Transmissions
Wochende (Weekend)
Walter Ruttmann (DE 1930)
Walter Ruttmann (DE 1930)
11 min
Wochende was presented in theaters as a sound-only experience. No images were projected on the screen. The 11 minute of music fragments and sounds represent a weekend in Berlin, including Saturday afternoon at a factory, a night in the city, a pastoral Sunday, and the city returning to work on Monday. The effect was a sonification of the visuals one would expect from a film, but a film without images.
Wochende, as a sound narrative, was also broadcast on radio and so is sometimes referred to as a radio play. In that context Wochende may be the first significant recorded experiment with montage for radio
Producer: Walter Ruttmann
The Dreams
Delia Derbyshire and Barry Bermange (DE 1964)
Delia Derbyshire and Barry Bermange (UK 1964)
45 min
The Dreams is one of four programmes "Inventions for Radio", this is surprisingly modern collection of spliced/reassembled interviews with people describing their dreams.
The BBC Radiophonic Workshop provided a base for a series of exceptional composers and sound designers but none of them generated quite the same level of interest and fascination as Delia Derbyshire.
Delia's editing and repetition, together with her dissonant, often terrifying musique concrete soundbeds, make this distinctly uneasy bedtime listening.
Producers: Delia Derbyshire and Barry Bermange
The Solitude Trilogy: The Idea of North
Glenn Gould (CA 1967)
Glenn Gould (CA 1967)
56min Episode 1 of 1
A visit to the archives with Canadian pianist Glenn Gould's landmark radio documentary, The Idea of North, first aired on CBC Radio in 1967.
In his boldly experimental program about the Canadian north, the pianist used a technique he called "contrapuntal radio," layering speaking voices on top of each other to create a unique sonic environment situated in the space between conversation and music.
The North provided Gould with an ideal subject matter for exploring the condition of solitude.
"hybrids of music, drama, and several other strains, including essay, journalism, anthropology, ethics, social commentary, and contemporary history."
The densely layered radio pieces presented a real challenge to audiences at the time, and they still do. Yet their enduring cultural impact — a rare feat for radio programming — speaks to the inspired balance of music and meaning that Gould was able to achieve.
Composed by Glenn Gould
Listen to the series
Chop 10
Tarikh Korula (US 2005)
Tarikh Korula (US 2005)
4min
Exploiting the techniques of current commercial radio practice, <em>Chop 10</em> re-mixes a live, dynamic assemblage of commercial radio streams as a commentary on the current state of regulated radio. As "Chop 10" moves from one Arbitron-rated Top Ten radio station in New York City to the next, the hyper "scan" makes it impossible to discern any single station's content, resulting in a jumpy, never-ending parody of commercial radio.
Producer: Tarikh Korula
Dreamt Reality: Sleep Talks
Talia Augustidis (UK 2022)
Talia Augustidis (UK 2022)
15 min, Episode 1 0f 4
Unreality exists where fact and fiction collide. Host Talia Augustidis guides you through four different stories; from dreams and fantasy to curated falsehoods, as each episode wavers precariously between the imagined and the truth.
What happens when a real life relationship gets carried away by dreams? In this episode, Talia gets a glimpse into her boyfriend’s dream world, only to find out she’s not invited.
Produced by Talia Augustidis
Powered by Transmission Roundhouse
The Letter S
Chris Brookes (CA 2001)
Chris Brookes (CA 2001)
54min
Whispers in the Air
On December 12th, 1901 Guigliermo Marconi received the world's first trans-Atlantic wireless signal on the cliff just above Chris Brook’s Battery Radio studio. Or... did he?
This beautifully poetic audio work combines fact and fiction, reality and construction to tell the story of the beginning of radio and sound waves. The perfect place to start for any budding audiofile.
Produced by Chris Brookes - Battery Radio
Created for the 2001 centenary of Marconi's transmission. First broadcast: ABC "Classic FM" Dec. 12, 2001.
Special Commendation, Prix Marulic 2002
Atlantic Journalism Award 2002
In The Dark: The Everything Is Fine Forecast
Ewan Cameron (UK 2022)
Ewan Cameron (UK 2022)
7 min
The Shipping Forecast but it's you having a panic attack.
Produced and performed by Ewan Cameron as part of an ongoing podcast called Randomly Generated Thought.
Selected as part of a new producers listening event be In The Dark
Onirica
Silvia Malnati (2021)
Silvia Malnati (UK /IT 2021)
15 min
An intimate exploration of the auditory impressions that people experience while dreaming.
Onirica x BBC New Creatives in partnership with ICA London
Producer: Silvia Malnati
Composer: Stefano Galli
Mixing & Sound Designer: Andrea Campisi
Executive Producer: Pierre Vella (SPACE)
Radio Ballad: On The Edge (1963)
Ewan McColl, Peggy Seeger, Charles Parker (1963)
Ewan McColl, Peggy Seeger, Charles Parker (UK 1963)
59 min
This new revolutionary format - radio ballad (BBC) conceived by folk musicians Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger, and the brilliant radio documentary maker Charles Parker in 1958, combining sound: songs, instrumental music, sound effects, and, most importantly, the recorded voices of those who are the subjects of the documentary. This had never been done before, and still sounds incredibly fresh today.
This Radio Ballad explores the lives of teenagers in the 1960’s with voices of young people from all over the UK. If you’ve seen C’mon C’mon where Joaquin Phoenix plays Johnny a radio journalist touring the US to talk to teens, this piece sounds even more ahead of its time.
Producer: Charles Parker
Music: Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger
Listen to more Radio Ballads
Edgeland
Hayley Suviste (UK 2021)
Hayley Suviste (UK 2020)
24 min
As Manchester’s streets and skyline are warped by the ever-accelerating process of urban renewal, the city’s edgelands and green spaces are at risk of being swallowed by waves of property development. Not only does this raise questions about the ecology of the city, as carbon sinks are flattened and wildlife is displaced, but it speaks to broader trends pushing urban residents away from shared space, community and local identity.
This project shines a light on these spaces and the activists, academics, and local people who have taken up the daunting fight against corporate interests in the city in the name of biodiversity, urban ecology and community wellbeing. As we are faced with crises of both environment and mental health, the role of public green spaces has become ever more crucial in the eyes of those who enjoy, nurture, and maintain them
Hayley Suviste is a sound artist and composer based in Manchester (UK). She works with field recordings, archival material, electronic hardware, and live instrumentation to create long-form compositions, sonic installations, and multimedia art projects. Inspired by folk traditions and oral histories, Hayley is interested in the role of sound and voice in constructing and reproducing cultural identities and socio-historical narratives and how new compositional technologies can engage communities with overlooked stories about their environments.