rambler. 

Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Field recording from the Krč forest, Czech Republic by Kvetoslav Slambor.

"A sunny weekend day in the forest located in between the city outskirts and the suburbs. Lot of people come to enjoy the day in the nature, bike through or have a drink at the beer garden on the edge of the forest."

Soundwalk through the Krč forest, Czech Republic, reimagined by Richard Watts.

"The original recording is lovely and I didn't want to muck about with it too much so I've created a soundtrack under the original recording. It's supposed to be slightly sinister and take you on a journey."

Brood X cicadas reimagined by Cities and Memory.

"The drone of the Brood X cicadas, coupled with the amazing story of how they all appear en masse without warning, brings to mind the idea of the brood as a mysterious alien force emerging from beneath the Earth itself.

"This piece imagines a broadcast transmission from Brood X to the human race, crackling out across the shortwave radio frequencies before picking up into a definitive message to humanity in the propulsive second half. 

"From a production point of view, every sound here is derived from the original recording, and it was a great excuse to break out the box of tricks marked 'tape effects, broken speakers and crackling radio waves'"

Audio recording of the Brood X cicadas at their peak in Milford, USA by Andrew Wilkinson.

Zealandia nature reserve reimagined by Eulipion Corps.

"The field recording was so compelling I knew it had to be the dominant force in the composition. I recorded again with my dad on clarinet and myself on various synths and percussion. 

"Our approach was to use the field recording as a portal; allowing us to join the conversation happening at the nature reserve."

Image from https://www.flickr.com/photos/like_the_grand_canyon/

Antifa protest in Porto from August 2020 recorded by Melissa Pons.

"With the far-right winning adepts in Portugal with their nationalistic discourse, the left-wing and the Antifascist Union, organized peaceful and informative protests in response to the death threats perpetrated to some of its members and deputes of the Left Block."

Antifa protest in Porto reimagined by Keisuke Oki.

"Summer in Portugal is hot as the people there."

Recording from Zealandia, New Zealand by Richard Watts

"Zealandia is a nature reserve in Wellington. You can hear lots of cicadas and various birds including a Tūī."

Image from https://www.flickr.com/photos/like_the_grand_canyon/

Rail station bar in Montenegro reimagined by Nicolo Scolieri.

"I listened for the spaces in the field recording and added musical gestures with software instruments - I tried to think about reactions and frequencies as a listener. 

"Like, if I was in that space, how would my mind be working? Where would my thoughts go? I think making a musical score for a field recording is like that."

Atmosphere at a small railway bar at the station in Bar, Montenegro, recorded by Mark Wilden.

Sella Brunech ski lift reimagined by Bill Stevens:

"With the pandemic receding, I saw those that we called essential workers as a continuum of the broader working class struggles that the virus accentuated. Work that was and continues to be devalued culturally and intellectually. One reason is that we never developed stronger solidarity with factory workers, hospitality, cleaners, etc… Instead we saw ourselves as more important and different to those professions in our own struggles with Covid-19, higher wages and financial security.

"The sounds were unclear or I simply couldn’t hear any sounds, although songs were being sung by those telling their own stories documenting their struggles and tensions. So much could be accomplished in this moment; however our elected leaders are choosing to not listen and therefore to not act as time continues to move forward.

"This piece is about the songs we are not hearing. It begins as a dream, interrupted by cries/shouts that dissolve into a continuous flow of time until the dream returns culminating in the energy of civil protest to get our elected leaders to act, but in the end are they just words on the internet writing songs we cannot hear.

"I utilized the recorded sound in two areas of the composition as a pad. The original sound was manipulated through a ring modulator to give it a more metallic feeling analogous to the sound of a factory."

We're 2,428 metres up in the Italian Dolomites, at Canazei - up here in the mountains by the ski lift all you can hear is the gentle clanking of the lift performing its duties, with the occasional bit of chatter from a mountain walker, or a hint of birdsong. 

I love the purity of the sound up in the mountains, with every element neatly separated out into its own compartment in the soundscape. Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Dusseldorf Hauptbahnhof reimagined by Cities and Memory.

"A modular nod to Kraftwerk, as a Moog Subharmonicon responds to the sounds of the Dusseldorf Hauptbahnhof, imagining Florian and Ralph returning home from a European trip. Slow pulses accompany station announcements in the first half, as we enter the station at walking pace and get our bearings. 

The latter half of the piece quickens the pace, bringing in some more rapid, interweaving pulses alongside the sounds of trains arriving and departing. 

"The thrill of travel, communicated through CV voltages."

"In November 2019, my daughter and I went to Düsseldorf, Brussels and Ghent for a short vacation around a business trip. This is a recording from one of the tracks at the Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof on November 19."

Recorded by Adam Aronson.

Sounds from inside Malta International Airport reimagined by Karhide.

"The track came together as an experiment in Ableton Live, creating two different drones from the original sound and then creating a beat and bass line that changes throughout the track.

"The original sound was then mixed back in with a convolution reverb applied. The track was then mastered in Ozone by iZotope."

Recording from inside Malta International Airport, taking us past baggage claim, where we can hear a luggage belt moving, a small crowd talking, phones ringing and the classic sounds of people in transit arriving into an airport. Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.

Dry stone walls are an iconic sight throughout Yorkshire in England, each one painstakingly constructed from layer upon layer of stone, without any form of cement to hold them together. 

There are estimated to be over 5,000 miles in the Yorkshire Dales alone, some dating back over 600 years to when they were built to repel wolves.

In this recording, you can hear the fascinating sound of a trickling stream just below the wall resonating up through the stones to create a rich, reverb-inflected water sound that you can only hear by placing your ear next to the wall - or a recording device into the wall. 

Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Yorkshire water trickling in a dry wall recording reimagined by Anna Recasens.

"I am writing with sound. I like the idea of reusing, recycling, repurposing a sound, superimposing one on another. The original remains deliberately in the background.

"This version is an attempt to create a landscape that relies upon sound, exposing the very principles and ways of life in a location, and there is resistance, a response, that surfaces through the palimpsest, involving the listener in glimpses of a disappearing past, and in an emergent fluent new landscape."

Dorset rescue helicopter reimagined by Simon Woods.

"The piece is partially built up from the sound of the sound of the helicopter blades to make a basic rhythm. This is complemented by waves of synths."

On a visit to the iconic Jurassic Coast tourist attraction of Durdle Door, the beach was suddenly cleared of people by site security, as a search and rescue helicopter was called to take off someone in distress to hospital. 

This recording captures the helicopter arriving and coming in to land, briefly circling before descending onto the beach. Recorded from the clifftops above, you can clearly hear when the helicopter drops below the level of the cliff from the way the sound changes.

Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Kazarman, Kyrgyzstan reimagined by Andrew Howden.

"Inspired by Kyrgyzstan mountain range The Tian Shan and the celestial spirits that reside in the mountain in Tengri religion. 

"The field recording of Kyrgyz voices and the sound of a rumbling accelerating vehicle going off into the distance, which provide the base to the composition as well as processed samples, provided me with an idea of setting out on a journey to visit the Tian Shan mountain range, leaving the village behind and eventually arriving at the mountains in all their splendour and spiritual beauty with connection to the heavens and Earth."

A field recording from the town of Kazarman, Kyrgyzstan, recorded by Mark Wilden in 2016, capturing life on the streets.

Mercado Bolhao reimagined by John Tenney.

"Follow BabyKat on an imaginary ground-level journey as her feet take her through Porto, Portugal’s “second city,” asking for snacks in markets and cafés, visiting a church, riding a tram, being an independent free spirit. 

"By the way, almost all the sounds you hear are in fact from Porto; the church service and procession are from the central Portuguese city of Viseu. Also, this piece is dedicated to the real-life BabyKat, who died in 2018, and definitely was an all-round free spirit! I’m glad I recorded her voice."

Mercado Bolhao is one of the most famous markets in Portugal, where farmers go to sell their wares, and boasting the usual array of cafes and souvenir shops that pop up when a market becomes a tourist attraction.

"The recording was taken from a street corner in the centre of Mandalay near a Hindu temple. The audio image is dominated by motorcycles."

Recorded by Manuel Oberkalmsteiner.

Mandalay street corner reimagined by Joel Graham.

"After listening a couple times, the motor bike (i think) seem to purr like a tiger to me. I bandpassed the upper frequencies to create animal and bird sounds. I added a track of regular bird song(my recording) to humanize (birdize?) the artifacts left from the filtering process. I used the whole original recording."

"Tound of annual parade and celebration in honour of Mazu, the harvest god. 

"Firecrackers, drums and percussion, horns and cheering."

Recorded near Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, Taipei by James A. Holland.

Part of the 5,000 Miles project in partnership with Ithaca Studio, an immersive 360-degree audio experience that transports you to another place through the evocative sounds of places 5,000 miles from the UK through spatial audio technology and ambisonic 3D recording. 

The project was an immersive live experience touring festivals in 2021, and is presented online via Cities and Memory at www.citiesandmemory.com/5000-miles.

"The sound of a group of Taiwanese elders practicing Tai Chi and guided by an instructor. Recorded at 5.30am by the Lotus Pond."

Recorded in Tai Chi in Taipei Botanical Gardens by James A. Holland.

Part of the 5,000 Miles project in partnership with Ithaca Studio, an immersive 360-degree audio experience that transports you to another place through the evocative sounds of places 5,000 miles from the UK through spatial audio technology and ambisonic 3D recording. 

The project was an immersive live experience touring festivals in 2021, and is presented online via Cities and Memory at www.citiesandmemory.com/5000-miles.

"The sound of Taiwanese elders singing karaoke at multiple karaoke stands surrounding Qiansui Temple. 

"The sound of people walking by the river, cyclists and nearby food vendors can also be heard. 

"The horn sound (6.28) is the distinctive sound of the ice cream bike."

Recorded at Dadaocheng Qiansui Temple karaoke area, Taipei by James A. Holland. Assisted by Tsai Hsiao-Tz.

Part of the 5,000 Miles project in partnership with Ithaca Studio, an immersive 360-degree audio experience that transports you to another place through the evocative sounds of places 5,000 miles from the UK through spatial audio technology and ambisonic 3D recording. 

The project was an immersive live experience touring festivals in 2021, and is presented online via Cities and Memory at www.citiesandmemory.com/5000-miles.

London Kill The Bill protest reimagined by Tom Thompson.

"I was drawn to the energy of the crowd noise and rhythmic chanting.  

"I decided to incorporate the sounds as both a sonic centre and the bridge-passage of this asynchronous loop-based composition."

Recording by Bobby Jewell from the Kill The Bill protest in Parliament Square, London on 2 April 2021.

Recording taken at London Day of Action, as part of National Weekend of Action in protest to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill being pushed through by the UK Conservative government. The bill seeks to ban peaceful protest in an authoritarian clamp down on basic political freedoms in England and Wales. 

The protest on Saturday 2 April in London featured a number of left wing groups and was predominantly led by young people. Despite being peaceful, good-natured and musical throughout the protest led to kettling, arrests and unnecessary violence by Metropolitan Police, including those of legal observers. 

Sounds of tofu making recorded in a tofu shop in Fengyuan City, Taiwan by Fuji.

Tofu making in Taiwan reimagined by Dave Webb.

"The original sound was short and rather lo-fi but I chopped out some loops and bass. 

"I also added some sounds of me chopping up some tofu in my shed. Then looping, mixing and dubbing these sounds live with Ableton, a mixing desk and an array of outboard FX pedals."

Laos village reimagined by Jeff Dungfelder.

"Using the Laos field recording as a starting point, “stars rain sun moon” came to life seemingly all on its own. Reminding me of happiness and the joyous sounds of summer, like the The Great Gatsby quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald: “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” 

"The title comes from an E. E. Cummings poem, which says it all:

“anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn't he danced his did

Women and men(both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn't they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain

children guessed(but only a few
and down they forgot as up they grew
autumn winter spring summer)
that noone loved him more by more

when by now and tree by leaf
she laughed his joy she cried his grief
bird by snow and stir by still
anyone's any was all to her

someones married their everyones
laughed their cryings and did their dance
(sleep wake hope and then)they
said their nevers they slept their dream

stars rain sun moon
(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)

one day anyone died i guess
(and noone stooped to kiss his face)
busy folk buried them side by side
little by little and was by was

all by all and deep by deep
and more by more they dream their sleep
noone and anyone earth by april
wish by spirit and if by yes.

Women and men (both dong and ding
summer autumn winter spring
reaped their sowing and went their came
sun moon stars rain”

― E. E. Cummings

"A small Hmong village without electricity and machine noise. A wonderful clean soundscape." 

Recorded in a small village in the forest (Luang Prabang, Laos) by Manuel Oberkalmsteiner.

Beneath Rifugio Averau in the Italian Dolomites, we tune into the sound of ski lift clanking across the sky, the sound of the mechanism reverberating off the nearby rocks, with birdsong and the occasional walker passing the only other audible sounds.

Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Gazi Huzrev-beg mosque, Sarajevo reimagined by Artur Kinal (Synthotherapy).

