Then to now

Cities and Memory - remixing the world

"I chose Maria Gunko's recording from Armenia because it's a simple, peaceful field recording of a woman gardening out on her balcony after moving there "...striving for safe harbor from state violence amid the Russia-Ukraine War."
"My remix, called "Then to Now", is an interpretation of a journey from war to a safe harbor. The first part, Then", is meant to be a bit discordant and slightly challenging. Fast bpm, strident music in 4/4, various sounds of war: sirens, explosions, missile launches, dogs barking, a crying child and eventually a door slams. The second part, "Now", slowly unfolds into a waltz-like signature mixing in the steps of the person gardening. The bass drum and snare sound were cut and repeated from some noise in the field recording. The music in the second part is melodious, featuring intertwining, peaceful, major chord melodies.
"I can see the woman spinning and dancing along to the music from "Now" with a beatific smile on her face."
Tumanyan soundscape reimagined by Bill McKenna.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration