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Autumn Leaves | Field Recording and Soundscape Compilation
Artwork:
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| Autumn Leaves 1 | Autumn Leaves 2 | Autumn Leaves 3 |
1. Cut out printed area
2. Fold the two small rectangles so the print is on the outside
3. Fold the resulting large rectangle in the centre. The print should be on the outside
4. Put glue on the small rectangles
5. Glue small rectangles to folded half of the large rectangle to receive a cd sleeve
6. repeat 1 – 5 for the other two sleeves
CD-Download:
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Format: MP3 (320 Kbps) |
Format: FLAC (lossless) |
| Autumn Leaves 1 | Autumn Leaves 1 |
| Autumn Leaves 2 | Autumn Leaves 2 |
| Autumn Leaves 3 | Autumn Leaves 3 |
| All In One Zip | MP3 (320 Kbps) | All In One Zip | FLAC (lossless) |
Stream CD: All tracks (M3U)
Book:
| Autumn Leaves – Sound and Environment in Artistic Practice |
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Compilation curated by Angus Carlyle and Gruenrekorder 2007
Artwork by Tobias Schmitt – www.acrylnimbus.de
London (UK) | Frankfurt am Main (GER) | Gruen 053 | LC 09488
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence.
Reviews:
Tobias Fischer | tokafi
Net Feature/ V.A.: Autumn Leaves
Explains the allure of the phonographic phenomenon: Possibly the largest coherent collection of pure field recordings and associated styles.
The phonography scene is small and fragmented, yet ambitious and international – all factors which make it simultaneously hard and easy to keep up with developments. Ever since it was founded, Gruenrekorder has attempted to be more than just a label and turned into a hub for field recording-related issues and projects. They therefore seemed like an obvious choice for Angus Carlyle as curators for the audio part of his „Autumn Leaves“ compendium.
„Autumn Leaves“, in itself, was already an important step. Collecting articles and essays from a slew of experts, journalists and fans, it tried explaining the allure of the phonographic phenomenon and provided valuable food for thought for newbies and insiders alike. Originally, the concept of the book included two discs’ worth of music to exemplify the thoughts and insights of the texts, but for various reasons, the music ended up in an online-only free-to-download format. That, of course, is not the worst of solutions.
With a total of 32 tracks, after all, „Autumn Leaves“ is now possibly the largest coherent collection of pure field recordings and associated styles and it is out there to be discovered for anyone seeking enlightenment on the topic. While many phonography-samplers tend to focus at a particular and consciously restricted area, Gruenrekorder has managed to provide a general perspective: There is even a lengthy excerpt of an interview with Chris Watson included in the track list, in which the wildlife- and bird-recording specialist speaks out about his former antipathy against certain sounds of modern life.
The conversation is one of the definite recommendations on a compilation with many highlights. Former radio journalist Els Viaene, for example, who conducted the interview, has contributed a dronescape based on on-site tapings at a small train station in Laken in Brussels, in which echoes of the field recordings are counterpointed and juxtaposed by rhythmic passages and mellow ambiances. And Christina Kubisch, one of Germany’s most experienced and longest-standing sound artists, delivers a track which contrasts birdsong and sounds of nature with overlapping spoken word phrases.
The pure phonography department is represented by the first third of „Autumn Leaves“, in which the crystal-clear „Chernobyl“-scenes by Peter Cusack, Yannick Dauby’s peaceful „Kuan Yun“ and Jez Riley French’s crackling „Church Door and Window“ are both skilfully crafted and full of emotional resonance. While a longing for beauty is inherent to all these pieces, their apparent differences in recording technology also provide ample leverage for insightful comparisons.
„Autumn Leaves“, of course, does not end the patchwork character of the scene, but it does provide perspectives for the genre which could lead it out of its drastic niche existence. Field Recordings have by now turned into an integral part of every form of experimental music, offering tangents with a plethora of other styles and artist communities. Some of these parallels have become threedimensional thanks to this compilation, which is as important as it is enjoyable.
John F. Barber | Digital Technology and Culture / Washington State University Vancouver
The paucity of language to describe acoustic phenomena is noted immediately in the introduction to Autumn Leaves: Sound and the Environment in Artistic Practice. This slipperiness of language as a reflection of the richness of sound in space is preferred, says editor Angus Carlyle, and, as played out through the essays in this collection, becomes a celebration of "the complexity of sound’s movements to and fro and of the wonders of our ears and minds" (5).
The celebration is rich and wonderful as composers, artists, and engineers discuss projects and performances designed to capture or create the movement of sound through a conductive medium, whether solid, gaseous, or liquid, so as to extend its vitality and extend its meanings.
Autumn Leaves then is a book about creative practices, drawn from diverse perspectives—from anthropology, acoustics, architecture, and beyond—all in conversation with each other about how sound encounters space and how that encounter can be made visible, legible, and audible.
For example, "New York Society For Acoustic Ecology" describes The NYSoundmap Project (www.nysoundmap.org), an historical record and subjective presentation of the city’s shifting sonic environment and temporal, physical, and cultural contexts.
One aspect of the project is “Sound-Seeker” (www.soundseeker.org), a Google map-based interface for listening to the sounds of New York. Clicking icons on a map plays the recorded sound, and shows the address, date, time of day, author, and other information regarding the recording.
“City in a Sidewalk” (www.cityinasidewalk.org), another component of the same project, invites participants to navigate a provided soundwalk, or create one of their own. Using an online forum, participants can exchange personal narratives, photographs, drawings, sound recordings, environmental data, historical details, maps, and other information about their walks.
"Sound, Art, and Architecture," by Rhama Khazam, describes how music and sound art are inspiring architects seeking to incorporate time-based practices in their work. In the face of formatted behavioral patterns engendered by globalization, "artwork intended for universal and immediate consumption is giving way to the experience that unfolds over time, predicated on the public’s willingness to attend and participate" (66).
The essays, interviews, and artworks collected in Autumn Leaves provide a wide-range of international voices and visions. The new translations of the 100 Japanese Soundscapes and 100 Finnish Soundscapes projects also extend the book’s reach.
Autumn Leaves is accompanied by an audio compilation from the book’s contributors, released through Gruenrekorder that can be freely downloaded, including CD cover, at (www.gruenrekorder.de).