August 30, 2024 • 70 mins
On August 30th 2024, 'We Are Biophonica' was launched out into the world. For the album, Peter Raeburn collaborated with Martyn Stewart and The Listening Planet team. In this conversation, we learn more about the journey they went on together, how it all began and how this beautiful collaboration has transformed them both.
Wind back to over a year ago and a serendipitous meeting in London at the Platoon offices. Pete shares that moment and how an unplanned meeting, all about nature sounds and their creative potential, sparked a profound and unique partnership.
Peter Raeburn’s music tenderly enfolds the splendor of Martyn's natural sounds, unifying them into one harmonious symphonic form that traces a lifecycle from infancy to slumber. ‘We Are Biophonica’ reminds us that we are all intertwined as part of nature’s orchestra and underscores our guiding truth – humanity resides within nature, and we will find connection and peace within ourselves once we learn to cherish its embrace and protect our home.
We delve into the concept and meaning of each track and the overarching philosophy of living in harmony with nature. The episode culminates in a powerful narrative about the emotional experiences derived from merging soundscapes, particularly the transition from the terrestrial to the oceanic realm. Through evocative storytelling, we confront the awe-inspiring and humbling power of nature while advocating for a greater appreciation of our environment. Amidst discussions on global crises, we emphasize the often-overlooked plight of animals and the essential role humans play in both creating and solving these issues. Join us for an episode that promises not only to entertain but also to inspire a renewed sense of responsibility towards our planet.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Martyn Stewart (00:01):
This is Martin Stewart with A Life in Sound
from the Listening Planet, inpartnership with Biophonica
Beats.
Peter Raeburn (00:15):
Probably it's good just to start with talking
about how I got to meet you,which is through sitting in a
meeting in London about a recordthat I made after a life-saving
brain surgery.
And I'm sitting with a lovelyman called Denzyl in London and
(00:37):
we're having a really peacefulconversation about the record
and I just delivered it and hesays to me do you want to stay
for the next meeting?
Which kind of sounded like themost Hollywood thing I'd ever
heard.
It was like you know, what doyou mean?
I'm not that spontaneous aperson.
I'm, musically I'm spontaneous,but not not necessarily with
(00:58):
like diaries and stuff.
So I left, I said I can't, I'vegot, I've got, I've got to go,
I've got to be somewhere else,which I did have to be somewhere
else.
And I got on my bike in Londonand cycled off and after about
10 seconds I'm like what, whatam I doing?
How do I know what I just saidI wasn't available for and I, um
(01:18):
, I called my studios and saiddo you really need me?
And everyone was like no, we'refine.
I was like oh, okay, so Icycled right back and it went
into the uh, the studio, where,where denzel was and and my seat
was still there, it was stilllike, still warm.
It was still warm and andinviting, and and the difference
(01:39):
was the room had filled up witha load of other people and one
of those people was, um, youknow the the amazing amanda, um,
and and she pitched um thisconcept, uh, about biophonica,
(02:00):
and as I looked at this slidethat she had it kind of I kind
of got all butterfly inside.
Martyn Stewart (02:09):
She's got a knack at doing that.
Peter Raeburn (02:13):
I got all butterfly like Because I just
I've always been obsessed withsound, but I've always been just
that tad more a musician, butI've, I've.
If I had two lives, I'd spendone only in sound.
(02:34):
You know, if I knew I had thosetwo lives, but but considering,
if I did, it probably wouldn'tbe looking and looking and
hearing like this, thankfully.
And so I I instantly connectedwith her and I'd heard about you
already.
I'd actually already heardabout you through Denzel and he
(02:54):
told me about what an amazingperson you were.
This was nothing to do withBiophonica, but I'd heard about
you and I slipped Denzel somemoney.
That's what it was, you slippedhim some cash, yeah, and, and I
never saw any of that cash.
Just so you know, I neverthought, okay, a red cent and
and um, and so I just kind ofand I called up john, who is in
(03:16):
this room with me.
Um, and he's been such anincredibly important part of
developing our work in biophonicand with you he's your twin
he's, my son is 20 years, um,and I said to john I think I
just walked out of a meetingthat could be the most exciting
project uh, we, we, we mightwork on um, and that's that's.
(03:39):
That's how I met you.
I didn't meet you yetpersonally, but that's how I met
you.
I didn't meet you yetpersonally, but that's how I
connected with you.
That's my side of the story.
And I and the next thing, I'm Iam testing the waters of this
idea of taking taking naturalsound.
I didn't yet feel worthy ofyour sounds, but I took some
(04:00):
other nature sounds and testedthat I wasn't full of shit and I
thought I could do somethinginteresting with this.
And then the next thing, Iremember I'm sharing it with you
, like I'm going to share thingswith you today and have been
sharing things with you thewhole way through this process.
And you know that's my side ofthe story.
Martyn Stewart (04:22):
I always believe in serendipity.
I always think there's a reasonfor so many things that happens
in your life.
And I remember the time when wemet on Zoom that first time and
you played some stuff and youhad someone else's sounds.
I think it was a song sparrowthat was singing away and it was
(04:45):
kind of cool and I thought,well, wow, this concept is just
brilliant.
You know, because I'm a guy wholoves music, I mean, music has
so many attachments to your life.
You know, you get married toyour favorite song, you grow up
with influences of musicians youreally like.
(05:09):
But my side of the pit really isthe natural sounds are the ones
that always kept me happy,because I knew everything was
doing tickety-boo.
You know, if you're in thewoods or if you're in the
hedgerows or if you're somewhereand there's something singing,
everything's happy.
And I think I had that kind offeeling all my life and I always
(05:32):
thought nature and music shouldbe separate, because you don't
mess around with the naturalsound.
She has her own rhythm, she hasher own way of playing, she
doesn't have to get into acertain key, she doesn't have to
tune up, she doesn't have to dothat stuff.
And I thought well, I hatedbasically piano music and ocean
(05:54):
sounds and piano music and rainand I didn't think that these
things could come together,except for just that, you know,
in a spa or in some you knowhairdressing saloon or whatever.
Peter Raeburn (06:10):
I completely agree with you.
Martyn Stewart (06:12):
What you did there's one thing that's
indelibly marked in my head,that and I said to you at the
time I remember when the Beatlescame out with Blackbird, and I
remember what Paul McCartneysaid that one night it was dusk
around his house and there was ablackbird singing outside and
(06:32):
he tried to find out what key itwas in and he started to jam
with his blackbird.
Well, I played a song, avocalisation, to you.
You turned on your seat and youwent straight to your keyboard
and you started playing thismelody in tune with the critter
that I'd sent you.
That knocked me out, that blewme apart.
(06:55):
It absolutely came to a pointwhere I had my own Blackbird
Paul McCartney experience rightthere.
But this is Peter Brayburndoing this stuff with his piano.
And then the rest is history.
Mate, you know, there's so manythings that touch your
heartstrings and I think you'vebeen able to change my mind with
(07:20):
music and natural sounds comingtogether, and I think you
really are the one that'sconvinced me that those two
things really work.
Peter Raeburn (07:32):
You know the whole story of the world going
wrong is, in my opinion, themoment where humanity thought
that they could control nature,as opposed to live within it and
I've always thought that theycould control nature as opposed
to live within it.
And I've always thought that andI, you know, I studied that at
university I was obsessed with,with the moment when it all went
(07:53):
wrong and and and I won't bringup all the details of that now
because it's very philosophicalbut I've always been and I don't
know we haven't really spokenabout this, but I was a, you
know, majored in environmentalphilosophy.
That was my, that was myconcern at university.
I don't know we haven't reallyspoken about this, but I was a,
you know, majored inenvironmental philosophy that
was my, that was my concern atuniversity.
