The Sound of 2024

Field Recordings

A slow weave of some of the past year’s Field Recordings, from a thunderstorm in Buenos Aires to whistling wind rattling the windows of a lighthouse in the Outer Hebrides.

Summer storm, Vedia, Buenos Aires, Argentina in January 2024 – by Joaquín Conde

“I left my recorder one afternoon under the sheet metal eaves of my parents’ house, anticipating the storm: you can hear the incessant thunder, the rain, the neighbour’s children playing, the wind, the birds, and much more…”

Stone mill milling corn, a village near Otočac, Croatia, on March 17th 2024 – by Marta Medvešek

“When I asked if I may record, the lady said of course – she loves the sound, too, and plays it back from her phone when she’s away from the farm, it helps her fall asleep. She also said she sometimes dozes off while working in the shop, which is in the room next to the mill.”

Changing of the Guard, Royal Palace, Stockholm, Sweden on 6th April 2024 – by Alan Hall

“On the 50th anniversary of ABBA winning Eurovision”

Frogtown, Los Angeles River, USA in April 2024 – by Alan Weedon

“I made it around dusk as I wanted to get the call of the Baja California frogs that live on this stretch of the river… it’s a part of the river which hasn’t completely been trapped in concrete as the water table is too high, and as such, the concrete bottom was never able to stick here. It’s a peculiar, but in my opinion stunningly surreal part of LA.”

Gibbon morning chorus, recorded in the car park of Fota House, near Cobh, Co. Cork, Ireland in April 2024 – by Damian Drohan

“This is a gibbon morning chorus, recorded in the car park of Fota House, near Cobh, Co. Cork. The car park is separated from Fota Wildlife Park by a fence. There is also a scattered chorus of birds, some in the trees overhead, some further away.”

Dawn, Chewton, Victoria, Australia in April 2024 – by Camilla Hannan

“I recorded this while Easter camping the other week at my friend’s place in Chewton, Victoria. Nothing like sleeping in a tent to get you up early! But this was totally worth it.”

Two minutes before the total eclipse, McGill Campus, Montreal, Québec at 3.24pm on 8th April 2024 – by Cristal Duhaime

Solar Eclipse, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, Québec at 3.24pm on 8th April 2024 – by Suzie McCarthy

Evening waves, La Napoule, France on 9th April 2024 – by Mira Burt-Wintonick

Early morning, RSPB Lakenheath Fen, Suffolk, UK in May 2024 – by Talia Randall

“An early morning wander through RSPB Lakenheath Fen, Suffolk, on a bright May morning. According to my bird identification app, throughout the recording, you’ll hear sedge warblers, blackbirds, a pheasant, a great tit, rooks, chiffchaffs, a wren, and the unmistakable call of the cuckoo.”

Waves on a pebble beach, Hvar, Croatia on 26th May 2024 – by Eleanor McDowall

“Waves fizz and crackle on the shoreline”

Bamboo in the wind, Fire Island, New York, USA in June 2024 – by Will Coley

Cowbells, Dolomites, Italy in early July 2024 – by Alex Lewis

“Around the Dolomites in Northeastern Italy, you frequently come across herds of cows. Munching on grass and wagging their heads, their cowbells echo around the mountain valleys like wind chimes or gamelans.”

After the election, Cours Julien, Marseilles, France just before midnight on Sunday 7th July 2024

“People gather to celebrate in Place Jean Jaurès hours after the Nouveau Front Populaire (an alliance of left wing movements in France) beats both Emmanuel Macron’s centrists and the far right to become the largest bloc in the National Assembly”

Pétanque, Saint-Savin, France on 20th July 2024 – by Siddharth Khajuria

“Full of chaotic bells from an 11th or 12th century Abbey in the town we’re staying in. Listen out for one of the Pétanque players stepping away from the game to admonish / check in on her dog!”

Fog at Swallowtail Lighthouse, Grand Manan, New Brunswick, Canada in July 2024 – by Lu Olkowski

Stop the Far Right, Waltham Forest Immigration Bureau, London, UK at 8pm on 7th August 2024

“Hundreds of people gather in solidarity at one of the locations threatened by far right violence last night, as anti-racist groups across the UK respond to a list encouraging attacks on immigration centres.

This followed a week of domestic terrorism from far right groups, fuelled by a poisonous political and media discourse in this country, which had seen violent attacks on communities – rioters storming hotels housing asylum seekers, targeting mosques, burning a library, hurling bricks and fireworks.

