Cities And Memory

"Slava is a Serbian family celebration which is unique to Serbian Orthodox Christians. For this project, I read documentation on this cultural practice, and it is a tradition that has very deep roots in the Serbian society, which are said to be pre-Christian. I am accustomed to European family celebrations like Christmas and St. Nicholas' Day (in the Netherlands), but Slava has a very different character, because it celebrates health and well-being of family members and close friend, and remembers the deceased in the family.  "There are many symbolic aspects of Slava that are hard to capture in music, like all ritual foods and the blessing and cutting of the "koljivo". However, the field recording of a Serbian Orthodox Slava service was very inspiring. Although I can't understand the words, the musical interplay between priest and choir is glorious, and from my point of view the melodies are also unique and instantly recognizable. "As Slava is a family celebration, it is unlikely tourists can easily experie

(re)place: A Sound Design Exploration of Kraków's Market Square "The field recording of Kraków’s Market Square captures the energy of a living, pulsating space that has survived for centuries. My personal connection to this place lies in my study of the Polish language (during my Bachelors I minored in Slavic Languages), and my subsequent visits to the city as a professional musician. What struck me most in this recording was its mosaic qualities, shifting layers that were independent of each other but unified in subtle ways. My goal was to find these unifying subtleties and explore their resonances and movements musically, and find a way to connect those features to the traditions of its past. This layering of sounds inspired me to conceive of a horizontal splitting of the sample. Typical sample treatment involves splitting a sample vertically, separating elements in time, often to create a repetition pattern that we recognize as rhythm. I thought I would leave time to the larger scale, that of the entire s

"The original train and water sounds inspired me to create a work that suggested the passage of time and the motion of things - a journey. The field recording was edited and collaged with two Moog Subharmonicon patterns applied to support it and frame the original sounds. It documents an imagined journey over the Forth." Forth Bridge reimagined by Alan Cook.  ——————— This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights. Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage

Residents of South Queensferry (and North Queensferry) are familiar with the sonic "rumble" heard when a train passes over The Forth Bridge. The submitted audio recording includes 3 such rumbles and some ambient sounds such as waves lapping on the beach under the bridge. Unfortunately 30th December 2024 when the recording was taken was a very windy day so the mobile phone recording is not very clear, but the wind illustrates the weather conditions that the bridge has endured over its 134 year lifetime (so far). UNESCO listing: The Forth Bridge Recorded by Jim Paterson. ——————— This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights. Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage

"Erica madernsis, Inspired in the sound emmited from water bodies in Levada do Rei in Madeira, Portugal, which is a small island with amazing landscapes, with vast florae, a special place with it's own oddities & singularities in the endemical plants that inhabit there. E. madernsis is one of those endemycal plants, that although being small, intrepid, perennial, ramified and bushy, now is also in critical extinction status. "E. Madernsis survives thanks to the water bodies — recorded on audio 162 — embracing and allowing it to perdure and overcome it's cease of existence. For this reason, nature's field recordings are so interesting for me and takes me to research which kind of problematics exist on these spaces that had been modified throughout time, and whom, invite me to create a sensitive piece that can share my ideas of conservation. "Then, the work in Erica Madernsis was created with a technique of sonification of a small fragment of the DNA of the forementioned plant. This sonnification system w

In the recording, the heart of Kraków’s Market Square comes alive with the dynamic sounds of a lively marketplace. Happy crowds weave through the market, searching for deals, while the rhythmic footfalls of eager buyers punctuate the energy of the square. The timeless spirit of markets, the energy of commerce, connection, and exchange - is palpable in every sound, where all of life feels concentrated in one place. There’s a sense of continuity in the air, where centuries of commerce and community echo in the present moment. This space, though constantly shifting with modern life, retains the ancient energy of human connection - an ever-evolving rhythm where the past and present speak to one another in a chorus of sounds. UNESCO listing: Historic Centre of Kraków Recorded by Serge Bulat ——————— This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights. Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage

Slava is celebrated in family home as well as in the chruch. This is a recording of divine liturgy in church with people inside who celebrate that day's saint. you can hear priests singing and reading the bible, stories about the saint and his legacy. Recorded at Crkva prenosa moštiju svetog Nikole, Melenci, Serbia, April 2023. UNESCO listing: Slava, celebration of family saint patron’s day Recorded by Danilo Crnogorac. ——————— This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights. Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage

