Train (interior perspective) 1989

Approaching East Croydon from Victoria, wait, depart, cross fade into running.

Slam doors, Zippo lighter lighting cigarettes (?), Gatwick Express pass, squeaks, rattles, track and points. Windows open.

From the days when the passenger was deemed responsible enough open doors themselves, despite the handles being on the outside of the train, and carriages had windows that could be opened and closed.

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...a little Sunday morning music doodle...just scribbling in the margin.

the ATC is JFK Final Approach on 12.06.12 about 9pm BST.

Please make sure all electronic devices are switched off, your seat is in an upright position and the table in front of you is folded away...

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9th June 2012

02.15am

Carrer dels Carders 08003, Barcelona

Late night voices echoing around the narrow streets in Barcelona, this morning. Various languages being spoken.

The start of the day at the same location can be found here.

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Manchester Victoria Railway Station ... atmosphere, announcements, trams and trains arriving and departing.

Binaural recording.

18.00

27/3/12

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...a frequent journey, thoughts, daydreams. A little something I did on a rainy afternoon a couple of weeks ago.

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Prague tram number 17 from Vistye Vyste into the city towards Nova Scena. Internal ambiance

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A great day in Helsinki, a fascinating back stage tour the soon to be opened Helsinki Music Centre, what a superb concert hall, followed by a visit to check out some new software at the Swedish Theatre (what a great sound team there!) and finishing of at the Theatre Museum where I experienced a thought provoking exhibition by the students of the Sound Design course from the Theatre Academy of Finland.

Whilst enjoying a coffee in the sunshine, with my host this morning Christian, this wonderful old man walked past with lovely old Barrel Organ....so....

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So I was woken up at 3am this morning by...maintenance work on the nearby Metro track.

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Some recordings made in Charlotte NC on the morning of Saturday 12th March 2011, or in the words of 24 the following takes place between 9am and 10am. A walk between my hotel and the finishing line for a race (probably 5K, or 10K, I couldn't find out exactly) and some ambiance recorded outside The Mint Museum Uptown.

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It's now the final few sentences of the last chapter, of what will be known as 2010 and I've spent this cold winters evening, a week before Christmas, listening back to some of the recordings I've made this year and thinking about what will, to me, soon become little more than a few distant memories.

My biggest realisation of this year is that it seems..too many people are now living their lives as if they're appearing on some reality TV show...too many intelligent people are apparently blind to what is and has been happening right under their noses...also puzzling is their lack of awareness at just how they're being cleverly manipulated...puppeteers being controlled by puppets...sad, funny and a cause for some concern.

We all need to continue to grow, creators of art...entertainment...those of us who want to push boundaries, share and learn, need to fight against those who seek to obstruct our futures and our growth and I sense that in many ways 2011 will be even more important to all of us.

So here's to our continued personal growth and greater wisdom in 2011!

I hope this recording reflects some of what I've learnt this year.

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The 18.50 Cardiff Central to Manchester Piccadilly train. A cold, dark, November evening as it travels between Ludlow and Craven Arms at around 8.30pm. This train sounded as if every mile was complete agony for it and this exhausted, struggling drone, lasted for the entire duration of my journey...

Nevertheless, despite the tiring underscore of my journey a great afternoon was had talking to some lovely students at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama...I'm so envious of the wonderful education they're getting and the exciting times ahead for both them and this fantastic college. I feel very fortunate to be able to spend time with the students here and at many other institutions around the world and always leave invigorated and inspired by them all.

16/11/10

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A few months ago I found a box of mysterious unlabelled cassettes, for those of you who know me this will not come as any surprise, so I selected a few items and dug out an old player to take a listen....

I found some material which I'd recorded in Tokyo, whilst I was out there on tour with the Royal Shakespeare Company in the early 1990's, one was particularly interesting, it was also very poorly recorded. I'd obviously left my device on (a Sony Pro Cassette Recorder), in my bag, whilst I was travelling around Tokyo on the subway. I can't help but wonder if it was the special day, which influenced me so much, that I talk about in this book?

So anyway, here's my (non generative) musical response to what I found, featuring excerpts from that Tokyo recording.

AT LAST 'the dying breath of summer and other short stories' is available on CD and download (in every format you could ever want) further details here! Please buy it

For readers of this blog I'm offering a special 50% discount on the download version, valid until 1st August 2010, just use the code listenhearpromo1.

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So how to spend a warm Saturday afternoon before settling down to watch England play the USA in the World Cup? The options are many, but I decided to take a trip to the little Lancashire town of Ramsbottom and what better way than on a steam train on the East Lancashire Railway from Bury.

So here's a little compilation of some recordings I made on the journey and at a wonderful little duck pond in Ramsbottom. I particularly like the moment the train goes through the tunnel at 1'34”

A good afternoons recording with plenty of audio recorded to manipulate, and explore in future months.

Certainly better than the football turned out to be...

