500 episodes

Cities and Memory remixes the world, one sound at a time - a global collaboration between artists and sound recordists all over the world.

The project presents an amazingly-diverse array of field recordings from all over the world, but also reimagined, recomposed versions of those recordings as we go on a mission to remix the world.

What you'll hear in the podcast are our latest sounds - either a field recording from somewhere in the world, or a remixed new composition based solely on those sounds. Each podcast description tells you more about what you're hearing, and where it came from.

There are more than 6,000 sounds featured on our sound map, spread over more than 120 countries and territories. The sounds cover parts of the world as diverse as the hubbub of San Francisco’s main station, traditional fishing women’s songs at Lake Turkana, the sound of computer data centres in Birmingham, spiritual temple chanting in New Taipei City or the hum of the vaporetto engines in Venice. You can explore the project in full at http://www.citiesandmemory.com

Cities and Memory - remixing the world Cities and Memory

    • Arts
    • 4.8 • 10 Ratings

Cities and Memory remixes the world, one sound at a time - a global collaboration between artists and sound recordists all over the world.

The project presents an amazingly-diverse array of field recordings from all over the world, but also reimagined, recomposed versions of those recordings as we go on a mission to remix the world.

What you'll hear in the podcast are our latest sounds - either a field recording from somewhere in the world, or a remixed new composition based solely on those sounds. Each podcast description tells you more about what you're hearing, and where it came from.

There are more than 6,000 sounds featured on our sound map, spread over more than 120 countries and territories. The sounds cover parts of the world as diverse as the hubbub of San Francisco’s main station, traditional fishing women’s songs at Lake Turkana, the sound of computer data centres in Birmingham, spiritual temple chanting in New Taipei City or the hum of the vaporetto engines in Venice. You can explore the project in full at http://www.citiesandmemory.com

    The Drinkery in New Orleans

    The Drinkery in New Orleans

    Live music in the Drinkery bar on Bourbon Street, New Orleans.

    Recorded by Alex Clifford.

    IMAGE: MusikAnimal, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    • 4 min
    Gator sax

    Gator sax

    "It's spring, humidity and temps. are high. Off in the Bayou, through the Spanish moss. The gators are restless.

    "Bass, sax, and drone sounds are from the original recording. Swamp and birds are of my own design using Ambigen and creaking pier sounds."

    Drinkery in New Orleans reimagined by Joel Graham. 

    IMAGE: MusikAnimal, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

    • 2 min
    Rain on roof during a humid thunderstorm

    Rain on roof during a humid thunderstorm

    "The constant tapping of heavy rain is accented by deep thunder. The rain so heavy it caused floods. You can still hear people driving in this weather. The pictures were taken shortly after the rain."

    Recorded in Hanoi, Vietnam by Kit Wilmans Fegradoe.

    • 3 min
    Tay Ho rainstorm

    Tay Ho rainstorm

    "I combined the storm in Hanoi with the output of some iOS music apps (Rings FX, Other Desert Cities, PaulXStretch, Relic Flow, Rymdigare and BounceBud to imagine a storm heard both inside and out."

    Vietnamese rainstorm reimagined by Roland Pyle.

    • 6 min
    Line 3

    Line 3

    "The composition is made up of samples cut from the original field recordings. These samples were: Voices, gears, doors, announcements etc.

    These samples have been mangled in sequencers, wavesynths and any other gear they could be put in. 

    Synths were added to taste."

    Paris metro line 3 reimagined by Simon Woods. 

    • 4 min
    Line 3 from Pere Lachaise

    Line 3 from Pere Lachaise

    On the Paris metro, travelling from Pere Lachaise to Parmentier - train noises, platforms, doors opening and closing and announcements in French.

    Recorded by Cities and Memory.

    • 4 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
10 Ratings

10 Ratings

diana dubois ,

This is a gift

Wow keep up the great work. This series is truly a gift!! Hope this project continues, would love to see what obscure sound archives they tap into. It feels like when you’re a little kid, and you just pass the picture book age. When your mind feels so alive with the mental pictures, based on l what you’re hearing your parents read. It’s exhilarating.

beenThere 03 ,

Awesome Sonic Mapping!

Wow what a great podcast —thanks

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