I didn't know I was playing inback, I was playing in bands,
but I was.
I was studying environmentalphilosophy and and particularly
(08:14):
interested in the moment where,where it all, where it all
changed.
So and I'm fascinated by it andand I'm, uh, concerned about it
, and I always was, and it'sjust, this project has given me
the ability to bring that sideof my, of myself and my musical
(08:35):
self together in a way thatthere's never happened.
And you know, I, I, I don'thave any hobbies, apart from
maybe, you know, being by theocean.
You wouldn't really call that ahobby, it's more of a survival
technique.
But I don't have hobbiesbecause music is, is my whole
kind of life.
I have things that I'm obsessedwith.
I'm obsessed with my family,I'm obsessed with, you know,
(08:58):
lots of things, but I don't havea hobby like a lot of people
have.
And when I got to to work withyour sounds, it felt as close to
a hobby as I've ever had.
In other words, it's been so fun, it's like I could imagine.
This is how people feel whenthey go into their sheds and
they build you know, I don'tknow shells or fucking
(09:18):
fireplaces, whatever they buildI don't know what they do or
play with their train sets orjust anything, anything would
work, something with their hands, probably, um, but just
something very basic andpre-civil, like more
pre-civilizations, like that.
And I think that this has beenan opportunity for me to connect
in a totally in a way thatmusic is kind of intravenous, um
(09:42):
, so is, so are the, so are yoursounds, and your sounds are not
ordinary sounds, and I do speakfrom a little bit of experience
, because I've, you know, as youknow, mixed a lot of films and
and have a lot of experienceworking with sound.
But there's something about theway your, you record and curate
sounds.
This whole process has beensuch a joy and so, you know, I
(10:05):
just trusted in the process.
So you would send something tojohn, it would find its way into
um, into my ears, and it wouldbe like this most natural
process, um, and anyway, I'mjust so grateful for the, for
the experience, I think, thinkyou're a genius mate, and you
know I don't use that lightly.
Martyn Stewart (10:27):
I think what you do musically and to be able to
combine that with all thecritters that I've recorded, I
mean I could just pull somethingout of the archive, think, okay
, there's a melody there orthere's something, or maybe a
bass note or a percussion orwoodpecker banging away and you
(10:50):
chuck it into a track and thenbang.
You know it comes back and I'venever experienced something as
beautiful as sitting live insome studio listening to the
theme music to a Disney film.
Being born like that, becausethat's how your stuff makes me
(11:12):
feel.
You make me feel like the hairson the back of my neck stand up
and emotions Natural sounds.
To me is a world where there'sbeautiful melodies but nobody's
listening to them, nobody hearsthem, they're blanketed out.
(11:34):
People walk in nature withearbuds in listening to music or
you know what is there at theend of the trail?
Is it worth going down thistrack?
You know they don't seeanything unless they encounter
like I've been out in naturerecording stuff with a parabolic
dish pointing up and someone'soblivious to everything that's
(11:55):
going around.
But as soon as they see you,they want to know what you.
Oh, there's a bird in the treeWow, and they're oblivious to it
beforehand.
Tree Wow, and they're obliviousto it beforehand.
So nature hasn't had this voice.
As far as I'm concerned, thatpeople turn their heads and say
isn't that gorgeous If they did?
(12:16):
This is the reason why nature'sbeing pillaged at the moment,
and what you're doing with your,your sound, your music and
marrying it together andamalgamating this thing, is
giving nature this beautifulvoice again, because I know when
this, when this is all released, someone's going to say, wow,
(12:40):
you know what are those soundsaccompanying that, the pitch.
With each one, they complementsomething just beautiful.
It's like a marriage made inheaven.
Peter Raeburn (12:50):
So what you're doing and this is the thing that
makes me feel elated the mostis that you're saying to nature
I'm going to give you a helpinghand so that people can
appreciate you a lot more, andthat's what you're doing, and
that's what you have done, andthat's what you've done to me
anyway I think, I think that thethe as I, as I've been working
(13:14):
with you, with our, with ourvery, very amazing team of
amanda and john um, obviouslythe team has grown through the
recording process as well andthe mixing process as well now,
but as I've gone through it,I've realised that it's all
about trying to not justacknowledge but honour that all
(13:36):
the melodies, all the feelingsare there already and that she's
offering those up to us all day, every day.
And I think that this idea ofliving, you know, of living with
respect to nature and we cansay either living in nature or
within nature or in harmony withand I think what we're doing on
(14:00):
this project is is is honoringthrough, through a kind of
loving and really fun process,that that we, we can, we can and
must be in harmony with natureand giving nature a platform
giving nature a platform and andalso giving people access to
connect, which which is which isreally what.
(14:22):
What matters in the world is thecrazier the planet gets, the
more dangerous the world gets,the more we have to find a way
of accessing nature within us.
And so I think that, as we knowbut I'm going to just it is a
journey from babyhood to sleepand it's a really short record.
(14:49):
It's not a which I'm really.
I love how.
I love its length, like 28 orso minutes.
I think it's that kind oflength.
It feels really, it feelsreally efficient in that way.
We're calling it this record,we Are by Funika and I think
that's such a brilliant name.
Martyn Stewart (15:07):
I do too.
Peter Raeburn (15:07):
Because immediately it just places us
all within nature, all of us,everyone we are.
It's not a question, it's astatement, it's not asking
permission.
Martyn Stewart (15:21):
It's a real statement.
Peter Raeburn (15:23):
This is all of us .
Permission, it's a realstatement.
It is this, this is all of us,and I think the, the other thing
about um, about the, the ideathat this is amanda and I always
love this term scored by nature, it's like the nature is is the
, is the greatest um harmonist,is the greatest composer, is the
(15:44):
greatest artist.
You know all of it and I thinkthat's that's.
Before sharing the music withyou, I mean you, you know, in
this form, I think it's reallyimportant to say that you know
there's no room for egos in innature, at least not human egos.
Of course there's.
There's natural um, everythinghappens in its right place, but
(16:05):
there's no question that theprimary artist on this record is
Mother Nature and that is howit should be.
It's how it should have alwaysbeen.
And then when I accept that andcelebrate that it really has
freed me so much to be able tobe in this incredibly
(16:25):
improvisational place andfeeling connected, I think
that's when the best workhappens, is when we're not
really thinking about it, but weare in the flow.
Martyn Stewart (16:39):
If you change ego to eco, it sounds better,
doesn't it?
Yeah?
Peter Raeburn (16:43):
Yeah, the ecosystem, exactly the ecosystem
is what's got us into ecosystem, exactly the ecosystem's what's
got us into trouble and theecosystem's what's going to save
us okay so, so we're going tostart with, um, with, listen to
baby.
I think I might just run this,uh, if it's okay, but you can
stop me anytime, but I might runa couple of minutes here and
just just go from, but maybeplay the first track into the
(17:04):
second track.
Um, so we're gonna go from babyto school, um, and what I?
What I decided, martin, is thatbecause each, each track has,
you know it, because of thestory, I wanted to give space,
uh, between the tracks a littlebit, so that when people listen
to this as a whole, it's not onething, it's actually seven
things and and it would havebeen very easy to just cross
(17:27):
crossfade everything, but thatdidn't feel right, um, in terms
of giving every, every chapterit's it's right space.
So let us have a little listenand make a start.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
The End Thank you.
Martyn Stewart (18:45):
I love that fly at the end.
I love the fly, I love theeffect you balance that, thank
(19:32):
you.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
1, 2, 3, 4.
Thank you.
The engineering in this issuperb.
Martyn Stewart (20:52):
I mean, I know I'm listening to it over a Zoom
program, but you get the idea.
The spatial effect is fantastic.
The rhythms, the melodies,everything beaten together is
just tremendous.