"The sound sample was processed with AE Modular synthesizer. All other sounds come from the same synthesizer as well. 

"The recent history of the region (Sarajevo, Bosnia) isn't a peaceful one so I've tried to reflect it in the somewhat disturbing mood of the piece and war-like drumming.

"The original sample evoked some Muslimgauze associations so I've sculptured modular drums as a tribute to his hand drumming style."

Rifugio Averau in Italy reimagined by Jonas Lark.

"Deconstructing and rebuilding the audio maintaining the feeling of travelling... I used a granular synthesis synth (Tardigrain) and an experimental audio mangler (Fieldscaper), with additional reverb and further granular synthesis via Velvet Machine and Bleass Granulizer. An improvised composition recorded live in one take."

Visiting Venice on a normal weekday in September 2020, there were far fewer tourists to be seen than ever before due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and in places you could almost imagine the city as a place for residents going about their normal lives. 

In the tourist centre of the Piazza San Marco, though, tourists were congregating as usual, and the crowds were as intense as ever, jostling for a selfie in front of the Bridge of Sighs. In this recording we're in amongst the tourists as they compete for the best spot, then we walk around underneath the bridge to capture some of the boat traffic beneath.

Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Venice's Bridge of Sighs reimagined by Ryan Campos.

"A modular composition accompanied by a world we once knew."

A late night walk home on a balmy night in early September - the sound of crickets all around chirping at 1.00am in Scopello, Sicily. Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Image by Andrea Schiavon: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ender7/

Crickets in Scopello, Sicily reimagined by Matthew Tomkinson.

"This piece blends car horns and cricket chirps in order to create an ambiguous duet of rising and falling pitches, whose sources are sometimes uncertain. A tension emerges between incidental melodies, dissonant drones, soothing sirens, and emergent rhythms."

Image by Andrea Schiavon: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ender7

Nantou Mountains, Taiwan at 6.00am, recorded by James Holland. 

“It's the sound of what is essentially mountainous jungle terrain in Nantou county at dawn.”

 The interview with a Nanatou local that you can hear in the recording is translated as follows: 

“I really love this place. 

 

When I first came here I didn’t even want to sleep -  

 

I just sat outside, watched the stars, the moon and listened to the sound of nature. 

 

I still love this space.

 

I'm even loving it more and more because I feel, besides just the beauty of nature, I feel I become good friends with the animals here. The tree climbing lizards who watch me through the windows.  

 

And I can hear many, many sounds - from nature.  

 

The sounds of eagles,  the sounds of frogs after rains.  Probably hundreds or thousands of frogs together. 

 

The sound of calling.  

 

And the sounds of cicadas, the sounds of bird calls. 

 

Wow. 

 

It’s so good, wonderful to live in the mountains. 

 

I feel completely enriched here."

Interview credits:

Interviewee: Chang Fu Jung

Interview recordist: Tim Cole

Interview translation: BaoBao Chen

Part of the 5,000 Miles project in partnership with Ithaca Studio, an immersive 360-degree audio experience that transports you to another place through the evocative sounds of places 5,000 miles from the UK through spatial audio technology and ambisonic 3D recording. 

The project was an immersive live experience touring festivals in 2021, and is presented online via Cities and Memory at www.citiesandmemory.com/5000-miles.

Doi Saket Temple, Thailand recorded by Alex Boyesen. 

"Doi Saket temple is situated on top of a steep hill in a small country town called ....Doi Saket! In the 15 years I have been here it has changed from a quiet backwater to a bustling market town.  

"There are 3 Italian restaurants if you get bored with rice. Doi Saket is next to the A118 road which takes you directly to Chiang Rai and Mai Sai, also known as the Golden Triangle where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet."

 
The transcript of the interview with a local temple visitor that you can hear in the recording is as follows: 

“The temple it means a lot for the Thai Buddhists, even me because I’m a Buddist as well. 

Many times when I feel upset or I feel something is not right to my life, I have to go to temple because it means something to me - it means a lot sometimes. 

 

Normally offering the food to the monk, have a monk share it, or even doing meditation that could make me feel a lot better and also it makes me feel happy when you can do something for somebody else, you know, make a good thing for your life and for somebody else's life as well”. 

Part of the 5,000 Miles project in partnership with Ithaca Studio, an immersive 360-degree audio experience that transports you to another place through the evocative sounds of places 5,000 miles from the UK through spatial audio technology and ambisonic 3D recording. 

The project was an immersive live experience touring festivals in 2021, and is presented online via Cities and Memory at www.citiesandmemory.com/5000-miles.

The sounds of cicadas, across the fields at night outside Chiang Mai, Thailand, recorded by Alex Boyesen. 

"This was recorded in our rice paddy. Super muddy and will steal your sandals given half a chance! 

"The rice had just been harvested so it was full of birds and insects foraging, mating and just having fun. Right now the sound is changing to a heavy duty frog chorus as the paddies are being flooded for a second harvest. 

"Nothing stands still here. Over the past few days I have encountered two golden tree snakes, a cobra and a python, big and small scorpions, frogs in the bathroom, herons, moorhens, squirrels, rats and our chickens have had three more chicks."

Part of the 5,000 Miles project in partnership with Ithaca Studio, an immersive 360-degree audio experience that transports you to another place through the evocative sounds of places 5,000 miles from the UK through spatial audio technology and ambisonic 3D recording. 

The project was an immersive live experience touring festivals in 2021, and is presented online via Cities and Memory at www.citiesandmemory.com/5000-miles.

Announcement over small town tannoy system in a Thailand station, recorded by Alex Boyesen. 

"I recorded this from outside of my studio door.  The local village community that I am a part of  - Tumbol Palan - has a tannoy system in which the Puya Baan (Head villager) will announce things to everyone living there.  

"This can range from deals that a farmer may have for food they have grown, upcoming events such as village gatherings, who has died, warnings about weather/Covid-19 and so on or simply to say hello and hope everyone is well and to come and visit him if there are any problems to report."

Part of the 5,000 Miles project in partnership with Ithaca Studio, an immersive 360-degree audio experience that transports you to another place through the evocative sounds of places 5,000 miles from the UK through spatial audio technology and ambisonic 3D recording. 

The project was an immersive live experience touring festivals in 2021, and is presented online via Cities and Memory at www.citiesandmemory.com/5000-miles.

The sounds of everyday life on Wulai Old Street in the rain, New Taipei City, recorded by James A. Holland. Assisted by Tobie Openshaw and Billie Cheng.

Part of the 5,000 Miles project in partnership with Ithaca Studio, an immersive 360-degree audio experience that transports you to another place through the evocative sounds of places 5,000 miles from the UK through spatial audio technology and ambisonic 3D recording. 

The project was an immersive live experience touring festivals in 2021, and is presented online via Cities and Memory at www.citiesandmemory.com/5000-miles.

The early morning sounds of Lungshan Temple, Taipei City, at 6.00am, recorded by James A. Holland. Assisted by Tsai Hsiao-Tz.

Part of the 5,000 Miles project in partnership with Ithaca Studio, an immersive 360-degree audio experience that transports you to another place through the evocative sounds of places 5,000 miles from the UK through spatial audio technology and ambisonic 3D recording. 

The project was an immersive live experience touring festivals in 2021, and is presented online via Cities and Memory at www.citiesandmemory.com/5000-miles.

New Orleans casino floor reimagined by Richard Watts. 

"'The Power People' is a reference to a sample I've used in the piece. The original recording was very busy with lots going on so I've tried to capture that by using a repetitive gated synth to drive it along. 

"There are various sampled sounds which I have cleaned up and used too. I always feel that casinos are sad places where people dream about making money but never get there and end up losing, so I've used a minor key melody to reflect that."

Sounds recorded at Harrah's Casino in downtown New Orleans, Louisiana. These are some of the typical sounds you'd expect to hear in a casino in this region. 

Recorded by Silas VDS. 

Burlington gates reimagined by Brian Collins.

"The track was created using only field recording samples of an industrial gate being closed. 

"The approach for Ruptured Barrier was to use Max for Live granular synthesis tools and sound stretching tools in Ableton for the reimagined piece. It is part of a project called MODULATIONS."

A short recording of an industrial gate being closed outside an abandoned factory in Gillogue, Ireland, recorded by Brian Collins. 

Several thousand anti-lockdown demonstrators marched through central London on a Saturday in April 2021 despite restrictions on mass gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event was billed by organisers: "Unite for Freedom".

The protesters viewed COVID-19 restrictions as unnecessary and a breach of their human rights. They opposed vaccinations, mask-wearing and so called health passports.

Recorded by Rafael Diogo.

"The lockdown protesters firstly gathered in the early afternoon and started to march through central London. 

"In this soundscape, you can hear thousands in attendance, and portable sound systems blasting music while protesters dance while marching, carrying placards saying: "No to vaccine passports' ' and "Lockdowns kill". The age spectrum of the protesters seem quite significant, with people from all sorts of ages and backgrounds."

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

Several thousand anti-lockdown demonstrators marched through central London on a Saturday in April 2021 despite restrictions on mass gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event was billed by organisers: "Unite for Freedom".

The protesters viewed COVID-19 restrictions as unnecessary and a breach of their human rights. They opposed vaccinations, mask-wearing and so called health passports.

Recorded by Rafael Diogo.

"A quieter soundscape in which the protesters just left the main shopping district Oxford Street and are now crossing Monument on their way to Westmister. Here you can hear the organizers greeting everyone for their presence and support and protesters chanting words such as "freedom" and "take off your mask". 

"The protesters view COVID-19 restrictions as unnecessary and a breach of their human rights. They oppose vaccinations, mask-wearing and so called health passports. This soundscape also highlights a peaceful interaction between protesters and the protesters on their way to face each other along the river."

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

Several thousand anti-lockdown demonstrators marched through central London on a Saturday in April 2021 despite restrictions on mass gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event was billed by organisers: "Unite for Freedom".

The protesters viewed COVID-19 restrictions as unnecessary and a breach of their human rights. They opposed vaccinations, mask-wearing and so called health passports.

Recorded by Rafael Diogo.

"This soundscape highlights the end of the march where demonstrators dispersed throughout all arteries of London and some returned to Hyde Park. 

"In this soundscape we can hear the Hare Krishna delivering some free food to the protesters, including apples and a vegan meal composed of dal and rice. 

"We can also hear some small portable sound systems in the background playing reggae music while the remaining protesters still have energy to chant “Don't take the vaccine” at the sound of hip hop beats."

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

Several thousand anti-lockdown demonstrators marched through central London on a Saturday in April 2021 despite restrictions on mass gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event was billed by organisers: "Unite for Freedom".

The protesters viewed COVID-19 restrictions as unnecessary and a breach of their human rights. They opposed vaccinations, mask-wearing and so called health passports.

Recorded by Rafael Diogo.

"This soundscape highlights a quieter part of the protest, featuring the tale of the rally, in which officers engage with the protesters that had gathered in bigger groups and offer themselves to explain that their actions are unlawful under the Covid-19 regulations, and encourage them to go home to help protect themselves and others. 

"The majority of the protesters did not appear to be engaging with the police advice as they made their way through along the river in Westminster, although always keeping a peaceful interaction with the police forces."

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

Wytham church choir reimagined by Cities and Memory.

"A looped section of the choir's song flows in and out of the piece, and the upbeat, summery hymn is overtaken by a darker mood of sitar and tabla beats floating around a central low drone. 

"Is there something darker lurking beneath the veneer of this quintessentially English garden party in a churchyard?"

Outside a tiny village church in Wytham, Oxfordshire, we stumble across a quintessential garden party in the churchyard, with clinking wine glasses and English conversation. In the background, the piece is underpinned by the church choir singing an upbeat hymn - we record a snippet of singing and conversation, and then we're on our way.

Recorded by Cities and Memory. 

Polish clock shop reimagined by Cities and Memory.

"For this piece, we set the tempo clock of a Moog Subharmonicon to track one of the ticking clocks in the original field recording, and set it relatively low in the mix, as if the synthesiser is playing the role of one of the clocks in the shop, bedding into the wall of ticks in this immensely-rich recording. Synth pads over the top build the structure and emotion of the piece as it develops."

A rich and unique soundscape from the inside of a clock shop in Poland, recorded by Simon B.

"A clock shop at the bottom of a tower block that is full of clocks, all ticking together."

Rain in a stubble field at the edge of Waterloo, Canada, where corn is planted by the highway between commercial lots. 

It’s April, a year in, and Ontario is locking down again. The sounds are rain on last year’s dried corn, stalks under foot, traffic noise, inland seagulls.

Recorded by John Savarese. 

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

Bangkok metro reimagined by Cities and Memory.

"This field recording brought back strong memories of my first visit to Bangkok, falling in love with the hectic, constantly-moving city as it swirled around me. Bangkok seemed to me a confluence of futuristic aspiration and millions upon millions of people doing their best to make in a competitive conurbation. 

"The metro was the fastest, simplest way to make your way around the centre of the city, and this piece is based on memories of the emotions of travelling above the streets at night, feeling the sense of endless possibility pulsing out of the very city itself, as if you could hear it breathing in and out.

