"I steered safely around the lions only featuring a loop of a growl buried towards the end of the piece. I was more intrigued by the sound of insects and cracking undergrowth, moving noises. These were sampled and re pitched. I added kalimba played through a granular effects pedal and it skittered around the mix. Percussion shakes were found sounds of beads brushed on a contact mic. "Finally I added a free form melody via the tocante phashi. This is a solar powered touch synth that has a very esoteric playing style ( live circuit bending) and strange tuning structure. It added a haunting feel as modular synth emulated insect noises and something prowled just out of sight." Serengeti soundscape reimagined by Andy Billington.
Serengeti central at night: lion pride roaring close
25/05/2026 | 20 mins.
A powerful night recording from the heart of Serengeti Central. Listen as a lion pride roars close by—their calls echoing across the plains for up to eight kilometers 4 . Hyenas whoop and cackle in response, while insects create a steady rhythm and night birds call softly. This is the African night at its most raw and wild. Perfect for immersion, study, sleep, or experiencing the true voice of the Serengeti. Recorded in Tanzania by David Joseph.
The magical music of Jemaa el-Fnaa
25/05/2026 | 7 mins.
9.43pm, and by night the Jemaa el-Fnaa square turns into a musical paradise - gone are the grim snake charmers and animal handlers, and in their place circles of musicians fill the south end of the square, playing various forms of amazing Moroccan music. This recording moves back and forth between several groups, enjoying the music. Recorded in Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2026 by Cities and Memory.
Ka Faroshi carpet store, Kabul
25/05/2026 | 5 mins.
"Ambience sounds inside a carpet store in Kabul's famous Ka Faroshi market, people talking in the dampened acoustics of the carpets, shielded from a very busy market outside. Post 45 years of disastrous war. 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 in 2025.
Olive stands in the medina
25/05/2026 | 3 mins.
In one of the indoor markets in Marrakesh's medina, olives are being wrapped, packed up and sold to passing customers, as we hear shouting traders, Arabic conversations and background music. Recorded in Marrakesh, Morocco, January 2026 by Cities and Memory.
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 8,000 sounds featured on our sound map, spread over more than 140 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 www.citiesandmemory.com
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