Published
Fri, Jan 26, 2024, 12:00
- Written by music journalist Ben Murphy, Ears to the Ground is out in May through Velocity Press.
Music journalist Ben Murphy has written a book about field recordings and electronic music.
Ears to the Ground: Adventures in Field Recording and Electronic Music explores environments in which found sounds have been recorded by artists, taking the reader on a journey through sites like remote bird colonies, neolithic burial grounds and Antarctica.
Speaking to Resident Advisor, Murphy said he felt compelled to write the book after noticing that many of the artists he'd interviewed in recent years used field recordings in their music. Found sounds, he realised, were a growing trend yet rarely discussed.
"Field recordings of the outside world can be so much more than decoration," he added. "They can communicate ideas, culture, heritage and commentary on the most vital issues of our times."
Murphy, who works as a contributing editor at DJ Mag, said the book illustrates how multiple genres use field recordings "to constitute commentary on climate change, protest, nature, war, history, culture, landscape and, ultimately, the great power of sound in our ever more visual world."
Ears to the Ground: Adventures in Field Recording and Electronic Music will be published on May 10th by Velocity Press.
