XMTR Festival Selects: Three Rings of Sounds: San Antonio, TX

Radiophonic Institute (UK 2025)

10 min

This field recording project sprang out of the Soundscapes class offered in the Spring of 2025 at the University of Texas at San Antonio (taught by Justin Boyd

Assistant Professor, New Media and Sculpture, Art and Art History). As part of the curriculum students were asked to propose ideas around what San Antonio sounds like. Being a large city, they decided to split the recordings into three zones: The Outer Ring is based around Highway Loop 1604, The Middle Ring is based around Loop 410 and the Inner Ring is the downtown/near downtown area. The sounds you hear represent the students' travels within the city and provide a personal snapshot of San Antonio in the spring.

Produced by Louis Gillespie and Ilia Rogatchevski
Student field recordists: Kayla Byrd, Jaila Castro, Ruby Coker, Alma Cuellar Vazquez, Isabelle Davis, Sep Garcia, Elroy Kay, Nina Lemire, Bryce Mcgowan, Andrew Mendoza, Carmen Montoya, Alyssa Narvaez, Aniyah Nick, Aaron Olivarez, Noah Pitman, Kendell Price, A’Isha Walker, Laurel Westphal.
Instructor: Justin Boyd; assisted by Charlotte Irakunda
Mixed by: Justin Boyd and Charlotte Irakunda

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Over Westside

Emile Klein (US 2023)

27 min

Over Westside is a meditation on psychogeography and relationship.

Musicians Carly Ptak and Twig Harper, known as Nautical Almanac, are long time residents of West Baltimore. The American noise music scene evolved within their home, T-Hill. West Baltimore is also where, in 2015, police officers killed Freddie Gray. Protests expanded from this point.

These recordings take place after the streets emptied back into homes. But a departed flame leaves a different heat in the walls. Thanks to contributors: Carly Ptak, Twig Harper, Davy Rothbart, Chiara Giovando, Andrew WK, Liz Armstrong, Xander marrow, Brian Chippendale, Max Eisenberg, WFMU, the people of West Baltimore, and all others who shared time.

Produced by Emile Klein

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