EarBytes #12: Commuter Counterpoint

The middle of Catalunya metro interchange around 8.30am. Commuters hurring across the circular space towards one of the five or six exits create a phasing heel-click counterpoint. I particularly like the higher, 'off-beat' steps towards the end of the recording.

EarBytes #12: Commuter Counterpoint by If Walls Had Ears

EarBytes #11: Sustainable Transport Medley

A cross-connection of sustainable transport. An electric tram floats off from its station whilst city cyclists disturb loose paving slabs nearby.

EarBytes #11: Sustainable Transport Medley by If Walls Had Ears

EarBytes #8-9-10: A Night Out With Ale

A triptych of recordings from a night out in Barcelona's hidden corners, accompanied by Alessandro di Pauli.

#8: 'La Marsella' absinthe bar was historically frequented by Picasso & Hemingway amongst others. Here, Ale and I talk over the top of each other whilst simultaneously explaining to two separate people how the portable recorder works...

#9: Moog Club. I leave Ale whooping to Aretha upstairs, absinthe-aided trip into the same guy for the third time on the stairs, and take in the club's main fodder - techno, on its wonderfully EQ'd sound system.

#10: 5am. We leave Moog. I repeat myself, Ale says something totally unconnected by way of reply, and a guy offers us samosas.

EarBytes #8-9-10: A Night Out With Ale by If Walls Had Ears

EarBytes #7: Morning Meditation

Unlike the city Metro, commuters using the FGC over-ground railway to commute to work from the surrounding hills around Barcelona have a much quieter, contemplative ride to work, in near silence... ruptured only by the door-closing warning signal. Recording taken at 8am on a wet, cold working-day morning this March.

EarBytes #7: Morning Meditation by If Walls Had Ears

EarBytes #6: Park Ping Pong

Nothing says Barcelona like a outdoor game of Table Tennis on one of the public tables... I particularly like the overhit-drop-laugh sequence near the beginning of this recording.

EarBytes #6: Park Ping Pong by If Walls Had Ears

EarBytes #5: Jazz Spoons

Robadors 23 is a well kept secret of a bar, found on the backstreets of Raval. Getting there involves winding your way between prostitutes & drug dealers, but well worth the effort for the live sessions found inside.

At the gig, the ears filter the extraneous sounds to concentrate on the music. This recording highlights the public accompaniment, particularly the weird guy on the stairs next to me playing out-of-time-spoons and pulling comedy 'I dig jazz' faces.

EarBytes #5: Jazz Spoons by If Walls Had Ears

EarBytes #4: Church Organ Sound Collage

Organ being played in one of Barcelona's most impressive and resonant Gothic churches. The passing public, whilst attempting to be quiet, add to the soundscape with jangling coins, rustling bags and whispering... which to my ears make the overall 'piece' all the more rich.

EarBytes #4: Church Organ Sound Collage by If Walls Had Ears

EarBytes #3: Menagerie

Parc de la Ciutadella in early evening. Amazing number of different bird calls, including wild parakeets in the park itself plus a selection of exotic creatures from across the other side of the wall in the Zoo. Here the surrounding traffic noise is filtered to enjoy the birds in all their glory.

EarBytes #3: Menagerie by If Walls Had Ears

EarBytes #2: MACBA Reversed

Normally, sitting in front of Barcelona's contemporary art centre the MACBA (which is also the day-time home of the Sonar festival), my eyes ands thoughts cannot be distracted from the array of skaters criss-crossing around the square.

In this recording, the ears reverse the image, with skaters providing a backdrop to a fairly foul-mouthed conversation between a bunch of omnipresent drunks, which would normally have totally passed me by...

Earbytes #2: MACBA Reversed by If Walls Had Ears

Ear Bytes #1: Two Types Of Sea

Every day in June, we will be presenting a short snippet of one of our field recordings to build up a sound-map of the city of Barcelona... You can also keep up with the action with our Facebook page and via Twitter. Keep your eyes and ears peeled!

EARBYTES #1: Two Types Of Sea

Barcelona coastline at sunset. The sea rushes on left-hand side, whilst bubbles in a sheltered inlet on the right (including a great gurgle at the beginning of the recording!) Plane passing overhead and kids playing behind are a reminder that this is the city, not a retreat...

EarBytes #1: Two Types Of Sea by If Walls Had Ears

Buenos Dias Con Nieve

Snow in the mountains at dawn

Alessandro at work in the IWHE studio

Buenos Dias Con Nieve

The first results from the new If Walls Had Ears studios have arrived! Alessandro Di Pauli completed his 'residency' workshop this week, and we are very proud to present his first ever sound piece - Buenos Dias Con Nieve. The music is produced exclusively using a recording of snow falling in the hills above Barcelona at dawn, which we took at the beginning of the workshop (see posts below for more details on our sound recording mission...)

Buenos Dias Con Nieve by Alessandro Du Pauli by If Walls Had Ears

Does this inspire you to do the same? Why not get in touch via ifwallshadears@gmail.com to find out more about our range of workshops..?

Nightlife, Nightsounds

Inside MACBA Hall

Parc de la Ciutadella

Don Ale

Paving Slabs (loose ones make great sounds when cycled over...)

The sea at sunset

Club MOOG

Last week we continued our quest to record the sounds of Barcelona throughout 24 hours. Alessandro di Pauli and Tullis Rennie began exactly where they finished before, right in the middle of MACBA square (which this time was bathed in much more pleasant spring sunshine, rather than the snow we saw last time).

We recorded skaters, peaceful parks (with ping-pong players), cycled over loose paving slabs, captured the sounds of the sea at sunset, and then moved on into the city nightlife - live jazz bars and techno clubs.

Ale's wonderful photos above documented the experience, and below is a selection of the recordings made: skaters, birds in the park, paving slabs, the sea, jazz bar (with guy in the crowd playing the spoons!), Moog club (a walk from upstairs party soul sounds to downstairs deep techno) and finally the sound of being accosted in the street at 4am, slightly worse for wear...

Alessandro is currently taking an if walls had ears sound workshop to produce a piece of music using some of these recordings. Watch this space!

Sunset & Nightlife in Barcelona, Wednesday 17th March 2010 by If Walls Had Ears

Los sonidos de la nieve

Snow at dawn in the hills above Barcelona

Plaza Catalunya Metro Interchange

El Mercat de la Boqueria

Sant Just

MACBA Square

This week saw the first IWHE workshop of 2010 - a remarkable and historic day in more ways than one. We saw the first proper snowfall in Barcelona since 1962... and recorded it, at dawn, from the mountains above the city. We then passed through markets, plazas, metros and churches, as well the famous Xampaneria for a much-deserved lunch and obligatory copa de cava (we did get up at 5.30am!).

Our intrepid sonic explorers? Alessandro di Pauli & Tullis Rennie. See some of Ale's excellent photos above, and hear a few snippets of the raw recordings below... Next up? Make some music from it!

Morning in Barcelona, Monday 8th March 2010 by If Walls Had Ears

New Home

If Walls Had Ears has a brand new home, in the artist studio spaces recently opened by "untitled" BCN Gallery. We all sweated, blistered, bled, and got very dusty indeed preparing the space. Take a look at the before and after shots here...

Sexy, innit?

If these walls had ears...

Jess from "untitled" hard at work

Before