sgsr_046

a return to bali, eight years after a first encounter. the earlier trip was cut short by technical failure — an absence that became part of the memory. this time, better prepared, i approached the island as a kind of open archive: ambient environments, overheard rituals, overheated traffic systems, thresholds between tourist simulation and daily life.

all recordings are presented in stereo binaural format and are intended for headphone listening. no dynamic compression has been applied; volume shifts remain as recorded, preserving the scale and space of each environment. editorial changes are minimal — limited to the removal of microphone handling, signal overloads, or truly disruptive intrusions.

this release is offered as a shared resource: the recordings are free to use in film, installation, or audio-based work. credit is appreciated, in accordance with the creative commons attribution share-alike license.

field notes

[ubud] samas cottage villa - arriving in ubud after a painfully long flight and customs experience, we checked in to our private villa and had our own pool, which we quickly took advantage of. this is a capture after a nice swim in the early evening, you can definitely hear the muted but ceaseless roar of motorbikes in the background, which is unfortunately pretty typical in ubud.

[ubud] monkey forest parts 1 & 2 - although i could (and did) spend hours in the sacred monkey forest, i could rarely get close enough to the monkeys to get a good recording without tourists also talking and making noise. these two separate captures are the best of the series of recordings that i made here (there were a lot of them!). you can hear monkeys chattering to each other, and scampering about in the trees and along the ground.

[ubud] camphuan ridge walk - this was a frustrating attempt to capture what appeared to be another school singalong, while we were walking through camphuan ridge. unfortunately, as soon as i started recording, the singalong broke up and just turned into a bunch of people having conversations.

[ubud] tribal dance parts 1 & 2 - one evening we stumbled randomly into what appeared to be a contest to portray a demon through elaborate costuming and dancing (i assume it was called “whoooo wants to be a demon?!”), accompanied by a large gamelan orchestra. this went on for quite some time, and i managed to get recordings of two different performances, which were similar but still somewhat different. the announcements over the PA appeared to be advertising for local hotels and services, and an explanation for the proceedings appears at the beginning of part one.

[ubud] morning bird chorus - every morning in ubud this would start somewhere around 5am, which was annoying to try and sleep through, but still a pleasant enough sound. finally i got up early enough to capture a good recording, untainted by too many motorbikes.

[ubud] pura tirta empul (baths) - this was recorded at the holy baths, where religious travelers cleanse themselves from an array of spring fed pipes. i opted not to participate in that, but managed to grab a good recording of the baths and surrounding pavilions.

[ubud] pura tirta empul (prayer area) - although i wasn’t allowed to get super close to this prayer ceremony, i got close enough to record some of the bells and intonations. i would have preferred to be closer to the action, but i took what i could get in this case.

[sanur] sanur harbor - a recording of the harbor in sanur where boats transfer passengers to the islands. it’s also used locally as a recreational beach, and i was happy to get a recording without too many boat engines ruining it.

[nusa lembongan] schoolchildren singing near dream point - while walking near dream point, i started hearing children singing, and tried to follow it to it’s source. passing through some trees and underbrush, i arrived at a school, only for the singing to end. i stuck around for a while, recording some birds, and hoping the singing would start up again, but it never did.

[nusa lembongan] depeche mode cover - i only wish i could have hit record on this faster. one day at a bar on the beach, we were having a drink and looking at the ocean when i suddenly realized what this song was. obviously it’s a pretty different version of ‘policy of truth’ than the original, but still pretty great. this recording also captures rosalind saying “i think this is the best vacation i’ve ever had” which sums up the moment pretty well.

[nusa lembongan] beach at night (with electricity) - one night walking home from dinner, i noticed that the overhead powerlines were arcing and zapping electricity, which surely seems completely safe and in no way dangerous. so i definitely needed to get a good recording of that. as usual, motorbikes ruin the moment, but you definitely get the idea of electricity being improperly handled!

[nusa lembongan] glory fastboat engine drone - as usual i am obsessed with mechanically derived drones, this time from the engine of the fast boat to nusa lembongan, which was so loud it literally drowned out any conversation or even mental activity.

[uluwatu] garuda wisnu kencana (dance performance) - on our last day in bali, with some time to kill prior to our flight, we drove out to the garuda wisnu kencana complex, which is the tallest manmade structure on the island. as soon as we stepped off the bus, we encountered a dance performance with a small gamelan troupe and i managed to get the last few minutes of the performance recorded. the complex is definitely worth a stop, if you can make it there.

These recordings are free to use under a creative commons attribution share-alike license.

If you’re using these in a work about empire, collapse, or cultural disappearance, that would be fitting. credit where it's due (me).