Hidden Sounds of Architecture

Contact microphones and electromagnetic microphones allow us to tap in to a world of sonics that are normally hidden from our human hearing. The exploration of these sounds has been fascinating and exciting for me - the potential to discover something new and unheard, a secret sound dimension full of new possibilities, gives me great pleasure and the opportunity to listen to the world from a different perspective.

Photo by Jim Stephenson

“What those contact mics are so good at is picking up much lower frequencies that we don’t hear generally. At London Bridge there were two particular sounds that I was drawn to. One of them is the handrails of the escalator. It was just completely unexpected. You have a vague idea of what something’s going to sound like, but when I connected the contact mics to the left and the right handrails, which was a challenge in itself because you have to stick them to the surface and the escalators are moving so you have limited time, it sounded like a UFO. It’s just this weird sort of sound. Those are the moments that I love about working with those sort of non-traditional microphones.”

In 2019 I travelled around the UK with film maker Jim Stephenson, making films about each of the Stirling Architecture Prize nominees. You can see those films, which focus on the architectural process, here. During that project I had the opportunity to use contact and electromagnetic microphones to capture the sounds from two of the nominated buildings, The Macallan Distillery designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, and London Bridge Station designed by Grimshaw, and together with Jim, create these new films which focus on the sounds I discovered.

I also chatted with Jim about the recordings and process, the text of which you can find on his blog.

I have also put together a download album featuring the two soundtracks plus additional recordings from both locations. Find it here.

Headphones recommended to hear the full frequency range of the recordings.

“The production of whisky is industrial, all those sounds that were coming from distillery – it felt like the machine was alive, it felt like it was belching out these sounds. When you listen closely there’s a rhythm to it, and there’s different textures, and these noises start to come alive and have a sort of distinct character all to themselves”

Friction in House 2 - Walmer Yard Sound Portrait

This sound exploration of Walmer Yard House 2 begins with the sound of a wooden door scraping against the rough concrete floor, the two materials crackling and scratching against each other in ear-pleasing sonic friction.

It was the first sound I recorded during my two days exploring the building, stopping me in my tracks when I first heard it, my brain taking a moment to calculate where it was emanating from. The only door in Walmer Yard to make a sound as it opens and closes (rather than gliding smoothly), in some buildings this would be considered a flaw. Knowing some of the philosophy behind Walmer Yard, I like to think it was a design choice, a sonic reminder, more subtle than the huge metal staircases that boom and oscillate with every footstep, of the materials that make up this fascinating, mysterious, sometimes disorientating collection of houses.

Those materials are explored further in this piece using contact microphones, which uncover hidden resonances in physical objects such as metal light fixtures, handrails and staircases. Miniature microphones are used to discover new angles and extreme close-ups of sound, getting into positions that larger traditional microphones might now allow.

My presence in the space is rarely heard. As a performer I'm activating some of the materials, using beaters, brushes and cello bow, but like most sound recordists, I've developed the stillness to avoid imposing my physical self on recordings. Even the smallest movement, shuffle of feet or poorly timed breath will be picked up by the microphone.

In contrast, my felt sense of the space, the 'how does it make me feel?', is present and informs the composition and treatment of the original recordings.

Photo by Helene Binet.

Thanks to Laura Mark for inviting me to take part in the Lesser Senses series of events.

Walmer Yard - Assemblage: The Lesser Senses

I’ll be presenting a new architectural sound piece at Assemblage: The Lesser Senses, held at Walmer Yard on Saturday 26th October.

Named an assemblage to reflect the gathering of many different speakers, participants and formats taking place during the day, this event will launch the new season at Walmer Yard and will take the form of a series of encounters and events held across the homes and centred around the theme of the Lesser Senses.

Photography Héléne Binet

As well as presenting my own work exploring sound, space and architecture, I’m looking forward to immersing myself in deep exploration of the senses.

Following a key note presentation in Walmer Yard’s ‘coats-on lecture theatre’ by neuroscientist Danny Ball, a series of workshops, smaller talks, performances and film screenings will take place across the four houses, exploring how our senses affect our perception of architecture.  

Guests will be encouraged to explore the homes throughout the afternoon while the interventions happen in tandem across the spaces. These include screenings of a new short film by Jim Stephenson on the sensory experience of Walmer Yard, a sound piece by Simon James, and spatial listening workshops led by Alex de Little.

