Cities and Memory - remixing the world

"The original field recording of the botanic gardens in Tallinn, Estonia, reminded me of how much I enjoy visiting these spaces, unusual and exotic flora from around the world in a little capsule… some rare specimens may only exist in these manmade protective bubbles… "For the project I extracted 6 sections of the original audio, between 5 and 25 seconds in length… (No other audio was used). I pro...

"In the recording that forms the basis of the composition, two elements act as tonic and signal, respectively: the sound of the grackles and a loud siren. The siren, a disturbing element, has been time-stretched to transform it into brushstrokes of colour, thus entering a new temporal and gestural dimension. These brushstrokes of colour unfold against the background sound of the grackles."  | Nico...

Bees swarming around their insect hotel in a small city park and birds chirping in the background. Recorded in Goettingen, Germany by Gilberto Mazzoli.

Under the Wilhelm-Kaisen Bruecke, with trams overhead on the bridge, bicycles and walkers passing us, and the natural reverb sounds of such a large concrete structure heard from beneath.  Recorded in Bremen, Germany by Cities and Memory. 

Historically, Wuhan’s soundscape must have been incredibly diverse — a nexus of nine provinces and a land of rivers and lakes. Yet, precisely because of this, its development and changes have been lightning fast. Changti Street was one of the few spots that fit the project’s theme at the time. In the afternoon, the street buzzes with activity but feels relaxed and unhurried.  Shop owners along the...

Water at the Ground Zero Memorial. Two basins approximately on the site of each of the twin towers. The sound in the Ambisonics recording is of the water flowing into the two pools. Recorded by Anders Vinjar.

"I got married in Wuhan in 2010, and always found the place to be even more chaotic than the rest of China. The best thing, though, is breakfast, which we always had from a stall in the street and sat and ate while the rush hour got going nearby. I've used this sample to recreate something of the aural landscape of those mornings, as well as the salty and spicy flavour of the food." Wuhan old town...

"I used the recording of Ground Zero in New York, I shortened it and manipulated the sound in Adobe Audition. I like creating noise." Ground Zero reimagined by Matej Velkavrh.

"Hyena Signal (Industrial Drift) is an evolving piece born from a collaboration between Karhide and Deep Dive Sound, shaped around snippets of the recording “Maasai Tribe: Songs of the Widows.” The work emerged through a natural creative process, blending Karhide’s post rock and drone influenced textures with Deep Dive Sound’s nature immersed ambient layers and distinctive field recordings. "Karhi...

Outside Oslo's impressive, somewhat brutalist town hall building, there is a large "staircase fountain" with many layers - here we record the sounds from this fountain from many different depths and angles, with the faint sounds of the city at 10.00pm on a quiret evening behind us. Recorded in Oslo, Norway by Cities and Memory, May 2025. 

A naturally reverberant amphibian chorus with a wide stereo image.  Trumpeting frogs can also be heard throughout the composition. Apenkwa is a new addition to areas in and around Koforidua where wetlands have been highly affected by building and construction activities. Recording by Emmanuel Baffoe, Ghana. Monitoring, Editing, and Mastering by Samuel Kudjodzi, Germany.  Emmanuel Baffoe is one of...

Recorded in 2025. I recorded the sounds of the forest near my house. This is a walking trail for the neighbours. There is running water side the path and you can hear the communication of birds. This is my first field recording work. Recorded in Inokashira Park, Mure, Mitaka City, Tokyo by Minami Kamada.

Intense traffic noise recorded from directly under an underpass at Queen's Quay, next to the Lagan River in Belfast.  Recorded by Cities and Memory. 

"The amphibian music is complete and beautiful, including both melodic and rhythmic elements, so then what? What could I possibly add?  "I kept the raw nature recording unaltered and layered on a variety of synth instruments, providing a tension and interplay that questions, what is natural?" Ghana amphibian chorus reimagined by Heather Spence.

"I wanted to keep the original field recording intact, and juxtapose it against a treated version. I feel with a project like this that it's important the original field recording can shine through and be part of the music.  "The piano is actually two improvised solos playing against each other and glued with a drone from a Serge modular system."  Inokashira Park, Tokyo reimagined by Cole Dano.

"Breath, bodies, river, smog. "When I first heard this field recording I immediately heard a melody. I imagined the river carrying layers of song, remnants of the past softened and polished by the water over time.  "The imagery of an overpass with the river flowing beneath reminded me of a thread or rope twisting, starting from one point and ending up in another. The traffic sounds serve as a back...

"The hypnotic sound of a fountain in Oslo becomes a moment of wonder, inviting the listener to enter another reality. Using recordings from UbuWeb, we were fascinated by what Lacan thought about Alice in Wonderland.  "We combined the original sound of Oslo's fountain with music by Lazzaruolo/Villanova and Lacan's words creating a dialogue between voice, imagination, and atmosphere." Oslo fountains...

This recording features a cappella chants from the Breton tradition performed in solo within the historic chapels of Ouessant island - a unique acoustic setting where complaints, canticles and popular songs resound in French and Breton.  Recorded on Ouessant Island, France by Florent Picollet.

The recording is from April 17, 2025. The recording point was chosen under the iron bridge that crosses the Tiber River near the town of Pretola a few kilometers from Perugia in Umbria. Interesting reflections and resonances are created under the bridge. Water is certainly the dominant acoustic element but its veil is constantly torn by a multitude of sounds.  The bridge, despite being located in...

A surreal discovery in a deserted motorway service station in Lazio. Behind the gas pumps stands a small, post-modern chapel, empty and silent. Inside, hidden low-fi speakers broadcast a bizarre loop of farm animals (goats, roosters) and distorted Christmas carols.  The recording captures the haunting reverb of this lonely, sacred space, where kitsch sounds and motorway melancholy collide in a gli...

Tourists strolling on the foggy night, we could hear men singing in a courtyard just beyond the bridge. Using my iPhone with a Rode Me-L, I walked to the circle of men, paused, and then exited down a narrow pathway between two buildings. Subsequent research confirmed that we were in an historic Jewish ghetto and the occasion for song and feasting was Lag BaOmar.  Recorded in Venice by Emiko Morita...

"The haunting chants from this recording are so powerful, at first I was intimidated. I really wanted to preserve the integrity of the voices while also creating a new sonic experience. I also wanted to explore the type of communion that happens in a space such as this historic chapel.  |So utilising a lot of stretching to mimic waves on the sea I hoped to express the expanse of time across genera...

"A surreal discovery in a deserted motorway service station in Lazio. Behind the gas pumps stands a small, post-modern chapel, empty and silent. Inside, hidden low-fi speakers broadcast a bizarre loop of farm animals and distorted Christmas carols. The recording captures the haunting reverb of this lonely, sacred space, where kitsch sounds and motorway melancholy collide in a glitchy, suburban lit...

"While I was exploring the recording, I noticed a small pulsating noise, almost like the beating of a heart. It made me think about the interconnectedness of nature — no living being is truly separate, there is the same pulse that runs through every fibre of this planet.  "I started to play with the idea of turning the river into something bodily while maintaining a feeling of abstraction and flui...

"I was captivated by the collective choral singing and the way the melody naturally became fractured and glitched through the layering of voices and their echoes bouncing through the streets. "The main vocal melody became the backbone of the piece, with alto clarinet framing and responding to the voices before drones and distortion gradually emerge. The rhythmic clapping provides momentum for the...