Cities And Memory

"I've long been fascinated by sunsets; no two are alike. Where I live currently (early-2026 as of this writing), we have "The Golden Hour" every evening - named for the color of the sun's waning light as it travels through more of the Earth's atmosphere, making for longer, warmer wavelengths, or a "golden" atmospheric glow that on the best days can be all encompassing. "I'm also fascinated by how light travels relative to perceived time, and as such, the bent light of a sunset we observe is 8-minutes removed from the true sun's positioning - emphasizing this point, we're quite literally seeing the past inside the present with every day's new sunset, not unlike every star in the night sky thereafter, shown as distant-travelled light from things long past. Every sunset, like every star in the night sky, is a eulogy of distant daylight past and gone, never to be repeated the same again, and only observable by us in that moment. "This is a composition saying farewell to the day's light, as it travels further int

This recording takes place at Charlie Beach on Koh Mook, Thailand during the sunset hour. Listen to the combination of waves hitting the shore, the chatter of people and cicadas buzzing as the day comes to an end.Recorded by Jake Edwards.

"For most of my life, I have lived near the sea. The quiet sounds of wind, rustling reeds, and seabirds sit in memory alongside the sound of waves. Even as a boy, I imagined distant sounds, where ships, foghorns, and buoys blended with what was heard."In this work, I keep my presence quiet and spacious. It remains present without dominating. The original binaural recording stays intact. I have added only a few subtle elements that sit within the existing sound rather than interrupt it."Po Delta beach soundscape reimagined by Paul Beaudoin.

Wind blows gently in the reeds on a wild driftwood beach only accessible by boat in the Po Delta, Italy, with periodic bird calls also audible, June 2025.Recorded by Cities and Memory. 

Coyotes howl on the eve of the vernal equinox, joined by a community of dogs. A car passes along the winding road beneath our apartment window. Raindrops tap the rain gutter, weaving into the sacred sounds of the last night of winter.Recorded in Portland, USA by Bethany Carder and Abram Morphew.

"Years ago, at Algonquin Provincial Park, we lined up along a dark campground road in total silence along with hundreds of other campers. The Naturalist howled three times, but only received silence in return. Then two Naturalists called together. The forest on both sides of the road erupted in deafening howls from many, many wolves. One of the coolest things I've ever experienced."Coyotes and rain in Portland reimagined by Marc Bernard.

Based on a recording made atop the tallest peak in Thailand, Doi Inthanon, this piece evokes the wonder of looking out across the entire country, with the sounds of birdsong reverberating around you. The slightly clipped bass sounds, and the whole mix being sent through a tape doubler, gives a woozy sense of height and breathlessness, while the synth pads and manipulated guitars are an expression of the beauty of the natural order of things.  Towards the top of the peak stand two adjacent chedis, one called Naphamethinidon (นภเมทินีดล), meaning 'by the strength of the land and air', and the other, Naphaphonphumisiri (นภพลภูมิสิริ), meaning 'being the strength of the air and the grace of the land', the latter of which names this track.Doi Inthanon peak, Thailand reimagined by Cities and Memory. Photo by Ash Edmonds on Unsplash.

A lively resident crow is the star in this walkthrough of Gare de Lyon in Paris - while we can hear the usual hall reverb, trolley bags, travellers chatting away and platform announcements, this crow is letting his presence be known to everyone, cawing loudly and persistently as if to say "hey, this station is mine too, you know!". Recorded in Paris, France in February 2026 by Cities and Memory. 

"Four years in France, regular trips From near Lyon to Paris, via the Gare de Lyon and my familiars — the crows — the track evoked those memories."Gare de Lyon, Paris reimagined by Dennis Moser.

Hiking at the Kew Mae Pan trail, Chiang Mai, Thailand. With the perfect view of nature things at the top of the mountain. A little bit tired but it was such a happy day.Recorded by sound_of__memories.Photo by Ash Edmonds on Unsplash.

"When I received the field recording by Daniel Mackenzie I thought 'what an absolute gift!' All the elements to make a remix are all contained in the original field recording. I used a Roland SP404 mk2 to sketch out the fundamentals, and to focus on what parts to sample, and mastered in Ableton. "Rudimentary effects were used (filters, eq, delay & reverb) but no synths whatsoever; the piece only contains samples from the original field recording. "I had an absolute blast doing this, and I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed working with it!" Lamma Island playground reimagined by Rod Dykeman

A recording taken which captures a moment of life away from the intensity that Hong Kong is associated with. Lamma Island is a short boat ride away and has a unique calm that is almost unimaginable when you've spent several weeks in the nearby city. The sounds of children playing are atmospheric and contrasting against passing vehicles, and occasional sounds of wildlife.Recorded by Daniel Mackenzie. 