Photography Héléne Binet

My sound piece, created using the sounds I gathered over two days at Walmer Yard, has become quite an intense work, mixing contact microphone recordings of the various materials and bowed light fixtures transformed via granular sampling. I often find myself in this headspace where I strive to stay true to the natural sounds as recorded, whilst inserting something of myself and my experience in a space. Often going back and forth over how much treatment should be used. It is a difficult balancing act but In this instance I think my time alone at Walmer Yard has left me with a feeling of the sparseness and the futuristic nature of the structures, which has definitely informed my creative decisions.

For what it’s worth these are my notes on the work so far, which might change before the weekend.

This sound collage of Walmer Yard House 2 begins with the sound of a wooden door scraping against the rough concrete floor, the two materials crackling and scratching against each other in ear-pleasing sonic friction.

It was the first sound I recorded during my two days exploring the building, literally stopping me in my tracks when I first heard it, my brain taking a moment to calculate where it was emanating from. The only door in Walmer Yard to make a sound as it opens and closes (rather than gliding smoothly), in some buildings this would be considered a flaw. Knowing some of the philosophy behind Walmer Yard, I like to think it was a design choice, another sonic reminder, more subtle than the huge metal staircases that boom and oscillate with every footstep, of the materials that make up this fascinating, mysterious, sometimes disorientating collection of houses.

Those materials are explored further in this piece using traditional, miniature and contact microphones, the latter uncovering hidden resonances in physical objects, and a selection of activators (cello bow, beaters and brushes).

Use discount code - Assemblagespeakers for 25% off ticket prices. Get them here.

Photography Héléne Binet

Nevill Holt - Riba Stirling Architecture Prize

The fifth of Jim Stephenson’s Architects’ Journal/Riba Stirling Prize nominee films looks at the Nevill Holt Opera House, designed by Witherford Watson Mann.

Photograph by Jim Stephenson

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The Riba Stirling Architecture Prize winner is announced on the 8th of October. Find out more here.

Macallan Distillery - Riba Stirling Architecture Prize

The fourth of Jim Stephenson’s Architects’ Journal/Riba Stirling Prize nominee films looks at the Macallan Distillery in Scotland, designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.

Nestled in the hills near the River Spey, the Macallan Distillery looks a bit like a Bond villain’s lair. On the outside the shape of the undulating 100m long roof resembles the rolling hilly landscape that surrounds the structure. On the inside, high tech industrial equipment, lit dramatically, produces premium whisky, with one bottle in particular costing over £500,000.

Tuning in to the production process using contact microphones, I uncovered a hidden world of sound. The hiss and pressure of the stills and pipes, deep industrial drones and wind ‘playing’ the structure itself.

Photograph by Jim Stephenson

Of all the Stirling Prize nominees, this was the richest for the senses. The contrast of the internal industrial sounds and the external natural sounds, the strong, sometimes overpowering smell of whisky, and inside the production area, the stifling heat, made for a challenging, but ultimately rewarding recording and filming environment.

There will be an alternate version to showcase the hidden sounds picked up by contact microphones coming soon.

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The Riba Stirling Architecture Prize winner is announced on the 8th of October. Find out more here.

London Bridge Station - Riba Stirling Architecture Prize

The third of Jim Stephenson’s Architects’ Journal/Riba Stirling Prize nominee films looks at London Bridge Station, designed by Grimshaw Architects.

As well as the recognisable sounds of a busy station in a major city, I was able to record the hidden sounds using contact microphones to pick up the deep rumble of the escalator mechanics and the other worldly friction of the escalator handrails, and electromagnetic microphones to uncover the wealth of electronic waves pulsing through the station. These sounds don’t make it in to the main film (apart from the escalator rumble), but an alternative version with these as the focus, is planned.

Photograph by Jim Stephenson

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The Riba Stirling Architecture Prize winner is announced on the 8th of October. Find out more here.

Goldsmith Street - Riba Stirling Architecture Prize

In the second of Jim Stephenson’s films for The Architects’ Journal, we visit Goldsmith Street in Norwich, the first council housing project to be nominated for a Stirling Prize. UPDATE: I’m really pleased to say that Goldsmith Street won the Riba Stirling Prize, the first council housing project to do so. Proving that well designed, climate friendly social housing is possible. I hope this is the beginning of a shift towards more projects like this.