"As the primary sound from the original field recording, I chose to loop a section featuring what sounds like an older woman talking and laughing. To me, she seems like someone who has been to the market many times—perhaps even works there. Her laugh carries an element of mystery and wisdom. By looping this moment, I wanted to express how, although time passes and this recording captures just a moment from a single day, the market itself—hopefully—remains, as it has for many years. "I also included a section featuring a young child, perhaps in a pram, playing with a squeaky toy. Birds can be heard, along with a wonderfully cheerful greeting from a vibrant young woman—"¡Hola, cómo estás?"—spoken in a way that could only bring a smile to your face. "At 3:29 in the original 7-minute-plus field recording, there is a sound after the woman’s laughter that resembles the notes of a flute. This moment inspired the flute riff I played. The flute is an important traditional instrument in Peruvian music, so I though it

"I love a creaky door sound anytime, but this one was particularly special. The slow movement of this ancient door in Ushguli village as it groaned and rumbled on its rusty hinges was evocative of the remote mountain landscape it came from. You can almost smell the freshness of the air and feel the solidity of the village’s decadent medieval stone Svan towers. I had never heard of this place until this recording prompted me to explore it via Googlemaps, and it has certainly captivated me to go and visit one day. "My track, which takes its name from the collection of five remote hamlets that form the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Upper Svaneti region of Northern Georgia, is a journey of possibilities with echoes of a time gone by. I created the pulsing distorted rhythms using granular synthesis of time stretched samples of the door recording. I imagined the glitchy grains of sound bouncing between the walls, up through the rafters and out into the valley. There are moments of energy and moments of calm, a

In the remote and rugged landscapes of Upper Svaneti, Georgia, life is shaped by the rhythms of isolation and endurance. This high-altitude region, often snowbound for much of the year, is home to ancient villages where time seems to stand still. The creak of an old, weathered door in an abandoned home carries the echoes of past generations — its rusty hinges groaning like whispers from another era. It’s a sound both haunting and poetic, set against the dramatic backdrop of Europe’s highest peaks. UNESCO listing: Upper Svaneti Recorded by Rafael Diogo. IMAGE: Florian Pinel, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons ——————— This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights. Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage

This recording captures a moment I stoped on a walking along a "levada," a traditional water channel originally built to transport water from the north of the island. These networks of aqueducts stretch across many kilometres and are accompanied by narrow walking paths, open to the public and popular among tourists. It runs through a high-altitude area characterised by lush greenery and dense forest.  The soundscape is dominated by the birds, wind, and the abundance of water—whether gently flowing through the channels or rushing in small streams. In this recording, alongside the sound of rain, you can hear the levada flowing to the right and a river farther below, creating a gentle, droning ambiance. Subtly in the background, the distant voices of other walkers. My brother was eager to share this levada walk with his girlfriend, and I decided to join them with the hope of capturing both the natural soundscape and the human presence. UNESCO listing: Laurisilva of Madeira Recorded by Tiago Tobias. ———————

In Cusco’s vibrant street markets, life bursts forth in a riot of color and sound. Andean communities descend from the mountains, bringing their handcrafted goods, fresh produce, and unique traditions. The air is filled with laughter, music, and the hum of conversations in Quechua and Spanish — a sensory feast that encapsulates the spirit of the Andes. UNESCO listing: City of Cuzco Recorded by Rafael Diogo. ——————— This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights. Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage

Sounds from San Pascual alley at Zacatecas downtown. Stereo 48kHz 24bit. UNESCO listing: Historic Centre of Zacatecas Recorded by Erick Ruiz Arellano. ——————— This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights. Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage

Kraków’s St. Mary’s Basilica, with its towering Gothic spires, radiates an atmosphere of reverence and connection. The recording immerses you in the tranquil energy of a service unfolding within its sacred walls. The priest’s voice reverberates gently through the space, guiding the congregation, while the soft cadence of collective prayers fills the air. You can hear the quiet exchange of worshippers, some whispering in unison, others reflecting in their personal space. What stands out is the palpable sense of unity, where the energy of the service brings people together. You can hear the hum of connection between individuals - voices merging, the rustling of the congregation as they shift together, and the warmth of shared faith. It’s a soundscape that holds both serenity and connection, a powerful reminder of the bonds formed within these ancient walls. It feels like an intimate glimpse into the sacred space of the basilica, where the atmosphere is not just shaped by the building, but by the collective pr