"The piece is built from Moog Subharmonicon lines weaving in and out of passages of field recordings, with some piano and tenor brass accompaniment weighting out the mix, representing the heft of the trains on their tracks."

Bangkok metro recorded by Colin Hunter.

"This recording captures a ride on the MRT Blue Line from Lumpini Station to Hua Lumpong station and includes the station atmosphere before the train arrives, and walking out through the ticket barriers after I got off the train."

Yorkshire churchyard reimagined by Cities and Memory.

This was a moment of pure peace, a snapshot of rural life in England, and for the reimagined piece we were keen not to intrude on that. Instead, we've recorded two separate Moog synthesiser improvisations live over the field recording, responding to the moments when the birds are most active or quieter, and bringing in more activity when the church bells strike ten o'clock. We hope it preserves the sense of idyllic piece from the original recording.

The idyllic sounds of morning life in a small village in rural Yorkshire, England. It's 10am on a Sunday morning in Dent, and we're sitting in a churchyard, overlooking the fields from a hill. We're surrounded in the trees and bushes by all kinds of birds making their spring announcements, while down in the fields it's lambing season, so the sheep are constantly chattering, calling out to their newborn offspring. A moment of unspoilt peace. 

Recorded by Cities and Memory. 

"This is a third recording of pt-banging on 19 March 2020, with even more people participating. This noise was audible all over the city. The neighbourhood has lots of hills and the rocks make the sounds reflect and travel long distances. Note the variety in the rhythm and especially timbre: people using different pans and sticks to beat the pans make up for a large variety.

"There are also some shouts: at 1:07, 'Fora Bolsonaro' ('Bolsonaro out')."

Recorded by Samuel van Ransbeeck.

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

"This is a short recording of a pot-banging protest in the Catete neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro, March 2021. When people cannot go on the streets to protest, they bang pots to show their displeasure with the government. 

"In this case, the protest was a general protest against the president of Brazil, Bolsonaro. Pot-banging is a relatively easy form of protest: it makes lots of noise, does not require people to gather (and risk to be arrested or attacked by the police) and so people who would normally not protest are more inclined to participate. 

"These protests started to propagate all over Brazil since February 2020 as the people are growing weary of the government."

Recorded by Samuel van Ransbeeck.

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

Early morning forest ambience reimagined by Cities and Memory.

There's something special about the sound of a forest just waking up at the beginning of the day, and I wanted the reimagined piece to capture a little of that wide-eyed optimism and beauty. This is a modular synth improvisation performed alongside the (slightly-manipulated) birdsong field recording in real time, to react to the sounds of the recording and complement them, being careful never to take over at any point. The result is a duet for modular synth, blackbirds, jays and woodpeckers. 

Local birds, blackbirds & jays chirping early in the morning. Small bugs buzzing around, quiet drips of water and a gentle breeze in Belcarra, British Columbia, Canada. Recorded by Latham Elle.

Pre-flight safety checks before a BA flight from Helsinki to London Heathrow, recorded by Cities and Memory.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Helsinki to Heathrow flight reimagined by Nisha Duggal and James Broomfield.

"Plugging into the intensity of the pre-flight safety: nerves, excitement, the jitters of travel."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

San Francisco BART reimagined by Scott Whitman.

"I enhanced the field recording with additional Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) sounds plus original music to convey the experience of rail travel and the passage of time."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

"Traveling on the BART train/subway in San Francisco is always an experience. This recording gives a glimpse into four minutes of a ride." Recorded by Sound Brigade - Brett Bach, Ken Cain, Luke Bechthold.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Punta Arenas bells reimagined by Cities and Memory.

These bells have a particular emotional resonance, sounding out in the most southerly place I've ever visited on a particularly special trip - to me at the time, these bells were an opening up onto a world of promise and adventure, as they are for so many other Patagonian visitors. 

The reimagined piece, then, opens with the pealing of the bells, and they're used as an opening to a vista of potential, with the music that follows representing the feelings I was having when listening to these bells chime - listening back now, I'm transported back to that moment and that place instantly.

Church bells ringing out at 7pm in the town centre of Punta Arenas in Patagonia, southern Chile, as heard from the balcony of a nearby hotel. 

Punta Arenas is the most southerly airport in South America, and the town is the gateway to Chilean Patagonia. 

Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Tegel airport reimagined by Clelia Ciardulli.

"Until we travel,
we are waiting,
remembering the time warp
of airports with their echoing announcements
of lockdowns, with the merging of what we had hoped
and what we hope anew,
the clicking ticking and slipping and sliding of clocks,
until we travel,
the travels are inwards,
waiting to cross, to lift off, to meet,
to leave, to arrive.
Until we travel."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

This sound was recorded in the waiting room of the flight that was going to take me to Chile in January 2015. Listening to this recording you can perceive the classic acoustics that are produced in airports, a lot of reverberation and little intelligibility. So far nothing very new. However, the history of this sound is related to the place where it was recorded.

The basic architectural motif of Tegel Airport is the hexagon. Not only is the terminal building designed as a hexagon, but this figure is also found in the tower and other ancillary buildings, in the staircases and even in the design of bus stops. Smaller design elements also occupy the motif and are often characterised by 60-degree angles.

This type of construction exemplifies the classic architecture of the 1960 and continues to have a formative effect today, partly because its architecture required little space. In West Berlin, which was closed at the time, this was an important factor.

In addition to its aesthetic function, the hexagon also has a very practical one: Its organic ring shape makes it easier for passengers to find their way around the terminal building and no matter which direction they take, they always return to their starting point.

The hexagonal shape also reflects what many consider to be the airport's greatest advantage: the short distances and speed of check-in. There were 20 metres from the taxi rank to the check-in counter, and another 15 metres from the check-in counter, through the waiting area, to the aircraft door. For this reason the Tegel Airport was considered to be one of the most efficient airports.

With the construction of Berlin's new international airport, "Willy Brandt", Tegel closed its doors on 15 June. However, its architecture (and this recording) still exists. For the future a new district and a technology centre for more than 1000 companies is planned.

Recorded by Edgardo Gomez.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Cais do Sodre ferry in Lisbon, Portugal recorded by Marcel Gnauk.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Freight trains passing reimagined by David Cowlard.

"The remix extends the timing and mood of the original recording into a cinematically imagined time and space, one where the antagonist is identified amidst a landscape of graffitied concrete rail bridges, underpasses and sodium vapour lighting.

"Samples are stretched and looped to provide the basis for this, while the visceral experience of the trains passing is extended and layered to emphasise the crashing rhythms. A vintage recording provides a link to the past while further shifting the mood to one of a more ominous tone."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Hong Kong ferry reimagined by Owen Sennitt.

"I had great fun playing with the original recording and coming up with this piece. I didn't necessarily have any particular ideas in mind when I started out, instead it just developed as I gathered different sounds and manipulated them before then putting them together. In the end, the engine chugging in the recording reminded me of being out on the water on an old launch, enveloped by the early dawn sea smoke, with only the blinking of channel markers to keep you on course.

"I suppose that peaceful eeriness is what is imagined in my mind when listening to the track.  I wanted to keep the original recording in the piece as is, alongside the sounds I explored during the composition that drift in and out, keeping it as a reference. Aside from one pad, all the sounds were created from samples of the original recording, which was taken at a Hong Kong fish market."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Lisbon tram reimagined by Andy Lyon.

"The ferry in the recording departs from a terminal that is typically used for commuter journeys rather than tourist journeys. This got me thinking about how journeys to work have changed drastically in the past year, reflecting on rare moments of calm, daydreams and the more usual urgency in our former routines and whether we really want or need a return to that way of life."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Colombo train trip reimagined by Ali Mohajer.

"Due to my researches about Sri Lankan culture, I got a lot of wonderful points about the simple lives and rich culture; however, the one, which was the most attractive to me, was their symbols of different Gods that each brings a different thing in life.

"The most interesting one was "Mayura Raksha", which brings peace, harmony and wealth to our lives. And exactly these are the three factors nowadays all of us around the world need most. So I have created this piece inspired by the god Mayura Raksha."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

"Waiting for a definitive UK freight train, late at night, many cancellations  etc. Then two come along at once! Tempsford, 40 miles north of London, heading south..." Recorded by Rob Godman.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Tsim Sha Shui Star ferry in Hong Kong recorded by Marcel Gnauk.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

"Recorded during the train journey from Hikkaduwa to Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2013. A busker plays a flute as the train pulls into the station. Numerous buskers and food sellers with baskets of homemade snacks pass through the carriages. When the train gets up to speed you can hear the differences in the sound of the tracks as the train passes over bridges and crossings."

Recorded by Mark Vernon.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Bangkok metro reimagined by Rebecca Ainsworth.

As soon as I heard the original recording, I wanted to work with the ambient sounds in it. Inspired by this and The KLF's Chill Out album and my love of ambient music, soundscapes & field recordings, I started to work with the sounds in  the original and overlaid a recording from near the train station in my town, taken in a cone shaped building which adds it's own unique acoustics. The soundscape plays with the idea of trying to make the last train from Liverpool to Bangkok (the train doesn't exist)."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Moscow escalators reimagined by Meg Walker.

"Like so many of us I've been missing travelling in this last year. The desire to see new places, feel new music, taste new spices, is a lifelong one. I've also been very grateful that I haven't had to travel.

"While listening to the mesmerizing escalator sounds recorded in the Moscow metro Ploshchad Revolyutsii, I thought of the endless, and equally mesmerizing, rhythms of wind in trees. I also began thinking about beings who need to travel to live.

"That list is long, and includes the small wind-lifted fliers like butterflies and moths. Until we travel, maybe we can spend more time watching delicate beings like those, and learn from their softer ecological ways."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Helsinki airport train reimagined by Ghislain Gabrelle.

"It is a three-part composition, using the recording alone and declining the same materials in different ways. Three listening "plans", representing the three states of contemplation that I enjoy experiencing while traveling.

"A distant, diffuse shot, punctuated by almost scattered projections - like a journey - playing on the frames and the articulations, rhythmic then sustained, recalling this mechanical movement specific to trains, with attacks and frank cuts as well as the end of the extract proposed as a close-up.

"Ce trajet là, en train, laisse vaquer notre esprit à son imaginaire. L’oreille près de la fenêtre en regardant le paysage, observant les couleurs et les formes se mélanger à toute vitesse, ainsi que temps changer."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

The super-slick and efficient airport transit trains from Helsinki airport into the city centre. Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

The sound from the long, slow escalators in the Ploshchad Revolyutsii station on the impressive Moscow metro network.

Recorded by Cities and Memory. 

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

"This recording captures a ride on the MRT Blue Line from Lumpini Station to Hua Lumpong station and includes the station atmosphere before the train arrives, and walking out through the ticket barriers after I got off the train." Recorded by Colin Hunter.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Paris Charles de Gaulle reimagined by Janae Jean.

"Listening to aural ambience of train station at Charles de Gaulle Airport brought me right into the sticky vinyl seats or unfriendly wooden benches of any transport waiting area anywhere on Earth. I had a sense of sentimentality and familiarity with the process of travel, recognizing that even the waiting or stationary times are part of the journey. Even though most of us are not traveling and have not been for more than one year, we are currently in the middle of a journey. We don't need to take off on a plane or hop on a train, we are on the journey right now. There's a beauty in each step.

"Musically, I was originally planning on making an ambient sound collage with analog synthesizers, effects, and the train station ambience recording. I created synth patches that float and morph like clouds and others that buzz like engines. I chose the home tonality of B flat with a lot of suspended ninths because it feels like it's about to "take off" or "land". As I worked on it, I moved away from an ambience-only approach and started playing the 70s-ish piano ballad riff and topped it off with a "flutey," swung lead that feels a bit like "elevator music." This music feels at home in the waiting room."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Paris departure board reimagined by Robert Kellough.

"I very much enjoyed working with this sound. The voices of a bustling train station and the syncopation of the boards immediately drew me to this recording.  One of my last trips abroad was to the Pyrenees and I did take the train from Toulouse to Paris as part of that trip. I imagine I heard similar sounds at the station and completely took them for granted. I dream of traveling again and treated this sound as a daydream of visiting the train station. A daydream suddenly interrupted. I am hopeful for travel in 2021.  I'd like to hear those boards again for myself."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Aboard the train leaving Charles de Gaulle airport, recorded by Marcel Gnauk.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

"Today in 2021 most of the large TGV train stations in France have LED departure boards that update silently. But when I first arrived in Paris ten years ago all of the main terminals in Paris had the old "Split-Flap" style boards. Each time the board would update, a wonderful flipping noise would be heard. This recording captures exactly that sound, recorded at Gare du Nord in 2012."

Sony PCM D50 + Soundman OKM II binaural mics + A3 adapter
Recorded 06.10.12 by Colin Hunter.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Zima train station reimagined by Alex Hehir.

"This piece was inspired by the Russian station announcer mixed with the train sounds. These recordings were cut up and used to create all of the rhythms and background  textures.

"The synth sounds were almost entirely made from my Russian collection of noise boxes... I enjoyed limiting myself to these only. The track was recorded and edited in Ableton and heavily processed!"

