Cities and Memory - remixing the sounds of the world

Persistent, detailed creaking wood and metal sounds coming from the floating dock structure on Hovedoya island, Oslo, along with gentle wave sounds underneath, September 2025. Recorded by Cities and Memory. 

"I really liked the calmness of the sea which contrasted with the harsher sounding creaking wood and metal sounds. I created a track that features and contrasts between these two sounds.  "I used a variety of samplers, loopers, delays, reverbs and other effects to create an ambient, tape-loop, drone type of track with a stilted - wonky - rhythm created from drum-like sounds and the creaks created from the recording.  "It came out a bit darker than intended, I started trying out recording a few ideas and really liked the result so kept the original one-take live recording." Creaking dock on Hovedoya islands, Oslo reimagined by Andy Lyon.

"It is a wonderful and relaxing recording that evokes sitting down and unwinding after a long day. I chose to include a few happy and playful guitar tracks, maybe like the music a person would strum themselves or listen to whilst sitting by a river before bedtime. A very joyful recording session for the Autumn Project." Mara river, Kenya soundscape reimagined by Jeff Brown. IMAGE: Danijel Mihajlovic, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

It is around 11.00 pm at Malaika camp, Kenya. The sound of the river is always present. Different types of birds are singing. Hippos are aroung the area and can be heard. Also in a distance lions calling each other can be heard (7'10) At the end of the attached video you can see the river Mara in the daylight and a hippo coming into the river, recorded from the camp's restaurant. Recorded by Christina Antoniadou. IMAGE: Danijel Mihajlovic, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

A unique recording in the kitchen at Bremen Bonbon Manufaktur, as sweet-making maestro Luca takes us through the process of making sweets by hand, including heating up mixtures, adding sugar, manipulating the still-warm ropes of sugary candy into the right shapes, chopping them down to size and more.  An aural record of a traditional - and delicious - handmade practice.  Recorded at Bremen Bonbon Manufaktur by Cities and Memory. 

"I love port sounds and this had so much more. An untuned bell and a brass band too. I split the recording into four "stems" and then edited it down to 4 minutes, bounced them down then added some effects and some subtly detuning resonant bass." Aker Brygge harbour soundscape, Oslo reimagined by David Webb.

At Aker Brygge in Oslo, a tourist catamaran docks, we hear its engines throbbing as it manoeuvres into the dock. Passengers disembark under instruction from the crew, and all the while we hear the arhythmic bell chimes from the Untuned Bell sound installation to our right. Recorded by Cities and Memory, September 2025. 

"I attached contact microphones to an empty tin of Monty Bojangles chocolates. I used it, together with some kitchen implements, to create the sounds of an imaginary sweet factory and resisted the temptation to process, or add effects to, my contact mic recordings. There are short extracts from the original recording at the beginning and end of my piece." Artisan sweet manufacture in Bremen reimagined by Roland Pyle.

This composition is a multi-layered synth improvisation, reacting in real time to the sounds of the breaking waves and calling birds in the field recording. Listening through to the full recording four or five times to immerse myself in the location, I then responded live to the recording on three passes with three separate synth sounds, allowing the emotions I felt listening to the recording to guide the performance, instead of a formal structure. The title comes from the poem by druidic bard Amergin Glangel: “I am the Wind that blows across the Sea I am the Wave of the Ocean I am the Murmur of the Billows I am the Bull of the Seven Combats I am the Vulture on the Rock I am a Ray of the Sun I am the Fairest of Flowers I am a Wild Boar in Valour I am a Salmon in the Pool I am a Lake on the Plain I am the Skill of the Craftsman I am a Word of Science I am the Spear-point that gives Battle I am the god who creates in the head of man the Fire of Thought. Who is it that Enlightens the Assembly upon the mountain, if not I? Who tells the ages of the moon, if not I? Who shows the place where the sun goes to rest, if not I? Who calls the cattle from the House of Tethra? On whom do the cattle of Tethra smile? Who is the god that fashions enchantments - the enchantment of battle and the wind of change?" Breaking waves at Tarskavaig, Scotland reimagined by Cities and Memory. 

The rising tide, gently lapping at rocks, with the quieter general sound of the sea in the background. The recording contains many bird sounds – both land-based such as blackbirds (Turdus merula) and sea-based such as oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus). Recorded at dusk as the birds chorus before nightfall.  Recorded at Tarskavaig on the Isle of Skye, Scotland by Peter Brooks.

"The collective murmuring in the original recording filled me with comfort as soon as I heard it. There is something very nurturing about praying together and singing together in a beautiful resonate space.  "It's almost like the murmuring becomes a vast benevolent beast. This is an ode to the collective power of the voice, a huge hopeful entity moving against the tide of conflict and division." Sanctuary at Viano do Castelo, Portugal reimagined by Jess Bryant.

