Cities And Memory

Recorded on a summer morning in the middle of a beautiful rice field stretching as far as the eye can see. It felt like a magnificent sound installation, with crows and insects singing. Recorded in Niigata, Japan by Miyu Hosoi.

"This piece emerged kind of organically out of itself. It was rather hard to start to manipulate the original recording of Digimonk, because it was so beautifull in itself, technically and naratologically speaking.  "It turned out to become some kind of radiophonic storytelling piece." Wuhu old town soundscape reimagined by Sebastian Dingens.

"The heavy drumming and urgent voices in the recording immediately captured my attention. Following the rhythm of the recorded percussion I built sounds, that felt poignant and appropriate, around the initial groove and pitches inherent in the chanting voices. As a 'protest song' I felt that Dub and Reggae influences were relevant, and added charisma to the piece. I hope that I have captured something of the feelings of justified anger, sadness and hope that I drew from the source recording." SOAS protest in London reimagined by dead kousin.

"The music, rhythms, sounds from Cape Town have inspired many of us for long now. In this piece one can sense that layering of the rich fabric of the city musical history: all I did is trying to highlight the rhythms and motives, I didn't want to add anything else!" Cape Town dancers reimagined by Clelia Ciardulli.

"This sonic composition, titled Yūgen (幽玄), delves into the aesthetic of subtle beauty and the profound mystery that defines this Japanese concept. The work originates from a deep immersion in the serenity of the Niigata rice fields at dawn, a space of absolute tranquility where the absence of sounds from human sources becomes the creative driving force. "The process focused on the creation of an atmosphere that honors this initial stillness. The assigned field recording served as the foundational starting point, which was then subjected to sound design techniques. These included manipulating speed and pitch to highlight the subtle sounds of crickets and insects, combined with further processes such as granular synthesis, waveshaping, and extensive reverb. Crucially, this sonic sculpting was complemented by the summation of digital synthesizers and processed sampling to create evolving textures. Unlike much of my previous work, I deliberately avoided the inclusion of any recognizable human voice. The result

Step into the vibrant streets of Molenbeek, Belgium on a Sunday morning, where the sounds of the bustling market come alive. This immersive sound walk recording captures the sights and sounds of the local community as they go about their day. The air is filled with the cacophony of vendors calling out to passersby, the clinking of pots and pans, and the murmur of lively conversations in a variety of dialects. The scent of fresh produce and exotic spices wafts through the air, enticing shoppers to explore the stalls. In the distance, the gentle chime of church bells adds a touch of serenity to the scene, providing a poignant contrast to the energetic atmosphere of the market. Recorded by Colin Hunter.

This curiously named lane, marked by a stone archway, hosts an open-air market hemmed in by tall, dense residential buildings. Mobile vendors, traditional snack stalls, breakfast shops, butchers, and seafood stands huddle together, with a central lot crammed with bicycles and scooters. It serves as the local wet market, breakfast spot, and a hangout where elders idly stroll.  Vendors’ calls are swallowed by the bold, booming voices of Nanjing locals. Online, many claim this is Nanjing’s most authentic, lively spot, as if noise, chaos, and disorder define “local flavour.” The equation seems to be: noisy public spaces = bustling = vibrant = full of life. Defining a place’s spirit by its volume is a raw, unpolished truth. Recorded in Nanjing, China by Digimonk.

High in the misty mountains of northern Vietnam, the sound of water guides you to serenity. A gentle, steady stream cascades from the Love Waterfall as birds call softly in the distance – their contrast providing the perfect melody. This tranquil soundscape captures the pure essence of Sa Pa’s beauty, where nature sings in tones of peace and clarity, inviting you to breathe deeply and let go. Recorded in Sa Pa, Vietnam by Jake Edwards.

This is a simple field recording of passenger hubbub and train announcements at Baltimore Penn Station which was constructed in 1911. They have recently updated the building and they have started to play classical music in the background which I personally adore. Note: Some people like to affectionately call the city "Bawlmer", thus the file is named "Bawlmer Penn". Recorded by Bill McKenna.