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Field recording from Zima train station in Siberia, Russia by Mark Wilden.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Recording in front of the local university, space is calmer, windy, and less commotion in the area.  This is five days after the new Lockdown 2 in Belfast started.
 – Georgios Varoutsos.

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

Recording in front of two bars which are now closed (Bullitt and Bootleggers), quiet movement from a passerby, chatter, bicycles, and a little bit of wind. This is five days after the new Lockdown 2 in Belfast started. 

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

Recording in front of Laverys Bar which is closed. Calmer space, little bit of wind, fewer movement from people and vehicles. This is five days after the new Lockdown 2 in Belfast started. 

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

Recording in a common space of shoppers, there are still buses, much fewer people walking in the space, and essential shops closing for the evening. This is five days after the new Lockdown 2 in Belfast started. 
 – Georgios Varoutsos 

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

Recording in front of two bars which are now closed (Filthy’s and The Points), a little number of pedestrians and vehicles passing, the sound of a skateboarder, little bit of wind. This is five days after the new Lockdown 2 in Belfast started. 

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

Recording of pedestrians and little amount of vehicle traffic in the area. This is five days after the new Lockdown 2 in Belfast started. 
 – Georgios Varoutsos 

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

Recording in front of the local university, however, space has begun to be quieter and subtle sounds in the distance. Beginning of Lockdown 2 in Belfast.

– Georgios Varoutsos 

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

Recording in front of two bars that are now closed (Dirty Onion and Thirsty Goat), the local area is much quieter, windy, and isolated. This is five days after the new Lockdown 2 in Belfast started. 
 – Georgios Varoutsos 

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

Recording in a common space of shoppers, local buses driving in peak times of traffic, fewer people in the area, and space becomes much quieter. Beginning of Lockdown 2 in Belfast.

– Georgios Varoutsos 

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

Recording in front of Laverys Bar which is closed. Space is much quieter, however, there is still some movement from pedestrians and vehicles. Beginning of Lockdown 2 in Belfast.

– Georgios Varoutsos 

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

Recording in front of two bars which are closed/closing (Filthy’s – closed and The Points – closing), at The Points they were still people finishing their drinks on the outdoor terrace, staff picking up glassware, groups of people leaving the pub, chatter, passerby, vehicle traffic, at Filthy’s they were boarding up their doors and windows for the closure. Beginning of Lockdown 2 in Belfast.

– Georgios Varoutsos 

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

Recording in front of two bars which are now closed/closing (Bullitt - closed and Bootleggers - closing), at Bootleggers they were removing outdoor terrace fencing, multiple tools being used (hammers, drills, etc…), and a few passerby. Beginning of Lockdown 2 in Belfast.

– Georgios Varoutsos 

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

Recording in front of two bars which are now closed/closing (Dirty Onion – closed and Thirsty Goat - closing), there is soft music from Thirsty Goat and local pedestrian/vehicle movement. Beginning of Lockdown 2 in Belfast. 
– Georgios Varoutsos 

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

Recording of more locals and visitors passing at the junction that intertwines city centre, daily shopping, and commuters. There is a lot more chatter in the nearby area as people are heading home due to the new Lockdown 2 in Belfast beginning. 

 – Georgios Varoutsos 

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

Lockdown sound from Tbilisi, Georgia recorded by Marcel Gnauk.

"After 9 p.m. there is a curfew in place and we stay in a hotel direct in the old town of Tbilisi until tomorrow.

"The city is busy during the day and it started raining last night. I recorded this ambience with the window open, facing the street.

"It's a very interesting sound considering we're in a capital city, but we have almost no traffic. Only a few cars passed by during the 40 minutes recording and the rain started heavily and decreased by the end."

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

Ulan-Ude station reimagined by Anthony Miller.

"During the lockdown I was searching YouTube and came across videos of train journeys. The camera was filming from the driver's cab and the view of the track and landscape was quite mesmerising.
 
"I wanted to try and write a piece that encapsulated that feeling. I re-imagined the piece as a journey through a cold, windswept, barren landscape. All sounds, apart from the piano, were created from the original field recording and manipulated using Iris 2."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Shunting trains recorded from an overhead footbridge by Mark Wilden.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Binaural soundscape from Seoul airport recorded by Marcel Gnauk.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

"This recording was taken on a platform at Avignon Gare TGV in the summer of 2013. It being my first experience recording in the south of France, I was completely captured by the cacophony of the cicadas during the hot days." Recorded by Jase Warner.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Seoul airport reimagined by de Velden.

"I wanted to explore the sense of buildings without people, of buildings dreaming of people. I built a soundscape for the empty building sections of my piece out of chunks of the field recordings, and then inserted sections of the wonderful surround recording of people that the original field recording provided. I wrote a piano piece exploring those different moods, and then accentuated the 'dreaming' sections with additional synth and bass lines.

"Music and making music has been a refuge over the last year. When usual options for exploration have been limited I feel music has offered depth and breadth, providing colour and new experiences that maybe compensate a little."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Hong Kong airport baggage reimagined by David More.

"This piece is based around recordings made by placing a portable recorder inside a polystyrene fish box found in the street in Hong Kong, and checked in as baggage on a flight back to Chicago. I feel OK about not traveling, though traveling is one of my favourite things. There are benefits to sitting still, though I worry about the welfare of baggage handlers that might be out of work."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Avignon station reimagined by Steffi Baron-Neuhuber.

"This field recording reminded me of a time when I was traveling alone with a friend for the first time through Europe with Interrail about 18 years ago. Great memories and a great desire to travel again! I felt so free and I'm longing for more!"

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

"Sounds collected by a portable field recorder secured inside a polystyrene fish box that was found on the street in Hong Kong, that was then checked in as baggage on a flight back to the U.S."

Recorded by David More.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Wschodnia Station reimagined by Annali Lowdon.

"When I first heard the field recording I was drawn to the very pleasing sound of the footsteps that had been captured. I also felt a kind of stillness in the recording, an unhurried feeling, an acceptance that you will get there, when you get there. This was my starting point and why I chose to use the pure frequencies of singing bowls to express a kind of peace and calm.

"However, this soon became more of a response to the tragic disappearance and murder of Sarah Everard and the subsequent outpouring of anger felt by the female community about how unsafe women often feel when travelling. The piece then morphed into my experiences of travelling alone, particularly at night and the tension and vulnerability I have often felt. The piece depicts the altered state of reality you feel when you are in unfamiliar surroundings and feeling unsafe. Alarm bells start to go off and the ‘what if’ questions start to form."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Peruvian regional train reimagined by Elisabetta Senesi.

"The original field recording I choose inspired me a lot in this lockdown time, and made me think about some vital and similar trips I experienced in South America in 2016. Also, the entire project reminds me my last travels in Europe on several regional trains I took before the pandemic restrictions in 2020. With all this in mind I wanted to create an imaginative travelouge for 2021 by remixing different geographies/experiences to give a sense of unpredictability which every significant journey brings to our lives.

"The richness and diversity of each clip are combined together - cleaned and manipulated, in motion and more stationary, quiet and loud, at southern and northern hemispheres - mostly on a space-time continuum mood. To remember how easy was traveling and how important is the way we discover spaces/places and people far from our habits. To keep in mind that moving is a crucial human need/right and to imagine a freer future way of traveling with a new idea of mobility, slower and more train-based than before, possibly.

"The composition includes snippets of a manipulated version of the original recording, with sonic portions of an ecological jungle train I recorded at the boundaries between Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil, and a couple of field recordings gathered from two important train stations in France and Swiss.

"Locations of recordings are:
Marseille, Southern France (2020)
Locarno, Canton of Ticino, Southern Swiss (2019)
Juliaca, Southern Perú (2017)
Puerto Iguazú, Northern Argentina (2016)"

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Denver airport train reimagined by Jessie Brewer.

"My goal with this sound piece is to convey feelings of anticipation, disappointment, and uncertainty. A longing for what will eventually come— safe travel, visiting family and friends again, the return to a sense of normalcy— but without a clear path, or a concrete date. As initial quarantine orders slowly faded in the U.S., only to be followed by a brand new set… COVID-19 cases increasing with time rather than diminishing… it became an unavoidable reality. We must accept this pandemic for the beast it is— one we simply cannot predict— and trudge on.

"The original field recording for my piece was captured on a train ride from Denver Airport to Union Station. I chose to use only clips from the field recording, no additional sound. My primary mixing goals were to create layers of contradictory motion, repetition, and harmonic tension."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

A380 landing reimagined by Una Walker.

"A layering of the original recording with passenger conversations and aircraft sounds and the sound of someone walking on gravel paths, birdsong, wind in trees, and an interior voice repeating phrases from the overheard/overhead conversation.

"I live in a rural area on the east coast of Ireland but under a flight path. During the first lockdown the silence was palpable and when flights increased again I downloaded an app so that I could identify the origin and destination of flights I could hear above me. When I listened to the original recording (028) and heard voices I was reminded that there were people aboard those flights having inconsequential conversations ("I don't really pack much."). My field recordings were made on the forest trails near my house where I have walked almost every day in the last year, and where I have noted the transatlantic flights 30-40,000 feet above me."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

New York metro reimagined by Dana Papachristou.

"The original recording captured my ears as New York was the last place I visited before the coronavirus lockdown. I used the familiar M train sounds to create an aural condition where the ear, tired from a full day, falsely recognizes rhythm and melody in everyday sounds. A recreation of a travel experience, until we travel again."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Travelling on the New York metro from Court Square to 23rd Street, recorded by Marcel Gnauk.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

On board an Airbus A380 as it comes in to land at Frankfurt Airport, recorded by Marcel Gnauk.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Taking the train out of Denver Airport, recorded by Marcel Gnauk.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

A cross-country train moving slowly through the town of Juliaca, Peru, in which the train tracks are used as a marketplace (when trains are not crossing). The sounds of music and clanking trains. Recorded by Mark Wilden.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Walking into and around Warsaw’s Eastern railways station, including tannoy announcement. Recorded by Mark Wilden.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Children playing in Haiti reimagined by Cities and Memory.

"What stood out from the original recording was the sound of children playing in a carefree way, without doubt the outstanding moment from the source material. 

"Taking as a rough starting point the wistful melancholia and hauntology of the now-defunct Hood, I wondered how this recording might have ended up if it had featured on one of their albums. This led to starting off with a couple of interlacing acoustic guitar patterns with lots of space in them, allowing a sample of the children from the original recording to poke through and take its place as an essential part of the soundscape. Following on from here, the piece grew organically, with the addition of a smooth, simple bassline, and final embellishments from multiple layers of effected guitar and strings to add an emotional lift in the second half. I wanted something that ultimately felt hopeful and even a shade sentimental, but with a clear undercurrent of longing."

"Children playing, mobile music, breakfast and a water pump" - a recording from a rural spot outside Pignon in Haiti recorded by Conno Orrico.

Bogota taxi ride reimagined by Wingel Mendoza.

"The recording happened inside a taxi in Colombia, in which the taxi driver was playing a Mexican song singed by Armando Manzanero. I immediately recognized it, so there was the Latin American identity, but how to interact with the sound, but more in a plastic way, to manipulate it or make it not recognizable? Like all the situation that we are living in, the sound unfolds in uncertain ways, but it never loses its identity, waiting to listen again."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Montevideo bus station reimagined by Peter Brooks.

"The original piece is the ambient sound in a bus station, which inspired me to think of journeys and from there reminded me of Kraftwerk's Autobahn.

"The piece uses the original recording in full as a background to set the tone. It builds to suggest a sense of movement but also the repetitive monotony of waiting to begin, and hints at the Kraftwerk piece. The announcer's voice marks the start of the journey which suggests a busy road journey with vehicles passing by and making themselves known as often happens in countries with less-strict traffic regulations.

"The piece was built using Logic Pro X and sound sources from a Moog 15 (App version) and BBC Symphony Orchestra from Spitfire Audio.

"As regards travelling this year - I yearn for it!"

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

"This recording was taken just after lunchtime during a trip across Bogotá in a taxi. I remember it being a very warm day, and there was something about the combination of the general hubbub outside together with the music coming from the radio that made me want to pick up the microphone and capture the moment."

Recorded by Jase Warner.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

A busy bus station connecting Uruguay’s capital city with the surrounding area.  Passengers, announcements, background music. Recorded by Mark Wilden.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

EZE airport reimagined by Michael Trommer.

"This piece is a site-specific improvisation performed on a portable 1010 Blackbox sampler in the deserted lobby pavilion of Toronto’s Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) – a regional airport situated on a Lake Ontario island across from the city’s downtown core.

"Sounds of the quasi-deserted site were recorded in situ and combined with the project’s source sample (EZE Buenos Aires airport ambience) in an effort to create an sonic interzone meshing the performance locale’s ghostly, Covid-emptied ambience and the imagined space of Buenos Aires’ Ezeiza International Airport."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Lisbon tram reimagined by Richard Gadd.

"I was attracted to the rhythmic elements of the field recording and the sound of the leather hanging strap.

