Cities and Memory - remixing the world

"The bells of the reindeer are used throughout the piece, blended with the chimes and drum to create a dark paganesque soundscape. The words were a collaboration with Bianca Chudley le Corre. "It is a meditation on the lives of the reindeer herder, the rituals as autumn passes to winter, the knowledge of routes & tradition passed down through the generations. What started as a Breton inspired acoustic folk tune soon developed into this brooding songscape." Reindeer bells in Mongolia reimagined by Daniel Chudley - Le Corre.

"When I first heard the ticking of the traffic light in the field recording, I instantly recognized its potential and shared it with my bandmates, Sandeep and Darren. We decided to use it as the rhythm section's backbeat and composed guitar and bass parts around it. "It's amazing how this traffic light in Greece uses various sounds to guide pedestrians, including a female voice instructing them to wait or cross safely. "Inspired by the idea of representing 'change' musically, we composed a dynamic track with four distinct sections, transitioning between them in both smooth and abrupt ways. The track evolves gradually, beginning with a field recording and muted arpeggiated synth before building into a full band with acoustic guitar, bass, and drums. It transitions to a quiet bridge that draws the listener in, followed by an intense section with wailing electric guitars, sawtooth synth leads, distorted bass, louder drums, and a fast-ticking rhythm from the field recording, amplifying the chaos. This climactic section fades into a serene piano piece by Samantha, mirrored by Sandeep on guitar and accompanied by Darren, playing chords on his bass guitar. "With each listen, the song reveals a new story of our friendship — born over a decade ago, tested by ups and downs, but ultimately strengthened into a lasting bond. This project brought us back to the studio after a long break, creating music and memories alike." Athens traffic light reimagined by Matsya.

In west-north Khinga mountains, there is a very special community called Chinese Evenki. Their language is disappearing with the traditional migration life. And it's happening in the last 30 years. They used to live with reindeers in the deep mountains. And they were hunters. But when I was there, only around 20 people in the mountain who take care of the reindeers. YES, they look after them NOT live with them. What those reindeers can help is antler velvet and photos with tourists in summer. Only few of younger Evenki would like go to the mountain with older generations, but more for taking care of the elders. Most of younger Evenki even can not speak their language. So I took few days to keep the reindeer bells echo in the mountains. Recorded by Digimonk.

The Athenian traffic light that talks outside of Kallimarmaro stadium. Supposed to replace the old ones for accessibility purposes. Instead, there are a few of them throughout the municipality of Athens, only nearby tourist destinations. Recorded by Agapi Zarda.

Eucharist service at the iconic, historic St. Paul's Cathedral in London, one of the most famous sacred spaces in the United Kingdom. The service is free to attend for worshippers, but the cathedral is also full of paying tourists looking around the cathedral, so the experience is one of a concentration of religious service right at the centre of this sacred space, surrounded by commerce and tourism on all sides. The sound is - obviously - drenched in reverb as it is piped out from speakers either side of us into the cavernous space beneath the famous dome designed by Christopher Wren. Recorded by Cities and Memory.

This is a fresh (vegetables and fruit) and prepared food market in the middle of Chiang Mai, Thailand. People are preparing food and keeping things tidy! This market is one in a cluster of markets in the Than-in areas selling different kinds of products. Recorded by Alex Boyesen.

An imagined journey in the direction of and directed by the sound of the sea. Waves in Sooke, Canada reimagined by Alex Vald.

"My sound (Eucharist at St Pauls) was randomly assigned. I don't personally have a religious faith, but the sound got me curious about how believers might experience communication with 'God'. When I received this assignment I'd just made a foxhole radio and had the magic of transmitting/receiving messages very much in mind- and how they can be affected, mangled and interpreted (or misinterpreted) over time and space. "There's a lot I wanted to do/play with- certainly around re-recording my interview tape and the original recording in other reverberant spaces and via natural filters, and also using physical distance and manual ways of distorting the sound, but despite the ample time granted for this project, life got in the way a bit...so it is what it is.. I enjoyed the thought process and I never would have addressed this subject matter without the provocation of this assignment, so thank you." St. Paul's Cathedral Eucharist reimagined by Eleventeen.