These environmentally friendly passivhaus-standard terraced houses were designed by Mikhail Riches and Cathy Hawley.

Photographs by Jim Stephenson

Max de Wardener - Kolmar LP

I had the pleasure of programming and performing Buchla synthesizer on Max De Wardener’s forthcoming album on Village Green Recordings. Released on the 27th September.

The Buchla 200e Electric Music Box has been my main instrument for over 5 years, but Max drove me to find many new sounds and approaches to create distinct tones to match the Ondes Martenot playing of Thomas Bloch and percussion of Moses Boyd. The six sessions were inspiring and I learnt a lot about space and my own approach to music. In fact Max inspired and encouraged me to release the Space No Space material.

Buchla Electric Music Box photograph by Dominic Goodman.

The Cork House - Riba Stirling Architecture Prize

The first of Jim Stephenson’s Architects’ Journal/Riba Stirling Prize nominee films explores The Cork House, designed by Matthew Barnett Howland with Dido Milne and Oliver Wilton.

Sometimes you enter a space and struggle to hear any sound that might be worth recording. The Cork House was one such space, the density of the building’s material creating a warm cocoon, shut off from the nearby sounds of Eton and the Heathrow bound aircraft passing every few minutes. These situations require a stillness physically and of the mind, to begin to pick out what is present.

Photograph by Jim Stephenson

The beautiful garden offered a rich setting and opportunities for sound recording that provided a contrast with the stillness inside. I also used contact microphones inserted in spaces between the cork bricks to capture the sounds of the cork itself. These creaks and squeaking are used sparingly within the film.

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The Riba Stirling Architecture Prize winner is announced on the 8th of October. Find out more here.

Walmer Yard - Assemblage: The Lesser Senses

I’ll be presenting spacious sound recordings at Assemblage: The Lesser Senses event held at Walmer Yard on the 26th of October.

Photograph by Hélène Binet

“Named an assemblage to reflect the gathering of many different speakers, participants and formats taking place during the day, this event will launch the new season at Walmer Yard and will take the form of a series of encounters and events held across the homes and centred around the theme of the Lesser Senses.

Following a key note presentation in Walmer Yard’s ‘coats-on lecture theatre’ by neuroscientist Danny Ball, a series of workshops, smaller talks, performances and film screenings will take place across the four houses, exploring how our senses affect our perception of architecture.

Guests will be encouraged to explore the homes throughout the afternoon while the interventions happen in tandem across the spaces. These include screenings of a new short film by Jim Stephenson on the sensory experience of Walmer Yard, a sound piece by Simon James, and spatial listening workshops led by Alex de Little.

Performances developed by designer and creative technologist Ava Aghakouchak will explore the synesthetic experience of Walmer Yard using an active wearable called ‘Sovar’. The tactile-visual amplifier aims to raise the wearer’s attention towards the more unnoticeable qualities of a space and help deepen their sense of presence within it.

Across the bedrooms Gonzalo Herrero Delicado, architecture curator at the Royal Academy of Arts, will host a series of conversations with artists, scientists and architects. While in the kitchens, conversations around the dinner tables with architects Alan Dunlop and Niall McLaughlin will discuss how we design for those with different sensory needs.

The day will conclude with a panel discussion and a drinks.”

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Get your tickets here.

Stirling Architecture Prize Films

Over the last couple of months I’ve been travelling around the UK with film maker and photographer Jim Stephenson, making films for The Architects’ Journal to showcase each of the Stirling Architecture Prize nominees for 2019. The films are beautifully shot by Jim, with a slowly paced edit allowing the eyes to take in the detail of each design. I like Jim’s spacious approach, and whilst the focus of the films themselves isn’t sound, Jim welcomed my attention to picking out the detail and richness of the structures and the added dimension of using unusual recording techniques such as contact microphones that pick up vibrations in materials, and electromagnetic microphones that pick up the hidden electronic signals normally hidden from our ears.

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The films we be shared in the run up to the Stirling Prize announcement on the 8th of October. Find out more about the Stirling Prize here, and The Architects’ Journal here.