Peter Raeburn (21:09):
Well, you know, the school ones were talking
about for me because that was a,that was an idea I remember you
talking about.
It'll be just conceptually.
You're like we should talk, weshould do a school, school and
learning.
You called it it's now justcalled school for the record but
school, school and learning.
And then you sent through to usall these learning critters who
(21:31):
were all at that stage of theirlives, and what was interesting
about when I listened back tothis, it makes learning so much
fun.
You know, I've got a kid withwith, uh, pretty severe learning
differences and I actuallythink I had quite a lot when I
was well, I know I had quite alot, but you know it was england
, it was the 80s, you know.
So let's let's be honest, therewasn't a lot of investigation
(21:52):
at that time, you know, as tothese things, but so it was
really hard for me.
Uh, learning actually and and Ithink this piece is is with
your crit critters, as you callthem, and and with this music,
it feels like, actually, mathscould be like that.
You know, learning about naturecould be like that.
It doesn't have to be sopainful, it can be interesting.
Martyn Stewart (22:14):
The times when you spend in the sandpit, you
know, when you're six and sevenand you're learning about all
kinds of things, wonderfulfeelings, and you have that
dopamine release when you getexcited and the first time you
realise you can kick a ballaround and things it is.
It's quite incredible to listento that.
(22:35):
There's no way you wouldn't geta feel-good factor if you sat
down and listened to this stuff.
It makes you feel really goodand it kind of takes you back to
that boyhood kind of time whereeverything is just wonderful,
you know and we're learningevery day.
Peter Raeburn (22:51):
I'm learning right now, just talking with you
, and I think that that this isa this is what I love about
about the stages of life, thatwe're still children, we're
still learning and we're stillall those ages all at once.
It's just that we are.
We have a different perspective.
Does school feel like the rightname for it Should be nature's
classroom, school and learning.
Martyn Stewart (23:12):
How do you feel about the title?
I think you have to combinenature with school, and the
reason why I say this, peter, isbecause is it really learning
to a point?
Do we really learn?
As humans itself, we keepmaking these mistakes.
Nature teaches us basicallywhat to do.
(23:33):
If you go into what aboutnature?
Peter Raeburn (23:35):
what about nature's classroom?
Martyn Stewart (23:36):
nature's classroom is is fantastic
because nature is given anexample.
I think moving forward, I Ithink it's a far better thing
than just school done, and so itshall be, that's wonderful.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
Hmm.
Martyn Stewart (25:19):
Thank you, thank you.
(26:00):
I think I've explained how muchthat makes me feel in the past.
That puts me on the plainswatching the wildebeest.
It can put me anywhere really.
I mean Arctic National WildlifeRefuge, the migration of
caribou going through, and thatbeautiful thing of life and
(26:21):
spring and just expectations,just everything just comes
together and just booms, youknow, like fungi.
When it gets to a point whereit just booms and off go all the
spores, it's magnificent, thatis.
Peter Raeburn (26:41):
That needs to have something done, just
magical.
Martyn Stewart (26:48):
That's beyond words, that one.
I can't even describe how thatmakes me feel.
My my arms feel like they don'tbelong to me.
My heart beats and I shouldn'thave it beaten the way it is at
the moment.
Um, it's, it's fabulous.
It gives hope, it gives, itgives expectations.
Is that growing?
(27:10):
Is that what you said?
The title of that?
Peter Raeburn (27:12):
yeah, but we can call it.
We can call it.
We can call it.
Now's our time, now's ourchance to call these whatever
feels right.
It doesn't have to just becalled great expectations that,
to me, that I'm expecting it's.
Martyn Stewart (27:23):
It's almost like that, that precursor to
something that's just going to.
Curtains are going to open andthe best thing ever is going to
be on the stage.
You know, I love that, peter, Ilove that and that's had our
South African amazing.
Peter Raeburn (27:42):
South African choir singing on it it's got the
London strings and the CapeTown choir, obviously, just to
say that everything you'rehearing is now mastered as well
as mixed.
Martyn Stewart (27:51):
So it's gone through a lot of processing.
It's just absolutely magical.
Peter Raeburn (27:57):
Africa.
You know the last track we didtogether, the most recent one,
and I'm so, so, so pleased thispiece of music, this piece of
work has has um, has made itonto onto this record.
It felt really, it felt reallyincomplete without it and I
(28:17):
can't explain why this means somuch to me.
I can just say that I was bornon the southern tip of um of
africa.
Uh, at a horrific time in theworld to be associated with that
place, um, but it's always thatyou know the tradition of of,
(28:39):
of different south and differentkinds of african um music and
rhythms and voices have alwaysbeen um have meant everything to
me.
I have a theory of why that is.
I think that there was a, well,there was a woman called
Caroline who worked with myfamily and she died a few years
(29:02):
ago and she was the most warm,beautiful person imaginable and
I have physical memories of herholding me as a baby, as a child
, and I went back to SouthAfrica very regularly to see her
and she stayed once apartheidhad thankfully collapsed, she
(29:27):
stayed as close to the family asever.
I'm really proud of the role myfamily played in the collapse
of apartheid, may I say.
But Caroline, her warmth, herphysical warmth holding me as a
(29:48):
baby.
It's the, it's the temperature.
I think this piece of work hasthe temperature of her in it and
I hadn't thought about it tillnow.
Also, my beloved mum, um, alwaysplayed me music from south
africa, where she was born andbred, and um, and then and then,
when denzel mentioned this ideaabout Africa, it was his idea
(30:11):
and then, you know, I think ittook you about an hour from then
, or two hours, to send throughto us just the most amazing
selection of sounds, of naturalsounds, be they critters, of
sounds of natural sounds, bethey critters, be they, you know
(30:32):
, very big beasts to sounds,atmos is, and environmental
weather, environmentalexplosions, and this was the one
which it was like.
I just, I just I just grabbedthe mic and started singing
(30:55):
along this one and then it just,it wrote itself from there and
uh, yeah, the um, the percussionand the and the.
It's been tricky to mix thisone um, but I feel we got to a
good place, otherwise I wouldn'tdream of sharing it with you.
So this is simply called Africa.
Again, if that feels good to you, it feels good to me, but see
what you think when you hear it,here we go no-transcript in the
(37:50):
end that solitary.
Martyn Stewart (37:53):
You know the last word.
I love that.
It makes you feel like that,doesn't?
It makes me feel insignificant,makes me feel like so vast and
beautiful I don't know what tosay, mate.
(38:13):
Africa yes, for sure you shouldcall that Africa.
Without a shadow of a doubt.
That is stunning.
You know there's so many things.
I suppose when you listen tothat a few times you hear
something different.
I never for one minute, when Irecorded all those sounds,
(38:40):
thought it would all cometogether as a collection of
music.
Never, never in the reign ofpigs pudding, did I ever think
you know, something like thatwould come from that.
And you've turned it on itshead and you've done.
It's unbelievable, peter.
It's unbelievable.
Peter Raeburn (39:01):
I mean that piece just, it just means.
I mean I can't explain how muchit means.
Martyn Stewart (39:08):
No, I understand , I completely get it.
Peter Raeburn (39:10):
It's not just personal reasons, it's just that
we all know that no continentin the world has been as ravaged
as that one.
In my opinion, you know what Imean.
It's just it's so.
It's so particular and it isthe most powerful.
It's so particular and it isthe most powerful, I don't know,
and that's why, like and andjust and and just, sort of
(39:31):
purely like weird level, likegetting a hippo and a closet
click to be the drums, you know,and the and the lion, it's like
.
That feels like a good, that'sa drum, that's a good drummer,
you know, you get a hippo and alion and a and a group of people
and they're, they're all makinga beat together.
