Cities and Memory - remixing the world

"I am a runner, so the sounds of people cheering runners instantly makes me smile. I initially thought I would use the a capella singing more than the cheering, but it would up being quite difficult to integrate any of the complex harmonies of that singing with any coherent musical ideas that I might introduce, so I would up focusing on the cheering.  "Once I found the samples I wanted to use, I w...

"I was really struck by Ander Vinjar’s Heyr project, and the way he captures the sounds of the everyday and the ordinary at sites of historical trauma and violence. This piece works with one of the recordings from the café at Utøya. I treated it as a meditation on the café visitor’s questioning recognition of the bullet-holes still visible in the walls (Er det hull? - er det kulehull?").  "I'm int...

Humpback whales song off Westman Islands, South Iceland. A 15 minute recording of a singing humpback whale made using a bottom-moored hydrophone in the Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar) archipelago in February or May. Recorded by Paul Wensveen.

As a long-distance run, with the participants being over 95% women, takes part through the centre of Oslo, a group of female a cappella singers stands by the roadside, singing songs in English ("Don't Stop Me Now") and Norwegian to spur on the runners, and calling out individual runners' names and cheering. A joyous afternoon sound recording that's sure to raise a smile. Recorded in September 2025...

Soundscape inside Hegnen, at the Café-building at Utøya, near Oslo. 13 young people hid here, and was shot by Anders Behring Breivik on 22nd July 2011. The bullet-holes and destroyed furniture is left as it was. The Ambisonics recording captures close sounds from the wood, and very subtle whispering from a visitor asking "bulletholes, are these actual bulletholes?" This soundscape-composition is p...

 A street performance as part of the annual Santarcangelo festival, followed by applause and cheering. Recorded by Alexandra Genzini.

This is a binaural recording made in the evening as young people on motorbikes revved through a quiet neighbourhood. This clip includes their approach and driving away, including some peeling out. Recorded by Casey Danielson.

A recording of the main viewpoint above the iconic Old Man of Storr, one of the most famous sights on Skye. From this point, you might expect wind, or silence, or birdsong, but there are so many tourists that all we can hear is drones, selfies and conversation instead of a moment of quiet contemplation of such a majestic view. And this recording is from April, before the tourism season has really...

Sunday mass bells ring out at 11,30am at St. Marienkirche in Berlin city centre.  Recorded in September 2025 in Berlin, Germany by Cities and Memory.

This audio recording was made in Meydan Park, Trabzon, on a rainy day during the March 31, 2024 Turkish local elections rally. It captures an acoustic political environment filled with enthusiastic crowd voices, a speaker with a microphone, and political music, including interpretations of Black Sea melodies. Background sounds of people walking and traffic are also present. Recorded in Trabzon / M...

""The Great Escape" reimagines a Turkish political protest soundfield as a sonic plea for global justice. Every protest is a symptom of a fractured world, a desperate run from oppression toward dignity. But true freedom shouldn't require an escape. We must build an equitable world where human rights are guaranteed, not fought for. When governments serve the people rather than crushing their voices...

"I've added my own field recordings from Scalpsie Bay on the Isle of Bute and Plas Bodfa on Ynys Môn and a sample from Rob MacNeacail performing Gaelic Psalms singing on Radio 4.  "While working on the piece I was thinking about the contrast between empty wild spaces and busy tourist locations and how the landscape persists despite human interference. Also the fun of being on holiday represented b...

"I love the cacophony of the church bells in this field recording, but I wanted to better hear the pattern of—and space between—the individual notes, so I slowed down the audio and processed it through my modular synthesizer to turn it into something akin to a celestial choir. I think it has a mantra-like quality that makes a decent backdrop for meditation or reflection."  Berlin mass bells reimag...

"A meditative and groovy track made by two old friends who've had the rare pleasure of spending a few days together to focus on music, and nothing else. The constant chilly rain in early spring in Austin inspired the somewhat somber mood, as the sounds of dirt bikes conjure up feelings of wanderlust and transience." Dirt bikes in Washington DC reimagined by Mr. Roy and The *Cough Coughs*.

The recording begins after rainfall, while water is still moving through the canopy. Drips arrive from multiple heights, creating irregular but continuous patterns. Each impact carries a different texture depending on the surface, leaf, soil, understory. Bird calls are present but partially absorbed by the density of the environment.  Nothing travels cleanly. Everything is filtered, diffused. Move...

𓂃 ོ☼𓂃 另一个破碎的梦（关于鸟）𓂃 ོ𓂃 or "Another Broken Dream (About Birds)" in English "The original recording already possessed a magical and evocative quality. Drawn to its atmosphere, I began transforming the material through various forms of audio processing, allowing it to unfold into new sonic environments and fictional landscapes. As the piece evolved, it started to evoke the dark and myster...

It's January, and it's raining in Marrakesh for the first time in many months - that doesn't dampen the enthusiasm of the evening musicians, gathered together in circles to sit under umbrellas, sing, clap and play music into the small hours. It was only 8.00pm when this recording was made, but it already felt like an all-night party.  Recorded in Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2026 by Cities and Memo...

"Alwan Echoes takes its name from the Arabic word Alwan, meaning “all the colours.” "In this piece I used marranzanu (the Sicilian jaw harp, also known as scaccia pensieri) and flute, creating a bridge between Southern Italy and Morocco: from echoes of Sicilian tarantella rhythms to a melody inspired by Moroccan musical traditions. The field recording from the square of Marrakech, with its percuss...

Live jazz from one of Paris' top night spots, Le Duc des Lombards - the excellent quartet The Hookup (Geraldine Laurent, Noé Huchard, François and Louis Moutin) play a piece with just the rhythm section, before the whole group joins for a mellow track.  Recorded in Paris, France in February 2026 by Cities and Memory. 

"The piece begins with my daughter singing the title followed by isolated segments from the original field recording deconstructed and treated via tape and modular FX." Live jazz at Le Duc des Lombards, Paris reimagined by Scott Lawrence Whitman.

In Turkish culture, a "hurdacı" refers to a person who collects and sells scrap materials, particularly metals. These individuals typically roam neighborhoods in search of discarded items that can be recycled or resold. They often call out their services as they go door-to-door, announcing their presence with phrases like "Hurdacı!" to alert residents that they're available to collect unwanted met...

"To create this sound piece, I first used the provided recording, which I processed with reverb. I then added other field recordings that I was fortunate enough to make during a trip to Turkey a few years ago, also heavily transformed and processed. Finally, I incorporated a loop played on the bağlama, a traditional Turkish string instrument. "Together, these elements form an oneiric soundscape th...

The sound of warping and weaving on a traditional Canarian loom, alongside the voice of Herminia Pimentel Tejera and the weaving of Jennyfer Cabrera Guerra. A living testimony of the linen cultivation and textile traditions of Gran Canaria, preserved by the Asociación Amigos del Linolillo. Part of the participatory sound mapping project "Voices and Sounds of the Sacred Mountains", by the Union of...

Closing my eyes and listening to the original sound transported me to another place in my mind... a sunny, warm area with a family enjoying a day out. So in this composition, I tried to transport the listener to another dimension - one that felt dreamy with a hint of uncertainty. Created in Bitwig Studio. San Marino cable car reimagined by Tracy Cox.

Koh Samui's fisherman village comes to life at night when the market opens. Here one can buy many trinkets, and enjoy tasty food.  Recorded in Thailand by Jake Edwards.