In the Belén neighborhood of Iquitos, Peru, extreme poverty prevails. Residents live in wooden stilt houses along the Amazon River, vulnerable to flooding, with poor sanitation and limited access to healthcare. This recording captures the ambiance of the street market, where exotic animals are sold, reflecting a community trapped in poverty and neglect. Recorded by Rafael Diogo.

Å village is full of seagulls - they never stop talking and singing! Recorded in Lofoten, Norway by Agapi Zita.

Walking through the Grønland district in Oslo, a pealing of bells starts up from a nearby church to mark the beginning of a wedding starting inside. The bells end, and we walk through the nearby Bierkelunden park, listening to passers-by talking, and passing close by a fountain.  Recorded in May 2025 by Cities and Memory.

We can hear the protest chants of thousands of protesters in central Athens, calling for an investigation into the deaths of Greek citizens in a train accident due to missing security protocol and corruption. The protest took place March 8, 2023 at 16:55. Recorded by Daniel Beaudoin.

A peaceful Monday morning in Bremen's Buergerpark, with plentiful birdsong, and the occasional jogger and cyclist passing us on a sunny May morning.  Recorded in May 2025 by Cities and Memory. 

Parks draw elderly crowds, each with unique soundscapes shaped by distinct groups, hard to discover without local insight. This recording was a lucky find. Guanqian Park, a refined roadside garden, hosts elderly chess players in tight-knit groups, clearly familiar.  Some laugh, others argue heatedly, slapping chess pieces in excitement, creating a lively buzz. Onlookers watch quietly with poised restraint, embodying Suzhou’s cultured folk spirit. Unexpectedly found in a roadside park. Recorded by Digimonk.

Jiwei Cun is a small village in Liangshan Mountains of Sichuan province, China. They are Yi nationality. The local people have pigs, cows and chickens in backyards, under trees. Yi is very very old tribes in history. Because of the mountains, they're a mystery. Recorded by Digimonk.

Teahouses were once hubs of socializing, business, and leisure in towns along the Yangtze, akin to British pubs or Shanghai’s 1990s eateries. At Jiaotong Teahouse, most patrons are retired local men, much like their ancestors a century ago. They trickle in around 5 a.m., chatting, playing cards, chess, or sipping tea under dim wooden beams and brick walls, with scarcely a sound from phones or devices. Some linger all day, swapping tales from near and far; others head home by noon with vegetables for lunch. Wang Di’s book Teahouse vividly explores the traditional Chengdu teahouse’s role in culture, politics, and society—a history and voice of ordinary people. Recorded in Chongqing by Digimonk.

" Although sampled, processed, arranged then processed,reprocessed and arranged again, the sound of the stream still persists." Sa Pa, Vietnam water sounds reimagined by Alex Vald.

"The people in the teahouse were a focal point for my approach to reimagining this sound, I listened to the cadence and rhythm of conversations and clattering of cups and found a melody, chopped up the audio to accentuate the melody, dialed in some synths and lo-fi drums to act as the vehicle for that melody and took it some weird and wonderful places, here are some interesting points from the piece: "I wanted to include some nods to China in this piece, the gongs at the beginning and end, the mandarin phrases which were "Begin" "Breakdown" and "The End" and the slightly more hidden one in the form of a modulated recording of a Chinese water goose in the breakdown at the end. "I wanted the whole thing to feel like you were listening to a record so there's a vinyl recording throughout the whole thing and a needle on and off sound at either end." Chongqing tea house reimagined by Gary Pitt.

"Floating Sediments is a work that uses sounds from a market in Iquitos, Peru. The voices of vendors and customers, fragments of music, and everyday murmurs are extracted through spectral processes to reconfigure this landscape within an expanded temporality. Through synthesis, modulations of speed and pitch, resonances, and reverberations, a state of persistence is suggested, of traces that fix and vanish in a space of their own. "The work is a collage of vocal layers, displaced textures, and imagined presences. Synthesizers are also incorporated to add harmonic color, creating a sonic fabric that oscillates between memory and transformation into an imagined acoustic territory." Iquitos, Peru soundscape reimagined by Jorge Martínez Valderrama.