Space No Space - A new cassette album

These pieces of music developed over a period of months and existed on my hard drive for over a year before I decided to do anything with them. They are the most simple pieces I have ever made and for that reason I suppose hadn’t really considered releasing them. Instead I found myself listening to them when I was stressed or needed some space (I’ve since come up with the ‘slow motion mind soother’ description!). Later I was working with musician Max De Wardener and let him hear some of them, and he encouraged me to release them. A friend suggested Golden Ratio Frequencies could be a good home, and I was soon in discussion with Alex who runs the label. The resulting cassette is now available to buy here , with beautiful sleeve photography by my brother Curtis James.

Here is a video, also by Curtis, for the track Invisible Centre.

Pop Up Maggie's Centre at The Lowry in Manchester

Following successful Musicity commissions in London and China, Nick Luscombe invited me to work on a collaboration with Musicity for an exhibition space at The Lowry in Manchester. The brief was simple, a 12 minute track, lush but minimal ambient inspired, maybe some wind chimes but no whale song or running water. I was also given mock up images of the space itself, a ‘pop up’ Maggie’s Centre designed by Ab Rogers. 

Maggie’e Centres provide :

Free practical, emotional and social support to people with cancer and their family and friends, following the ideas about cancer care originally laid out by Maggie Keswick Jencks. Our Centres are places to find practical advice about benefits and eating well; places where qualified experts provide emotional support; places to meet other people; places where you can simply sit quietly with a cup of tea.

It was important that my music connected with the positive philosophies of Maggie Keswick Jencks, and contributed to a space that would be stimulating, elevating and inspiring.

My initial thoughts were that a 12 minute piece looping in a public space would get repetitive very quickly, so I suggested something longer, possibly using a generative composition technique that would create a long evolving piece with controllable moments. My main instrument, the Buchla Electric Music Box synthesiser, lends itself to this approach. 

Nick's suggestion of wind chimes led me to find a French company, Zaphir, that make a  beautiful range of wind chimes, each with a different series of notes. I chose 'Sunray' and 'Twilight' and a compositional approach started to form; I would create two pieces to be used at different times of the day, each using one of the wind chimes, with subtle electronics that would loosely mirror those chimes. 

I programmed the Buchla Synthesizer with the notes from each wind chime and created a generative self playing patch. If left alone this setup would play forever, randomly playing back those preprogrammed notes, never repeating itself. The 'source of uncertainty' module (a key element of the Buchla modular synthesizer) providing an electronic 'breeze' to activate and modify the notes. My role as a performer involved directing how this breeze would affect certain properties of the electronic sound - the intensity, speed, pitch range, amplitude envelope (fast/slow attack, sustained or short), timbre and position in the stereo field. This material was recorded first. 

I then added Kalimba via the Ciat Lombarde Cocoquantus, a cosmic lo-fi looping device. This added a dusty warm fuzzy character, sometimes happy to sit in the background, with occasional musical motifs peeking out and interacting with the Buchla electronics.

The wind chimes were added last. I let the Buchla electronics track guide the intensity and timing of the performance of these, continuing the idea of the electronic breeze running through these pieces. 

At all times I was conscious of the space in which this music had to exist and how it would be experienced by the people using that space. It had to be quite contained - too dynamic and it would be a distraction, possibly even annoying. On the other hand I knew the space would be multi purpose, some people might be there to relax whilst others might use the space to work, and so I wanted it to have moments of calm contrasted with the occasional gentle flourishes, like little mind activators. I spent a lot of time getting this balance right both in the performance and the mixing, the latter requiring space and time to live with the material. 

Creating tracks like these is a form of therapy for me, the process soothes and calms my anxious mind and takes me to a mediative place. I hope they do the same for people that hear them.

The two tracks will be released on CD in 2020.

The pop up exhibition ran from the 9th of May to the 9th of June at The Lowry, Manchester.

Cosmic Surgery album

I have a new cassette album coming out this week (29th March) inspired by Alma Haser’s brilliant conceptual photo/origami project which suggests a future where a simple implant will allow the user to change their face at will.

Check out the preview track ‘Be Who You Want to Be’ below.

I’m so pleased with the cover featuring Alma’s photography and designed by Eric Adrian Lee. There will be variants in the cassette colour too. More to come on Friday…..

Expanded Musicity 003 China release now available

The Musicity cassette with expanded downloadable content is now available from my Bandcamp Shop. I’ve included bonus tracks, individual tracks contained in the cassette’s collages, and field recordings that i collected during my explorations of Shenzhen and Shanghai.

