Sons du Monde-collecte Ars Musica

Call for “Sounds of the World” – Contemporary Music Festival – Ars Musica 2012

Les Enregistrements de l’appel pour les “Sons du Monde” du Festival Ars Musica 2012

Everyone to your recorders or other recording objects! To the ears of all musicians, of amateurs or just enthusiasts of the sounds of our planet—from all places—here is a small proposal which will surely not leave you indifferent.

I have a great desire to create within the Ars Musica Festival—Brussels, March 2012—a place where one can hear the whole world. So, YOU, people from around the world, please, give us a few seconds of your subjective ‘hearing’ of your environment. Cheap sounds, low- or hi-fi recordings, as you please (but free of copyright). Welcome to the rumours of the city, the audible whisperings of nature, noises from conflicts or original sounds about « peace and love », sounds of minority or endangered languages, no matter what their origin, just some sounds which bear witness to their place of origin. Thirty to sixty seconds (30-60 ») of recording of “something that can only be heard there…”

The goal is to provide a sound bank, a witness to the sonic condition of today’s world, hoping to reach the far corners of our planet, in order to balance a world too dominated by the hegemony of Western sounds. Long live the sounds of Africa, Asia, Latin America, the great north, the neglected provinces of the West ! And wherever it may be…

 This database is intended to be broadcast during the festival, like a nomadic patchwork of “Soundfields” available to the participants of that contemporary event. Some samples may be “re-composed” by artists who are involved with the Festival; or—why not—anyone else who is interested in this project (Don’t hesitate to contact us). All of this material will be broadcast in different configurations throughout the festival.

 Those who will be sending samples, will have their name mentioned in the documents of the festival—websites, program announcements and other blogs—showing that the ears of citizens from the world can also shape the music of tomorrow.

Please, talk to those around you about this text, translate it, in order to reach as many people as possible, to reach these “ears” that could offer us these original rumors of our planet, bypassing traditional institutions, just by word of mouth.

 All digital sound formats are accepted, from cheap mono sound to stereo hi-fi recordings. They could be sent before 2012/15/02.

 We simply ask you to send only one file per person, in order to avoid being overwhelmed by samples.

Well, happy “sound hunting”. And looking forward to “hearing” from you soon.

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