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A long day as a passenger in a car. Brighton to Southend and then on to Nottingham before finally to Manchester. The difference in architecture and weather on this small island becomes so apparent when you take so much in within such a relatively short period of time, the journey with stops was about 10 hours. Cosmopolitan Brighton, the very British seaside tackiness of Southend, which all makes Nottingham look very normal, finishing with some the stunning Yorkshire villages as we travelled across country from the M1, just north of Sheffield, to Manchester.

So I was waiting for the car here 50.825144,-0.132799

Sunday 25^th April 2010 - 11am

Dartford Tunnel recording here http://aporee.org/maps/?loc=6644

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After a beautiful afternoon walking the rugged coastline west of Swansea, we retired to possibly the worst 4 Star hotel bar in South Wales...Sky Sports, a fruit machine which annoyingly and constantly played the theme from The Pink Panther also a barman who spent a little to much time outside smoking...it was very handy for the railway station though.

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The ‘5B’ bus through Brighton - North Street to Churchill Square before continuing west along Western Road into Hove.

Lots of conversations….drone of the bus…

Saturday 6^th March 2010

1.45pm

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Air Traffic Control communications recorded between 8.20pm and 9pm (GMT) on Friday 23^rd October 2009.

This madness is an excerpt of a small part of a project I’m working on at the moment.

Air Traffic Control at –

EHAM Amsterdam - The Netherlands

EPWA Warsaw - Poland

LGAV Athens - Greece

LKPR Prague - Czech Republic

KBOS Boston (Tower) - USA

KHOU Houston - USA

JFK New York (Delivery) - USA

KJFK New York (Departure) - USA

VHHH Hong Kong Intl. - Hong Kong, China

SABE Buenos Aires - Argentina

SBBR Brasília - Brazil

TTPP Trinidad and Tobago - Trinidad

YSSY Sydney - Australia

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As I was listening to some old Minidiscs tonight I stumbled across this recording. The disc was unmarked (typically) and I can’t remember recording it (no surprise). I’m wondering if it’s a stroll down Las Ramblas on one of my many visits to Barcelona? I just don’t know.

Can anyone shed any light on this mystery recording of mine? Is there an obvious clue I’m missing? It could well be that it was recorded unintentionally and my recorder just happened to be on in my bag…

Still I enjoyed listening to it, despite my inability to remember the location, time, or date. Oh well it will, no doubt, remain forever a mystery.

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A warm, sleepy, evening I'm sat on a quiet Bedford railway station platform as I wait for the train to take me back home, after a very quick visit to my parents…the microlight flying over is almost the noisiest thing…a docile stillness, even the approaching train seems to creep into the station apologetically at the end of it's journey, very much a reflection of how I feel about this town.

Latitude 52° 8'10.58"N

Longitude 0°28'48.63"W

8th August 2009

18.05

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A frequent ferry runs between Nidri and the small towns of Spartahori and Vathi on the nearby island of Meganisi. The local inhabitants catch this as we would a bus here in the UK. It also transports lorries and cars and is obviously an important social and economic link between the islands.

The ferry is mainly used by Greeks (the many tourists tend to take the overpriced ‘excursion’ boats), and sailing on this ship is a great experience…a boat trip with the ‘locals’ for just 2 Euros.

Here’s a recording of the very animated conversation taking place between a group of elderly people as the vessel departs Nidri. I haven’t a clue what they’re saying!

24^th July 2009

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Brighton railway station concourse, atmosphere, enter through barriers and walk to the front carriage of the 14:50 London bound train on platform 4.

Saturday 7^th March 2009

14:45

Latitude 50°49'44.22"N

Longitude  0° 8'27.28"W

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The full, but eerily quiet, 10.40 London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly West Coast Mainline Virgin Pendolino train.

A really quick journey today but I hope that someone, in the not to distant future, invents a newspaper which is silent when the reader turns a page, for some reason I find this sound particularly irritating.

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Over the past few years I’ve been very fortunate and travelled to some amazing places….met and worked with lots of wonderful people and generally had a pretty good time…but none of my recent (ad)ventures could really be classed as a holiday. It’s actually been a few years since I’ve hit a foreign beach, enjoyed the sights and sites, sunshine and sea whilst also enjoying the rarity of both lunch and dinner in the same day.  

I recently came across some recordings I made in 2000 (was it really that long ago) whilst on holiday in Greece with my great mate, fellow (ad)venturer and partner in crime, Huw…The Greek Islands were certainly my preferred destination for the first few years of this decade and I shared so many wonderful times which I will never forget.

I do love travelling around the Greek islands on ferries, many of them, from my experience, operate in various states of sea worthiness….some badly listing, others spewing awful black smoke into the atmosphere, while a few seem to entertain all onboard by spending the whole crossing dodging other vessels, or bumping into them whilst docking. In high summer most are crammed full with contented lobster-red tourists, disinterested olive-skinned locals, motorcycles, cars and lorries full of….well…it’s sometimes hard to know quite what….but to me exotic, mysterious and exciting cargos, although in reality they’re simply delivering everyday goods to the often isolated islands.

