Sampled Living

In sound and music, sampling is the reuse of a portion(called a sample) of a sound recording in another recording. This technique is commonly used in hip-hop and electronic music, although it is not limited to these genres.

In my project, Sampled Living, I build on this practice of repurposing sounds to create a musical soundscape that reflects my experience of a space. However, instead of scouring the internet with the sole aim of finding interesting musical sounds, I carry a recorder in my bag at almost all times, and record sounds from my daily life. In creating these soundscapes, I am sampling the life I live, and you, the listener, are listening to this slice of my life.

To me, field recording is adjacent to the art of photography, but unlike photographs, I do not think that field recordings try to aggressively create the illusion of capturing reality. They do not let you own a space as easily. When you hear a soundscape, you are aware of its boundaries; sounds fade away with distance, and time is cut when the audio ends. While objects, spaces, humans and other entities seem to have clear demarcations between each other in the visual world, sounds exist nebulously; they meld into each other, creating a unified, enveloping experience, barring the occasional overbearing sound. I feel that this ability of sound to be hazy allows for sonic collages that can work much better as a single cohesive unit than a visual collage. Field recording allows me to be more present in the moment and build a relationship with the space I exist in. Removing my noise cancelling earphones and paying attention is something I very much require in this era of constant media consumption. Listening to the rattling of Bangalore auto engines, the driver’s Dakhni conversations with his friend on his phone, the rhythms of the drums in a small temple festival - it helps me build roots in this city that I am new to. Making musical soundscapes with these sounds helps me manifest my mental model of the space tangibly. Spaces exist differently physically and in the mind, and my project tries to create a bridge between these two manifestations of space through these soundscapes.

I will be honest, the musical soundscape I’ve shared here is a breakup song. I’ve poetically named it "A Return of Hearts in Dwarka Sect. 10”.

Although many musicians choose to express their feelings in lyrical song, I feel that my linguistic capabilities are not sufficient to express such profound experiences. Hence, I used sounds that I had recorded in Delhi(the space where I had this experience), to channel my emotions at the time. It was also my promise to Dwarka that I would return as a better man, a promise in favour of optimism. I made this piece a few months after returning to my home, Kochi, from Dwarka, at a time when the impact that my memories of this space were having on me had reached a crescendo. A crescendo seems positive and grand, but I wouldn’t describe my feelings in that manner. A spiral might be a better word, but no, that’s too negative! Alright. I will not delve more into the feelings that I felt while making this piece, as I don’t want the sanctity of my feelings to be violated by the ossifying quality of my words.

I did, however, send this soundscape to a few friends, my ex-partner being one of them, and their perception of me influenced their experience of the soundscape. My ex-partner perceived it as being gentle and tender, while my friend described it as a drugged displacement, and a male one at that. Oh yeah, displacement is a gendered experience. And drugs probably are too. Knowing that this is a breakup song also influences the experience. Another friend of mine, impervious to the intentions of this piece, perceived it as a gritty gangster soundtrack. Maybe I shouldn’t have told you what this song was about, and you would have had your own experience of Delhi through my mind’s ears, but I shall tell you no more. Do take a listen to this song of return, and see what you feel when the sounds of prayer, sighs, metros, electric autos and flights condense into a sonic cloud.

Artist Bio