This recording offers a glimpse into the spiritual heart of Portugal, where tradition and faith come together in a celebration of devotion and praise. Step into the serene atmosphere of the Santuario de Santa Luzia in Viana do Castelo, Portugal, as a Sunday church service unfolds. This recording captures the intimate moments of devotion and worship, as the priest leads the congregation in prayer. The gentle murmur of the congregation's responses creates a sense of community and reverence. As the service reaches its close, the congregation rises to their feet, and the majestic sound of the organ fills the sanctuary, accompanied by joyful singing of the worshippers. Recorded by Colin Hunter.

A walk outside IRCAM in Paris around the Stravinsky Fountain at noon, a trumpet player performs in public, a quick chat with a colleague, crowd and water sounds from the fountain, elevator speech synthesis, walking underground inside IRCAM, water splash from a sound installation, walking in the studios corridor, stopping by a closed room with a ventilation mechanism, taking the elevator, door opens.  Recorded on a sunny day, ordinary things in a special place. Recorded by Guillaume Piccarreta.

"I approached the piece by breaking it down into three dimensions: rhythm, texture, and the relationship between inside and outside. What first caught my attention was the richness of the different sonic layers — the interplay between interior and exterior spaces, and the elevator movements that added "depth".  "The triggering element for me was water. "In connection with my project Cyclaudio, which involves recording soundscapes during my bicycle travels, I wanted to invert the original gesture of the piece: instead of going into an enclosed space to listen, I imagined a movement outward — from the inside to the outside. "I incorporated some of my own recordings, especially in the indoor sequences, to affirm that another way of listening to the world is possible — an open, living form of listening that resists being confined within walls.  "The fountain heard at one point in the original piece became, in my version, a conclusion — a pause, an opening toward the natural world, suggesting that listening to the elements might itself be a kind of therapy." Paris IRCAM soundscape reimagined by Florent Picollet.

"Golden Hours unfolds like a friendly conversation between two friends who truly see each other. What begins as a light exchange - about work, retirement, and small everyday things - turns into something deeper, almost poetic. In just a few minutes, they drift through life's big questions with humor and grace: When is it time to stop working? What happens next? Why do we live by the beach but never go there? "Their dialogue flows effortlessly, full of warmth, wit, and openness. Each line is both funny and revealing, showing how two people can cover an entire lifetime of ideas in a few gentle turns of talk - money, time, marriage, hobbies, decisions, and the strange rhythm of growing older. It's the kind of exchange that feels spontaneous yet full of insight - where every answer sparks another thought, another laugh, another 'maybe'. Beneath the humour runs a tender honesty about time passing, the search for meaning, and the art of simply being curious about each other. "There's beauty in the pauses, laughter in the uncertainty, and comfort in the way they listen to each other. This track captures that fleeting moment when conversation becomes curiosity - when ordinary words shimmer with meaning, like sunlight softening at the edge of the day. "In Golden Hours, everyday talk becomes music - gentle, witty, and quietly profound - reminding us how connection can turn the simplest moments into something lasting." Conversation with retired mail carrier in Oakland, USA reimagined by micca.

"Hearing the original sample it suggested an idea for an imaginary space accessed that exists inside the birdsong itself - so I used the sample and through a range of different processes including re-synthesis, granulation, reverberation, repetition and resonation, I created a ton of sound material to create a sense of a surreal space that exists within and without - with close and distant echoes of the bird song.  "The only other additions are a bass pulse and a bee buzzing past to bring a little more depth into this space within the song." Teshima night recording reimagined by Warren Anthony.

Following Terry Riley's concert at Yokoo House on Teshima Island, I walked through the darkness back to the ryokan when an enigmatic, high-frequency resonance caught my attention.  Curious and compelled, I ran to fetch my two recorders and spent the night listening and recording. The sound — from a summer insect I still can't identify — remains a mystery that hums in memory. Recorded by Heu.

Retired mail carrier Laura returns to her old work place at the post office West Carrier Annex in Oakland. The mail carriers are just leaving to their routes to deliver the mail with their carts. But they have time to greet Laura shortly as they are hurrying to their work pulling the carts, the sound of which can be heard in the recording.  Laura remembers her old customers and she meets the man who took up her route, where the 106 year old woman still lives and remembers Laura. Recorded by Sirpa Jokinen.

"The piece involves a sample of the ships horn used as part of the melody along with traditional Turkish instruments played in 9/8 time." Ships on the Bosphorus recorded by Anders Vinjar, reimagined by Simon Woods.