I have experienced two absolutely ‘perfect moments’* in my life (and many nearly, but not quite, perfect ones). The first was an early spring day spent alone, in a secluded spot, at the foot of Mount Fuji and the second was in Greece, at the start this holiday, in 2000. I vividly remember taking an early morning ferry from Piraeus (as if it was yesterday) - just as the sun was rising and shedding the most beautiful colours imaginable over the still sleeping Athens. This fantastic light, the evocative smell of the sea, the beautiful sounds of the boat creaking and the waves lapping against the bow, the gentle sway as we slowly headed away from the glowing metropolis and on into the quiet, blue, deep, Greek waters, while the new days sun began to slowly warm my skin – A mixture of feelings, emotions and sensations which made this morning one that I’ll never forget, a memory which I’m finding frustratingly difficult to properly articulate, but nevertheless, a special moment, a peaceful, solitary, instant away from my often chaotic life, which will remain with me forever. It lasted no more than a couple of minutes…a moment which I wanted (as I did in Japan) to last forever, for an all to brief time nothing mattered and life was beautiful.

Maybe I’ll experience another, maybe the memories of Fuji and Piraeus will have to last me for the rest of my life…I don’t know. I don’t believe that you can seek out, or create a perfect moment (I’ve tried) they creep up on you unexpectedly and you just have to embrace, enjoy, give in to them and savour what is a very special life enhancing event…..

So anyway, here’s some rediscovered sounds from that holiday in 2000. Not the ‘perfect moment’ which I was far to busy experiencing to worry, or even much care, about setting up microphones and recorders, not that you can record such things anyway, but just some boats, cafes, beaches, sea, warmth and memories.

*The late Spalding Gray in his book Swimming to Cambodia wrote of finding the “perfect moment”. A precise moment in time when nothing else exists, you are just in that moment.

Update 13th October 2008,

Track Listing

00:00:00 - 00:02:20 Hydrofoil, leaving quayside, turning, slowly moving out of the harbour before powering away. recorded from the stern.

00:02:20 - 00:05:29 Busy roadside cafe, Backgammon, coffee, bad music and my now long lost Zippo lighter!

00:05:29 - 00:06:41 Beach cafe, cicadas, English conversation, music.

00:06:41 - 00:13:11 Large ferry, approaching quayside and docking, recorded from the deck.

00:13:11 - 00:14:17 Another beach cafe, waves, children playing, laughter and a distant hydrofoil.

00:14:17 - 00:15:21 Ducks swimming around a secluded harbour, water lapping, cicadas

00:15:21 - End Cicadas, water lapping and a boat creaking.

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Saturday 14th June.

On the deck of the M/S Carl Filip as it cruises from Drottningholm to Stockholm.

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So my flight to Houston was eventually diverted to Alexandria due to bad weather and a severe lack of fuel! So, Alexandria 'International' Airport is very small and the 'International' bit, is pushing it slightly. Anyway sat watching rubbish TV in the departure lounge as the 7.30am flight I should be on is now leaving at 10am.....The panel discussion I'm taking part in at USITT Conference is at midday.....mmmmmmmm

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So I'm currently stuck in Indianapolis Airport, waiting for my flight down to Houston. Getting bored and frustrated. Here's an atmosphere recording taken 5 minutes ago. There aren't even any shops....and my battery is low...

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I was invited over to Rotterdam to give a talk, a wonderful invitation to hang out with some excellent people. But the flight over was the most awful I've ever experienced, a small propeller 'plane (the bigger the plane the happier I am I'm afraid) and gale force winds from the time we took off until the moment we landed. Only a 35 minute flight from London City Airport, but I've never seen so many ashen faced people, as I did when we finally got off the 'plane....smart and no doubt important (in their minds anyway) business people looking as if they'd just had as near a death experience as they were ever likely to have, before the real thing. I'm amazed that these little planes are able to take off and land virtually sideways! My knuckles were white by the time we arrived. The pilot was great...thankfully...London looks amazing as you're hurtling towards it when you should be flying upwards and away....

Anyway, I was pleased to finally make it into the centre of Rotterdam and enjoy a peaceful ride on one of there very efficient subway trains, which thankfully maintained a constant height and speed

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After a 13 hour day in the theatre perhaps the last thing you need is; to share the jouney home with a bunch of Take That fans in an overcrowded tram.....

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For those involved in Laptop Connections in June here's some venue ambience! 26/02/07 10.30am

Latitude 50° 5'16.35"N

Longitude 14°25'58.56"E

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Not sure why but......anyway, my method of travel everyday when I'm in Manchester. Just don't get on without a ticket, a particularly memorable journey free from pointless mobile phone chat, kids swinging from the handrails and crying babies.  

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