The Binaural Diaries of Ollie Hall

Exeter Respect 2009 : Pooja Angra

2009-11-14T09:00:00.002Z

To quote from her official Youtube page, Dr Pooja Angra is a Hindustani classical singer with a doctorate in Indian Classical music from Delhi University. She is based in the U.K. She got her initial training from Prof Alankar Singh & Ruby Banerjee and later from Dr A.S Paital & Prof Geeta Paintal of Agra and Indore Gharna. She is an approved All India Radio & T.V artist since 1991 & 1998 respectively. In addition to concerts and live shows of Indian classical music in the U.K, she gives workshops and presentations at a number of institiutes. She works on a number of assignments for Southampton music services and Art Asia. She regularly sings for the BBC Asian Network.

It was a real pleasure to experience her performance at Exeter Respect Festival 2009. Here are some recordings I made during her set. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Recorded on 11 July 2009

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/pooja-angra-1">Pooja Angra 1 by BinauralDiaries</a>

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/pooja-angra-2">Pooja Angra 2 by BinauralDiaries</a>

Exeter Respect 2009: Chartwell Dutiro

2009-11-07T09:00:00.001Z

Chartwell Dutiro is a mbira player from Zimbabwe. It was great pleasure to experience his music and I was impressed by the musicianship of both him and he accompanying players.

Recorded on 11 July 2009

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/chartwell-dutiro">Chartwell Dutiro by BinauralDiaries</a>

Exeter Respect 2009

2009-10-31T09:00:00.008Z

Earlier on during the Respect Festival I just had a walk around the site seeing what was going on. I made a few recordings while at it. One of the things I picked up on was the band previously covered - Ainote-san, travelling in 'locomotive'-fashion while making crazy noises with plastic bottles, cowbells and a melodica. All good.

Recorded on 11 July 2009

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/phonic-fm-promo">Phonic fm promo by BinauralDiaries</a>

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/exeter-respect-festival-1">Exeter Respect Festival 1 by BinauralDiaries</a>

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/exeter-respect-festival-2">Exeter Respect Festival 2 by BinauralDiaries</a>

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/exeter-respect-festival-3">Exeter Respect Festival 3 by BinauralDiaries</a>

Exeter Respect 2009 : Ainote-san 2

2009-10-24T09:00:00.003+01:00

At the end of the set AInote-san concluded with an improvised piece under the Whaletone Opera banner that was much more avant-garde and eccentric - as on might expect from improvised music! Members of the collective disbanded into the audience where they basically tried to 'freak out the squares'. They did, and it was good. All in good humour!

Recorded on 11 July 2009

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/ainote-san-3">Ainote-san 3 by BinauralDiaries</a>

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/ainote-san-soundcheck">Ainote-san Soundcheck by BinauralDiaries</a>

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/whatetone-opera-improv">Whatetone Opera improv by BinauralDiaries</a>

Exeter Respect 2009 : Ainote-san

2009-10-17T09:00:00.007+01:00

The Exeter Respect Festival takes place each year, and as you might be able to spot, I've taken my recording equipment along to this event in the past. Previously the festival had been held at the Phoenix Arts Centre but this was the first year for it to be held at Belmont Park, and I think it worked really well.

We didn't get to see a great many acts, but those that I saw I really enjoyed. Specifically, a band named Ainote-san, who had been billed as the Whaletone Opera. The Whaletone Opera project is primarily a a collaboration between Makoto Nomura of Tokyo and Torquay musician Hugh Nankivell, however the set began with a number of songs performed by Ainote-san, Makoto Nomura's band.

I really enjoyed the set - they combined fantastic musicianship and originality with a great sense of humour and charisma. Some of the instruments were constructed out of household items such as plastic bottles, and in one piece some extra percussion was provided by one of the band members slapping parts of his body eccentrically.

Recorded on 11 July 2009

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/ainote-san-1">Ainote-san 1 by BinauralDiaries</a>

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/ainote-san-2">Ainote-san 2 by BinauralDiaries</a>

Ustad Asad Ali Khan Sahib

2009-10-11T12:38:00.000+01:00

I encountered the following video on the blog of Sunn O))) member Stephen O'Malley. I'm enthusiastic but not very knowledgeable when it comes to Indian classical music, I find the drones and textures compelling. Anyway, this video caught my attention this morning and I thought I'd share it.

I'd be very interested in knowing whether or not visitors to this blog would find posts on sound art / music to be a valid inclusion amongst the field recording updates. Please let me know what you think!

