Cities And Memory - Remixing The World podcast

4:26

Interview with Cities and Memory founder Stuart Fowkes on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme on 18 April 2025, introducing the Sonic Heritage project. Features sound clips from the Tower of London, the Sistine Chapel and Valparaiso, Chile.

Cities and Memory - remixing the world

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BBC World Service Newshour: Sonic Heritage interview, 18 April 2025 4:33

6 days ago4:33

4:33

Interview with Cities and Memory founder Stuart Fowkes on BBC World Service's Newshour programme on 18 April 2025, introducing the Sonic Heritage project. Features sound clips from the Sistine Chapel, Coimbra in Portugal and Okarito in New Zealand.

Cities and Memory - remixing the world

1
The place of greenstone 6:45

17 days ago6:45

6:45

"It was fascinating in the course of working on this piece to learn more about the significance of the Te Wahipounamu region to the Māori people, and to read of the world-building legends about how this part of the world came into being. "I wanted to hold this sense of the sacred close to me as I explored the sound - and what it represented - more deeply. This piece contemplates the very different meanings of the same heritage space to different people. What might be one person's stunning view or rewarding hike could be another person's sacred space, and in exploring the world we are also intruding into other people's worlds and values, and must be respectful of that. This is a composition of contemplation, repetition and respect. The title comes from the Māori translation of Te Wahipounamu - 'the place of greenstone'." Okarito soundscape reimagined by Cities and Memory. ——————— 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…

Cities and Memory - remixing the world

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Dawn chorus at Okarito 18:16

17 days ago18:16

18:16

This is a recording of a dawn chorus after two days of hard rain at Ōkārito. Pīpipi Brown Creepers, Mātata Fernbird, Tauhou Silvereyes, and other manu birds are busy feeding and grooming in the warm sunlight. Mixing with this birdsong is the constant rumble of waves that can be heard wherever you are in town. The trail where this was recorded was dripping with rainwater and steaming as the temperature quickly rose. Residents and visitors to Ōkārito frequent this trail as it leads up to a gorgeous view of the native bush, lagoon, and beach. UNESCO listing: Te Wahipounamu Recorded by Janina Castro. ——————— 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…

Cities and Memory - remixing the world

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Sitting concession 6:28

17 days ago6:28

6:28

"The overlapping sounds – the drone's gentle pulse, the lingering reverb, the admiring whispers, and the sacred music – create a dreamlike and immersive experience. It's as if the drone has become a silent witness, its sonic capture blending the everyday wonder of visitors with the profound spiritual atmosphere of a Christmas Mass. The drawn-out notes act as a unifying force, binding these disparate sounds into a cohesive and emotionally resonant whole, a sonic meditation on the Basilica's enduring beauty and its role as a place of both artistic appreciation and profound faith. The recording becomes a hauntingly beautiful reimagining, a drone's-eye (or ear) view into the soul of Sant'Antonio." Interior of Sant'Antonio, Padova reimagined by Karhide. ——————— 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…

Cities and Memory - remixing the world

1
Clinch variant 5:50

17 days ago5:50

5:50

At the heart of the recording is the simple, almost nostalgic sound of a small stereo playing the Kokiriko bushi melody with its slightly lo-fi quality. For this remix, the original recording has been cleaned, removing unwanted noise while preserving the inherent intimacy of the space. Layers additional music have been introduced, transforming the raw performance into a chilled-out sonic journey. Kokiriko bushi reimagined by Karhide. ——————— 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…

Cities and Memory - remixing the world

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St. Anthony's relics 5:24

17 days ago5:24

5:24

In the Basilica di Sant'Antonio in Padova, in which we can hear tourists admiring the amazing church and its incredible frescos, statues and artworks, as well as a Christmas service taking place in the centre of the church. We join the queue to view the relics of St. Anthony, which include the saint's tongue, jawbone and vocal chords. UNESCO listing: Padua’s fourteenth-century fresco cycles Recorded by Cities and Memory. ——————— 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…

Cities and Memory - remixing the world

1
Kokiriko bushi 5:00

17 days ago5:00

5:00

The sound recorded is of an exibition of the Kokiriko bushi traditional dance. A man, in traditional clothes, plays a song on a little stereo and dances in front of a small audience. The setting is a traditional house made of dark timber, embers shine in the ash pit in the middle of the room. As he dances he plays the binzasara, a traditional instrument that can double as a decoration to ward off evil at home. UNESCO listing: Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama Recorded by Riccardo Fumagalli. ——————— 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…

Cities and Memory - remixing the world

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In the metro, Novosibirsk 2:19

18 days ago2:19

2:19

Recording from the Novosibirsk metro, Russia. Recorded by Pavel Lopatin

Cities and Memory - remixing the world

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Resonant protest in Tirana 1:53

18 days ago1:53

1:53

Many of Albania’s voices are political, and this recording demonstrates that this remains true today. Captured in Skanderbeg Square, in the heart of Tirana, this recording showcases the soundscape of a protest organized by the opposition party, the Democratic Party of Albania. In the recording, the voice of the individual speaking into the microphone during the protest in front of Tirana City Hall reverberates off the nearby museum, opera house, and Hotel Tirana surrounding the square. The preparations for the fair and the speeches happening in the square are also included in this recording, contributing to the intricate soundscape of the area. Recorded by Uğur Aslan.…

Cities and Memory - remixing the world

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In metropoliten 12:29

18 days ago12:29

12:29

Recorded sounds are synthesised with electronic sounds, creating new timbres and syntheses. Novosibirsk metro, Russia reimagined by Pavel Lopatin.