"The tranquil atmosphere of the field recording, the birdsong and the soft cooing of the pigeons in the background immediately appealed to me."First, I spectrally cleaned the recording in an attempt to distil its acoustic essence. The next step was to isolate individual distinctive sounds and rearrange them in time. These form the intro and outro of the piece."Secondly, I was faced with the question: what actually defines the location of the recording, Mayenne in France? The answer to this, spoken in French (which was, of course, only rudimentary), forms the three vocal sections of the piece."As a third element, I felt I still needed instrumental music to symbolise the rural and tranquil atmosphere of the place. For this, a lively, folk-inspired song featuring acoustic instruments (guitar, accordion, bass and subtle percussion) seemed the most fitting."I hope the people of Mayenne like this piece and see it as a tribute to their town."Mayenne soundscape reimagined by Martin Juenke.

We can hear the "noises" coming from the garden of the house. This house is located at the entrance to the city, right behind a commercial area.It is around 10:30 this Saturday, February 22, 2025.The sun emerging from the gray morning mass, birds, light and other small elements are taking possession of the place.The walls cut off the sounds coming from the commercial area, the garden extends to the edge of the river below.In the distance, we can hear the sounds of the city.Nature is right next to this area of ​​activity, free and strong. No one pays attention to it. It evolves and sings at its own pace.Recorded in Mayenne, France by Philippe Neau.

| This recording captures the Maasai people living in one of the most remote regions of Kenya, near the invisible borders with Tanzania in the Loita Hills. It focuses on various Maasai widows as they work, their movements intertwined with the melodic songs they sing in their native language. Their voices carry the weight of experience, tradition, and resilience, echoing across the village and surrounding landscape.The environment unfolds through subtle layers of sound. The rhythm of daily work, sweeping, grinding, and tending to tasks, blends naturally with their singing, creating a living soundscape where life and culture are inseparable. The melodies and words of the Maasai language reveal a deep connection to land, custom, and communal identity.The soundscape is immersive yet delicate. Each word and each note carries meaning, telling stories of history, survival, and belonging. There is no single focal point, allowing the listener to enter the world of the Maasai women as they experience it, a fully inhab

"The moment I received the sound file, I was pretty assured I knew exactly what I was going to do. While the words of the tribal song change, the melody alongside the call & response from the widows of the Maasai tribe of Kenya spoke to me in its repetitious, looped like fashion, and as such, I wanted to treat the file a bit like how Reich did his seminal minimalist "Come Out" (1966) composition, and as such I looped, layered, delayed, and effected layers upon layers of the widows singing, slowly introducing further layers and effects as the composition's time goes on. "It has long been my understanding that African tribal songs are rooted in a deep spiritual connection with our planet, and the cosmos, and as such, I crafted an ambient drone from the NASA Sonifications of Galaxy M94, which by absolute serendipity paired perfectly with the song of the widows. "I've added an additional Roland SH2 synth layer, a slow attack and release sub bass, and a random arp on a Yamaha DS55 Music Box patch with some ef

"The original sound recording immediately reminded me of peaceful moments spent watching light glinting on the water. I improvised to the birds, the sound of the water lapping against the dock and what I imagined to be the sunlight shimmering on the water. "Each time I sat at the piano, I listened out for a different element to respond to and then played around with the sound of each part. I wanted to place myself on that dock, dipping my feet into the cool water, surrounded by all these blissful elements."Floating dock at Lake Chiusi reimagined by Jess Bryant.

The recording is from April 7, 2025 and was made at Lake Chiusi located in the Val di Chiana in the province of Siena, Tuscany. A small floating dock was chosen as the audio recording point. The banging of the dock accompanies the listening of the lake soundscape. It is the lake itself that, with its movement, 'plays' this dock. The random rhythm generated is grafted onto the very rich acoustic environment of the lake.Recorded by Nicola Fumo Frattegiani.

The day is coming to an end for the small port town of Cabusao, with most bamboo boats securely tied to the seawall bordering the makeshift and cement homes of the people to restless horizon of the San Miguel Bay. High tide approaches, so two biologists take a battered old tricycle to catch their boat home before the waves get too strong for their ride to dock safely for boarding. From the guttural sputtering of the old motorcycle to the bendy creaking of the rusty carriage, imagine the fish port moving past you all while sitting still. Recorded in the Philippines by Timothy Romero.

"The recording I chose was quite full on, noise-wise, but also incredibly evocative. It felt like a travelogue, and inspired by this and an old audio montage technique used by 'Bomb The Bass' on their debut album 'Into The Dragon', I decided to create a kind of jangling, noisy audio travelogue, featuring localised Filipino radio broadcasts, classical Filipino music, youth-oriented TV interviews, and a sampled, looped, heavily treated rhythm; all anchored by the fluctuating, almost synth-like drone sounds of the original sound recording."Cabusao tricycle ride, Philippines reimagined by Tazer McFictionzap.