CITIES TALK

European Field Recording Project A Journey by Ear

Cities Talk is a field recording and urban sound art project by Berlin-based electronic music artist Philipp Mann. It invites you to listen to the conversation of eight European cities and experience a different way of travelling: a journey guided entirely by sound.

During his visits, Philipp focused on distinctive sounds that belong to each location or contribute to its individual sonic character. Together, these environmental recordings form an auditory journey through public spaces, local atmospheres and the everyday rhythms of European city life.

For the most immersive listening experience, use headphones, close your eyes and imagine the places encountered during the journey. The film can be watched on this page or directly on YouTube.

Listening to Urban Soundscapes

A city's character is shaped by more than the images commonly associated with it. Sight and smell play important roles, but visual information can also distract from attentive listening. Cities Talk therefore concentrates on hearing and explores how a place can be recognised, remembered and imagined through its soundscape.

“The sound we hear isn't the only attribute that creates a city's character. But seeing things can sometimes distract us from attentive listening. That's why I want to concentrate on the sense of hearing.”

The result sits between field recording, acoustic documentation and sound art. Instead of presenting each city primarily through landmarks or travel images, the project brings its everyday sonic identity to the foreground.

Field Recording Process

The location recordings for Cities Talk were captured with a portable Zoom H6 recorder and a Zoom SSH-6 stereo shotgun microphone. The collected material was then edited and processed in Ableton, allowing the individual recordings to become one continuous listening journey while preserving the character of the original urban environments.

• Field recorder: Zoom H6
• Microphone: Zoom SSH-6 stereo shotgun microphone
• Audio editing and processing: Ableton
• Focus: environmental sound, city soundscapes and attentive listening

Explore Cities Talk

Visit the official Cities Talk website for the project presentation, listen on your preferred music platform, and follow the project on Instagram for visual context and background information about selected places heard during the journey.

Cities Talk was created by Berlin electronic music artist and producer Philipp Mann. Return to the official Philipp Mann homepage.