This started life as a frenchhorn and then I thought it
(39:51):
doesn't feel right to have afrench horn.
It felt a bit colonial.
So I changed it to a kudu, akudu horn.
That's what that is.
A kudu horn.
That's just an animal horn wowwhich feels much.
You know that was an interestingchange there that that happened
through and then, yeah, it'sthis.
Martyn Stewart (40:18):
I love the beat because these little things you
know those hyenas yeah, it's afun I remember doing those
hyenas in in um, namibia, on theskeleton coast, wow, and it was
dark and they were talking toeach other and there was this
(40:41):
vast desert and I said to theguy that we were up there
filming the seal clubbing thatwas going on on the skeleton
coast and I said guys, pleasejust do one thing shut the fuck
up.
I want to record this, and theywere chatting with each other
for maybe half an hour, so youcan imagine what that
(41:05):
conversation was.
Peter Raeburn (41:06):
You know with them yeah, and you probably
something along the lines ofstop clubbing the seals.
The hyenas are so, so key.
You know, I I spent many yearstraveling around different parts
of africa, um, and working withand and recording people, but
not recording sounds, although Idid record sounds as well, but
(41:27):
working with people and makingmusic with them in Madagascar
and in when did I go?
I went to lots of places, notnearly as many as you, but I
went to, well, obviously, allaround South Africa.
A small place in East Africanext to Tanzania, zanzibar, and
islands around Zanzibar.
Martyn Stewart (41:46):
I was obsessed with that place the changes in
Africa is huge and I think, inso many years to come, an album
and sounds like this, you'renever going to be able to make
the same kind of somethingsimilar to this, because the
animals are leaving.
They're gone.
You know soundscapes havechanged.
(42:07):
Yes, yes, you just can't havethe opportunities that I had and
I'm very grateful for beingable to get into these
situations and positions to goand record them.
But that brings so many things,so many feelings, so many
senses to it.
It has to be called africa,peter that's what we're going to
(42:28):
call it.
Peter Raeburn (42:29):
So the next one, um, it was called nature's voice
.
And then in the, in the, in themixing process, uh, mixing with
this amazing guy I actuallyhave got a message from him for
you a wonderful man called markmark rankin.
He mixed this with us and hedid a beautiful, beautiful job.
I was really lucky because helives out here, but he was in
(42:50):
London the same time as I was,so we sat together and listened
to everything and just took amoment to kind of appreciate
what had been done, and then Iwent back and looked at a few
new things once I listened to itwith his ears.
So it was really amazing tojust sit with him.
And because a lot, of, a lot ofthe work has been about
protecting this relationshipbetween music and nature, it can
(43:14):
suddenly disappear, you can,suddenly it's so.
It's just one one move to theleft or the right and suddenly
the music's drowning nature, um,or you can't hear the music.
There's such a delicate harmonyactually.
So this one is, um, is calledmama's voice at the moment.
Um, I'm very open to that.
This is what it obviouslyreferring to mother nature.
(43:37):
So mama's voice is this thisalso had benefited from um, from
the recordings in cape town,this beautiful group, beautiful
group of women singing.
There was men as well, obviously, in the last track we had a lot
, and this features Megan Wyler,my wife.
You know she sings the lead inthis and she's done this record.
(43:58):
Her and John are singing onNature's Classroom.
We're calling it now Ah John,ah.
John is all over this record.
He an amazing singer and he'ssinging.
Oh yeah, he's singing all over.
He sings everywhere I canpossibly get a microphone in
front of him.
Uh, yeah, he's.
He's a brilliant singer, um,and so this is, this is mama's
(44:21):
voice, thank you.
Speaker 3 (44:29):
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,
(45:33):
ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,
ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,
ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,
ah, ah ah.
I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, II no-transcript.
Martyn Stewart (49:04):
I love the.
There's so many critters therethat from all parts of the world
you know, it's not just onebiome or one continent.
I I could hear.
It was confusing at firstbecause I think, my god, there's
a screaming pier in there,there's a whip bird, there's the
great go away bird and they'reall kind of all down in the
(49:27):
lower continent and it's thatchorus is just divine.
I feel like someone shot me andI've just come out of hospital
and I'm still under theanesthetic do you like, um,
mama's voice.
Peter Raeburn (49:45):
I did think of another name when I was looking
at you, listening to that whichwas mama's cry, or something a
bit more um, because it feelslike, of all the pieces on the
on the record, that's the piecewhich has, um, it's almost like
a bit more of a warning or a bitmore of feeling, feeling the
pain, I like like cry betterthan voice.
(50:05):
Mama's cry.
Martyn Stewart (50:08):
I like mama's cry.
Peter Raeburn (50:10):
Yeah, I was a bit worried about that thing at the
ending, but I'm glad you likeit, I feel that also.
Martyn Stewart (50:13):
No, I like it.
Peter Raeburn (50:14):
I like it, it's got something to do with the
resonance of the effect we haveon the planet, the effect we
have on each other.
I think you know, at the end ofthese tracks sometimes you hear
a little vocal that feels likethe kind of almost like the
muscle memory, nature's musclememory of what happened in her,
and I feel like there'ssomething trying to tune into
some of that stuff.
Martyn Stewart (50:32):
The Africa track .
You know that with the dove atthe end, just the soul song.
It's just perfect, yeah,instead of those endings that
are sudden.
Peter Raeburn (50:44):
Yeah.
Martyn Stewart (50:45):
It kind of gives you that feeling like I'm on
the dock and the ship's goingaway.
You know, see you later.
Peter Raeburn (50:51):
The dove is a very important part of this, um,
this collection of work, youknow for sure.
Um.
So the next one is I think thisis the first kind of test I did
uh to try and see whether itwas going to work it was going
to work or not and then it'sbeen updated, and so this is a
(51:13):
the title of this at the momentno-transcript.
Martyn Stewart (55:48):
I love the heartbeat and how you've used
that rough grouse.
That's amazing.
I love the entrance into theocean.
It's like two worlds.
You're going from one to thenext.
You've almost numbed.
Funnily enough, you'll probablybe surprised at that.
That's probably one of my mostfavorite series, is it?
(56:10):
It's almost like you've createdthat.
For me it's.
It's like this end of life andthen you're stifled and then
you're in this other zone thatyou just don't know about it.
Yeah, just brings a lot ofdifferent feelings and emotions
to me.
(56:30):
It's so powerful.
It is disorientating how you'vecreated that boom, the entrance
into the ocean itself.
You know, it's that other placewhere you're not expecting it.
You're listening to thesebeautiful ocean waves and then
suddenly you're immersed in it.
Yeah, and then there's thisother world that you ever been
(56:53):
in the ocean when it's dark yeah, I've been.
Peter Raeburn (56:57):
I've been deep under the ocean when it's dark,
it's frightening yeah, I got.
I went through like a big nightdiving phase.
I did it, I did it a lot and Iwas really into I can't, I would
never do it now.
No, I mean I couldn't, but Igot really into it.
I think that you know, ascomforting as nature is, she has
(57:17):
a darkness she's all powerfuland there's a darkness and
there's brutality and there's ayou know, and and like just
yesterday, I was at the beachwith my daughter and she was
swimming and I looked, I lookedup and she'd gone right out.
You know, and I know how theocean, you know, I've been
teaching my kids about how to um, how to read and listen to the
(57:41):
ocean and and what, and watchher and and, uh, you know, one
minute, you're safe and you gojust be on the break.
And you're not.
You're not safe.
And and I was talking about, Iwas talking about it with eilidh
yesterday and I was like youknow we always maintain that
humility, that humility andthat's.
It happens to all of us.
