ShortWaveMusic

Dengê Mezopotamya, 7540 kHz, 11 October 2010 [1626 UTC] via shortwave radio

Role: Founder, Curator, Researcher, Writer, Audio editor, Audio restoration

ShortWaveMusic (2005-2013) was a global sound project and documentary series which aimed to preserve the sound of regional and international broadcasting around the world. Recordings included low-power and community stations, pirate and clandestine transmissions, or traditional international broadcasters. The goal of the project was to tell the story of shortwave broadcasting in the early 21st century by exploring the extraordinary and varied ways in which people continue to communicate via radio, despite the advent of newer and more glamorous technologies.

NOTICE / MAY 2023: The entire ShortWaveMusic archive will shortly be uploaded to Archive.org. I’ll embed links to the collection here once completed.

Read an essay about ShortWaveMusic for the sound-art journal Earlid in January 2019.

View a map or download a Google Earth map [KML] of every SWM transmitter location recorded 2009-2013.

View the complete catalogue of recordings 2009-2013.

P.S.: If you’re hungry for the spirit of ShortWaveMusic to continue, reach out to me about booking ShortWaveMusic «ALL NIGHT FLIGHT». It’s an eight-hour-long soundscape performed live from 10p-6a. It’s been held in a secret desert location since 2012, but has been known to travel under the right circumstances (including performances in Halle, Germany, and Chicago, IL). Get in touch for more info.