A dreamy jet lag infused wander around Shenzhen’s OCT Loft. From the Musicity 003 Shenzhen/Shanghai cassette. Available to buy here. The expanded version available from my bandcamp shop contains individual tracks (including this one) and bonus tracks and field recordings.

Musicity Shenzhen/Shanghai Cassette

My adventures in China this year with Nick Luscombe’s Musicity project supported by the British Council, have been some of the most rewarding of my career and I’m very proud to announce this cassette release - Musicity 003 Shenzhen/Shanghai. Two sides of field recordings and architecture inspired compositions. Available now exclusively from Bleep.com

image courtesy of Bleep.com

Full release notes are below for those interested in the background to the recordings and compositions.

image courtesy of Bleep.com

Huge cavernous silos...

a cacophony of horns...

maze-like patterns and sequences that circle and loop...

peace broken by invisible electricity...

Shenzhen

The hidden sound world in the Chinese cities of Shenzen and Shanghai captured and explored through field recordings using traditional, contact and electromagnetic microphones, then absorbed into and interpreted through Buchla synthesiser compositions.

Shenzen – just a stone’s throw across the bay from Hong Kong – is one of China’s youngest and fastest-growing cities. Established as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in 1980, with accompanying tax benefits and easier global trading, it went from sleepy fishing village to vibrant metropolis and world-leading technology hub in 38 years.

We head first to a former glass factory created in the SEZ infancy as a collaboration between China, the USA and Thailand, originally called Shenzen Southern Float Glass Company. Now renamed I Factory, it is used as a venue for conferences, art shows, photo-shoots and performances.

Photo by Dickson Dee

Four huge cavernous silos that once held the chemicals needed to make glass now hold nothing but reverb and dust. I replaced those long-gone chemicals with electronic sounds created on the Buchla 200e Electric Music Box. These sounds were introduced into the silo spaces via impulse response reverb, then mixed with extensive field recordings made in those same silos using both traditional and contact microphones – picking up sound waves moving through the air, and vibrations in the solid structure.

Next we hear the sounds of what’s left of the original fishing village. Shekou harbour houses a daily fish market, but its days are numbered as the unrelenting force of development threatens its existence.

Baishizhou urban village – known as “handshake city” due to the incredible closeness of some of its buildings – is also due for demolition and redevelopment: another unique urban soundscape about to be wiped out. I spent my first evening in Shenzen here, wandering around the bewildering maze of alleyways and busy streets teeming with electric scooters accompanied by a cacophony of horns. The “Square Dance” ladies – the name given to retirees who meet in town squares every evening to dance in groups - were in full swing and lo-fi recorded messages advertising fruit and vegetables blasted from multiple speakers on market stalls.

Photo by DIckson Dee

Huaqiangbei Electronic Markets is an area of giant shopping malls full of electronic gadgets, circuits and components. The sound of packing tape is a constant as components are prepared for shipping to the customers who flock here from all over the world. Instead of traditional microphones I chose to capture this space using an electromagnetic microphone which picks up frequencies that surround us in a hidden sound world. These are even more pronounced in the environment of the electronic markets.
All the sounds here are untreated.
A full album focusing on this material is planned for 2019.

We end our sonic exploration of Shenzen at OCT Loft, an ex-factory compound that used to be the home of KONKA, a Chinese manufacturer of electronics products. The factories, warehouses and residential areas have now been taken over by artists, and creative industry flourishes here amongst the utilitarian buildings, leafy pathways and roads, where I kept getting lost in a dreamy haze of jet lag and oppressive heat. But somehow I found calm here. The track OCT Meditation represents a turning point for me: from those anxious “can I do this?” thoughts – which are a low background hum to my daily existence, sometimes seeing me unable to board a train to London – to the realisation that not only am I doing it, but I’m loving every minute of it.

The possibilities that stretched out from this moment were mind-blowing.

Photo by Dickson Dee

I acknowledge some self-indulgence here, but also the fact that spaces and architecture don’t exist in a vacuum. They are full of life and experiences, sounds that can’t be controlled, often unwelcome intruders, sometime unexpected surprises – so my experience in this place was something I wanted to include.

On now to Shanghai, once a modest trading port and now an unparalleled economic powerhouse of 24 million people. Like most Chinese cities, it is a blend of ancient and modern, with old European banking buildings on one side of the waterfront area known as the Bund, looking across to the cutting-edge architecture of the modern financial centres. Modernisation is key here – with many humbler districts being demolished to make way for developments designed to consolidate the city’s global influence.