We don't know, we don't knowwhen it's going to happen, but
(58:04):
it happens to all of us and Ithink that you're right and
that's where and I, you know,and I really extended that
ending a lot, because you sentnew whale sounds, john, and
they're so incredible anddolphins, and that inspired a
whole lot of new work, um aswell, which was, and so I feel
like before it was just like anidea, that underwater scene, but
(58:25):
but now it's like a whole worldthat's a powerful piece that is
.
Martyn Stewart (58:30):
It's just that feeling of unknown.
You know this, just yeah, givesyou that kind of insecurity.
There's a there's a feeling ofit's not right.
You know it's, it's incredible,but it's it leaves you, it's
scary, it's scary you know whena film ends and you think, oh, I
didn't expect that ending.
It's that kind of it's thatkind of thing it's.
(58:52):
I think you could get very deepinto listening to something
like that.
You know, excuse the pun but,you, I think.
Peter Raeburn (59:03):
I think that's one of my favorite tracks so
this is the, the last, the lasttrack, track seven, um, and this
is in a way, the I guess it'sthe had thought about it until
now, until your reaction to thatpiece, but this is the antidote
, the duck leaf to the stingingnettle that was that piece, yeah
(59:25):
, um, and this has got yeah,this has got John and John and
Megan and um, some lovely SouthAfrican singers on it too, and,
yeah, I'm really pleased thispiece exists as well.
I feel like it.
It's the comfort that we alldeserve, um, as well, as you
(59:48):
know, and so I'm going to playyou a lullaby.
Speaker 3 (01:00:33):
Thank you, bye, lullaby, lullaby, lullaby.
(01:01:16):
Thank you ¶¶.
Thank you, thank you.
(01:03:53):
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh oh,
(01:04:52):
oh, thank you.
Martyn Stewart (01:04:52):
I have to say, the engineering of this, the
mixing of this, is quitespectacular.
You've done everything the wayI would have expected you to
have done.
You know that high quality justuntouchable.
It's amazing You've done.
(01:05:13):
Every single track finisheswith I want more.
You know, I want more.
I want to listen to it again.
I want to be part more.
I want part two, I want partthree, I want part four.
It's perfect for a lullaby, forthe ending and how you've
prolonged that end and it's justthat distance, and if you
(01:05:34):
didn't fall to sleep with that,there'd be something fucking
wrong with you.
It's spectacular, pete.
Peter Raeburn (01:05:42):
Well, it means the world to me that you feel
that that is the greatest.
It's unbelievable.
Martyn Stewart (01:05:47):
It's unbelievable and I can't wait to
listen to it without listeningto it through Zoom.
Peter Raeburn (01:05:55):
We're going to retitle them and send those over
to you today.
Martyn Stewart (01:05:59):
Wow, what an experience, what an absolute
experience.
On a plinth up here and you've,you've let us sit in the seat
in the throne of the universeand you've put all the
components that make nature sucha spectacular force and put the
(01:06:23):
sounds together justunbelievable.
Peter Raeburn (01:06:27):
Very humbled by you well, I'm very humbled by
you and by this project and youknow it's just a chance for me
to kind of thank you and for theopportunity, because wow, it's
such a, it's such a rare.
It's such a rare and you knowon, as you know, a kind of
serendipitous collaboration.
Martyn Stewart (01:06:49):
There's no ego about you.
You're very humble.
You listen to it.
You don't take plaudits, youdon't none of this.
Listen to me.
I want clapping and audiencebanging, drums and shit behind
you.
You just do it because you loveit and it shows.
I can see how it makes you feeland it's resonating through
(01:07:12):
every way.
The people who listen to thisalbum are going to want more and
more, you know, and you'regoing to say come on then, mate,
let's do another one.
I've seen the demise of theplanet, the natural world, the
animals, the critters, and thereare numbers out there that are
(01:07:36):
quoted to you all the time andyou kind of wonder is this a
conspiracy?
Is this part of this idea thatthe planet is warming up and
it's really cyclical, and thesedisbelievers?
But in 50 years I've recordedthese critters and gently, over
that time, the demise of dawnchoruses, have you know?
(01:07:59):
Dissipated critters have goneand now we have a million
species on the precipice of theendangered list, which is
unbelievable, from that timewhen I saw that Irish elk too,
and I've always wondered how canwe wake people up, how can we
(01:08:21):
get the environment?
Mother Nature is an importanttopic of conversation in some
way.
You know, instead of 13th orwhatever on someone's priority
list.
And I've always been shouting,I've always been trying to plant
seeds without preaching, andI've always wanted people to
(01:08:42):
stand up and listen to and tryand appreciate what we've
actually got.
And I think this record, thiscollaboration with music and
nature together, is a way Ibelieve we'll have that seed
germinate in a lot of people'sheads and minds and be proactive
(01:09:05):
in looking after what we dohave left, you know, and have a
celebration between people andnature.
I look at the destruction ofGaza in the Middle East and I
look at the troubles in theworld.
You see the wars between Russiaand Ukraine and stuff that's
(01:09:27):
going on in Africa, stuff that'sthreatened in the South Seas
and Asia and stuff, and nobodytalks about the animals and how
they're suffering.
I watch donkeys pulling cartsthat are, you know, emaciated,
no food, and we're talking aboutpeople starving.
(01:09:47):
We don't talk about nature.
In in a way that I think and Ithink working with you and
creating something beautiful andspectacular this way, maybe
some, some part of that willwake up our minds.
You know, man is behind everysingle problem, but man is also
(01:10:11):
the solution.
You've just experienced anotherjourney on the Listening Planet
podcast.
Dive deeper into the world ofnatural sounds by connecting
with us online.
Visit our website or follow uson social media.
Let the symphony of naturesurround you wherever you go.
(01:10:35):
Happy listening.
This is Martin Stewart with A Life in Sound
from the Listening Planet, inpartnership with Biophonica
Beats.
Peter Raeburn (00:15):
Probably it's good just to start with talking
about how I got to meet you,which is through sitting in a
meeting in London about a recordthat I made after a life-saving
brain surgery.
And I'm sitting with a lovelyman called Denzyl in London and
(00:37):
we're having a really peacefulconversation about the record
and I just delivered it and hesays to me do you want to stay
for the next meeting?
Which kind of sounded like themost Hollywood thing I'd ever
heard.
It was like you know, what doyou mean?
I'm not that spontaneous aperson.
I'm, musically I'm spontaneous,but not not necessarily with
(00:58):
like diaries and stuff.
So I left, I said I can't, I'vegot, I've got, I've got to go,
I've got to be somewhere else,which I did have to be somewhere
else.
And I got on my bike in Londonand cycled off and after about
10 seconds I'm like what, whatam I doing?
How do I know what I just saidI wasn't available for and I, um
(01:18):
, I called my studios and saiddo you really need me?
And everyone was like no, we'refine.
I was like oh, okay, so Icycled right back and it went
into the uh, the studio, where,where denzel was and and my seat
was still there, it was stilllike, still warm.
It was still warm and andinviting, and and the difference
(01:39):
was the room had filled up witha load of other people and one
of those people was, um, youknow the the amazing amanda, um,
and and she pitched um thisconcept, uh, about biophonica,
(02:00):
and as I looked at this slidethat she had it kind of I kind
of got all butterfly inside.
Martyn Stewart (02:09):
She's got a knack at doing that.
Peter Raeburn (02:13):
I got all butterfly like Because I just
I've always been obsessed withsound, but I've always been just
that tad more a musician, butI've, I've.
If I had two lives, I'd spendone only in sound.
(02:34):
You know, if I knew I had thosetwo lives, but but considering,
if I did, it probably wouldn'tbe looking and looking and
hearing like this, thankfully.
And so I I instantly connectedwith her and I'd heard about you
already.
I'd actually already heardabout you through Denzel and he
(02:54):
told me about what an amazingperson you were.