"Ambisonic recordings on the Bosphoros, with the sound of large ships' engines, carrying grains from Ukraine to the world. All accompanied by distant calls to prayer by the muezzins." This soundscape 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 by Anders Vinjar.

Huge pre-communion service bells ring out from the Berliner Dom cathedral across the Mitte district of Berlin.  A solid eight minutes of impressively full bell sounds that reverberate through your entire body. As the bells fade, we walk towards the fountain in front of the cathedral. Recorded by Cities and Memory, September 2025. 

"I wanted to dive inside the sound of the bells and reimagined the drones as a kind of symphony. As a counterpoint to the location, I added waves of sounds so we can drift on a sea of drone." Berliner Dom cathedral bells, Berlin reimagined by Gareth Evans.

This is the sound of a midday call to prayer at the Zangi Ota Memorial Complex. The complex, located just outside Tashkent (20 km), is very popular pilgrimage site as it houses Zangi Ota and Anbar bibi mausoleums.  Visitors from all over Uzbekistan and neighboring countries Anbar bibi or Anbar Ona Mausoleum is quite special, as it is dedicated to a woman, the wife of a prominent Sufi Sheykh, and it draws women young and old to perform pilgrimages and make very intimate requests - a child, happiness in marriage, harmonious relationship with mothers-in-law.  Recorded by Shahnoza Nozimova.

"The recording made me think of a journey through the darkness, trying to find the light, to find the thing that has been searched for. I had the field recording playing throughout the track, blending in and out of the pads playing, until finally at the end when you can finally hear the singing, when you make it to the end of your quest.  :It was very enjoyable working with a sound from somewhere else in the world, a place i have never been able to visit, but I feel like now i have been able to travel there, at least for a time.  Zangi Ota memorial complex, Uzbekistan reimagined by Ellipses (Ant Beloch).

"My composition, titled “Berliner Mauer,” draws inspiration from ambisonics recordings made by Anders Vinjar at the Berlin Wall. "The Berlin Wall, officially known as the Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart, was a fortified concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989. It physically separated West Berlin from East Berlin and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). Construction of the Berlin Wall began on August 13, 1961, by the government of the GDR. The wall featured guard towers along large concrete walls and a wide area known as the “death strip,” which contained anti-vehicle trenches, beds of nails, and other defensive measures. The primary purpose of the Wall was to prevent East German citizens from fleeing to the West. "The intricate history of the Berlin Wall captivated me. Its origin as a tangible symbol of the Cold War division holds immense power. It embodies various aspects, including the brutal suppression of East Germans and their families, its unintended symbolic significance for freedom, and the challenging socio-economic adjustments that followed its unexpected fall in 1989. These events led to German reunification and broader movements for Eastern European liberation. "Anders Vinjar's field recordings captured fragments of everyday life at the Berlin Wall, and these sounds carry an intangible weight. The post-fall complications in the area continue to impact everything and everyone around it in subtle ways. My intention was to convey this multifaceted and complex reality within my composition, leaving listeners with a potential sense of optimism for the future. By utilizing field recordings, synthesizers, and tape loops, I hope to unveil these hidden layers and inspire others to envision a better future." Berlin Wall soundscape reimagined by Jeff Dungfelder.

Ambisonics recording at the wall, physically separating Eastern Europe from Western Europe in Berlin during the Cold War in the years 1961 to 1989. This recording 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 by Anders Vinjar.

"I liked the space in the recording, and used it to slot in percussive and electronic elements to create a composition where all elements had parity of presence." Sanlin Old Street, Shanghai reimagined by Fergus Kelly. 

"Estonian autumns arrive with shortening days, cooler air, and long, unbroken stretches of rain. There is also a particular sound to this small country — quiet, restrained, and deliberate. Voices fall softly; movement slows; even the strings of daily life seem slightly muted. In such an atmosphere, time itself can begin to blur. "This recording, made in Nõmme, Estonia, tries to capture that sensation — the drift of sound and stillness as they dissolve into one another." Nõmme food market, Tallinn reimagined by Paul Beaudoin.

Estimated to be more than 130 million years old, the ancient rainforest of Sabah comes alive in sound as night descends. The air vibrates with the calls of nocturnal creatures, forming a chorus in the darkness. From the steady hum of countless insects to the distant cries of animals hidden, the forest pulses with life.  Within this vast wilderness dwell some of the world's rarest and most remarkable beings - the Orangutan, Proboscis Monkey, Pygmy Elephant, Rhinoceros Hornbill, and Estuarine Crocodile - together known as the famous ‘Borneo Five'. Wrapped in shadows and mystery, the rainforest holds their presence like a secret, offering a timeless symphony. Recorded by Jake Edwards. 

