Impatience in Kingston, Jamaica

We’re excited to add the 86th country to our global sound map with this chaotic street recording from Jamaica by DJ Afifa, who writes:

“Cross Roads is a major town centre between Half Way Tree and Downtown in Kingston Jamaica. I am standing at the bus stop at Crossroads waiting for a bus going to Half Way tree. Everyone is moving quickly, trying to beat the traffic. My attention focuses on the sound of the construction site in front of me and the conductor trying to get passengers for his bus.”

City version:

We reimagined this sound using the theme of impatience as our starting point.

What stood out from the original recording was the chaos of this busy part of Kingston – constant aggressive car horn honking and people shouting throughout the short clip.

We wanted to take the elements of this chaotic, almost troubled soundscape and develop something meditative and reflective from it.

Sections of car horns – the most impatient elements of the sound – were stretched and effected to create the bed of the reimagined piece, which we’ve developed into a homage to the meditative analogue sounds of pioneers like Laurie Spiegel, allowing a sound based in busy-ness and impatience to become a symbol of reflection and calm.

Memory version: