Cities and Memory - remixing the world

As one of the world's most famous sacred spaces, Notre Dame in Paris has a very particular effect even on the non-religious, perhaps close to Stendhal Syndrome. But it's not just about the space itself, it's about sharing that awe with thousands of other people concurrently, as an endless snaking line of people enters the space, each to have their own significant experience, whether it's of secular beauty or sacred majesty. The drone of shuffling feet and low conversation, amplified by thousands of people in such a huge space, can be sonically overwhelming, however. In this piece, I wanted to transform that hubbub created by the presence of people into something that did greater justice to the majesty of the location, a kind of ambient sonic offering back to the physical space in Notre Dame. Here, the background hum of people becomes an ambient pulse that magnifies attention rather than distracting from it, while the periodic reminders to "shhhh" and be silent punctuate the piece as a constant reminder of the presence of control and administration, even as we communally share an all too rare moment of the sacred. The piece is a magnification of the type of attention we only pay when we are shocked out of ourselves by beauty, and by scale. Notre Dame cathedral soundscape reimagined by Cities and Memory.

A full walkthrough of the restored Notre Dame, with the drone of thousands of tourists, the clattering of machines dispensing memorial coin tokens, and the unexpected "shhhhh!" announcements calling everyone to keep quiet in this space that is both sacred, and one of the most popular tourist spots in the world. Recorded in Paris, France in February 2026 by Cities and Memory.

"Earth Horns with Electric Drone" (1974), a piece by Yoshi Wada, recorded at the Minimalism exhibition at the Bourse du Commerce, Paris in December 2025. Recorded by Cities and Memory.

"'Untold Story of the Drone' is my reimagined sound of Yoshi Wada’s piece Earth Horns with Electric Drone. The original sound was recorded at the Minimalism exhibition at the Bourse du Commerce, Paris in December 2025 "My piece is built entirely using granular synthesis. This means that every sound, rhythm, and musical phrase you hear is derived exclusively from micro-samples of the original recording. These micro-samples are brought to life through my modular synthesizer setup. "I was deeply impressed by the original piece. A long, introspective drone that invites deep listening, through which a wide range of emotions can flow. "Quite quickly, I chose not to compose over the piece, but to compose with it; treating it as an instrument and rearticulating it to arrive at Untold Story of the Drone. The storytelling unfolds through shifting atmospheres of chaos, short and striking phrases, and a structure built on evolving ambiences. One moment of near silence connects the noise and chaos sections, creating space for listening, imagination, and introspection, and inviting each of us into our own untold story. "I have great respect for the original piece and for the constraint of reimagining it. No additional instruments are used. The original piece, left intact, quickly reappears to support the whole as a foundation. It also allows me to return to this kind of no-sound state, carried by voices from the Paris audience, reinterpreted as glitches, before giving way to the final chaos. "There is also experimentation with stereo space through the use of tape cassette delay, along with other automated stereo effects and reverb swaps. "This was an incredible experience. I am very honored to have been able to compose using this sound, thanks to Cities and Memory. I hope it will invite the listener into a deep and introspective listening experience." Yoshi Wada's Earth Horns with Electric Drone reimagined by Yimèr. Thank you: Aemi, Sarah, Anaïs, Dimitri, Stuart. | Yimèr

Ambisonics recording at a freight train car in Auschwitz used to deport people to the extermination camp. This soundscape-composition is part of the HEYR project, presenting 3-dimensional soundscapes from special locations, connected to special events. Find out more by visiting https://www.heyr.no Recorded at Auschwitz, Poland by Anders Vinjar.

"The location where the recording I worked with was made, carries an overwhelmingly historical weight. "Attempting something evocative, reminiscent, or symbolic felt pointless. Inappropiate. "However, I know that sound can hold historical information encrypted within it. "As in archaeological work, where stones can provide information about the past, field recordings may contain molecules or grains of sound that reveal something more about that place. "Using temporal and spectral processing techniques, I attempted to access this latent information in the air and compose a narrative from it. "I then added some of my own recordings and sounds, which I considered appropriate for giving a sense of coherence." Train car at Auschwitz reimagined by Patricio Lerma.

