A garden of sonorities

Hi, 😃

Before getting into it—haha, I mean, before I start telling you what I actually came here to share—I’d like to take this opportunity to give a brief update on the community I created some time ago:

Invisible Horizons

Yes, this one. You’re here. 

It’s not a space that gets a lot of visits, or maybe it does, but I have no way of measuring that. What I do know is that some very dear friends have posted there, and that brings me great joy. That’s why, a few hours ago, I granted membership to those who’ve published at least three posts in the space. I must highlight that every single contribution has been of the highest quality. To all of you, thank you—it’s been a true delight. And of course, we remain open to new contributions.

Another thing I did was update the community’s cover image with a photo I took recently in a research room. Ever since I created the space, I said I’d do it—and only now have I found the perfect image.

Look how it turned out!

And I’ll take this chance to show you that the community has had three new subscriptions this week. Welcome @x-rain, @temmylade, and @victor2356.

I can’t help but celebrate the two contributions from the past seven days by @qwerrie and @enraizar—two posts so different, yet brimming with creativity, which is exactly what we all enjoy so much around here.

So… now let’s get to the point. I’d like to propose an initiative that aligns with what I’m about to share with you today:

Let’s recreate a fictional story through music. In your post, remember to include photos of real places, and try to support the story with musical tracks you feel are connected to it.

This idea came to me a few days ago, when I had to give up using Spotify because my phone seems to have aged too much—it can’t handle the app anymore. I downloaded some music playlists through a Telegram bot, and I initially considered trying Deezer in its free mode, just to test it out, since it’s more convenient than constantly downloading music. However, the free version of Deezer doesn’t work… but if you pay for it, of course it does. All these apps, like Spotify and Deezer, require a VPN to work here. It’s a real pain. I know someone who uses Deezer that way and it works great for them—they recommend it 100%. But I’ve honestly decided to look for other options. And I’ve spent some time exploring alternatives. That’s how I came across Radio Garden, a non-profit digital project born in the Netherlands between 2013 and 2016. _Wikipedia

You can download the free app for Android.

I’m using these screenshots to show you.

Right now I’m listening to this, but you can choose from more than 8,000 stations. Even the ones from Cuba are on the map, which really surprised me—since we’re usually blocked from almost everywhere.

Radio Clásica is both highly instructive and genuinely entertaining. There was a participatory programme earlier—they even shared phone numbers for contacting them via WhatsApp. Just a while ago, a new programme began titled Explorando las Fronteras, los que hablan en español. The host gave a detailed explanation of the origins of certain Catalan soundscapes that were recently staged in Madrid. Here’s one of them:

Isaac Albéniz (1860/1909)
"Escenes simfòniques catalanes" (1888-89)
I. «Au village»
Allegro ma non troppo

Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona
i Nacional de Catalunya
Dir. Jaime Martín

From the CD:
"Catalonia"
(Tritó, 2010)

I absolutely love it. In fact, I feel as if I’m somewhere out there in one of those little villages, tucked away in the geography of Catalonia—maybe caught up in something to do with bicycles or bird photography. I’ve also been exploring some radio stations around La Palma, in the Canary Islands... this location… it really hits close to home. Haha… well, I just wanted to share this lovely experience with you all and encourage you to take part in Invisible Horizons.

Hasta pronto - Fins aviat - Ata logo - Agur - Hasta llueu - T'a güeyar - Bye