On the morning of the 8th August, BBC Radio 4’s Today programme still chose to euphemistically refer to these far right rioters as, “anti-immigration protesters” in their news bulletin, with BBC News previously talking about one far right gathering as a “pro-British march”, newspapers like the Daily Mail and the Express praised the “anti-hate marchers” who had “faced down the thugs” on the 8th despite printing years of dehumanising, racist and Islamophobic headlines which had consciously laid the groundwork for the hatred and violence of the past few days and many of the MPs who had spent years pouring bile into this poisonous, racist discourse – across political divides – decried the violence, without acknowledging how the public scapegoating of refugees and immigrants had lit these fires.”

Herons at night, Isle of Mull, Scotland in late summer 2024 – by Paul Ridout

“We stayed on the shore of Loch Scridain and the night air brought with it a slightly disconcerting sound.”

Moon rise with an orchestra rehearsal through an open door, North London, UK on the night of 18th September 2024 – by Eleanor McDowall

“At the top of a hill in North London, as the Harvest Supermoon rises, the sound of an orchestra rehearsing pours into the night through an open door.”

Two cows in conversation, Eagle Bridge, New York, USA in late September 2024 – by Lu Olkowski

Deer, Parco nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise, Italy in September 2024 – by Cosmin Sandu

“Every year in September and October is the deer mating season, you can hear them all over the natural park. It is something unique, especially when you are fortunate enough to also see them.”

Ambient bus, Shadwell, London on 27th September 2024 – by Nada Smiljanic

“I made this crappy phone recording late one evening, passing through Shadwell on my way home. I was admiring the quaint docklands architecture along Cable Street (and the clear skies – I think it was a full moon that night) when I approached a stationary London bus. The sound coming from it was so peaceful and unexpected. I inspected the bus; it was empty, and the driver had propped himself up against a small wall outside and was smoking a cigarette… I later read that this is the sound London’s new electric buses make when they’re stationary. They’ve been especially designed that way as a safety feature, given that electric vehicles are nearly silent by default. I had never heard this sound before, but really like the thought of a future where it’s a regular feature in the city’s soundscape.”

National March for Palestine, Russell Square, London, UK on 5th October 2024 around 1pm

“From October 2023 to May this year, the Government issued over 100 new licences allowing UK companies to sell arms to Israel. On the 2nd September David Lammy revoked just 30 licences of the 350 currently granted. The licences revoked did not include the continued supply of spare parts for F-35 fighter jets, a key part of Israel’s military operations.

On Saturday afternoon 300,000 people marched on the streets of central London against our Government’s continued support of this violence.”

Bells after dusk, Ludwigskirche, Munich, Germany on 7th November 2024 – by Eleanor McDowall

Snow falling on recorder and into a small stream, Devon, England, UK in November 2024 – by Meg Brooks

“Here is a recording of snow falling on the recorder and into a small stream that feeds into the River Dart. Plus a bonus call from the Jay that nests nearby!”

Frogs at Night in Yogyakarta, Java on 22nd November 2024 – by Arya Adyuta

“It’s the rainy season now, and at night frogs would show up and start making sounds—somehow it was like they’re talking to each other, forming a busy temporary town under the dark landscape of tall bushes. Rain caused high streams of water flowing, joining the crowded soundscape. I stood at a distance enough to observe, while a few motorbikes passed by, and the smell of the abating rain emerged.”

San Martín Railway at night in Vedia, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina in November 2024 – by Joaquín Conde

“The freight cars picked up speed as they pulled away from the station but everything went silent at the peak of this crescendo. Only echoes remained, the ghost of a train heading west and the night gradually reclaiming its habitual sounds.”

Storm Darragh, Powys, Wales on Saturday 7th December 2024 – by Matt Faulkner

“At first the heavy winds and rain hit woke us up in the dead of night on Saturday morning, increasingly battering the roof until we lost power from late morning until Sunday. Here is a brief recording of the winds from inside the barn before it really kicked off.”

Whistling wind in lighthouse, Lewis and Harris, Outer Hebrides, Scotland on 8th December 2024 – by Eleanor McDowall

“Climbing to the top of a lighthouse in the Outer Hebrides, wind sings through the crack in a window”

Christmas brass and birds, London, UK on 15th December 2024 – by Eleanor McDowall

“On a cold December day, birds duet with a brass band”