"As we cannot travel at present, I wanted to create something that was an act of imaginary travel, a dream constructed from memories of journeys. In those journeys there were experiences of sensory overload, culture shock, deep conversations with strangers, anxious waiting for pa announcements, hearing ambient sounds while in that liminal state between sleep and wakefulness. And at the end of every journey there is a new beginning."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Taking a bus through the Romanian countryside, recorded by Mark Wilden.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Taking a bus through the Romanian countryside, reimagined by Johan Vandermaelen.

"Pitch and filtering were the main tools. There is no time-stretching, thus all rhythmic elements are in a direct relationship with the file, with no additional sounds. I kept some voices from the original recording to keep it 'real'. Volume is mostly low, as I didn't want to over-compress or limit this piece."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

"This is a trip on the famous and old tram 28, in Lisbon, between Largo da Graça and Estrela, mirroring the acoustic dynamics of this means of transport and the city itself."

Recorded by Luís Antero.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

"Just outside the arrivals entrance to Buenos Aires’ international airport; traffic and passenger announcements." Recorded by Mark Wilden.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Hong Kong airport terminal reimagined by Coxidelic.

"In the original recording I was struck by the normality of it... how it felt like a relic of a bygone time when travel was normal and there was no pandemic. I wanted to take this sound and turn it into something more chaotic and confused like the times we are living in. Downtempo, of course - because we are all sitting on our couches."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Kefalonia ferry trip reimagined by Sound Brigade.

"Travel was non-existent in 2020, and so far in 2021 due to the pandemic.  This re-imagining is dark and hopeless, as isolation from the world has been our reality for the last year. 

"We did not add any additional sounds or sound effects, we used only the sound file provided to us. We edited, chopped, manipulated, twisted and mixed it into something that expressed our current travel mood."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Malaysian bus station reimagined by Emmy Tither.

"I think, for the first time in completing various Cities and Memory projects, I may be speechless when it comes to describing this piece properly.

"I guess what I can say is that I tried to reimagine the original recording in a way that combines what I hear both internally (through memories) and externally (when my window's open; I leave near a freight train line) when I lie in bed at night, mind racing with everything that is life right now. Travel has been a big part of my identity, basically since birth. I am very lucky. I miss it. Quite a lot.

"And, when travel - as a concept that involves physical movement or relocation - returns globally, I hope it is in a way that honours people and planet more than it has. I'm too pessimistic to hold my breath on that, though. But that doesn't mean I won't be deliriously happy when I get on a plane or train again, because at that point it will be with the acute knowledge that time may or may not be the last time of its kind."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Sounds from inside Hong Kong's international airport terminal, recorded by Marcel Gnauk.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

"Traveling on the upper deck of a ship is always an amazing sound experience for me! This sound was recorded (with a Zoom H5) on 10th of January 2021 after Xmas holidays when i left my birthplace, Kefalonia Island to go back to Athens.While recording, i was moving around the upper deck of the boat "Andreas Kalvos", collecting sounds from the boat's funnels, various objects oscillating by the wind, a few people talking etc."

Recorded by Kostas Frantzis. 

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

"There are many different private bus companies operating in Malaysia, each offering slightly different routes, destinations, comfort and price. Competition between these companies is high and the right sales technique can be what makes the difference in ensuring the bus parts with no empty seats.

"In Alor Setar bus station, in order to attract customers, ticket sellers from each of the bus companies announce the destinations at the top of their voices, singing and rhyming the names of cities. Each seller has their own particular style which they use to try to cut through the other noise. I found it a fascinating selling technique, and stealthily recorded a few minutes of the ambiance before I had to catch my bus."

Recorded by Colin Hunter. 

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Parisian luggage recording reimagined by Loz Colbert.

"I recorded the sound of my luggage bag on various streets around the world on the RIDE USA/European tour 2019/2020. The idea being that as it was dragged, it was like a stylus playing a record.

"Most of the field recordings were left untouched, but with this recording taken in Paris around midnight on February 13th, I imagined the grooves of the street triggering sounds of 'real' instruments. This was done using processes in Ableton Live. February 13th 2020 was the last time we played to a live audience."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Parisian luggage recording by Loz Colbert.

""I recorded the sound of my luggage bag on various streets around the world on the RIDE USA/European tour 2019/2020. The idea being that as it was dragged, it was like a stylus playing a record.

"February 13th 2020 was the last time we played to a live audience."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Flight from Tromso reimagined by Xqui.

"The pilot voice was the main snippet used.  It was almost an ambient track with the sound of the engine in the background, which I manipulated to vary its pitch."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Heathrow Terminal 5 reimagined by Craig Garrett.

"Lockdown has me sleepwalking though a restless world of fatigue, insomnia and dreams that — dull, obtuse and fractured — create No Time. I flew into Heathrow from Australia four weeks before lockdown 2020. I go months without remembering a dream, then for days and weeks on end I remember every single detail of every single dream. Layer upon layer, I can’t get them out of my mind. And then they’re gone; I can’t remember them any more, as if they never existed.

"London is a curious and hybrid lucid dream comprised of random opaque stutters. Then as the pandemic crashed into lockdown on top of lockdown on top of lockdown, and as I fell into restlessness and insomnia, and as the world we all knew ground to a halt — clear patterns took shape. I’d never been here before, so you can imagine how the familiarity of these stories, as they built and grew from nothing, discomforted me. Old stories, embedded deep. As if I’d been here all along. I no longer trace different dreams; I can’t see counterpoints; nor can I expel all this scree from my head.

"So I scarper; turn tail; run away. Over and over.  Simple, known things: making coffee, cooking food, opening a door. Caught in a world that’s no longer ours (if it ever was); it’s the virus’s now. Eventually, I take flight — but what is dream and what is real?

"Notes: Initially Covid lockdowns spawned a world-wide epidemic of mysterious dreams, but now, one year in, Covid is turning ICUs into what some doctors are calling Delirium Factories: an epidemic of ‘ICU delirium’: a syndrome caused by drugs, infections and lack of oxygen, where patients experience extended periods of hallucinations and delusions — to the patients these visions and illusions are vividly and unarguably real.
 
"This piece, in part explores, and in part deciphers, the mental and physical landscapes of my London lockdown. I overlay interior and exterior sounds onto field recording 073 (Heathrow LHR T5 Galleries Lounge) to create a domestic claustrophobia (of trying to escape) — is this house mine?, is it yours?, it could be anyone’s. The first two escape attempts (Acts 1 & 2) are artificially sped up and confusion is sewn using interpolation, misattribution and superimposition. Fitful incursions by Australian birds (a kookaburra, cat bird, magpie, cockatoo & stone bush curlew) don’t belong, but they tie me to where I’m from. When we finally escape (Act 3) everything calms and quietens, the confusion dissolves and there’s space to breathe — we’re finally out the other side of all this, but I leave it to the listener to decide what is the dream and what is the reality?

"Articles & music I drew on for inspiration:
1. ‘The worst days of my life: how Covid-19 patients can recover from ICU delirium’ (Guardian, March 15, 2021)
2. ‘Coronavirus has created an epidemic of weird dreams’ (Wired, April 12, 2020)
3. ‘Viral Counterpoint of the Coronavirus Spike Protein’ (Markus J Buehler, April 7, 2020)"

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Recorded by Johan Vandermaelen.

"First direct flight from Tromsø - Brussels. Pilot addressing me as 'sir'. The plane had to be de-iced before take-off. Long atmospheric recording."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

"Sounds from inside the Business Class Galleries lounge at Heathrow's Terminal 5 in London, used for British Airways international flights."

Recorded by Mark Wilden.
 
Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Punta Arenas airport reimagined by Museleon.

"I have travelled the world many times over in the past 50 years without ever leaving the confines of my little house. Even before the pandemic, I have always travelled by listening to the worlds’ radio stations at night. Choosing a country and wandering through it via the local radio stations, is a wonderful way to get a flavour of a place. I've travelled to Asia, the Russian Steppes, Africa and the Pacific rim, so now was the time to explore Latin America, and Chile, which I have had a long wish to visit in reality, is as good a place as any to begin.

"So, starting at Arica on the northern coast, on the night of 28th February, 2021, I zigzagged my way down the 2,653 miles from Coast to Andes, via large cities and small towns, all the way to the southern tip at Punta Arenas. I recorded my journey via small snippets of radio shows, interweaving conversations, talk shows, traditional music and modern, to create a sound collage of the places I’d ‘visited’.

"As usual, I took the midi information from the original field recording - #1 : At the bottom of the world -  Punta Arenas airport and used it as a basis to create the aircraft drone and also a range of ambient atmospheres representing airwaves, wind, cold, deserts, glaciers and mountains. I processed the original field recording and this adds to a ghostly feel, where sound fades in and out as if in a dream. My journey in radio is a sonic record of my travels from sea to mountain, from Peruvian border to Punta Arenas. At my destination, an Andean pipe welcomes me and I drift gently back to reality.

"Since this journey, I have listened to the sounds of Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador and will shortly be exploring the 3,976 miles of the Amazon river all via the means of airwaves. It’s the only way to travel."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

A long layover in one of the world's most southerly airports, at the tip of Chilean Patagonia, as we waited for a flight back to Santiago. There's very little to see or do in this tiny airport, as you might expect, but you can hear the sounds of traditional Chilean music being piped in, some chatter in Spanish, and those typical sounds of a transient space holding mostly people who are on their way to - or from - an incredible trip to one of the most beautiful parts of the world.

Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Train through Bulgaria reimagined by Heiko Jay.

"I've always liked the rhythmic sound of the train tracks and with this field recording I have the perfect template for the snare rhythm track. The bass kick and hi-hat are also snippets from the original sound.

"I also used parts of the recording for the bass sound. For this I use the EQ to only allow low tones to be heard.

"For the synth-like sounds I used the Resonators plugin.

"I recorded the voice sample myself, it repeats the phrase "Until we travel".

"Since the rhythm in the original is quite fast, it is associated with a fast train journey, possibly even in a futuristic city.

"The jazzy futuristic music style and the audio effects reinforce the whole thing even more."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Akihabara Station reimagined byt Michael Lilley.

"I chose to contrast the white noise ambience of the crowd in Akihabara Station with the electronic bing bongs. I added some discordant oboes, to add a feeling of general unease.

"Towards the end, as the soundscape fades, I'd like to think the effect I created is the train shunting off!"

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.

Akihabara Station (秋葉原駅, Akihabara-eki) is a railway station in Tokyo's Chiyoda ward. It is at the center of the Akihabara shopping district specializing in electronic goods.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Travelling by train across Bulgaria, recorded by Mark Wilden.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Over the Christmas period in the UK, we remained locked down, unable to visit friends or relatives, and walking out in nature became even more important as it was one of the few safe - and legal - activities to do over this period. 

We'd already recorded Oxford's Wytham Woods during Easter 2020, when they were at their quietest in lockdown number one, so we returned during December to record the forest soundscape during winter.

Recorded by Cities and Memory.

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

One of the unexpected urban soundscapes of the Covid-19 lockdowns has been previously-unheard or unnoticed sounds that had been hidden by the drones of continuous traffic noise emerging into focus. Sometimes they're beautiful sounds like birdsong, and at other times you realise the drone of the city is actual composed of multiple layers of drones at different frequencies and volumes making up that patchwork urban drone. 

On this occasion, the pulsing drone from a box on the street (telecoms? air conditioning? who knows?) is the dominant sound all of a sudden, so we recorded it along with several moments of passing life during the third lockdown in the UK.

Recorded by Cities and Memory.

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

"Sounds of the microwave, crockery and antique clocks ticking and chiming in my house. The sounds of the modern and the old, microwave beeps,Victorian clock chiming, emphasise the passing of time which marches on regardless of human intervention."

Lockdown sound recorded by The Gaye Device.

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

Lockdown sound from Lagos, Nigeria recorded by Ibukun Sunday.

"First, the attack on protestors last night was a new chapter for the #EndSARS protests, with far-reaching consequences for the future politics of the country. The attack happen last year 2020 doing the lockdown.

"Second, the land borders were closed to goods in August 2019, with partial openings and closings for people prompted by the coronavirus pandemic throughout 2020.

"Third, I have been working from home, which I am not used to and it's killing me. I am just upset that I can't travel for any performances or festivals."

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

Shanghai MagLev train reimagined by Cities and Memory.

"There's not much going on in the original field recording, which is primarily a smooth drone punctuated by a light scattering of conversation poking through, as the train quietly gets on with its job.

"The piece, then, is based on what's going on outside the train as it blasts through the suburban spaces towards the airport at 300kmh. The original field recording sits panned hard left and right, while the central space is taken up by some kinetic 125bpm beats to symbolise the rapidity of the journey, and tape-effected synth lines to take up the 'magnetic' side of the MagLev's name - magnetic pulses transformed into sound."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

A train connecting the city of Shanghai with its international airport, moving at 300km/h, recorded from onboard by Mark Wilden.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Budapest train station reimagined by Mandy Matz.

