The Sounds of Motoring

The Holmes Archive of Electronic Music

Episode 116

The Sounds of Motoring

Track Start Times

Introduction

00:00:00

Motoring Soundscape

00:04:33

Closing

01:47:48

Playlist

For this episode, I created a soundscape based mostly on vintage recordings from the Archive of automobiles, trucks, construction equipment, mopeds and motorcycles, buses, street sounds and a variety of police and ambulance sirens. The work flows from sound to sound, often in tandem, and sometimes embellished with an effect drawn from the electronic music toolbox. This edition’s playlist includes recordings from all of the following, from which I extracted and remixed hours of audio material.

1. Street Traffic Noises (Recorded at a London Street Junction) (circa 1927 Columbia). 78 RPM.
2. Motor Car Noises (1931 His Masters Voice). 78 RPM.
3. Sound Effects, “Taxi Cab Leaving,” “Ambulance Bell (with Traffic)” (circa 1932 Columbia). 78 RPM.
4. Cuban Corners: More Sports Cars in Stereo (1957 Riverside).
5. Tony Schwartz, “Outdoor Sounds” from Sound Effects, Volume One, City Sounds (1958 Folkways).
6. The Sound of Sounds (1961 Directional Sound).
7. Documentary Sounds, Volume One (1962 Folkways).
8. The Exciting Racing Sounds of Grand Prix, Challenge of Champions (1962 MGM).
9. Sound Effects, Volume 5 (1963 Audio Fidelity).
10. Live Mechanical Sound Effects in Stereo (1971 Realistic/Audio Fidelity).
11. De Wolfe Sound Effects DWFX LP No. 9: Motorway Construction (1973 Music De Wolfe).
12. De Wolfe Sound Effects DWFX LP No. 1: Rally Cars (1973 Music De Wolfe).
13. SFX Sound Effects Vol. 6 (1979 Gateway Recordings).
14. De Wolfe Sound Effects DWFX LP No. 21: Transport Part 2 (1982 Music De Wolfe).
15. Thom Holmes, field recordings of city streets and traffic noise, including Paris traffic horns (2015), Paris, from the top of the Arc De Triomphe, “overhearing” the intersection of twelve streets (2015), Paris, backstreet from window (2017), Paris, street traffic (2017), New York, East Village, 6th (2021); and a Toronto, interior of bus ride (2016).

Opening background music: Thom Holmes, “Paris street traffic” (2017).

Opening and closing sequences voiced by Anne Benkovitz.

Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes.

See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation.

For additional notes, please see my blog, Noise and Notations.