This was nothing to do withBiophonica, but I'd heard about
you and I slipped Denzel somemoney.
That's what it was, you slippedhim some cash, yeah, and, and I
never saw any of that cash.
Just so you know, I neverthought, okay, a red cent and
and um, and so I just kind ofand I called up john, who is in
(03:16):
this room with me.
Um, and he's been such anincredibly important part of
developing our work in biophonicand with you he's your twin
he's, my son is 20 years, um,and I said to john I think I
just walked out of a meetingthat could be the most exciting
project uh, we, we, we mightwork on um, and that's that's.
(03:39):
That's how I met you.
I didn't meet you yetpersonally, but that's how I met
you.
I didn't meet you yetpersonally, but that's how I
connected with you.
That's my side of the story.
And I and the next thing, I'm Iam testing the waters of this
idea of taking taking naturalsound.
I didn't yet feel worthy ofyour sounds, but I took some
(04:00):
other nature sounds and testedthat I wasn't full of shit and I
thought I could do somethinginteresting with this.
And then the next thing, Iremember I'm sharing it with you
, like I'm going to share thingswith you today and have been
sharing things with you thewhole way through this process.
And you know that's my side ofthe story.
Martyn Stewart (04:22):
I always believe in serendipity.
I always think there's a reasonfor so many things that happens
in your life.
And I remember the time when wemet on Zoom that first time and
you played some stuff and youhad someone else's sounds.
I think it was a song sparrowthat was singing away and it was
(04:45):
kind of cool and I thought,well, wow, this concept is just
brilliant.
You know, because I'm a guy wholoves music, I mean, music has
so many attachments to your life.
You know, you get married toyour favorite song, you grow up
with influences of musicians youreally like.
(05:09):
But my side of the pit really isthe natural sounds are the ones
that always kept me happy,because I knew everything was
doing tickety-boo.
You know, if you're in thewoods or if you're in the
hedgerows or if you're somewhereand there's something singing,
everything's happy.
And I think I had that kind offeeling all my life and I always
(05:32):
thought nature and music shouldbe separate, because you don't
mess around with the naturalsound.
She has her own rhythm, she hasher own way of playing, she
doesn't have to get into acertain key, she doesn't have to
tune up, she doesn't have to dothat stuff.
And I thought well, I hatedbasically piano music and ocean
(05:54):
sounds and piano music and rainand I didn't think that these
things could come together,except for just that, you know,
in a spa or in some you knowhairdressing saloon or whatever.
Peter Raeburn (06:10):
I completely agree with you.
Martyn Stewart (06:12):
What you did there's one thing that's
indelibly marked in my head,that and I said to you at the
time I remember when the Beatlescame out with Blackbird, and I
remember what Paul McCartneysaid that one night it was dusk
around his house and there was ablackbird singing outside and
(06:32):
he tried to find out what key itwas in and he started to jam
with his blackbird.
Well, I played a song, avocalisation, to you.
You turned on your seat and youwent straight to your keyboard
and you started playing thismelody in tune with the critter
that I'd sent you.
That knocked me out, that blewme apart.
(06:55):
It absolutely came to a pointwhere I had my own Blackbird
Paul McCartney experience rightthere.
But this is Peter Brayburndoing this stuff with his piano.
And then the rest is history.
Mate, you know, there's so manythings that touch your
heartstrings and I think you'vebeen able to change my mind with
(07:20):
music and natural sounds comingtogether, and I think you
really are the one that'sconvinced me that those two
things really work.
Peter Raeburn (07:32):
You know the whole story of the world going
wrong is, in my opinion, themoment where humanity thought
that they could control nature,as opposed to live within it and
I've always thought that theycould control nature as opposed
to live within it.
And I've always thought that andI, you know, I studied that at
university I was obsessed with,with the moment when it all went
(07:53):
wrong and and and I won't bringup all the details of that now
because it's very philosophicalbut I've always been and I don't
know we haven't really spokenabout this, but I was a, you
know, majored in environmentalphilosophy.
That was my, that was myconcern at university.
I don't know we haven't reallyspoken about this, but I was a,
you know, majored inenvironmental philosophy that
was my, that was my concern atuniversity.
I didn't know I was playing inback, I was playing in bands,
but I was.
I was studying environmentalphilosophy and and particularly
(08:14):
interested in the moment where,where it all, where it all
changed.
So and I'm fascinated by it andand I'm, uh, concerned about it
, and I always was, and it'sjust, this project has given me
the ability to bring that sideof my, of myself and my musical
(08:35):
self together in a way thatthere's never happened.
And you know, I, I, I don'thave any hobbies, apart from
maybe, you know, being by theocean.
You wouldn't really call that ahobby, it's more of a survival
technique.
But I don't have hobbiesbecause music is, is my whole
kind of life.
I have things that I'm obsessedwith.
I'm obsessed with my family,I'm obsessed with, you know,
(08:58):
lots of things, but I don't havea hobby like a lot of people
have.
And when I got to to work withyour sounds, it felt as close to
a hobby as I've ever had.
In other words, it's been so fun, it's like I could imagine.
This is how people feel whenthey go into their sheds and
they build you know, I don'tknow shells or fucking
(09:18):
fireplaces, whatever they buildI don't know what they do or
play with their train sets orjust anything, anything would
work, something with their hands, probably, um, but just
something very basic andpre-civil, like more
pre-civilizations, like that.
And I think that this has beenan opportunity for me to connect
in a totally in a way thatmusic is kind of intravenous, um
(09:42):
, so is, so are the, so are yoursounds, and your sounds are not
ordinary sounds, and I do speakfrom a little bit of experience
, because I've, you know, as youknow, mixed a lot of films and
and have a lot of experienceworking with sound.
But there's something about theway your, you record and curate
sounds.
This whole process has beensuch a joy and so, you know, I
(10:05):
just trusted in the process.
So you would send something tojohn, it would find its way into
um, into my ears, and it wouldbe like this most natural
process, um, and anyway, I'mjust so grateful for the, for
the experience, I think, thinkyou're a genius mate, and you
know I don't use that lightly.
Martyn Stewart (10:27):
I think what you do musically and to be able to
combine that with all thecritters that I've recorded, I
mean I could just pull somethingout of the archive, think, okay
, there's a melody there orthere's something, or maybe a
bass note or a percussion orwoodpecker banging away and you
(10:50):
chuck it into a track and thenbang.
You know it comes back and I'venever experienced something as
beautiful as sitting live insome studio listening to the
theme music to a Disney film.
Being born like that, becausethat's how your stuff makes me
(11:12):
feel.
You make me feel like the hairson the back of my neck stand up
and emotions Natural sounds.
To me is a world where there'sbeautiful melodies but nobody's
listening to them, nobody hearsthem, they're blanketed out.
(11:34):
People walk in nature withearbuds in listening to music or
you know what is there at theend of the trail?
Is it worth going down thistrack?
You know they don't seeanything unless they encounter
like I've been out in naturerecording stuff with a parabolic
dish pointing up and someone'soblivious to everything that's
(11:55):
going around.
But as soon as they see you,they want to know what you.
Oh, there's a bird in the treeWow, and they're oblivious to it
beforehand.
Tree Wow, and they're obliviousto it beforehand.
So nature hasn't had this voice.
As far as I'm concerned, thatpeople turn their heads and say
isn't that gorgeous If they did?
(12:16):
This is the reason why nature'sbeing pillaged at the moment,
and what you're doing with your,your sound, your music and
marrying it together andamalgamating this thing, is
giving nature this beautifulvoice again, because I know when
this, when this is all released, someone's going to say, wow,
(12:40):
you know what are those soundsaccompanying that, the pitch.
With each one, they complementsomething just beautiful.
It's like a marriage made inheaven.