A tiny microphone attached to a massive cable reel travels across the floor of a huge hangar at West Bund Aircraft Factory, now being transformed into a cultural hub on the banks of the Huangpu River.

Next – 1933 – a brutal concrete structure that actually predated Brutalism, designed to expedite the slaughter of animals. The confusing, visually stunning, maze of grey concrete passages, ramps, stairs and bridges ensured the cattle could move only one way – to their inevitable death.
Our visit here begins with an unofficial guided tour around the building as I get my bearings.

The first thing I noticed when I arrived are the patterns. The front of the building has 19 rows of 12 circular windows running the entire width of the structure - these were originally vents to keep air flowing throughout the slaughterhouse. Looking like a giant step sequencer, they provided a starting point for my composition Old Milfun, the building’s original name.

I also referred to a document that revealed the Feng Shui of the building. It claims that the number of windows, ramps, stairways and the shapes of the pillars were not arbitrary or dictated by structural concerns, but instead were designed to protect the outside world from the negative energies being unleashed inside. Even the location and building’s orientation were considered with Shanghai’s human residents’ spiritual safety in mind.

This folklore, combined with the structure, led to a composition that – just like the building itself – is full of maze-like patterns and sequences that circle and loop around again and again. I wanted to create a composition that was easy to get lost in, where you never quite know where you are – just like 1933, where I got lost many times.

We leave 1933 at midnight with my local guide Tian playing Chinese bells that I’d found in the city earlier that day.

The spaciousness of the sound in this next location – Nanshi Power Plant - captivated me and I ended up recording for over 45 minutes. There was definitely a meditative process going on – maybe an antidote to the intensity of sounds captured during the rest of the trip?
This towering building supplied the first electric light to Chinese people in 1897 and had a temporary stint as Pavilion of Future during the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. It is now known as the Power Station of Art, a 42,000 square metre museum and gallery.

I was lucky to get a tour when the space was closed to the public, which offered a unique recording opportunity. I sat in the midst of Christian Boltanski’s “Storage Memory” exhibition, recording the space. At first there is just the whine of power in the background, while occasional voices of staff come and go. Later, a mechanism on the ceiling starts up, slowly moving photographic portraits printed on thin cloth around the huge hall. The squeaks and rattles reverberate around the space beautifully and sounds from another installation drift through the corridors.

The peace of this space is soon broken by an electronic approximation of electricity which crossfades to an electromagnetic recording of Shanghai’s maglev train to Shanghai Airport.

Shenzhen is calling

I’ll be heading back to China soon to perform the music I created for the Musicity project. Just found this footage of driving through Shenzhen after a long day of recording with my new friend and sound artist/musician/promoter/hardest working artist in China, Dickson Dee.

Shanghai 1933 Soundwalk

One of the buildings that I created music for as part of the Musicity project, was the Shanghai Slaughterhouse, 1933. This pre brutalist brutal building was designed to expedite the killing of animals to provide meat for Shanghai’s residents. It is now a space for shops, galleries, restaurants and a theatre, but the history is hard to shift, as the design is so striking it makes it impossible to forget its intended purpose.

I spent a couple of days at 1933, recording sounds to use in my piece of music (which is now finished and will be shared soon) but I’d forgotten I also recorded a sort of guided walk during one of Shanghai’s famous downpours. It was interesting to listen back to myself (and also weird) trying to navigate the maze of passages and bridges whilst taking in everything in the space. I’m sharing this as a personal audio journal/sound walk. It isn’t a definitive audio guide.

Shenzhen Electronics Markets

The electronics markets in Shenzhen are famous. It's easy to assume they are full of fake iPhones and other brands, but there is much more to Shenzhen than that. Shenzhen is the place to go if you are designing new technology, because you can get prototypes built in a fraction of the time it takes anywhere else. You can also buy pretty much any electronic component you can think of. 

I spent two hours exploring 7 floors of electronics, using my LOM Elektrosluch electromagnetic microphone to record the hidden sounds that the circuits, LEDs, components and gadgets emit. The LEDs in particular were a rich vein of sounds; the colours, patterns and movements creating a beautiful minimal techno album 12 hours a day, hidden from human ears. Recordings coming soon.