"This piece is inspired by a soundscape recorded at St. Mary’s Basilica by Serge Bulat. In my initial listening to the piece, and in the reading of their text, I was stuck by characteristic sounds and qualities of a culturally significant space on several levels. First the space itself - a basilica, which is a place of worship, contemplation and reflection ( both in the literal sense of the acoustics of a space and in the intangible sense of mind and spirit’s reflection.) In this sense I seek to preserve the feeling of these spaces, as a sonic image with an intangible heritage. In this sense, a portrait and an immersion into a feeling of a place, replete with the sense of community, unity and gathering. I particularly concentrated on the voices and the overall body of the priest and the congregation, underlining perhaps less of the idea of attractive architecture, but rather that of a serene, connected presence of gathering people - each with a distinct voice, yet part of a large collective voice, in an ancie

"The call to prayer carries deep cultural and spiritual significance. This recording from Essaouira captivated me, not just as a religious ritual, but as an acoustic force, inseparably tied to its surroundings. I wanted to explore what happens when this call is taken out of its original space. How does it transform? How does it resonate elsewhere? "My remix places the sound into new, imagined environments. Through layering and sonic shifts, the composition lets the call echo through different spaces—as if moving through cities, buildings, landscapes. The original recording remains untouched, no additional sounds were introduced. "This piece exists between sound preservation and reinterpretation. Field recordings are often seen as fixed documents, tied to a place and time. But sound is never static. It changes with its surroundings, shaped by resonance and space. "As cities shift through tourism and globalization, so do their sounds. How much of a place’s original sonic identity remains? And what happens wh

"I really like the peaceful ambience of the recording and it got me thinking about how we tend to miss these opportunities to connect with a place and time due to busy lifestyles, multitasking and being glued to our phone screens, especially when it’s off the beaten track like an alleyway where this recording was taken. "So my approach was to create a piece that is uptempo, capturing snippets of sounds that you tend to hear when not actively listening, transitioning to a more ethereal ambience reflecting on how you realise that you should have been more present - but only when thinking about it afterwards. "I’ve used a range of synths and sample based instruments for ambience and sound effects along with a range of reverbs and delays to create a sense of space and time." Historic Centre of Zacatecas reimagined by Andy Lyon. ——————— This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights. Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandme

"Upon hearing Paul Virostek’s recording from the villages and communities living in the Angkor War temple complex I was immediately transported to my experiences of field recording in Indonesia. The bustling life around the sacred spaces is very similar and this inspired me to combine my recordings in Indonesia with Paul’s recordings from Cambodia, a place I long to visit.  "Indonesia is a strong supporter of peace and stability in Cambodia and the two countries have close diplomatic relationships. Both countries value their cultural heritage through religion, dance and music and particularly their sacred spaces. Cambodia has Angkor Wat, while Indonesia treasures the Borobudur Temple and the Prambanan Temple Compounds. My composition aims to demonstrate the closeness of these two nearby countries. I used field recordings from Indonesia, and at home I recorded bells and a bird scarer automaton used in rice fields." Angkor Wat reimagined by Claire Pannell aka Furchick. ——————— This sound is part of the Soni

"Inspired by the main pipes from the sample, I’ve crafted a ravey, powerful, and emotional soundscape, rooted in a delirium of glitch and floating particles. The composition captures the essence of a secret gathering deep within the forest—a celebration of sound, humanity, and the spirit of Mother Earth. It evokes an ecstatic atmosphere, mirroring the apotheosis of creation and the infinite, ever-shifting parallel micro-realities that intertwine within it." Surva Festival reimagined by John Ov3rblast. IMAGE: Sjordanov, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons ——————— This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights. Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage

"Cultural heritage can be a strange one, as it can range from mass cultural significance to something on a more personal level. This sound spoke to me for many reasons on a more personal level. I grew up in South London so didn't really go to a lot of the "tourist" areas of London, as they were just somewhere we could reach in an hour on the train, they were not going anywhere. The Tower had been around for hundreds of years so there was no rush. It wasn't until I moved to the north of the UK and had a family that we had a reason to visit a lot of tourist attractions with our son.  "It wasn't until I started working on this sound that I remembered I got to visit the Tower of London when I was younger as a friend was related to a chaplain who lived at the property. We got to walk around the grounds after dark, bringing a very different experience to the full on cacophony of sounds that you would hear in the daytime. Another angle that resonated with me was the sound of the tour guide themself. A good tour gui