Speechification

Here he is again. Chris Watson: sound recordist, Speechification touchstone (and Cabaret Voltaire founder). And this is an extraordinary item. 50:21 recorded in Antarctica (using microphones and hydrophones). It's special because it's not a radio programme. It's from Watson's own Touch Radio podcast.

So he does things you can't do on the radio - he dwells on a single sound for far too long and on almost imperceptible ambient sound for longer still (it's quiet in Antarctica). And it's a 192kbps MP3 so the quality is excellent. Listen on your iPod. If you subscribe to the Touch Radio podcast you'll sometimes get lovely enhanced, chapterised files with pictures too.

A Journey South was recorded while Watson was on location for David Attenborough's next TV series (MP3). The picture is from the Touch Radio web site.

Here's a little one. A really tiny one in fact: probably the shortest we've ever posted at Speechification.com. John Ashbery reading his dazzling near-sonnet What is Poetry. Listen to it (it'll take you 44 seconds) then get stuck into the Poetry Archive, which was set up by Andrew Motion in 1999 and contains hundreds of poems—read mostly by the poets themselves—and a really excellent historic recordings section with readings by e.e. cummings, Hilaire Belloc and John Betjeman among many others. A real find (MP3).

I've always liked the sound of jazz, but never really liked the music. The soundscapes, the tones are perfect and inviting and lovely. And then, after the first go round with the tune it dissolves into tedious improvisatory wibbling. So when I was alerted to this programme about Miles Davis and So What by a helpful twitter I wasn't hopeful. But, but, this almost got to me. It's not so much the stories about why people like it, it's the stories of what went into it, what was going on in the world. Anyway, whatever, you don't care about that, if you think I'm a horrible philistine you're going to like this stuff anyway. And if you're sort of with me, and even if you don't like the track, this is still a magnificent programme. (There's a slight silent pause in the audio right at the beginning. Sorry.) MP3 here.

Here's an orgy of high-end medical sound for you: gurgles and pings, clicks and whirrs. A mesmerising programme recorded at Harefield heart hospital by sound artist John Wynne. The quiet voices of patients offset the clinical cacophany with their stories. The show went out in Radio 3's Between the Ears slot in June and was accompanied by photographs taken by Tim Wainwright, including the one on the left (MP3).

It's a little quiet here at Speechification towers isn't it? Sorry about that. We all appear to be on holiday and /or watching the Olympics. Anyway. Here's something splendid to keep you going - a documentary about B-sides, one of those documentaries that makes you realise there's far more to a topic than meets the eye. I especially liked the bit about Phil Spector making awful jazz B-sides for records so DJs wouldn't play the 'wrong' song. And here's a lovely little bit by the programme maker about the tribulations of voice-overing. MP3 here.

David Quantick is the perfect chap to do this celebration of Mix Tape culture. I suspect the speechification audience doesn't need to be told of the joy of mixtaping, this is right up our collective street, but it's still a splendidly evocative listen. Of course, with the advent of Muxtape et al, there might be a programme soon about the Reappearing Art Of The Mix Tape. Though it won't be quite the same without the biro scrawling. MP3 here.

Next up in our mini-series of London Ear interviews from Resonance.fm is Mr Green Gartside of Scritti Politti. Interviewing courtesy of Mr Ben Thompson. Things we hear include a Scritti Politti song about getting a train to Wimbledon, how Mr Gartside is unencumbered by associative reminiscence, how Derrida tried to steal his girlfriend* and Fixing A Hole by The Beatles. The sound quality isn't brilliant. Not sure why. Sorry. MP3 here.

* Or Deleuze or Guattari. See comments (thanks Igor)

Been busy. Sorry. Listen to this, it's brilliant. MP3 here.

Here's something first broadcast on Resonance FM - a history of electronic music around the world, made by Ian Helliwell and Simon James. It's broadcast every Friday evening at 7.30 on Resonance. Or you can get a podcast via Simon's blog. There are more links at Music Thing and the mp3 is here. Lovely stuff.

Steve has raved about Chris Watson before. Maybe a couple of time actually. So I suspect he's going to be a speechification staple, his recordings are just brilliant. And the way he layers them together, edits and moulds them. I know it's a cliche, but it makes you listen to the world properly again. What's extra special about this programme is also hearing from Mr Watson himself, explaining what excites him about this stuff. MP3 here.

I was just thinking how I'd love to hear this sensibility applied to the city when I noticed on Mr Watson's website, that he's leading a 'Field Recording in the City' workshop at the Museum of Garden History on January 28th. Must go to that.