"The original recording had a lovely melody in it. I decided to expand on that melody using my voice. I was not prepared for the sense of place this recording would give me. I could feel the air on my face as I walked through the terminal at the airport in Budapest."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Tirana taxi ride reimagined by Fernando Cerqueira.

"One of my travels plans was to try in one or two years to visit Tirana. At this moment with the impossibility to do that, this composition was a chance to be there and who knows if during this year I could be there."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Jeddah pre-flight announcements reimagined by Andy Billington.

"I was inspired by the theatre of flying and the unnatural act of battling gravity in that liminal moment as the plane coasts towards the runway and begins the ritual for take off.

"That moment when you are all seated. Safety messages are presented as fact in many languages. You begin to coast towards the runway and the sun comes in through the small window as the plane turns. People are preparing for their journey with differing methods of distraction, music devices, iPads or other more ancient methods such as a book. All the while anticipation builds as the plane continues its take off ritual. Imagine being able to hear all of the different musical devices at once, mixed in with the theatre of flight (which still feels unnatural to me). We all sit ready to leave land in a pressurized metal tube. Everyone switches to flight mode."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Venice flight landing reimagined by Tenali Hrenak.

"This sound painting, Marco Polo Jumped Over The Moon, features a menagerie of music boxes as well as swinging chimes, gongs, a wind-up toy, and random field recordings from around the house, aiming to colour the landing at Marco Polo with floating etherealness."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

A recording from inside Keleti train station in Budapest, Hungary by Mark Wilden.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

"Driving in the centre of Tirana can be a frustrating experience. Heavy traffic jams can leave you stranded for hours. 

"The Albanians also have a reputation for being quite eccentric drivers who like to throw the rule book out the window. In conditions like this and because the city is small, it often makes far more sense to walk. 

"It is easy and quite safe to wander the city streets and this also allows you to be immersed in the unique soundscape of the city, seeing and hearing all that it has to offer. 

For some sights however you will need to get a bit further out of town and this is where a taxi ride can come in handy. Although my trip to Tirana took place right in the middle of the pandemic and the streets were far emptier than would usually be, which added a unique and special quality to the city’s atmosphere. I think this comes across when you listen to the sounds that have been captured. Like a unique fingerprint these sounds are unique to this city and tell its story to those who know how to listen."

Recorded by Rafael Diogo.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Before an internal flight from Jeddah to Riyadh, a supplication to Allah for safety in travel is broadcast after the regular safety announcements you'd expect to hear on a flight - a sonic feature unique to the region, this one is from a Saudia flight. Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

A flight from London Gatwick comes in to land at Venice Marco Polo airport - recording taken from on board the plane. Recorded by Cities and Memory. 
 
Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Autobuska stanica, Kragujevac recorded by Danilo Crnogrorac.

"The atmosphere was recorded on Friday morning at Autobuska stanica Kragujevac (main bus station). Friday is usually the busiest day of the week in Kragujevac, students are going home for the weekend, people travel for a short 3-day holiday, especially now in March for skiing. But, today is a day before the partial lockdown. On Saturday and Sunday only food stores, gas stations and pharmacies will work. Everything else will be closed - restaurants, mountain resorts, cinemas, shopping malls, schools... 

"People have to stay at home. It will be a rainy weekend so no one travels for a nature trip neither. Only two buses were at the station, both with engines running on idle, which could be heard on recording. Few people are waiting for their buses, it is very quiet and scary. 10 years ago when I was studying in another city and traveling back home on Fridays for the weekend the situation was so much different. Endless lines of people waiting for their buses, noise, engine loudness, crowd talking. This atmosphere was recorded with Shure VP88 microphone and Sound Devices MixPre 6 II recorded, 32 bit 192 kHz."

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

Recording from Kragujevac, Serbia by Danilo Crnogorac. 

"This recording was made in May 2020 when Serbia was in lockdown. I live next to a very busy street, very loud and unbearable for a sound recordist. Luckily, I will move to a quiet neighbourhood this year. But in May 2020 lockdown made this street also very quiet. There's no traffic, no people and you can only hear birds and dogs. It was recorded with Shure VP88 and Zoom F8."

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

Train in China reimagined by Jeff Dungfelder.

"This piece of music is based on a field recording of the motion of a sleeper train moving through the open countryside in Russia (from Chita to Harbin). Staying in my neighbourhood here in New York City and having not traveled anywhere in over a year, all I can do is close my eyes and imagine what it must be like for my senses to feel the motion and hear the sounds of being on a train. 

"An emotional journey relying on memory and history, to be able to experience this moving landscape. Sights, sounds, feelings and anticipation all coming alive through these rhythms and textures. All aboard the Trans-Manchurian Express."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Ferry hull reimagined by Richard Watts.

"The piece is based around the rhythm created by the ferry engines and the splashing water in the original recording. I have tried to replicate that feeling by using a driving bass and drum beat. The is a slight edge to the original recording so I've tried to capture that with the string sounds and slightly off guitar."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Khun Tan tunnel reimagined by Vlad Suppish.

"I've decided to work with a random piece this time and received Khun Tan train tunnel recording. At first listen it hasn't made a big impression on me, but on subsequent listenings a train of associations has crossed my mind. 
Some childhood memories of playing computer games like Deus Ex. Especially Hong Kong tunnels and its eerie otherworldly music. 

"So I've begun to play around the original recording with my modular synthesizer, trying to reconstruct the tone of that music as I remember it. Small modular patch eventually became  large, with lots of random modulation. 

"The original recording was playing on a constant loop through a modulated shimmer reverb. I've set the whole generative process and at first just listened to it for several hours - always a consistent tone but never quite the same every time. 

"A mind of its own.

"Eventually I've recorded an improvisation for about 20 minutes with it, chose and edited the best parts.

"I'm really pleased with this one. Just amazing how one recording can trigger a whole new set of events, associations and memories."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

The motion of a sleeper train moving through open countryside recorded from a vestibule onboard.

Recorded by Mark Wilden.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

"As part of an artist-in-residence programme through the Media Arts Committee at our local co-operative radio station CFRO FM, I led a field recording expedition in Vancouver to record the soundscapes of the harbour. This piece in particular is a complete journey from the south to north shore aboard the harbour patrol boat. Recorded inside the hull, you will hear sounds of waves crashing against the boat, engine sounds, as well as the calls of seagulls and cranes loading shipping containers in the distance."

Recorded by Constantine Katsiris.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

The Khun Tan tunnel is the longest of Thailand's seven railway tunnels at just over 1km in length. Khun Tan Station, at the northern end of the tunnel, is the highest railway station in Thailand at an elevation of 758 m. Recorded by Marcel Gnauk.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Vietnamese road reimagined by Eulipion Corps.

"This field recording from Vietnam immediately put me in the zone; conjuring a dream-like road trip. Not a lot of head-scratching on this one in terms of recording. I picked up my acoustic guitar, turned up the field recording, and entered into a 70’s era road movie; seeing real or imaginary films by Wim Wenders, Raymond Depardon, and Michelangelo Antonioni.

"Thinking about travel now, there’s definitely a sense of longing for me. And probably a sense of nostalgia for the way things used to be, going way back to when I first started traveling, pre-internet age, just using a physical road map and maybe a guide book, when getting lost was possible and actually a good thing to do."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

San Francisco streetcar reimagined by John Tenney.

"This piece is deeply personal. I grew up in and around San Francisco, still live less than 15 miles away, and haven’t visited the city for a year. I rode the old streetcars literally hundreds of times. 

"I have experienced all of the sound you hear, over the same fifty-plus years of the streetcar stops: hippie jam sessions, black rights demonstrations decades before 2020, the cheerful anarchy of St. Stuped’s Day, hardcore disco music, the Lunar New Year parades, local radio commercials. 

"And then toward the end there is the sense of everything turning dull, colourless, muffled during the long year of the pandemic. Hope keeps us going, which is why our streetcar rider can finally get off at The Embarcadero, San Francisco’s fabled waterfront, and hear life coming back in its full glory."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Jeep radio in Karongwe Reserve reimagined by Tom Thompson.

"The original recording of a radio communication in Karongwe Reserve, South Africa between  drivers, trackers and their counterparts exchanging sightings and locations of animals.  

"I imagined the excitement of traveling in such exotic locations and coming into close proximity with wild animals in their native habitat.  As I composed this piece I felt the desire build for venturing out in this familiar, yet new world, free from fear of the pandemic. I am  ready and excited to begin exploring new sights and sounds in 2021."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

"This recording was made on the roadside of the National Route 1A after our bus had stopped at a gas station. The 1A is the main route from Hanoi in the north to Ho Chi Minh City in the south."

Recorded by Colin Hunter.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

"Part of a San Francisco streetcar journey from Beck's Motor Lodge on Market Street to Fisherman's Wharf. Gliding and rattling effortlessly through the afternoon traffic with bright winter sunshine streaming through the windows."

Recorded by Grey Frequency.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

"This recording was taken at 08:31 in Karongwe Reserve, South Africa, during an early morning trip to try and spot some of the animals in the reserve. The driver and tracker escorting us would use the radio to communicate with their counterparts in the reserve and exchange sightings and locations of animals."

Recorded by Jase Warner.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Shinjuku station reimagined by Richard Watts. 

"I decided to do a more guitar orientated piece this time. The track is based around a journey you take from a station and the rhythm of those travelling through the station. I've tried to create a taiko drum rhythm underneath and then overlaid a driving bass and guitars. I've also used treated samples of the announcers in the original recording."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Newcastle station reimagined by Simon Woods.

"The piece is built entirely from cutting up the field recording - filtering, reversing, distorting and just generally hacking at it. In the course of these actions, the sound of an old steam train emerges from the past."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

"Changing trains at Newcastle, waiting as people and trains go by, various announcements over the tannoy: am I heading away from Dundee or returning? This time I think I am on my way south."

Recorded by Kate Laity.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Recording from Shinjuku Station, Tokyo, recorded as the world's busiest transport hub by Guinness World Records - with 35 platforms and more than 200 exits.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

"Liverpool Street Station one London's busiest known locations, a major connection point and second hub to business, sees thousands of people passing through in a single day. Normally adjourned by commuters, performers and tavern patrons Liverpool Street is all but empty (February 2021)." Recorded by Jon Bender.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Liverpool Street station reimagined by The Gaye Device.

"The piece is inspired by the sudden stop of everyday life,completely unknown to everyone at that moment and my own personal experience. The everyday sounds of travel we experienced became like ghosts to me over the summer of 2020.

"Those chaotic, noisy, sometimes overwhelming sounds, felt like echoes reverberating away like ripples in a sonic pool.Replaced by bird song, sounds of nature and the stillness of the day, where introspection and thought can be used positively. 

"The piece tries to convey those experiences using the field recording of an empty station by Jon Bender, transformed into a dense maelstrom of echoing station announcements, malevolent synth, stretched and distorted voice, and treated birdsong recorded in the garden during a day in lockdown."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Benfleet train station reimagined by Simon Woods. 

"The piece is based around the rhythmical qualities of the station announcer’s voice. Each section builds on travel to a different place before boarding the train, in the final section, and passing these places – although in fact once on the train you could be going to everywhere."

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

"Just waiting for a train to arrive one evening and recorded one arriving and departing on the opposite track. The sound from the overhead powerlines as it pulled away was awesome." Recorded in Benfleet, UK by Shaun Malone.

Part of the Until We Travel project to map and reimagine the sounds of transport and travel in a pre-pandemic and pandemic world. See the whole project at https://www.citiesandmemory.com/travel.

Recording made on the London Underground from London Bridge on the Jubilee line, February 28th 2021 by Jon Bender.

"London's Jubilee line, major commuting route and popular pedestrian highway straight into the heart of the city. This clip takes you on a short ride between London bridge and Green Park, a typical tourist route if heading towards the Palace. Normally, a chocked ride - claustrophobic with passengers, now during the pandemic, filled with empty seats."

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

"Much of the inspiration came from the beginning section with manipulation of the  busking performance using a modular sampling tool... this created many sounds that were used for the rhythm parts. 

I also used other sections that run through the whole piece as textures.This was a great field recording to use as so much could be taken from it!"

Piece by Alex Hehir as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"Rome's  Orange Garden is extraordinary - a spiritual place of deep significance to so many people over hundreds of years.

My piece starts with a gently sweeping, dreamy soundscape that is 100% created from the awesome original field recording - so many possibilities in there! Granular synthesis and sampling techniques have been used on nearly every sound from the recording (including the mechanical noises - turned into deep,  gentle booms).

At around 90 seconds, an acoustic guitar enters and the mood changes. In my mind the story moves from a nebulous set of memories where you can almost (but not quite) pick out individual sounds from the garden, to a more definite musical 'moment' accompanied by the gentle sound of the fountain (again - processed via granular synthesis). Other sounds from the original recording heard behind the music include the first percussion entries at 2 minutes - created from layers of various sounds, including the gravel footsteps.

The musical story rises and falls, led by the warm tone of a xaphoon (single reed wind instrument that has similarities to the more well-known duduk). A battered old dulcimer takes on the melody for the contrasting section before dramatic live vocals and a duduk join with the xaphoon as the main melody returns.  As the guitar fades away, the narrative slips back into a more ethereal dream-state to finish."

