FOR AS LONG AS recording equipment has existed, we’ve been pointing it at hippos, shoving it down anthills, and dropping it into the sea—to learn more about animal behavior, document changes in ecosystems, or just freak out at the crazy sounds nature makes. Recent strides in digital-audio technology and the availability of smaller and more sensitive microphones have made it possible to probe further down the food chain, where sound plays just as important a role in organizing the lives of species as it does among the birds, bees, coyotes, and rhinoceri. They’ve also enabled conventional musicians to tap into the compositional potential of the natural world. Presenting 50 years of field recording’s greatest hits.
Environments 1: The Psychologically Ultimate Seashore
The Atmosphere Collection: Thunderstorm
Sounds of North American Frogs
Tucker Martine, Broken Hearted Dragonflies
David Dunne, The Sound of Light in Trees
Janet Winderen, The Noisiest Guys on the Planet
Tom Lawrence, The Water Beetles of Pollardstown Fen
Honorable Mention: Higher Intelligence Agency and Biosphere, Polar Sequences
Comments
Cutting-Edge fo'sure, but I still like The Beatles best :)
Flag ThisGlad to see Chris Watson-Weather Report made the list. That has become the high water mark of the genre. A must listen if you have not heard it. Headphones required.
Flag ThisNice post man. inspirational!
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