Peter Raeburn (12:50):
So what you're doing and this is the thing that
makes me feel elated the mostis that you're saying to nature
I'm going to give you a helpinghand so that people can
appreciate you a lot more, andthat's what you're doing, and
that's what you have done, andthat's what you've done to me
anyway I think, I think that thethe as I, as I've been working
(13:14):
with you, with our, with ourvery, very amazing team of
amanda and john um, obviouslythe team has grown through the
recording process as well andthe mixing process as well now,
but as I've gone through it,I've realised that it's all
about trying to not justacknowledge but honour that all
(13:36):
the melodies, all the feelingsare there already and that she's
offering those up to us all day, every day.
And I think that this idea ofliving, you know, of living with
respect to nature and we cansay either living in nature or
within nature or in harmony withand I think what we're doing on
(14:00):
this project is is is honoringthrough, through a kind of
loving and really fun process,that that we, we can, we can and
must be in harmony with natureand giving nature a platform
giving nature a platform and andalso giving people access to
connect, which which is which isreally what.
(14:22):
What matters in the world is thecrazier the planet gets, the
more dangerous the world gets,the more we have to find a way
of accessing nature within us.
And so I think that, as we knowbut I'm going to just it is a
journey from babyhood to sleepand it's a really short record.
(14:49):
It's not a which I'm really.
I love how.
I love its length, like 28 orso minutes.
I think it's that kind oflength.
It feels really, it feelsreally efficient in that way.
We're calling it this record,we Are by Funika and I think
that's such a brilliant name.
Martyn Stewart (15:07):
I do too.
Peter Raeburn (15:07):
Because immediately it just places us
all within nature, all of us,everyone we are.
It's not a question, it's astatement, it's not asking
permission.
Martyn Stewart (15:21):
It's a real statement.
Peter Raeburn (15:23):
This is all of us .
Permission, it's a realstatement.
It is this, this is all of us,and I think the, the other thing
about um, about the, the ideathat this is amanda and I always
love this term scored by nature, it's like the nature is is the
, is the greatest um harmonist,is the greatest composer, is the
(15:44):
greatest artist.
You know all of it and I thinkthat's that's.
Before sharing the music withyou, I mean you, you know, in
this form, I think it's reallyimportant to say that you know
there's no room for egos in innature, at least not human egos.
Of course there's.
There's natural um, everythinghappens in its right place, but
(16:05):
there's no question that theprimary artist on this record is
Mother Nature and that is howit should be.
It's how it should have alwaysbeen.
And then when I accept that andcelebrate that it really has
freed me so much to be able tobe in this incredibly
(16:25):
improvisational place andfeeling connected, I think
that's when the best workhappens, is when we're not
really thinking about it, but weare in the flow.
Martyn Stewart (16:39):
If you change ego to eco, it sounds better,
doesn't it?
Yeah?
Peter Raeburn (16:43):
Yeah, the ecosystem, exactly the ecosystem
is what's got us into ecosystem, exactly the ecosystem's what's
got us into trouble and theecosystem's what's going to save
us okay so, so we're going tostart with, um, with, listen to
baby.
I think I might just run this,uh, if it's okay, but you can
stop me anytime, but I might runa couple of minutes here and
just just go from, but maybeplay the first track into the
(17:04):
second track.
Um, so we're gonna go from babyto school, um, and what I?
What I decided, martin, is thatbecause each, each track has,
you know it, because of thestory, I wanted to give space,
uh, between the tracks a littlebit, so that when people listen
to this as a whole, it's not onething, it's actually seven
things and and it would havebeen very easy to just cross
(17:27):
crossfade everything, but thatdidn't feel right, um, in terms
of giving every, every chapterit's it's right space.
So let us have a little listenand make a start.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
The End Thank you.
Martyn Stewart (18:45):
I love that fly at the end.
I love the fly, I love theeffect you balance that, thank
(19:32):
you.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
1, 2, 3, 4.
Thank you.
The engineering in this issuperb.
Martyn Stewart (20:52):
I mean, I know I'm listening to it over a Zoom
program, but you get the idea.
The spatial effect is fantastic.
The rhythms, the melodies,everything beaten together is
just tremendous.
Peter Raeburn (21:09):
Well, you know, the school ones were talking
about for me because that was a,that was an idea I remember you
talking about.
It'll be just conceptually.
You're like we should talk, weshould do a school, school and
learning.
You called it it's now justcalled school for the record but
school, school and learning.
And then you sent through to usall these learning critters who
(21:31):
were all at that stage of theirlives, and what was interesting
about when I listened back tothis, it makes learning so much
fun.
You know, I've got a kid withwith, uh, pretty severe learning
differences and I actuallythink I had quite a lot when I
was well, I know I had quite alot, but you know it was england
, it was the 80s, you know.
So let's let's be honest, therewasn't a lot of investigation
(21:52):
at that time, you know, as tothese things, but so it was
really hard for me.
Uh, learning actually and and Ithink this piece is is with
your crit critters, as you callthem, and and with this music,
it feels like, actually, mathscould be like that.
You know, learning about naturecould be like that.
It doesn't have to be sopainful, it can be interesting.
Martyn Stewart (22:14):
The times when you spend in the sandpit, you
know, when you're six and sevenand you're learning about all
kinds of things, wonderfulfeelings, and you have that
dopamine release when you getexcited and the first time you
realise you can kick a ballaround and things it is.
It's quite incredible to listento that.
(22:35):
There's no way you wouldn't geta feel-good factor if you sat
down and listened to this stuff.
It makes you feel really goodand it kind of takes you back to
that boyhood kind of time whereeverything is just wonderful,
you know and we're learningevery day.
Peter Raeburn (22:51):
I'm learning right now, just talking with you
, and I think that that this isa this is what I love about
about the stages of life, thatwe're still children, we're
still learning and we're stillall those ages all at once.
It's just that we are.
We have a different perspective.
Does school feel like the rightname for it Should be nature's
classroom, school and learning.
Martyn Stewart (23:12):
How do you feel about the title?
I think you have to combinenature with school, and the
reason why I say this, peter, isbecause is it really learning
to a point?
Do we really learn?
As humans itself, we keepmaking these mistakes.
Nature teaches us basicallywhat to do.
(23:33):
If you go into what aboutnature?
Peter Raeburn (23:35):
what about nature's classroom?
Martyn Stewart (23:36):
nature's classroom is is fantastic
because nature is given anexample.
I think moving forward, I Ithink it's a far better thing
than just school done, and so itshall be, that's wonderful.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
Hmm.
Martyn Stewart (25:19):
Thank you, thank you.
(26:00):
I think I've explained how muchthat makes me feel in the past.
That puts me on the plainswatching the wildebeest.
It can put me anywhere really.
I mean Arctic National WildlifeRefuge, the migration of
caribou going through, and thatbeautiful thing of life and
(26:21):
spring and just expectations,just everything just comes
together and just booms, youknow, like fungi.
When it gets to a point whereit just booms and off go all the
spores, it's magnificent, thatis.
Peter Raeburn (26:41):
That needs to have something done, just
magical.
Martyn Stewart (26:48):
That's beyond words, that one.
I can't even describe how thatmakes me feel.
My my arms feel like they don'tbelong to me.
My heart beats and I shouldn'thave it beaten the way it is at
the moment.
Um, it's, it's fabulous.
It gives hope, it gives, itgives expectations.
Is that growing?
(27:10):
Is that what you said?
The title of that?
Peter Raeburn (27:12):
yeah, but we can call it.
We can call it.
We can call it.
Now's our time, now's ourchance to call these whatever
feels right.
It doesn't have to just becalled great expectations that,
to me, that I'm expecting it's.
Martyn Stewart (27:23):
It's almost like that, that precursor to
something that's just going to.
