While Stephan Crasneanscki was working towards his Ph.D, he found that museum guides were lacking personality and feeling. He set out to create his own audio tours that were designed to have the listener discover the story of a location while getting lost in it. From there, Soundwalk Collective was born. Now, Stephan travels the world with his collaborators to use sounds to bring attention to the experiences and people that may normally go avoided or unnoticed. Hear two of their recent works below:

Ulysses Syndrome:
Medea:

This episode uses these sound effects from freesound.org:
‘trail_footsteps_1_0725_102951.wav’ by Ephemeral_Rift, ‘Car Door Shut.wav’ by jpkweli, ’morning_birds’ by morgantj, ‘wind in the trees’ by cajo, ‘16.12.2011.013.wav’ by deathicated, ‘crowds in yard.wav’ by cognito perceptu, ‘running leafy area loop.wav’ and ‘running gravel or dry leaves loop.wav’ by bevangoldswain, ‘small_person_animal(s)_in_leaves.wav’ by superEGsonic, ‘KidsAtPlayground.wav’ by gynation

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Photo by Jefferey Turner

Music can do a number of things, but can it help tortoises reproduce? The answer is no, but music can help us to relax and unwind. Researchers took the relaxation a step further by trying to create the most relaxing song in the world. The song was the result of the initiative of Radox, Mindlab, Lyz Cooper from The British Academy of Sound Therapy, and Marconi Union. How does their creation, titled, “Weightless,” compare to tea, massages, or a leisurely walk on the relaxation scale?

Find out on this week’s show as Max Owens helps us learn about the art and science of music used for relaxation. Be sure to listen to the song below:

In 1857 Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville was granted a patent for an invention he called
the “Phonautograph.” The contraption was the first to capture sounds, but it did not have a mechanism to play them back. These sounds were locked away until 2008 when researchers found a way to recreate them through modern technology.

Around the time that those sounds were being revived, the decision was made to intentionally make the recording of a song as rare and unique as recordings once were. Alec Duffy, from Hoi Polloi and Jack, won the rights to a previously unheard Sufjan Stevens song in a Christmas contest. Rather than release the song on a wide scale, Alec devised a plan to make every time the song is heard a truly unique experience. Learn about the phonautograph and why Alec usually keeps his song, “The Lonely Man of Winter,” locked away in his Brooklyn home.

Phonautograph recordings for the episode are from FirstSounds.com.

Music Featured

Alec Duffy – “Everyday is Christmas”
Sufjan Stevens – “Chicago” from Come On Feel the Illinoise
Sufjan Stevens – “Casimir Pulaski Day” from Come On Feel the Illinoise

Explore

Sufjan Stevens – Michigan
Sufjan Stevens – Songs for Christmas
The Audible Past: Cultural Origins of Sound Reproduction by Jonathan Sterne

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You can find this episode’s transcript by following this link.