Soundscape
Soundtracks to a week
Sounds this week were closely related to activities. I realize that while having guests, most of the places I become aware of are where meals are shared.
After a week of mostly silence at home, listening to the news in the background turned from signal to noise as the days went by.
The Spotify playlist shows the soundtrack to one week. Most of the songs were not listened to intentionally, but as a part of the background –or foreground– noise in different settings throughout the week. (Songs 3–6 were records played while indulging in Thursday chores, prior to having guests arrive).
Songs might accurately represent the cultural influences on cuisine on several of the days. For example, Lim Jae Hyun, “I’m a little drunk” (Prod. 2soo) correlates to Ahgassi Gopchang — Korean barbecue restaurant, or from Fonseca, “Simples Corazones” to Manu Chao, “Me Gustas Tú,” which were less noise than signal at Sabor Colombiano — Reminiscing Colombian cuisine (the nostalgia of “arroz con pollo” connected effortlessly with Cabas, “Mi Bombón”).
One of the conversational exchanges during rideshare went something like this:
– Are you guys okay with hip-hop?
The sound was already loud. The driver changed the song thrice. He looks pensive and changes his mind. As he goes to Spotify, he quickly hits “play,” as Downtempo resonates in the back seat.
*Massive Attack, “Silent Spring” plays in the speakers*
– “It does not justify the loudness anymore,” he adds, accompanied by honking outside the window.
The week ended in silence as well. At midday on January 27th, radio was set to go silent. The Southern California Broadcasters Association asked its members to observe a synchronized moment of silence in honor of the late Kobe Bryant.
