Galloping Walkman harmony

Aug 18, 2022, 06:16 PM

Composition by Nick Yulman. 

"Listening to the recording of this a vintage Sony Walkman playing a blank tape, rewinding, and fast forwarding, I was interested in the galloping rhythms that emerged from the motor -- the music of the device itself. To enhance this and bring out different elements of the sound, I looped sections of it, adding a different pitch-shifted harmony with each iteration. It finally builds to a major triad drone across three octaves. The rewind cycle goes in reverse, stripping a harmonic layer with each iteration. And then the fast forward cycle adds them back again."

This is part of the Obsolete Sounds project, the world’s biggest collection of disappearing sounds and sounds that have become extinct – remixed and reimagined to create a brand new form of listening. Explore the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/obsolete-sounds