The ice on Son Kul lake, Kyrgyzstan melting with spring coming. Recorded by Melissa Aubin.

At the fruit and veg market in the Nomme district in Tallinn, with shopper buying their weekly groceries on a windswept day. Rain starts midway through the recording and we shelter beneath the canopies and listen to the rain beating down above our heads. Nõmme is a natural district of Tallinn. Some of the most beautiful residences from traditional wooden to art nouveau styles stand underneath the pine trees of Nõmme. The Nõmme Market, selling fresh produce and local goods, will transport you to an cosy Estonian village without leaving the city.  Recorded by Cities and Memory. 

In this recording, traffic sounds increase during thunderstorms and rainy weather. In wet conditions, vehicle engines and tires are more audible. These sounds can be heard as a form of white noise and are sometimes accompanied by thunder. Recorded in Trabzon, Türkiye by Ugur Aslan.

"I kept the original recording and a filtered it a bit and afterwards I added a pad. Humidity & Haze capturing the feeling of the air and the rain-streaked city, while the "Passing Thoughts" introduces the human element (the traffic). The combination of pad with the detached sounds of the rainstorm and traffic creates a feeling of lonely movement or stillness in a noisy world." Rainstorm in Trabzon reimagined by Konstantinos.

"The original piece had a feeling to me of drifting through the rainforest canopy, so I thought it would be interesting to contrast these sounds with the "jungle" of empty space between radio signals." Borneo rainforest recording reimagined by {AN} EeL

"Sitting among the glaciers in the living room, my ears are carried away by the enchanting sound of tectonic movements... my mind floats, my eyes glimpse this sonorous place..." Kyrgyzstan Son Kul ice lake reimagined by Philippe Neau.

"Listening to the sound of the market in Ramallah just a week before it was attacked and burnt was a powerful experience - but to hear that later after that the market was repaired, regenerated and back in action was an even stronger feeling of the power of resistance. "The beautiful poem "A better day will come" by Afghan poet Hosnia Mohseni seemed to me to strike the perfect tone of hope and possibility among fear and violence, and the presence of resistance within poetry and within art. "This piece is a prayer for a better day." Featuring vocal readings by Nogol Madani, Rebecca Denniff, Tiurlan Sitompul, and Judith Mann. A Better Day Will Come - Hosnia Mohseni Sister,  The day will come when you and I will fly  Over the proud hills of our land.  A day will come when the doors won't be locked  And falling in love will not be a crime. You and I will let our hair fly,  Wear red dresses,  And intoxicate the birds  Of our vast deserts  With our laughter.  We will dance among the red tulips of Mazar  In memory of Rabia.  That day is not far.  Perhaps it is just around the corner.  Perhaps it is in our poetry. Ramallah market recording by Anders Vinjar reimagined by Cities and Memory. 

When I first listened to the recording of the depopulated village in Jerusalem, what really stood out was the bird song sounding like a voice of hope. I decided to use this as my focus as it was in keeping with the Echoes For Palestine Project theme 'hope, healing and a reimagined future'. I wrote the lyrics from the point of view of the village itself longing for inhabitants to return. The village grieved because of the silence and death, hoping that the homesick people would come back and live there once more. Ultimately, everyone needs a purpose and the village's purpose was to be a home once again. ‘Diamond I Am' considers these ideas, focussing on a village full of its people as somewhere beautiful; a diamond. It also recognises the need for people to be honest and talk about the plight of Palestine in order that it may heal. Jerusalem depopulated village recorded by Anders Vinjar, reimagined by Simon Holmes. 

"All lands, one voice drifts like breath through every place at once. "Choral fragments rise and dissolve inside an ambient field, evoking a world without borders. Robert Lax's line — “the same moment in every place” — guides this sound: a single moment, stretched to gather all lands in one voice." Jerusalem apartheid wall recording by Anders Vinjar reimagined by Paul Beaudoin.

"It takes Palestinian prayer and thoughts with repeated phrases including 'so hasten to all that is good' whilst encouraging the people of Palestine to march forward despite the conflict. Using loops and samples from recent news reports to build a picture of the current situation against a backdrop of hope." Dubberrookie creates ambient dub sounds often with a back story to each composition. Often including his own found sounds he uses loops and samples to build up his pieces. Jerusalem Mount of Olives reimagined by Dubberookie.

