Sounds of the Earth - from the Himalayas to Dehli

10/13/23 • 30 min

2 Listeners

Relax with a mix of music and natural sounds, recorded by Radio 3 Sunday Breakfast listeners. We start in the Himalayas and end in an urban forest in Dehli, getting there via Kardamyli beach in Greece and the Thames footpath in Oxfordshire. Recordings made by Naryndra Kumar, James Hadley, Kate Sandars and Michael Lidgley.

Previous Episode

A Journey through Ramallah

YA Z AN, a Palestinian Berlin-based artist, travels around his hometown of Ramallah, located in the heart of the West Bank. During his journey, YA Z AN encounters sounds that comfort and remind him of home. He uses binaural technology to collect audio pieces from the verdant Palestinian landscape and sculpts them with sounds from everyday life to create a complete surround sound experience.

Setting off with a ‘oud player singing folklore music during a post-wedding ceremony and followed by a walk to home where family is gathered at a dinner table chit-chatting about food and how it is prepared, the recent events that resulted in the death of martyrs in Palestine and the earthquake that occurred in Syria/Turkey. Progressing through the day, Yazan goes down to the city centre farmers market (Al-hisbeh) where a number of street vendors are shouting out the prices of their products.

Upon joining friends to hangout, the journey travels further to a jam session when surprisingly the rhythm of the community turns into a small choir.

The journey ends with Sufi singer Shadi Al-ahmad intoning his voice in his historical Palestinian home with a cross vault ceiling that accents his baritone.

Next Episode

Berlin's Hidden Soundscape

How does the Berlin urban landscape sound?

Using a unique approach that combines field recordings and photographs translated into audio, the Uruguayan and Berlin-based artist Darío Dornel, aka Kirap, takes listeners on a captivating journey through the city's hidden soundscapes.

Pictures of recognisable city places are translated into sound using audio software through Bitmap's code conversion. A wide range of sounds is generated using various sound design tools and techniques. These sounds are combined with field recordings from the same places, creating an immersive sound exploration trip.

The journey starts at an old Berlin district, where listeners are greeted by the songs of birds, we then explore a street market in Neukölln, a demonstration on the old Prussian road, to finally listening to the day fading out at a train station, and welcoming the night at a known corner in Mitte.

Whether you are a local or a first-time visitor, this sound piece offers a fresh perspective on Berlin's urban landscape and a new way to experience the city by uncovering hidden features initially unnoticed. Take advantage of this chance to imaginatively travel to Berlin and discover the sonic landscape that makes this city unique.