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City of Sound is about cities, design, architecture, music, media, politics and more. Written by Dan Hill since 2001.

Traffic Island Disks

Written in

February 11, 2004

Dan Hill

Genius idea for a bit of radio – Traffic Island Disks, on Resonance 101.4 FM in Central London (or mp3 streaming anywhere). It’s a beautifully simple way of making the inaudible audible:

"Traffic Island Discs is a radio programme about music, people and spaces. We roam the streets looking for people wearing headphones, stop them, and interview them while recording whatever they are listening to. The result is a half hour tour of an area of London, heard through people’s personal tastes and rhythms."

On the show I heard (Fitzrovia and Soho), I’m not sure the presenter is actually required. Far better to let the music and listener – the sound of the city – speak for itself. Great idea though.

Traffic Island Disks
[via Things]

6 responses to “Traffic Island Disks”

Andrew

February 11, 2004

Man, I assumed that everyone in London walked around listening to obscure variants of electronic music or of-the-moment British pop. These people are so boring! Jewel? Goo Goo Dolls?

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Dan

February 11, 2004

Just as high streets are the same all over the world now, remember that the true definition of ‘world music’ is American pop 😉

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Jez

February 12, 2004

What a brilliant idea! What diversity. I agree about your comment about the presenter…disparaging comments about people’s style/music/taste? especially after the (Jewel) girl gave her time….Don’t you remember being really repelled by anyone who tried to get you to listen to something against your will. I’m sure he’ll learn pretty quick…. This would be fantastic run as a 24hrs show (stock piled and streamed) to tune in and out to as and when.
Currently listening to http://www.thefreelancehairdresser.co.uk/

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Simon

February 14, 2004

For another take on world music see the excellent Cassette Culture: Popular Music and Technology in North India by Peter Manuel,
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/hfs.cgi/00/7991.ctl

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Listen to Musak

March 9, 2004

Defining Your Own Space

There’s some interesting new research into music, spaces and those of us that walk around with headphones on the whole time.

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Dan

May 22, 2006

Trackbacks sent to this post at the time (before I turned trackbacks off due to spam):

» Defining Your Own Space from Listen to Musak
There’s some interesting new research into music, spaces and those of us that walk around with headphones on the whole time. [Read More]

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