Piece by Mark Taylor as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"On a cold day in early Jan 2021 (UK), I ventured through my snowy garden to the garage. Here we have an old piano from a school in Nottinghamshire. It is in need of renovation and retuning but some of the keys still work. 

I recorded a number of improvised piano parts, many where the key did not register the note making just a dry hammer noise. These formed the basis for the track and when added to the original field recording directed the rest of the track. 

I wanted to capture (with all of the key elements of the original field recording) what a day in the Orange Garden might have been like. I imagined the temperature rising as the sun tracked the sky. 

I imagined myself people watching and with the hum of the city in the background the day unfolding in the garden. It seems a long way away from the current reality and lockdown rules we are all facing into. How strange to miss a place you have yet to visit..."

Piece by Andy Billington as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"I was inspired by the busker singing can't help falling in love with you. I broke down the vocal line and stretched it to create a heavenly choir ambience and overlaid the original field recording drenched in reverberation and echoes to create a dreamlike soundscape. 

The Garden of Love is a place where everyone is welcome, free from prejudice and hate. The fighter jets roaring overhead are to remind us of the dangers of hate and intolerance and where these negative emotions can lead the world."

Piece by The Gaye Device as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"I liked the busker in the original and thus wanted to create some sort of loop of the guitar and voice and put some soft beats behind this. That was the basic idea of the track before I started to make it. Whilst attempting to do this, I used other elements of the field recording coming in and out in various places. It felt however like it needed more ideas.  

I therefore used a sample of some modular synth sounds (played by IKJoyce - with his permission - IKJoyce is a musician that I am currently collaborating with) and added some swooshing synth noises myself.  

"I felt also it needed a voice at the start to help frame the piece. I contacted my Italian friend Marco Alessi who runs Naviar Records and he agreed to record the voice you can hear at the start of the piece."

Piece by Audio Obscura as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"We looped a single moment and allowed others to float around it. We liked the idea of taking a kind of sonic photograph, bringing that moment in time to the forefront, zooming in and imagining all the particles making up the atmosphere in the garden within that moment."

Piece by Kit Monteith & Al Sundvall as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"It's an exploration of pattern-recognition. Certain sounds have regularities, and noticing their timings can make the world feel like a working system. The birds call every few seconds, people walk by every half minute, planes pass every few minutes… Anyway, by jumping around a field recording in tempo, the sounds are sorted, and become easier to hear as a melody. 

I used pure data, a patch that divides an audio file into segments of equal size and then shuffles them, sometimes clinging to certain segments or areas, sometimes evenly spacing itself across the whole file. 

Either way, melodic patterns seem to crop up, melodies that are almost noticeable - it's a miniature of the experience of listening to a park in real time, how our brains attempt to make sense of it all."

Piece by Nicolo Scolieri as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"My idea was to take ambient elements of the recording and create a piece of music that captures those moments but also gives a contrasting perspective considering this particular moment in the wider context of the passage of time."

Piece by Andy Lyon as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"The field recording prompted me to remember the scent of orange blossoms as the dark came down in our garden when I was a child. I wanted to transform the busker's voice into a sound representing that scent. 

The voices of birds and the water fountain are also retained. My aim is to convey an idea of the sensations of memory travelling from the 1970s through all the filters that time has added to my experience."

Piece by Skipism as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"The audio file were turned to MIDI and rearranged into piano and strings tracks.  Although the result may sounds with a 'human touch', all the elements were developed exclusively electronically. 

The melody of the song "I cant help falling in love" was used in a unrecognizable way. This overlapping of the elements results in the nostalgic mood of the title."

Piece by Andre Perim as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"I didn't want to stray from the vocal and acoustic song, which is the centrepiece for me. Heavy EQ to bring out the singer amongst all the background noise, started and finished with an aircraft engine roar. I put myself in the square with him and this is what came out of me."

Piece by Mark Baker as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"When I was listening to original recording, some pleasant memories instantly came to my mind. Moments of epiphany, when everything is clear, spotless and matches perfectly. A certain deja vu, which felt like belonging to this particular place and this moment. Seeing into one's own true nature. Satori in the midst of an orange sunset.

The basis for composition is bits and pieces (deja vu's) of original recording processed through Mutable Instruments' Elements. Comb filter and resonator in it gave a nice feeling, almost like a warm blanket. Yet bright, clear and a bit sitar-ish as well. Tabla-like rhythm seems natural for it. After 90+ minutes of modular jamming it was rather hard to choose the best fragments but actual editing was fast and straightforward. Everything fell into place once again."

Piece by Vlad Suppish as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"This piece called 'Horti Amoris' and is based on the Elvis Presley song in the original field recording. I have taken the original chord structure, slowed it down to 55bpm and chopped up and reordered the melody lines. 

I've used some glitchy sounding synth sounds and processed some samples from the original recording. I'm hoping that it still has the same journey feeling that the original has."

Piece by Richard Watts as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"Listening to the sound from the Roman gardens and reading the description of the day in which it was recorded, it did sound a bit too perfect. I thought that it would have been fun to turn the entire scene upside-down."

Piece by Cristina Marras as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"Upon my first listen of The Orange Garden field recording, I felt like it was full of many micro worlds of sound waiting to be explored. 

I imagined myself traveling from one sound world to another, recording my travels along the way. 

My composition “Der Orangengarten” is a document of this journey through the sounds of this new world. One where my imagination took me to new experiences of discovery."

Piece by Jeff Dungfelder as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"The piece is simply made up of cuts and pastes from the original recording. The cuts were pitched up or down, EQed and rearranged. 
No synths were used in the making of this piece."

Piece by Simon Woods as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"This piece is unusual in that it does not contain the original field recording, but attempts to reconstruct it as accurately as possible using field recordings from our own database, a technique of "reconstructed field recording".

Thus we have recordings of planes flying overhead in Oxford, walking on stones in Sicily, church bells in Italy, fountains in Seville, car alarms from somewhere else in Rome, crowds of tourists in Venice - and the addition of Elvis himself to provide the song vocals.

The piece is the same length as the original, with the different sounds coming in at the same time, to create a kind of impressionist painting of the original recording, built from other field recordings."

Piece by Cities and Memory as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"When I think of Italy I think of pasta: I’d made noodles by hand the previous night for a classic Italian dish so I thought of treating the audio as dough. 

Stretched the sound four times its original length, flattened it with compression and equalization, then folded it so the first layer and third layers are heard forward and the second and fourth layers are heard reversed. Named the work for flat noodles of tagliatelle and acknowledging the orange of the source recording."

Piece by Steve Burnett as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"A beautiful spot invites me in, sounds of birdsong, and waterfall, and a voice drifts across, drawing me in,  his voice welcomes mine and we meet for a few minutes before drifting off to our respective worlds. An organ coda echoes what just took place and we are back to experiencing the beauty and natural sounds of this place."

Piece by Michelle Breslin as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"Music and sound as ultimate tools for creating and modeling reality.

The moments and spaces are chosen, sculpted and assembled to create infinite new images. In this period of maximum closure and containment, music is the tool to unhinge the bars of everyday life  and get closer to sounds and visions now denied."

Piece by Marco Marongiu as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"Aranciata is one of my favourite words, with the years it has expanded to encompass many personal things besides orange drink. Aranciata, arancia, orange, naranja, naranjada. The sun, the light, traces of the past, a spring long ago in a city that, as mine, also grows in layers. The Orange Garden recording made me think about the phantasmagoric, evocative dimension of sound. 

Ghosts, memories that make us resonate. 

This winter in lockdown has been too long and, paraphrasing Michael Marder, we wait on the verge for the arrival of spring. For this soundscape, I took the bells, the guitar and the rumor of water and mixed them in different frequencies with the vibration of a wine glass and my own voice (which in these times of social distancing has become subject of study). Here I continue exploring how cacophony and noise may produce for brief, elusive moments, strange beautiful harmonies.  

All gardens have something of chaos."

Piece by Martha Riva Palacio Obón as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"As I played this track on loop, I fell in love with the busker's weird voice, with the general atmosphere, with spontaneity...

For almost a year now, I've been experimenting with the sound art form of "audio dreams". This magical atmosphere seemed like perfect material for a dream. Sounds in dreams are often not memorable, they are muffled, distorted, distanced - much like our everyday life right now. 

I decided to use the whole track, part by part. Using various effects and techniques of processing I made drones and loops, crushed the audio or extracted some interesting harmonics, all to create an ensemble of sounds that resonates.

This is probably not a track for active listening. Rather one should use it for sound bathing and discover its potential healing and spiritual value."

Piece by Domagoj Obadić as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"This started with cutting up lots of the audio from the Orange Garden sample and then creating loops from it to create the initial track.  This was then chopped up more and added to a new project where I came up with a chord progression and bass line. 

This is the first track I have finished in Ableton 11 and makes use of the new Spectral Resonator and delay to warp the original sample."

Piece by Karhide as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"Busking is very similar the world over. In most large cities you can find Peruvian flute players, Chinese erhu players, groups of drummers etc., besides the inevitable solo guitarists and violinists. 

This version of The Orange Garden suggests that we not be lulled into ignoring the forces around us: forces of war, forces of all-pervasive surveillance cameras and drones (although maybe the cameras aren’t hiding in the trees just yet). 

But also, if we persevere and stay aware, we will find new delights while walking through our poor old world, like the cellist beautifully playing the children’s classic song Pure Imagination. Special thanks to my wife Su for suggesting it!"

Piece by John Tenney as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"I wanted the piece to reflect a walk through a garden and I have used various treated samples and synth sounds in it."

Piece by Richard Watts as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"Grovewalk focuses on some of the more ambient sounds found in latter part of the source recording to make mix that moves between acoustic and electronic space. 

This section of the recording has both myriad detailed sounds and one large one - the plane - and it makes for a good shift in focus between them. The recording was processed so that the sounds are present while they shift in and out of easy legibility."

Piece by Ed Osborn as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"My piece is based on the old Knock Knock joke punchline, “Orange you glad I didn’t say banana,” and  the childhood habit of repeating words at nauseum. 

"As I listened to the recording I was drawn to the muffled sounds, of conversations and objects just out of reach and to the inadvertent memories that orange trees conjure in my own mind, of a childhood climbing them and being stuck by the thorns."

Piece by Sarah Knudtson as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"The piece starts completely naturally with footsteps and gradually moves to a strict quantised time, before relaxing into natural sound. All elements are created from the source material with no external instruments. I used the footsteps, water, jet, busker (reversed), birdsong and bells. I wanted to use the natural sound of the footsteps as a semi-rhythm and bring in the water on the exact beat but with the natural a-rhythmic sound. 

This should create a vague sense of a beat. The solo water part then distracts but also encourages the mind to find a beat, where none exists. Footsteps, water , reversed busker and jet appear before the busker solo part implies a 'harmonium' sound and presages the footsteps and water in precise quantised time. 

Shortly after we return to free natural time with the bells, played twice forward and once in reverse, sounding remarkably similar. The bells end the piece as in the original."

Piece by Sandy Monteith as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"Their is a rhythmic quality to the recording, in the sense that events happen quite regularly (even when not considering the guitar) which makes the whole recording some sort of a frame for a composition. 

Thus, I used the first 3 minutes of the recording, treated it with a bunch of effects and used it as a grid to add some synth, with similar textural qualities and harmonics coherence."

Piece by Simon Cacheux as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"Of all the sounds from the garden I found the fountain to be the most appealing - fountains and fontanelle are so evocative of Rome. And then there were the birds and the busker and the tourists…

The piece I have made was inspired by the shifting patterns of water falling in the fountain and the ebb and flow of people in the park. The jets become altered bird sounds which in turn become altered sounds of the fountain and ultimately the fountain itself. 

Against this the sounds of people, falling in love, singing, showing off, undergoing a continuous and varied alteration, while at the same time preserving them. Hence the title - topology of an anthropic landscape."

Piece by Richard Gadd as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

"What do you get if you give one field recording to a host of audio artists and sound reimaginers from around the world?

A hundred different tracks, styles and reinterpretations.

What do you get if you give a beautiful field recording of the Orange Garden in the eternal city of Rome to Museleon?

You get a bunch of fruit flies buzzing around a lone orange in the said Orange Garden. Yes, all created from the one field recording using midi techniques, editing, sound shaping and including sampling the jet fighters.

Engage deeply you asked....I did, and my various fruit flies are enjoying the warmth and orange glow of their beautiful surroundings."

Piece by Odette Johnson as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

Fragments  takes the original recording and tries to convey the essence of the listeners experience by focusing on the small things – tone, melodic textures and fragments of sound. 

I began by listening several times to the recording and picking out the bare essentials – the recording has several parts but is mostly dominated by the busker so that is where I started. I like to take small amounts of sound and make something bigger – a beat, a drone or a melodic line - from a fragment of sound. Here I focused mainly on the song, and was fascinated by the way the man’s voice rose and fell on certain words and thought that I could use that to create both rhythm and texture. The guitar melody was a very evocative sound and I decided I wanted to use it, but I did not want to recreate the song, instead I wanted to get the essence of it. I found a section of guitar with the lulling underscore and created a loop – but I found that actually the best way to deal with all the sounds was in very small sections – therefore creating fragments (this is how I got my title).  Finally I decided to use the footsteps, the plane and water fountain to bring it all together.