Cities and Memory - remixing the world

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Walls that resist 5:19

18 days ago5:19

5:19

"Protests embody unrest, tension, and hope. They are activities that display these contrasts while effectively utilizing sound. In this interpretation, I sampled a protest recording from Tirana and approached it in four distinct ways. The first is in its original form. The second features a louder megaphone effect. The third presents a distorted, unclear, and incomprehensible sound enhanced with a phased bite effect. The fourth highlights noise alongside speech. These four interpretations simultaneously convey feelings of tension, uncertainty, and hope, complemented by pads and chord accompaniments." Tirana protest reimagined by Uğur Aslan.…

Cities and Memory - remixing the world

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Peter and Paul Fortress Carillon 6:37

21 days ago6:37

6:37

Peter and Paul Fortress Carillon (i believe it was a rehearsal). I randomly walked into the sound of the bells and made a recording directly under the cathedral on the empty night square. UNESCO listing: Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments Recorded by Masha Sha. IMAGE: Alex 'Florstein' Fedorov, 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…

Cities and Memory - remixing the world

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Together 3:04

24 days ago3:04

3:04

"I was attracted to working with a recording from Thailand for personal reasons. I travelled there some years ago, and lived in a border town, where I volunteered helping a local NGO working with refugees from Burma I had never visited Ayutthaya and the temples, so this work is a chance to visit it in some way. I had visited some other Buddhist temples, and the places and the moods of those experiences are present to me. "In this field recording, I was initially attracted to the stick/brushing sounds, and I thought of working on a percussive composition using strokes. As it turned out I had less time than I would have needed to compose music, and I ended up working only with field recordings. I was also inspired by the voices in the recording. I cannot understand their meaning. I am guessing the setting is a ritual of some sort. But it might be a profane activity. I did a small amount of research, but not enough to enlighten me on this. I considered finding a translator to help. Finally, I chose to follow my intuition, and leave it open and uncertain for the time being. "The temples I visited in Thailand were open and welcoming places. The sound in this recording expresses this to me. It suggests the availability of the space to sacred and profane presences at once. I imagine this as an open setting which represents a welcoming and non-judgemental space. "The file I have submitted contains a blend of four field recordings. 1. The source recording. 2. A motorway joining the edge of the city (Luxembourg) 3. Inside the Cathedral Notre Dame in Luxembourg city 4. The Petruss valley: morning birdsong, Cathedral bells "Recording 3: The geographical distance I inhabit from the source location in Thailand, and the temporal distance from own experience of visiting Thailand, inspired me to make a connection from there to place where I live. I chose to visit a local sacred building; not a temple, but a religious edifice in my city: the Cathedral Notre Dame. I had hoped to stumble upon a similar kind of sound, perhaps an incidental event. I wanted to avoid any overly religious scenarios, as both soundwise and in meaning I didn’t feel an interest for them in this context. As it happened, I sat in the Cathedral in the morning, and the scenario unfolded just as I had hoped. Just after I was seated and began recording, I heard footsteps approaching the prayer alcove not far from me: someone had come to light a votive candle. There was no other activity in the Cathedral at the time, so this action is well audible in detail, recorded from a distance of about five metres. "Recording 2: Before making that recording, I had been standing near a highway entrance/exit, at the edge of my city. The cars were coming evenly from both directions. Sonically rich, and apt in meaning, representing a journey in both directions, and journey makers from both orientations crossing paths, and this repeating over and over. "Recording 4: On the way to the Cathedral for recording 2, I passed through the stunning valley of the Petruss in the city centre. The birdsong in this natural setting seemed the perfect contrast to the highway I had recorded previously. The juxtaposition of these recordings isn’t a sharp contrast. Both are made outdoors, and have tons of natural background ambiance. To my ear the cars and the birds are one vibration resonating in the sky, and the recordings sit with each other nicely. "These four recordings are blended together to make the following propositions: "There is a connection between distant places with shared practices (ritual), and common principles in the use of space (temple/church as place of welcome). "As a metaphor for openness and welcome of both sacred and profane modes of being in a single space, contrasting settings are juxtaposed (cars on a motorway, birds in a wooded valley). The journey between one place and another may go in both directions (cars moving in opposite directions). All the above are held in a totality, represented by nature (valley and resonance of sound, birdsong). "The single continuous recording throughout the piece is a single take inside a cathedral. It is the last track to fade out at the end. The space in this sound is the space of the observer, holding together the connections suggested in the piece. "The only audio processing used was a EQ low cut filters on the outdoor recordings. The mixing of the levels for the various fades in and out of the tracks was done with volume automation control in Logic Pro." Temple sticks at Ayutthaya reimagined by Alan Kavanagh. IMAGE: H191, 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…

Cities and Memory - remixing the world

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Proton motive force 6:20

25 days ago6:20