The night has a thousand voices (Insomnia)

"Have you ever had one of those nights when you just can’t get to sleep no matter what you do? As always, there’s a story behind my track about insomnia.

At first, when I was allocated this sound, I thought I might create a lullaby from the chirping noises of the toads, since they were Midwife Toads. Something quiet and ambient that would lull your baby to sleep.

However, also as always, tracks seem to want to go their own way. They want to be what they want to be. In this case, noise and competing noises.

I was thinking about how our minds and ears pick out the slightest noise(s) when we are struggling to get to sleep, as in my case, having been caught up in Storm Polly in the Netherlands. The hurricane outside the room, rain lashing on the windows and the water dripping and pipes clanking all night from downstairs' air conditioning, just made it impossible to get a good night’s sleep. Tossing and turning, every sound was magnified and my brain just couldn’t switch off. 

That feeling of total exhaustion when you’ve not only battled the night but also every tiny squeak, bang, rasp, drip, flush, cough, of your darkened room….Oh, and there’s always a fly or moth buzzing or flitting about.

This is where the idea of a track of many sounds competing against each other came from.

As the night begins, the distant chirp of a toad is soon overtaken by birds and insects and that annoying fly, all competing with each other, all getting louder, and all vying for space in your head as you struggle to get to sleep.

The track was created from the original soundfile, either by using samples, midi info, sound shaping and changes in frequencies, to create a sound world of flying things, midges, birds, crickets, insects, rain, water drips, unknown origin sounds and an underlying mechanised drone of some sort of machine. It is a cacophony of competing noises. New sounds can be heard each time you listen to the track, as your mind highlights and wanders to and from noises, in desperation to find some peace.

In the end, it goes silent, as eventually you fall asleep out of sheer exhaustion. 

Best listened through headphones to get the full effect but beware loud sounds."

Toads in Lorraine reimagined by Museleon. 

Part of the Music for Sleep project - for more information and to hear more sounds from the collection, visit https://citiesandmemory.com/music-for-sleep/