A soundscape from Russalka beach, Tallinn, as jackdaws angry at us walking through their low tide feeding area circle above us angrily. We then listen to waves gently breaking and head back up the beach to the main road, as the sounds of nature give way to those of vehicle noise and pollution. Recorded by Cities and Memory.

"The original sample described a journey: beginning alone with angry crows on Russalka beach, we walk across sand to rejoin civilisation. I used it as a sound bed and added strings and voices recorded at the nearby St. Nicholas Church." Russalka Beach, Tallinn reimagined by Gavin Inglis.

The Chapel of St John the Evangelist (St John's Chapel) is an 11th century Christian chapel of Norman architecture, in the White Tower of the Tower of London. Built in 1080, St John's is the oldest surviving complete chapel from the early Norman period, and functions today as a chapel royal. This recording features footsteps inside the ancient space, and the piped recording of angelic choir singing. Recorded by Cities and Memory.

"This is the sound of our soul ascending. The sound of the walls vibrating with energy and the voices of all those who have passed through this place." St. John's Chapel, Tower of London reimagined by Subphotic (Rebecca Denniff).

A recording of the tide coming in on a beach on the west coast of Canada (Sooke, British Columbia). This beach is pebbled right down to the waterline, so as waves receed an interesting sound of the pebbles being 'sucked' back into the water occurs. Recorded by Scott Bennett.

A selection of buskers heard on a soundwalk through the International Buskers Festival 2023 in Ferrara, starting with an electro/techno artist, followed by a jazz quartet, showcasing the variety of music on display in the festival. Recorded by Cities and Memory.

Inside Treviso's cathedral, we record the space itself, before heading down to the crypt door, through which we can overhear a mass taking place, as if from a large distance away - we exit the cathedral to hear the different in the sonic ambience, as the traffic noise of the city immediately hits us anew. Recorded by Cities and Memory.

"Structurally, I transferred the crow of the cockerels into midi notes and used these for the overall cadence and tonality of the arrangement. This was then transmitted to outboard synthesizers and effects and recorded. A cockerel crow from the original recording was then pitch shifted, stretched and layered texturally into the recorded arrangement. "Thematically, the audio piece made me think a morning brimming with light and suddenly becoming flooded with the warmth and radiance of the sun; a satiating feeling that makes the day feel like a chance to greet life anew." Dusk in Valldemossa reimagined by Twilight Sleep.

"“Be Still” is a reimagining of my experience with guided meditation. As a novice, I find it so intensely difficult to not let my mind wander to the places and sounds that constantly swirl my mind, or to think about the neurons firing in my head making the thoughts race by. "When I listened to the Italian busking track, my mind kept going back to the scene, revisiting the sounds and people in my head – so I wanted to rebuild the experience." Ferrara busking festival reimagined by Katie Stokes.

"Birds are nature's earliest virtuosos, their voices creating complex melodies that speak to the very essence of existence itself. Music is nature's ageless story. Birds' wild rhythms are embraced in a orchestral context that transforms their calls, songs, and silences into an conversation. "It honours the harmony between man and nature. In order to amplify the colorful language of birds and remind us of the delicate beauty of the habitats they occupy, this manifesto urges artists to rethink the orchestra as an ecosystem. We respect nature and allow it to guide the symphonic discussion by listening to it and producing in response." Kintbury birdsong reimagined by Özgür Önal.

"The idea was to capture something soft that reflected the serenity of this place. Something that inspires well-being and balance. On a more technical side, the biggest challenge was to manage the reverb present throughout the recording. A separation was therefore made, one attack equals one note, in other words each transient became a note." St Peter's Cathedral, Treviso reimagined by Ghislain Caya.

Shopping in a Rimi supermarket in Tallinn, with Estonian announcements and promos, piped pop songs, and the sound of beeps as we check out our purchases at the end. What did we buy? You'll just have to guess. Recorded by Cities and Memory.