Piece by Jessica Rowland as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

“All Time Is Time” is a contemplation on selective memory and controlled forgetting, where details of a fragment of experience are exaggerated, heightened, broken, obscured, suspended and eventually lost in the mind’s flow of time.

Piece by Gabriel Edvy as part of The Orange Garden project by Cities and Memory, in which multiple artists create a new composition using the same original field recording as source material and inspiration - see the whole project at http://www.citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden

After the hustle and bustle from the market, there is nothing better than a great hike rambling up the hillside over the old town. Up the mountain, stone walls zig-zag their way up to the crumbling ruins of a castle which lead up to San Giovanni Fortress. 

Visiting the fortress allows you to see the beautiful Old Town from above as well as the imposing mountains surrounding it. The walls are truly a breathtaking example of how nature and man can intersect harmoniously. 

The ruins of Kotor Fortress are located 280 metres above the sea level and have served as an impenetrable shield for centuries. The hike can be quite challenging especially for a climb in the sweltering heat, however it is extremely rewarding once you get to the top and are able to enjoy the panoramic view of the surrounding area and Kotor Bay below. 

Climbing up the rough cobblestones on my way to the highest viewpoint, I was able to hear the beautiful song of birds in the background with the panoramic sounds of the old town at large. The best way to fully appreciate the 1350 steps later and I was at the top, feeling the beauty and intersecting harmony of the sun setting over the whole bay. It was very romantic, a great moment to share with someone. 

Recorded by Rafael Diogo as a city sound guide for Cities and Memory - see more at https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides 

We all have our dreams about special places and it feels like my past self had the dream to visit the little seaside town of ​Perast​, an abandoned renaissance by the sea with the most beautiful retreat in Kotor Bay. 

Perast is the right place to sneak away from the crowds at the marina where dozens of cruise ships arrive every day. 

Today, Perast is mostly an abandoned town, with barely 350 people inhabiting the narrow streets and numerous, mostly, baroque palaces that form the richness aesthetics along the liminal Kotor Bay. On this binaural recording, the listener can naturally feel the gentle swell in the late hours of the afternoon as the waves splash on the shore and blend naturally to the sunset fading out on the mountain silhouettes. This beach is covered by dark sand and is approximately 1 km long and approximately 25 meters wide and generally has a moderate tidal surge. Perast seems to be this liminal place, a magical place, a jewel of a natural tradition that we should not miss. 

The quiet and the serene sound of the sea creates this atmosphere that keeps reminding you that there is no better way to cool off than a swim. 

Recorded by Rafael Diogo as a city sound guide for Cities and Memory - see more at https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides 

Usually as soon as I arrive in new destinations, fresh street markets are the first thing I seek out. I enjoy all the colours, tastes and smells of the fruit, fish and cheeses. 

Here in Montenegro I just love the popular coastal recipes made with sun-dried figs, olives, cheese, and huge pink tomatoes slow-cooked down to sauce. My favourite daily veggie treat is "Sir iz ulja", soft cheese preserved in olive oil and mixed with distinct herb flavours such as rosemary or marjoram.  

Lined up along the coast of the Bay of Kotor and under its Medieval walls, this tiny and picturesque market brought me the authentic local favour I was hoping to capture. The resulting binaural recording is a dynamic and lively soundscape, in which you can hear the vendors ​engaging the customers by inviting them in with cheerful greetings. 

Recorded by Rafael Diogo as a city sound guide for Cities and Memory - see more at https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides 

Surrounded by fortress walls, the old city area of Kotor was the cultural and trade center of Kotor Bay throughout the centuries. Any walking route will lead you past palaces dating from between the 15th and 18th centuries. 

Curiously all these paths also lead me to find the unfamous rakija (the local firewater of choice) in one of these many cafes which line the square inside the city wall. Indeed, the Old Town’s a place where every time you turn a corner you’ll find something new to absorb your curiosities. Take your time because it’s not a place to be hurried through. In a cobbled side street in Kotor's fortified Old Town, I sit in one of these traditional bars with a rakija glass on my side, and a sonic story to tell. 

Recorded by Rafael Diogo as a city sound guide for Cities and Memory - see more at https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides 

If you are not wandering lost in the labyrinth of the old town, you might just be exploring the vast stunning Bay of Kotor, or Boka for the locals. As you travel its length, the Montenegrin coastline had a great impact on me as it gave me that feeling of the 

stillness and peace that I was craving. Along the walk alongside the Adriatic Sea, I had the privilege to enjoy the well-preserved medieval towns including Perast, Risan and Tivat. All these tiny little towns rest in between a breathtaking scenery of giant limestone mountains dramatically falling down on to the blue bay. This recording captures a serene moment in which I was sitting on a bench near the port, mindful to hear the still waters of the bay at night. 

Recorded by Rafael Diogo as a city sound guide for Cities and Memory - see more at https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides 

As soon as I enter the city the memorable clock tower greets me as I walk into the old city. This old clock tower is beautifully kept as the focal point of the lower town area and rings every hour as you get a feel on this soundscape. 

The tower is one of the first things that strikes you as you enter the old town through the main gate and curiously, was carved with the same stone as the city walls in a combination of Baroque and Gothic styles. You’ll see two clock faces on the tower and a small stone pyramid stands in front of it. Apparently, local criminals were tied to the pyramid as a mark of shame. Everything about the town is fairytale-like, even when I was sipping a small cafe cup in one of these picturesque small coffee shops. 

Recorded by Rafael Diogo as a city sound guide for Cities and Memory - see more at https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides 

"I've been practicing this piece through the pandemic. Chopin is my favourite composer so his music brings me much comfort. I finished playing the whole piece when I was 13. Here is just an excerpt of it played now at 24. We're in a third national lockdown and it's almost been a year since lockdowns started. There's been more than 100,000 deaths in the UK and every day I watch the news, that number increases. I'm keeping well though with university studies and music to accompany me. My message to every one of you out there is keep going, this will be over one day and the world will open up again in terms of travel, shops, entertainment venues, education facilities and workplaces."

Recorded by Elaine Yu in Glasgow, Scotland. 

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

Malta airport, February 2021 - waiting in line for a Covid-19 health check, recorded by Marcel Gnauk. 

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

Saudi traditional music from Jeddah reimagined by Cities and Memory.

For this, I wanted to convey something of the mesmerising aspect of the original track, which had me interested in the first minute, but by the ninth locked into the groove of the drums and singing. 

A locked-groove of a drum sample with a lo-pass filter is the rhythmic undercurrent, over which a simple two-note synth line generates head-nodding familiarity. The drones are created by layer upon layer of effected sitar and tambura, with snippets of both the original song's "welcome, welcome" refrain and some inserted synthesised singing, spaced at exact intervals, again to lock the groove in place throughout the duration of the track.

On a trip to Saudi Arabia, we visited the KAUST university complex, about 90 minutes north of Jeddah. As part of the evening's entertainment, we were greeted by an hour or so of traditional Saudi music, driven principally by multiple drummers and two interacting singers running through a repertoire of what were apparently well-known songs. This, the first track, containing the English words "welcome, welcome" in amongst the lyrics, was a ten-minute song that goes through several movements, but with constant drumming and singing in hypnotic loops that became magnetising and trance-like the longer the piece went on.

Recorded by Cities and Memory, November 2019.

Sounds from the lockdown in Lille, France by Olivier Pichard.

"I'm living in Lille, my house is about 350 meters far from the highway. It's usually very noisy even very early in the morning. At the beginning of lockdown in France, it was very quiet. I've made this recording in April 2020, the 19th around 8 am."

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

Traditional community singing in a remote rural village near Camacupa, Angola reimagined by Richard Watts.

"I wanted to contrast the African singing with something distorted and harsh."

Traditional community singing in a remote rural village near Camacupa, Angola recorded by Mike Bingham.

"I was fortunate enough to visit Angola with Oxfam in February 2010 on a story gathering trip. Angola was decimated by a 27 year civil war from 1975-2002 which killed over 500,000 people and displaced a further 1 million. Train lines, roads, airports and basic infrastructure were destroyed (including all but 1 bridge) leaving many communities isolated. We were told 6 million landmines still litter the countryside rendering much of the farmland unusable and forcing Angola to import 80% of its food."

"Despite facing these immense challenges, some rural communities have managed to sustain themselves, and even prosper. As we arrived at this community near Camacupa in central Angola, the villagers burst in to song to welcome us. I was moved to tears but managed to document the moment."

Many wouldn't think that Albania would become a great tourist destination one day and that these bunkers would have played a role in that. The major question that pops into our heads is why there are so many bunkers everywhere?

Well, it was due to national propaganda perpetrated by the communist regime. Fearing invasion during the Cold War, Albania’s leader Enver Hoxha forced his country to build tens of thousands of bunkers. Long after the regime’s collapse, many still remain and are now overgrown and left alone in the landscapes of Albania, lined like unearthly statues in deserted environments.

There are plenty of intriguing bunkers to visit around the city and this soundscape reflects just one of these abandoned lonely hulks standing throughout all weather conditions eroding grain by grain. If you listen to this haunting recording while looking at the photograph you can feel what the photograph cannot: a living presence across a duration of time.

Recorded by Rafael Diogo as a city sound guide for Cities and Memory - see more at https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides 

To understand Albania's history it is imperative to visit t​he ​giant bunker built to protect Enver Hoxha and his inner circle in the event of an atomic attack, the museum and contemporary art space Bunk Art museum.

The bunker was built between 1981 and 1986 as a shelter for top interior ministry officials and was big enough to easily hold hundreds of people. Now The museum and art space reflect the city initiative to use culture to celebrate the birth of a new era, whilst remembering its intense past.​ ​The​ underground long and reverberating dark corridors are ​accessed along a creepy 200-metre tunnel that blasts out eerie soundscapes, almost ​resembling a dark movie. A lonely walk through the ​subterranean labyrinth ​tunnels makes you ​descend into ​a musty five-storey bunker that feels like it was abandoned the day before.

It intends to ​unearth the memory of tens of thousands of people who were imprisoned and executed by the communist regime as an acoustic experience of intrinsic value.​ ​An excellent re-imagining of a Communist-era nuclear bunker scenario through sound installations that can inspire the work of a sound designer like myself.

So whether you're spending a day or a week in this city, now you have a glimpse of the best places to go and be immersed by the multitude of surrounding sounds that Tirana has to offer.

Recorded by Rafael Diogo as a city sound guide for Cities and Memory - see more at https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides 

Albania is a secular state, and therefore does not have an official religion. Albanians are known to be highly tolerant towards the religions of others, and therefore believers of various faiths peacefully coexist in the country.

Arabs who raided parts of the region in the past introduced their religion to the area and gradually, Islam grew in the country and Albania became one of the two countries in Europe that has a Muslim majority. I stayed in a major Muslim neighbourhood and fortunately was able to capture the moment of one of their five daily prayers.

The call to prayer ringing from the minaret of the mosque echoes in my ear each time I attempt to describe an experience in Tirana. The loudspeakers can be heard as far as 5 km away. They are used to empower the muezzin's voice to transcend a modern city's noises and so dominate this recording.

Recorded by Rafael Diogo as a city sound guide for Cities and Memory - see more at https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides 

The grotesque communist-era buildings are one of the main attractions in Tirana and inspire me to go looking for new intriguing sounds and exquisite reverberation textures.

My first stop was the infamous old soviet pyramid. The pyramid is right in the middle of the city and personally was one of the buildings that attracted me the most, ​resembling an enormous UFO that’s broken down in the city centre.

The pyramid was primarily built as a museum devoted to Enver Hohxa but after communism ended, it became forgotten. The soundscape highlights a soundwalk around the pyramid, mainly capturing the sounds of debris and different materials that reflect the state in which the pyramid was left or in its current vandalized state.

Recorded by Rafael Diogo as a city sound guide for Cities and Memory - see more at https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides 

Driving in the centre of Tirana can be a frustrating experience. Heavy traffic jams can leave you stranded for hours.

The Albanians also have a reputation for being quite eccentric drivers who like to throw the rule book out the window. In conditions like this and because the city is small, it often makes far more sense to walk.

It is easy and quite safe to wander the city streets and this also allows you to be immersed in the unique soundscape of the city, seeing and hearing all that it has to offer.

For some sights however you will need to get a bit further out of town and this is where a taxi ride can come in handy. Although my trip to Tirana took place right in the middle of the pandemic and the streets were far emptier than would usually be, which added a unique and special quality to the city’s atmosphere. I think this comes across when you listen to the sounds that have been captured. Like a unique fingerprint these sounds are unique to this city and tell it’s story to those who know how to listen.

Recorded by Rafael Diogo as a city sound guide for Cities and Memory - see more at https://citiesandmemory.com/city-sound-guides