Train from London Paddington to Heathrow

2009-10-10T09:00:00.005+01:00

This is very back-to-front I know. But I just couldn't resist posting the recordings made in Japan before those made on the way to Japan.

Our journey began by taking the train from Exeter to London Paddington, and then on to Heathrow - also by train. We travelled light, so this wasn't so bad.

Recorded on 13 March 2009

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/train-from-london-paddington-to-heathrow">Train from London Paddington to Heathrow by BinauralDiaries</a>

Japan : Strolling around outside Kyoto Station

2009-10-03T09:00:00.003+01:00

Recorded on 27 March 2009

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/outside-kyoto-station">Outside Kyoto Station by BinauralDiaries</a>

Japan : Waiting in the Veloce coffee shop, Kyoto Station

2009-09-26T09:00:00.007+01:00

The day of our return to Tokyo we got to Kyoto Station quite early. To kill time we went for a coffee in Caffe Veloce. My girlfriend wanted to do some last minute gift buying in one of the shopping centres in the station complex so I took the opportunity to record the hustle and bustle of the busy cafe.

Recorded on 27 March 2009

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/waiting-in-the-veloce-coffee-shop-kyoto-station">Waiting in the Veloce coffee shop, Kyoto Station by BinauralDiaries</a>

Japan : Waiting for the Shinkansen, Kyoto Station

2009-09-19T09:00:00.006+01:00

This speaks for itself really. The Shinkansen trains are fantastic and I couldn't resist making some recordings from the Kyoto Station platform while we were waiting to jump on.

Recorded on 27 March 2009

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/waiting-for-the-shinkansen-kyoto-station">Waiting for the Shinkansen, Kyoto Station by BinauralDiaries</a>

Metro Boy guest mix for MANTIS features some of my recordings.

2009-09-12T10:55:00.001+01:00

Metro Boy guest mix for MANTIS by metroboy

Japan : Rain under an umbrella

2009-09-12T09:00:00.003+01:00

Another of our walks in Kyoto followed what was called The Philosopher's Walk (哲学の道 Tetsugaku no Michi), famed for it's beauty and popularity as a place of meditation of Philosophy Professor Kitaro Nishida.

We hired bikes from K's Place (the fantastic Hostel we were staying in), and followed the river north before bearing easterly to visit the Nanzen-ji temple.It was brilliant to be out on bikes - we covered ground much quicker, and it was a pretty exhillharating way of exploring the area. Nanzen-ji occupied a large complex with separate smaller shrines dotted around it. We had to leave the bikes while exploring it, but hopped back on to reach the beginning of the Philosopher's Walk. Just as we got there and had started munching on our Onigiri (御握り; おにぎり) it started raining. Heavily! So the rest of the day involved precariously pedalling around on fairly flimsy bikes one handed (the other holding and umbrella), in torrential rain! It was actually quite good fun in the end, but our clothes were wet through.

Recorded on 22 March 2009

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/rain-on-umbrella">Rain on umbrella by BinauralDiaries</a>

Japan : Okura-Ike pond, Arashiyama, Kyoto

2009-09-05T09:00:00.006+01:00

A lot of our time in Kyoto was spent loosely following the walking routes outlined in our guidebooks. The day I made this recording we had started out by catching the train northwesterly to the Arashiyama district
and visiting the Tenryū-ji temple and gardens. Leaving the north gate of the spectacular gardens brought us to Kyoto's famous bamboo forest and afterwards a large pond named Okura-Ike. The weather was beautiful, and the atmosphere was very calm and relaxing. I hope this was captured in the recording!

Photo courtesy of PhotoPass Japan

Recorded on 24 March 2009, 15:51pm

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/okura-ike-pond">Okura-ike Pond by BinauralDiaries</a>

Photo courtesy of Alexandre Gervais.

Featured in a Metroboy mix

2009-08-31T14:11:00.004+01:00

A few weeks ago my buddy Ben of Ben and Lex included one of my recordings in one of his mixes for Brap.fm under the pseudonym Metroboy.

It's the first track in the mix, and I really dig what he's done with it. Visit his Metroboy blog here to give it a listen. I also highly recommend the rest of the content on Ben's blog!

Japan : Yasaka-jinja, Kyoto

2009-08-29T09:00:00.003+01:00

Yasaka Shrine (八坂神社 Yasaka-jinja), once called Gion Shrine (梅宮神社 Gion-sha), is a Shinto shrine in the Gion District of Kyoto, Japan. Situated at the east end of Shijō-dōri (Fourth Avenue), the shrine includes several buildings, including gates, a main hall and a stage.