"I worked on just one device just sampling and looping for this project, a sort of going back to basics. Da'ira means circle, orbit, or wholeness / unity in Arabic. In terms of timbre, wanted to reimagine the powerful hypnotic and melancholic quality of the call to prayer, something fundamental. This is one of a few recordings I made for this project, the rest are here: https://dtyb.bandcamp.com/album/hubb." Isha call to prayer in Marrakesh square reimagined by dtyb.

Isha call to prayer at 8pm on a windy, rainy evening in the famous, busy Jemaa el-Fnaa square. Recorded in Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2026 by Cities and Memory.

"No matter where in the world you are by the sea, the language of water is on the one hand the same everywhere, and on the other hand has a clear regional accent.I often work with the sound of water and waves in my music. "And since I hadn't been to Spain before, it was very appealing to undertake this journey acoustically, based solely on Tomasz Buga's field recording of the Plaja d´El Cabanyal in Valencia.In the musical interpretation, I simply followed the rhythm of the waves. "The ebb and flow of the surf is like a story that the sea has been telling since time immemorial." Beach waves in Valencia, Spain reimagined by NOBLESON.

I arrived in Valencia one day before the conference I was attending, so I decided to record some calming sounds of the sea, waves and the general beach and chill atmosphere. Recorded in Valencia, Spain by Tomasz Buga.

"The idea was to create a piece that worked with the violin so I started by isolating the tonal layer in Spectral Layers. This gave me multiple layers from the original recording so I could work out a key and tempo to build the track around. I then created a slow ambient track with a minimal beat that grounds the drifting violin." Violin at La Fenice reimagined by Karhide.

Inside the world-famous La Fenice theatre in Venice, we visit the opulent, breathtaking main auditorium, when a single violinist comes onto the stage, and begins to tune up and practice ahead of the New Year's Day (Capodanno) concert, which is broadcast on national TV in Italy traditionally every year. A rare chance to hear some intimate, small music on a very grand stage. Recorded on 29 December 2025 in Venice by Cities and Memory.

Huge lock gates in Bremerhaven, Germany discharge large volumes of water, then slowly decrease in intensity until the flow ends and becomes a more gentle dripping. Recorded by Cities and Memory.

This recording captures the vibrant atmosphere of a bustling RER B train ride in Paris, bound for Charles de Gaulle airport. The train is filled with a diverse mix of passengers, each with their own story to tell. Some are weary travellers, returning home after a holiday in the City of Light, while others are Parisians embarking on their own adventures. Amidst the crowd, locals commute to work, adding to the rich tapestry of the city's daily rhythm. As the train rumbles through the tunnels, the sounds and murmurs of the passengers create a unique symphony, reflecting the dynamic energy of this iconic city. Recorded in Paris, France by Colin Hunter.

The tram ride in Oslo, Norway from Kontraskjaeret to Jernbanetorget outside the main station, with beeps, doors opening and closing, track sounds and announcements. Recorded in September 2025 by Cities and Memory.

The sounds of a working steam-powered Victorian beam engine, recorded during one of its open-to-the-public steaming days. It’s located in the grounds of the former Tottenham Sewage Works, now a community park. The rotary beam engine was built in 1888, and features a 27-foot flywheel and 21-foot beam. It drove two pumps, each capable of moving 2 million gallons per day. Recorded by Paul Wheeler.

"Based on a field recording of the Paris to Charles deGaulle train, put through some effects and instrumentation added." Train ride to Charles de Gaulle airport reimagined by David Aimone.

"It was a privilege to work with this huge-sounding field recording of a massive moving body of water. I tried to stay true to it by not adding any instruments, everything you hear is either the original recording or processed from it." Bremerhaven lock sounds reimagined by percolator.

"I listened to the file once and very quickly I was drawn into the journey. I tried to give "shape," or rather "sound," to what the voices and noises of the tram produced, what they triggered within me. I followed the rhythm; an imaginary flow, somewhat haunted or at least inhabited, took shape along the length of the original file." Oslo tram ride reimagined by Philippe Neau.

"I liked the clanky & clunky-ness of this recording, like a slowed down industrial techno track. I used Ableton to convert it to melody, harmony and drum midi parts, then messed around with those until i got it to sound right on top of the recording. I added a pitched down version for more bass boom. I also added loads of layers of greasy reverb and oily grains to replicate the decades of use of the beam engine." Markfield beam engine reimagined by Dave Webb.