Cities And Memory

"The field recording I worked with was of an everyday moment; the beeps and clicks of a traffic light, and as soon as I heard it I was singing along, exploring the sounds - it took me away to a place of implied melodies, textures and rhythms - much like incidental sounds sometimes do that in 'real life', whether it's birdsong, a snatch of a melody or the hum of jet engines. It's all inspiration and invitation." Tallinn pedestrian crossing reimagined by de Velden.

The distinctive ticking of a pedestrian crossing on a busy road in Tallinn, which gets quicker to let you know it's time to cross, and slower when it's time to wait.  Recorded in September 2024 by Cities and Memory. 

This recording was taken while ascending on a chair ski lift. The mountain is sparse, empty and still with no wind. The only sound is the machinery and distant voices of a few skiers. This was my first trip abroad in 2022 since the COVID-19 pandemic had struck the world. Recorded in Ortisei, Italy by Antek Rutczynski.

 I developed my composition from the gentle hubbub of people inside the echoey library of one of the world’s great universities: the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)— the National Autonomous University of Mexico. In July 2007, UNESCO proclaimed the UNAM Central Library, along with the UNAM Campus as World Heritage sites. The recording was created by Mexican sound recordist par excellence Erick Ruiz Arrellano.  This simple spatial human reverberance at UNAM generated multiple sound memories for me, with intersecting  connections. The key connection is between my research on 1920s nationalism and the high energy Dance of the Old Men, from the P’urhépecha peoples of Michoacán; and Mexico’s current presidenta, Dr. Claudia Scheinbaum Pardo, who studied at, and was then a professor at UNAM, working on energy and climate change. For her undergraduate thesis she spent time in the P’urhépecha region working on energy and stoves.  My composition juxtaposes and interweaves various sonic fragments and thr

Library at UNAM. Stereo 48kHz 24bit. Recorded in Mexico City by Erick Ruiz Arellano.

A classic soundscape of Oban harbour, starting with serving up langoustines, crabs and mussels in the seafood shack, a walk along the harbour wall and then a huge ferry slowly arrives.  Towards the end of the recording, the throbbing drone of the engines blends with the creak of massive mooring ropes straining against the ferry's capstans.  Recorded in April 2025 in Oban, Scotland by Cities and Memory. 

A couple with acoustic guitars entertain themselves - and all the passers-by - singing and playing folk songs underneath the lighthouse in Bremerhaven. Recorded in Bremerhaven, Germany in May 2025 by Cities and Memory. 

It's early October 2020, the Australian springtime is in full swing. We are at a beautiful large property in the Tweed Valley, owned by members of our family. Down the hill from the residence, there is a dammed creek bordered on the opposite bank by dense trees of the National Park. It's just getting dark at 6.30pm.  Down at the dam the soundscape is alive with a background of cicadas. Closer in, Tree frogs and other species are calling. The air is humid and mosquitoes will descend on any exposed flesh. Recorded in Stokers Siding, Australia by Martin Franklin.

"After listening to the sample, we started working on it isolating the voice, guitar, and other ambient sounds. By manipulating these elements, we created the main synths and textures that form the piece. We instinctively imagined a story centred around an unknown civilisation, witnessing a mysterious ritual, after having created the first synth sound, which you can hear at the very beginning. "One should picture being aboard a ship with a life of its own, its breathing perceptible through the textures of the composition. The ship is docked on the coast near the lighthouse where the original recording was captured, in an alternate version of Germany, different from the one we know.* "A man and his followers are in the midst of a ritual, which is followed by the crafting of a mysterious object and the awakening of an entity at the end of the piece. We sense euphoric people moving through the space, expressing themselves with laughter and various vocalizations. The chorus of followers responds to the one lead

"Since this project is based on the experience of landscapes and memory, starting this immediately intrigued me; while searching through the archive of sound recordings I found one recorded in Oban, Scotland.  "I had a memorable visit there once before in summer 1998, and this recording brought back that day in the city, the harbor and the ferry to the islands we visited. The feeling of the place (both in memory and the immediacy of the recording) suggested an approach that keeps the original recording largely intact, while bringing my own experience into confluence with it." Oban harbour, Scotland reimagined by Toby Kaufmann-Buhler.

