sgsr_016
recorded 2012
These recordings were captured in San Francisco, in and around sites of industrial labor and mechanical residue—spaces where machines outlive their purposes, or continue humming along in service of them.
The raw material was recorded directly to hard disk using a Tascam DR-07 MkII and a pair of Roland binaural microphones, then edited and manipulated in Digital Performer. Any post-production was applied not to dazzle, but to shift focus—emphasizing or softening certain sonic elements as a way of drawing attention to the listening act itself. The goal was not fidelity, but interpretation.
What you hear is both documentary and intervention—an invitation to consider how even our most utilitarian soundscapes bear the traces of larger systems: logistical, economic, human.
field notes
Icarus I Interior Check - this recording was made in a home, late at night. you can clearly hear the sound of someone sleeping and a nearby nightclub. through some minor manipulation, i gave the recording a much more 'science fiction' type of feel.
Chinatown Laundry Systems - this was recorded in an asian laundry located in chinatown, san francisco. i was allowed access to the machines, and was impressed by the sheer number of systems all running in parallel.
Heating System Test - recorded in a condominium building, during a maintenance check of the complex heating and ventilation systems. i enhanced the inherent frequencies of the fan systems, and was blown away by the exquisite droning that it produced. there are no additional sound sources in this recording.
Car Park Electrical Ignition - this was recorded in extremely close proximity to the electrical center of a large commercial carpark. the machines that run the automatic gates, ventilation systems, and security systems are all housed here. there are only time manipulations, due to edits made to remove 'people sounds' from the initial recording.
Hydraulic Lift and Shaftway - this was recorded after surreptitiously gaining entry to a hydraulic lift shaft in a corporate high rise. located under the building, this is a location where you can watch the lift functioning below the elevator compartment. i was eventually asked to leave, but not before capturing an excellent binaural recording.
Power Station Machine Room - recorded mid-day in a san francisco power station, in a large machine room. it was quite intense, there's an almost electrical charge in the room, and i made some minor adjustments to bring out this effect, while reducing the painfully loud high frequencies. it took quite a while to get a decent recording of this room, due to the sheer volume overloading the microphone inputs.
Mechanized Transport - recorded at an industrial recycling plant near the san francisco waterfront, this is a great recording of the interior where you can hear the overhead machines that are used to move enormous pieces of metal from one area to another. there is an additional overtone, which i tried to emphasize, which is a background hum composed of several competing radios within the space.
This recording is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. You’re free to share it, remix it, sample it, and build it into new works—so long as the spirit remains intact. Commercial exploitation is off-limits without explicit permission. This is an invitation to circulate, not to commodify