Rust

Mar 31, 09:04 AM

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 "I grew up close to one of the biggest Catholic pilgrimage destinations in the world - I could never escape bells. I love the way they sound, the seemingly impossible rhythms and beatings they create, and the long ringings.

"I wanted to preserve those sounds and rhythms in some way, but at the same time reflect the wanton disregard with which we treat our past. I decided to use the sounds of the bells (however shaped, sliced, and mangled) but let them degrade and fall apart throughout the piece.

"In the end, I noticed that the voices captured in the square are at times more discernible than the much louder bells, and it sort of fits what I wanted to communicate.

"After listening to the source track for a while, I divided it up into phrases which I then split up into relatively long samples. All the sounds in the piece were built from these samples. I used some short slices and looped them so they could be played like a synthesiser.

"The arrangement was spread across a number of loops and machines. A couple of
sequences were recorded, with everything else played by hand.

"I recorded 4 takes to tape, and did some light mastering on my favourite.

Written, recorded, and mastered by Pedro Figueiredo.

Mtskheta bell ringing reimagined by Stray wool.

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This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights.

Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage


Stray wool