"A meditation on life, disrupted by injustice. I listened to the location recordings and was inspired but saddened by the sounds of life as it goes on under conflict. The two field recordings were used both relatively unprocessed, but also through a feedback network of resonant delays. Location recording by Anders Vinjar." Wailing Wall, Jerusalem reimagined by Logickal. 

"Built from a field recording by Anders Vinjar of Ramallah's Al-Hisba market, captured one week before Israeli soldiers set it ablaze, Seven Days Before transforms the market's voices, footsteps, and ambient bustle into a slow-moving reflection on memory, loss, and the fragile beauty of everyday life via modular synthesis.  "The source recording is processed through Make Noise Morphagene and accompanied by melodies provided by Mutable Instruments Rings. Glitchy, fragments of melody emerge and dissolve through further processing. This layered approach allows the original soundscape to remain present yet altered, a sonic parallel to how memory holds onto places that no longer exist in the same form."  Ramallah market, Palestine reimagined by Richard Charles Boxley.

"For this track, I used the field recording made by Anders Vinjar on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. This place has always had a mythical resonance to my ears, it sounds like a place of sacred peace, but obviously it is no longer. "What I tried to express through this piece is how a land of peace gradually transforms into a place of conflict, how what was once a sacred site has become a battlefield. After starting calmly, the recordings and sounds become confused, the rhythm breaks, something is wrong… "One day, the Palestinians will return home, but nothing will ever be the same again." Mount of Olives, Jerusalem reimagined by Zuunzug.

"The sound of Jews performing a ritual at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem on a special day during Jewish Easter celebrations. The recording is done in the middle of the crowd of bystanders, mostly children and family of the praying men." 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 by Anders Vinjar.

The famous market Al-Hisba in Ramallah. Sounds of busy buying and selling. This Ambisonics recording was done exactly one week before Israeli soldiers lit the whole place on fire, destroying everything.  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 by Anders Vinjar.

Recordings of ambience from Aṭ-Ṭūr (Mount of Olives) overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem. The Al Aqsa temple-mount in the distance, the jewish graveyard close by, site of important historic and contemporary events. The recording is from April 2024, while the catastrophic war in Gaza was going on full speed.  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 by Anders Vinjar.

"Dreams Not Realized | 17,000. 17,000 children have died in Gaza since the beginning of the war. Their voices have been silenced. Their dreams will never become realized. Why children? Did they even know why any of this is happening? Why they died?  Who will speak for the children? Who will mourn their loss? “The morning birds that sing so sweetly are 'out of a job' when there are no children to wake up.” - Alice Coltrane from Monument Eternal" Bethelem recording by Rafael Diogo, reimagined by Bill Stevens.

"The children of Gaza encounter violence, displacement and deprivation every single day of their lives. Sifting through rubble and debris and fallen bodies, while dodging bombs and bullets and witnessing loved ones murdered right before their eyes, has caused enormous emotional distress and relentless mental anguish. These are innocents with no access to food, medicine and clean water. All hope of a future without war has been taken from them. "Trying to imagine their unfathomable suffering was the impetus behind my composition “echoes of memory and silence.” Through electronic / ambient sound art, I have explored the silence and fragmentation of time that defines their desperate existence." Mount of Olives recording by Anders Vinjar, reimagined by Jeff Dungfelder.

"Lifta is a historic Palestinian village located near Jerusalem, notable for being the only Arab village evacuated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war that has not been destroyed or repopulated. It stands as a poignant symbol of the Nakba (the 1948 Palestinian exodus) and a physical reminder of the displacement and loss experienced by Palestinians. The village, with its well-preserved stone buildings, agricultural terraces, and spring, is also recognized for its unique cultural and historical value, and is currently under consideration for UNESCO World Heritage status." This piece uses elements of field recordings taken by Anders Vinjar (Mount of Olives / Ramallah Market / Ruins of Lifta), topped with a semi-composed / semi-improvised acoustic guitar line + added synth washes. 'The Ghosts of Lifta' was inspired by these field recordings and current photographs of the overgrown, deserted village. Lifta village recording by Anders Vinjar reimagined by Adam Leonard.

Foregrounding Anders Vinjars field recordings of Palestine; the hum of birds, street life, voices, and of hymns and calls to prayers - a Threnody for Echoes for Palestine. Golgotha recording from Jerusalem by Anders Vinjar, reimagined by Elissa Goodrich.

Ambisonics recordings at ruins of Lifta, outside Jerusalem, a village depopulated and destroyed in 1984 during Israels ethnic cleansing of Palestinian arabs from their land. Recorded by Anders Vinjar.

"Ambisonic recordings inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Gholghata, a fourth-century church in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The site where they say Jesus was crucified and as well the location of Jesus's empty tomb." Recorded by Anders Vinjar.