"I listened to the naturescape a few times before becoming inspired to add some instrumentation. Improvising chord progressions at different tempos allowed me to balance between harmony and animal sounds to have their own space.  "I collaborated with a long, dear friend of mine who has grown into an excellent producer. We had gone back and forth with our ideas for this track and are proud of what we made. Big thanks to Stuart for putting this project together." Stokers Siding, Australia reimagined by Bruhemian & Hellcat Sneer.

Being in Shanghai was strange and beautiful — a blend of wonder and solitude. The culture felt distant, not unfriendly, but quiet in a way I hadn’t expected. In the depths of the metro, people moved like rivers — flowing, efficient, barely speaking.  Unlike the crowded noise of European subways, here the sounds were hushed: soft footsteps, the occasional laugh, or a whisper passing between friends. Most were silent, eyes down, voices lost to screens. And yet, I found comfort in the station announcements — their calm rhythm, their clarity. A kind of mechanical poetry that grounded me in the flow of an unfamiliar city. Recorded by Rafael Diogo.

"Melodic ambient soundscape, underlined with the voices from the station. Floating pads, atmospheric aesthetics.Esoteric dialogue for a deep diving and emotional layers of kindness." Shanghai metro reimagined by John Ov3rblast.

"A lot of my current work includes text so I was drawn towards this recording of a sound installation of people talking. I edited the original audio so that most of the sound between the speaking was removed. I then put that file through the software that I developed for an earlier work that chops the original audio up into smaller sections and plays those sections back at random times, volumes and positions in the stereo field.  "I have then processed the final recording to make it sound more like a surveillance recording through a small speaker and added a drone that runs through the piece."  Bowler hat exhibit at Blenheim Palace reimagined by Simon Belshaw.

At Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England (the birthplace of prime minister Winston Churchill), there are exhibitions dotted around about ways of life at the palace over the years. The entire stables area is converted into a museum about past ways of life in the grounds, one of which is a series of traditional English bowler hats suspended from the ceiling. Each hat contains a speaker, which plays interviews with workers from the palace estate, talking about their jobs and daily lives. As you walk around underneath the hats, you're exposed to a sound collage of lives being revealed to you.  Recorded by Cities and Memory. 

"I have used the source track recorded in a church in Valletta, which is an ambient recording of a sacred space and created a composite sound piece to show a sound world to reflect inner and outer sacred spaces. The additional sounds are from my own field recordings of woodland sounds, myself and my daughter singing in Merlin's Cave in Tintagel, a heartbeat repeating, and a choir singing at rehearsal.   The Our Lady of Victory church in Valletta reimagined by Mary Hooper.

The Our Lady of Victory Church in Valletta, the first church and building completed in the city, carries with it centuries of history and gratitude. Commissioned by Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette in 1566 as a thanksgiving offering after the Great Siege of Malta, its walls have stood as a tribute to both faith and resilience.  Today, the church echoes with the sighs of anticipation as people gather for a baroque concert beneath its grand arches. Amid the summer heat, the faint buzz of fans offers a quiet counterpoint to the sacred stillness, blending with the whispers and soft steps of concertgoers. As the space fills with the energy of the present moment, the church’s rich historical legacy lingers in the background, awaiting the first notes of the performance to lift the air.  This recording immerses us in a moment where the rich history of the space resonates alongside the growing anticipation of a new musical experience, creating a dynamic atmosphere in this timeless setting. Recorded by Serge Bul

"I envisioned a hot day in Italy a large square full of restaurants people eating lunch and the waiters movements as they serve the guests. Using sounds from the soundscape as a backdrop with elements pulled out and repeated ,some Foley sounds of my own for table and restaurant atmosphere." Treviso city soundscape reimagined by Al Mavrik.

A very hot August afternoon in Treviso, Italy. The city is on its post-lunch break, while the sun is at its hottest - shops are closed, there are very few cars or pedestrians, and everyone is seeking shade. We sit under a tree next to the river and record the sounds of a city a rest in the summer. Recorded by Cities and Memory.  

A huge, multi-organisation street protest in Paris, France, recorded on 14 December 2024. Multiple groups, ranging from labour rights and workers' organisations to pro-Palestine campaigners march through the city, with music, drumming, dancing, chanting through megaphones and in large groups. This recording comes from close to Barbès–Rochechouart metro station, and you can also hear trains clattering in the background in places during the recording as we move back and forth around the crowds. Recorded by Cities and Memory.