We encountered Yasaka-jinja early on in our stay in Kyoto, mainly because the Gion District is a very popular part of the city to visit and we wanted to hit these places before going further afield.

The first recording captures the sound of visitors shaking long ropes that were connected to bell-like metal containers in which something would then make a loud metallic rattling noise. People were stood in line waiting their turn in front of one of the 'buildings' that made up the shrine complex. After they had rattled the 'bell', they would pause for a moment in prayer before leaving.

Recorded on 21 March 2009

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/yasaka-jinja-1">Yasaka-Jinja 1 by BinauralDiaries</a>

Unfortunately I'm struggling to recall what exactly was taking place during the second recording! I confess to this being down to poor organisation, but I'm sure honesty is the best policy! There is a likelihood(!) that it was made while passing a strange event that was being held whereby members of the public got to have their photos taken with local geisha or geiko as they are known in Kyoto.

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/yasaka-jinja-2">Yasaka-Jinja 2 by BinauralDiaries</a>

Japan : Inokashira Park

2009-08-22T09:00:00.001+01:00

The same day we visited the Studio Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo, we took a stroll around the nearby Inokashira Park. We had an amazing time at the Ghibli Museum, but with all the Japanese kids bashing into our knees and getting shoved around, we were eager to get a bit of space and fresh air.

Inokashira Park was really pleasant. There was a lot of Sakura in early blossom and the sun was blazing down. We passed an old lady sitting on a bench quietly playing a harmonica, which I caught in this recording. There was also a really cool public exercise area with advisory posters and outdoor gym apparatus!

Recorded on 18 March 2009

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/inokashira-park">Inokashira Park by BinauralDiaries</a>

London Sound Survey - impressive new(ish) site.

2009-08-18T21:33:00.012+01:00

I'm always interested in discovering other field recording sites, although they are few and far between.

Today I received a message from Ian Rawes, the admin of a site named London Sound Survey, letting me know that he had placed a link to my blog on his site.

From what I can gather, London Sound Survey came into existence around May 2009, and already it contains a significant number of recordings. It's refreshing to see a field recording site that breaks away from the oft encountered blog format and the aesthetics are engaging.

The site is described as a small and growing collection of stereo recordings of places, daily life and events in the capital, and appears to comprise of four main sections: Sound Action recordings, Sound Map recordings, a graphical representation of the types of sound encountered across the city of London, and a Historical Sounds section. As is alluded to in the website name, the recordings you'll here are centered around the UK's capital, which I think works well in tying the audio material into a cohesive body of work. That said, restricting the recordings to a geographical area does not mean that the recordings are restricted in scope - there is plenty of variety here.

I look forward to seeing and hearing more from Ian's site.

Japan : Fushimi-Inari-Taisha

2009-08-15T09:00:00.003+01:00

The Fushimi-Inari-Taisha shrine in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto is one of those places that always appears in the guidebooks, more often than not on their covers! It is famous for it long 'tunnels' of redtorii that wind their way uphill to the inner shrine.

Having had a good quiet wander around - it was later in the day, and the shrine was pretty much deserted, we strolled back down through the torii and encountered an elderly man sweeping away the leaves that had collected on the pathway. Unfortunately my microphones began buzzing on one channel, however I don't think it spoils the recording.

Recorded on 23 March 2009

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/fushimi-inari-taisha">Fushimi-Inari-Taisha by BinauralDiaries</a>

Mention on BBC Save Our Sounds

2009-08-12T18:46:00.005+01:00

Further to my previous post regarding the BBC World Service's Save Our Sounds project, I was recently flattered to be contacted by a member of BBC staff asking if they could have permission to use one of my photographs on their Sound Diary page.

A couple of days later I visited the page in question and saw that not only had they used one of my photos, but they had included a link to this blog and included my Ueno Park Bells of Time recording on their Sound Scavengers page!

I guess it's not a big deal - but like I said, I'm quite flattered, and excited to be mentioned.

Japan : Outside the Tokyo Dome Amusement Park

2009-08-08T09:00:00.002+01:00

At the end of our holiday, back in Tokyo after a week in Kyoto, we investigated Akihabara (which was awsome) and then walked all the way to theTokyo Dome City in the Bunkyo ward. We had hoped to visit the nearby Koishikawa Botanical Gardens, but were too late and it had closed for the day.

