Cities and Memory - remixing the world

"Such an evocative sound on the original field recording of the old city of Aswan in Egypt. Footsteps, birds, cars all evoke a nostalgic feeling while the call to prayer resounds overhead. I tried to keep the original sound to the foreground and add background elements which further enhance the sense of atmosphere." Aswan old neighbourhood reimagined by Derek Barlas.

"I treated the printing press sound as a "percussion instrument" and embedded it within my recorded percussion tracks. The printing press from Egypt inspired me to play African drums (djembe) and add middle eastern loops. If you listen closely (and with headphones) you'll hear the rhythmic printing press sounds enter at about 0:37. The press sounds then fade out at the very end of the track as the percussion instruments end." Alexandria printing press reimagined by Frank Ferraro.

"This piece considers the interaction of time, people, and points on a map, as they slide past each other, and documents the anxiety and excitement of the death of a Monarch in sound.  It contrasts people passing a point (in the Mall) with points (the entourage) passing the people." Procession of the Queen's coffin on The Mall, London reimagined by Alan Cook.

"Whilst any tourist guide to Paris will inevitably point to Sacré Coeur as a ‘top ten must see’ location, both the experience of the visit and the history of the site are worlds away from the grace, beauty and spirituality promised by the online guides. "To reach Sacré Coeur it is impossible to avoid the crowded tourist markets offering all manner of cheap souvenirs, over priced food and dubious street entertainment. The church itself, whilst being a glorious example of 19th century Romano-Byzantine inspired architecture, is stripped of any real reference to its purpose by the crushing crowds, signage and noise. "One hundred and fifty years after it was built it’s now a theme park without the flashing lights and rides. "This sonic portrait is an expression of the visitor experience and the chequered history (full of political revenge, repression, uprising and death) of the site utilising field recordings of the surroundings streets and the grounds of Sacré Coeur, samples of the churches incredible grand pipe organ ( currently in desperate need of repair), a religious mass including grand pipe full choir and sounds of Parisian riots long associated with the site. The echoes of reverence and submission mix chaotically with anarchic voices, forgotten ghosts and the chatter of everyday travellers searching for authentic experience amongst the mundane reality of the 21st century tourism." Sacre Coeur reimagined by Mat Ward.

A walk down the length of the Mall, London, from Buckingham Palace to Admiralty Arch on the morning of 14th September 2022, about 3 hours before the procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II from Buckingham Palace to lying in state at Westminster Hall.  The sound of the many people who had arrived early to watch the procession on a grey, overcast morning.

"A reflective piece remembering the train disaster of August 1974." Zagreb station reimagined by Simon Woods. IMAGE: Rangan Datta Wiki, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

"The cock crows, the day breaks, the sun rises. The atmosphere changes from calm to agitated. Another day for us to cherish. The field recording is the basis of this track. One layer after another is added to it. Bells, soft piano, percussion, rhythmic guitars, synth melody. A musical wake up call." Bermuda birdsong reimagined by Martin Juenke.

"I was intrigued by the constant of the temple bells ringing , and the chaotic sounds of the village, such as the traffic etc., and how these  elements became interwoven, and at times become synchronous. This is what  I wanted to show in my composition. This was recorded using Ableton Live and various synth plug ins to produce the piece." Cambodia Banteay Chmar village sounds reimagined by Rod Dykeman.

Early morning in the village of Banteay Chhmar, western Cambodia. The gentle tinkling sounds of the Buddhist pagoda (temple) were drifting across ancient ruins mixing with traffic sounds. Recorded by Scott Wilson.

A fountain designed by Carlo Scarpa in the gardens at the art gallery at Fondazione Querini Stampalia, Venice. Recorded by Cities and Memory.