Pandemonium is a soundscape composition made entirely from sounds from the COVID-19 Sound Map. I wanted to reflect the many changes that have taken place to our everyday sonic environments, whilst playing with connections that might be discovered between sound references and sound types...
... a train pulling into a deserted station in New Jersey almost apologetically
sounds its horn, whilst the birds in the background are joined by others
from all over the world; the metallic, bird-like squeaks of a swinging pub sign
gradually flock and morph into the creak of a swing in a garden...
... badly sung Bob Marley and Lipps Inc. battle each other from
Spanish balconies, joined by a variety of sonic thankyous to front-line
workers around the world with the Belper Moo suddenly interrupted
as we hear a sick motorbike out for its first run for a while fading
into the distributed heterophony of the Lord’s Prayer over Zoom...
I imagine a “pandemonium” to be some kind of instrument which emits sounds recorded during a pandemic, but which also has the power to transform them and create new sounds.
With grateful thanks to the following for the use of their sounds:
Anon, Chris Barlas, Caroline Boe, Duncan Chapman, Michael Competielle, Phillip Cooke, Tim Cooper, Andrew Davidson, Liz Dobson, Kerstin Ergenzinger, Val Forsyth, Rob Godman, Hanja Hains, Jonty Harrison, Angus Hawkins, Jo Hinson, Ian Macilwain, Alistair MacDonald, Andy Moore, Martina Sabariego, Daniel Simpson, Donna Smith,
Chris Whitty and Ross Whyte.