As we walked past the Tokyo Dome Amusement Park we saw (and heard) a number of the rides. This is a recording of the Linear Gale roller coaster. We stood in the middle so that the screaming passenger sound moved to each side.

Recorded on 28 March 2009

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/tokyo-dome-fair-ride">Tokyo Dome fair ride by BinauralDiaries</a>

Japan : Tokyo Metro

2009-08-01T09:00:00.001+01:00

During our stay in Tokyo we used the underground train a lot to get around. Unfortunately I didn't take note of the route we were taking while I made this recording. I'm sure it could be deduced from the train intercom that notified passengers of the journey progress.

Recorded on March 2009

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/tokyo-metro">Tokyo Metro by BinauralDiaries</a>

Japan : Venus Fort entertainment arcade

2009-07-25T09:00:00.003+01:00

Odaiba Venus Fort is the first 'theme park-like' shopping mall in Japan. Built in 1999, our guidebooks described it as a "theme park for ladies". We weren't especially interested, but had read (and been told by friends) that it was quite an experience.

Throughout the whole holiday I had wanted to go into a Pachinko parlour, but for one reason or another I didn't get round to it. I was pleased however to find a Pachinko-lite coin-op entertainment game area in Venus Fort. This is where I made the following recording. I slowly weaved around the different types of game, hoping to build an interesting collage of sound.

Recorded on 20 March 2009

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/venus-fort-games">Venus Fort games by BinauralDiaries</a>

Japan : Tokyo Big Sight - conveyor

2009-07-18T09:00:00.003+01:00

I briefly mentioned in my last post that I found the Tokyo Big Sight building in Odaiba quite impressive. Tokyo big Sight is a popular name for what really is the Tokyo International Exhibition Center. The day we were there was the day of a huge anime and manga convention, which we decided to go to. Unfortunately our shoe-string budget didn't really stretch far enough to cover the entrance fee. We therefore spend some time navigating the huge building only to have to found our way back again after a brief stop.

While traversing the building we hopped on a conveyor belt that took us down a long corrider flanked by excited Otaku.

Recorded on 20 March 2009

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/tokyo-big-sight">Tokyo Big Sight by BinauralDiaries</a>

Japan : Odaiba

2009-07-11T09:00:00.005+01:00

Quoting Wikipedia: "Odaiba (お台場?) is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. It was initially built for defensive purposes in the 1800s, dramatically expanded during the late 20th century as a seaport district, and has developed since the 1990s as a major commercial, residential and leisure area."

We spent a long day in Odaiba. Starting off having been too late to get into the Tsukiji Fish Market we took the Yurikamome Line from Shimbashi Station to Ariake Station. On arrival I bought an Onigiri and my first Japanese-bought Umeboshi... I thought the Umeboshi was a bit sweeter than the ones I was used to from Clearspring

Odaiba is modern, pristine and turned out to be one of the places that I felt I wanted to photograph the most. There were lots of very impressive buildings such as the Tokyo Big Sight and the Fuji TV Building, which I photographed to death.

We checked out the Panasonic Center, Venus Fort (a shopping center/theme park for ladies), the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovationand ended the day taking lots of night-photography at the waterfront. We had a great day!

Recorded on 20 March 2009

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/odaiba-1">Odaiba 1 by BinauralDiaries</a>

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/odaiba-2">Odaiba 2 by BinauralDiaries</a>

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/odaiba-3">Odaiba 3 by BinauralDiaries</a>

Japan : Ueno Park - Bells of Time

2009-07-04T10:51:00.005+01:00

Sounding through clouds of flowers - is it the bell in Ueno or Asakusa?
What was alluded to in the this well-known Haiku by Matsuo Basho is this bell. The "bells of time" played the part of informing Edo citizens of the time of day. This bell on Ueno hill was one such bell.
The first bell was cast in 1666. The present bell was recast at the Kanno-ji temple in Yanaka in 1787.
Thanks to the effots of the volunteers protecting the belfry, the bell issues it's time-honoured sound three times a day - at 6am, 6pm and at noon.
"The bells of time" has been selected as one of the "one hundred selections of Japanese sounds and scenes which will remain forever", settled by Agency of environment since June 1996.

Near the end of our visit to Ueno Park we noticed a sign upon which the above text was engraved. I couldn't resist hanging around for 20 minutes just to snatch a recording of the 6pm ringing.

Recorded on 16 March 2009

<a href="http://binauraldiaries.bandcamp.com/track/ueno-bells-of-time">Ueno Bells of Time by BinauralDiaries</a>