David Byrne Creates London Soundscape

“London’s tempo is 122.86 beats per minute"

David Byrne has recorded a unique ambient piece based on sounds he encountered in London.

David Byrne is no stranger to unusual projects. The songwriter has always been intrigued by left field arts, with his recent output moving from world music to classical, commercial pop to experimental electronics.

Taking part in A Room for London, David Byrne agreed to create a sound piece using noises he encountered during two days in the city. Introducing the project, the one time Talking Head said: “London’s tempo is 122.86 beats per minute”.

Continuing, the songwriter explained how he approached the project. “I brought along some field recording gear to use while I was staying in the lovely pod/room/boat”.

“I went out during the day and recorded sounds that I thought might be useful and evocative. It turned out that most of the sounds—even the church organ in Southwark Cathedral—seemed to converge around a common rhythm. It’s a bit too good to be true—that every large city should have it’s own rhythm, but here it is. I let the sounds dictate the groove, the tempo, and then I simply played along.”

The results are gathered on new sound piece ‘Get It Away’ – watch the accompanying clip below.

David Byrne: Get It Away from Artangel on Vimeo.

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For more on the project clip HERE.

Photo Credit: Tom Oldham

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