Curtains are going to open andthe best thing ever is going to
be on the stage.
You know, I love that, peter, Ilove that and that's had our
South African amazing.
Peter Raeburn (27:42):
South African choir singing on it it's got the
London strings and the CapeTown choir, obviously, just to
say that everything you'rehearing is now mastered as well
as mixed.
Martyn Stewart (27:51):
So it's gone through a lot of processing.
It's just absolutely magical.
Peter Raeburn (27:57):
Africa.
You know the last track we didtogether, the most recent one,
and I'm so, so, so pleased thispiece of music, this piece of
work has has um, has made itonto onto this record.
It felt really, it felt reallyincomplete without it and I
(28:17):
can't explain why this means somuch to me.
I can just say that I was bornon the southern tip of um of
africa.
Uh, at a horrific time in theworld to be associated with that
place, um, but it's always thatyou know the tradition of of,
(28:39):
of different south and differentkinds of african um music and
rhythms and voices have alwaysbeen um have meant everything to
me.
I have a theory of why that is.
I think that there was a, well,there was a woman called
Caroline who worked with myfamily and she died a few years
(29:02):
ago and she was the most warm,beautiful person imaginable and
I have physical memories of herholding me as a baby, as a child
, and I went back to SouthAfrica very regularly to see her
and she stayed once apartheidhad thankfully collapsed, she
(29:27):
stayed as close to the family asever.
I'm really proud of the role myfamily played in the collapse
of apartheid, may I say.
But Caroline, her warmth, herphysical warmth holding me as a
(29:48):
baby.
It's the, it's the temperature.
I think this piece of work hasthe temperature of her in it and
I hadn't thought about it tillnow.
Also, my beloved mum, um, alwaysplayed me music from south
africa, where she was born andbred, and um, and then and then,
when denzel mentioned this ideaabout Africa, it was his idea
(30:11):
and then, you know, I think ittook you about an hour from then
, or two hours, to send throughto us just the most amazing
selection of sounds, of naturalsounds, be they critters, of
sounds of natural sounds, bethey critters, be they, you know
(30:32):
, very big beasts to sounds,atmos is, and environmental
weather, environmentalexplosions, and this was the one
which it was like.
I just, I just I just grabbedthe mic and started singing
(30:55):
along this one and then it just,it wrote itself from there and
uh, yeah, the um, the percussionand the and the.
It's been tricky to mix thisone um, but I feel we got to a
good place, otherwise I wouldn'tdream of sharing it with you.
So this is simply called Africa.
Again, if that feels good to you, it feels good to me, but see
what you think when you hear it,here we go no-transcript in the
(37:50):
end that solitary.
Martyn Stewart (37:53):
You know the last word.
I love that.
It makes you feel like that,doesn't?
It makes me feel insignificant,makes me feel like so vast and
beautiful I don't know what tosay, mate.
(38:13):
Africa yes, for sure you shouldcall that Africa.
Without a shadow of a doubt.
That is stunning.
You know there's so many things.
I suppose when you listen tothat a few times you hear
something different.
I never for one minute, when Irecorded all those sounds,
(38:40):
thought it would all cometogether as a collection of
music.
Never, never in the reign ofpigs pudding, did I ever think
you know, something like thatwould come from that.
And you've turned it on itshead and you've done.
It's unbelievable, peter.
It's unbelievable.
Peter Raeburn (39:01):
I mean that piece just, it just means.
I mean I can't explain how muchit means.
Martyn Stewart (39:08):
No, I understand , I completely get it.
Peter Raeburn (39:10):
It's not just personal reasons, it's just that
we all know that no continentin the world has been as ravaged
as that one.
In my opinion, you know what Imean.
It's just it's so.
It's so particular and it isthe most powerful.
It's so particular and it isthe most powerful, I don't know,
and that's why, like and andjust and and just, sort of
(39:31):
purely like weird level, likegetting a hippo and a closet
click to be the drums, you know,and the and the lion, it's like
.
That feels like a good, that'sa drum, that's a good drummer,
you know, you get a hippo and alion and a and a group of people
and they're, they're all makinga beat together.
This started life as a frenchhorn and then I thought it
(39:51):
doesn't feel right to have afrench horn.
It felt a bit colonial.
So I changed it to a kudu, akudu horn.
That's what that is.
A kudu horn.
That's just an animal horn wowwhich feels much.
You know that was an interestingchange there that that happened
through and then, yeah, it'sthis.
Martyn Stewart (40:18):
I love the beat because these little things you
know those hyenas yeah, it's afun I remember doing those
hyenas in in um, namibia, on theskeleton coast, wow, and it was
dark and they were talking toeach other and there was this
(40:41):
vast desert and I said to theguy that we were up there
filming the seal clubbing thatwas going on on the skeleton
coast and I said guys, pleasejust do one thing shut the fuck
up.
I want to record this, and theywere chatting with each other
for maybe half an hour, so youcan imagine what that
(41:05):
conversation was.
Peter Raeburn (41:06):
You know with them yeah, and you probably
something along the lines ofstop clubbing the seals.
The hyenas are so, so key.
You know, I I spent many yearstraveling around different parts
of africa, um, and working withand and recording people, but
not recording sounds, although Idid record sounds as well, but
(41:27):
working with people and makingmusic with them in Madagascar
and in when did I go?
I went to lots of places, notnearly as many as you, but I
went to, well, obviously, allaround South Africa.
A small place in East Africanext to Tanzania, zanzibar, and
islands around Zanzibar.
Martyn Stewart (41:46):
I was obsessed with that place the changes in
Africa is huge and I think, inso many years to come, an album
and sounds like this, you'renever going to be able to make
the same kind of somethingsimilar to this, because the
animals are leaving.
They're gone.
You know soundscapes havechanged.
(42:07):
Yes, yes, you just can't havethe opportunities that I had and
I'm very grateful for beingable to get into these
situations and positions to goand record them.
But that brings so many things,so many feelings, so many
senses to it.
It has to be called africa,peter that's what we're going to
(42:28):
call it.
Peter Raeburn (42:29):
So the next one, um, it was called nature's voice
.
And then in the, in the, in themixing process, uh, mixing with
this amazing guy I actuallyhave got a message from him for
you a wonderful man called markmark rankin.
He mixed this with us and hedid a beautiful, beautiful job.
I was really lucky because helives out here, but he was in
(42:50):
London the same time as I was,so we sat together and listened
to everything and just took amoment to kind of appreciate
what had been done, and then Iwent back and looked at a few
new things once I listened to itwith his ears.
So it was really amazing tojust sit with him.
And because a lot, of, a lot ofthe work has been about
protecting this relationshipbetween music and nature, it can
(43:14):
suddenly disappear, you can,suddenly it's so.
It's just one one move to theleft or the right and suddenly
the music's drowning nature, um,or you can't hear the music.
There's such a delicate harmonyactually.
So this one is, um, is calledmama's voice at the moment.
Um, I'm very open to that.
This is what it obviouslyreferring to mother nature.
(43:37):
So mama's voice is this thisalso had benefited from um, from
the recordings in cape town,this beautiful group, beautiful
group of women singing.
There was men as well, obviously, in the last track we had a lot
, and this features Megan Wyler,my wife.
You know she sings the lead inthis and she's done this record.
(43:58):
Her and John are singing onNature's Classroom.
We're calling it now Ah John,ah.
John is all over this record.
He an amazing singer and he'ssinging.
Oh yeah, he's singing all over.
He sings everywhere I canpossibly get a microphone in
front of him.
Uh, yeah, he's.
He's a brilliant singer, um,and so this is, this is mama's
(44:21):
voice, thank you.
Speaker 3 (44:29):
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,
(45:33):
ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,
ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,
ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,
ah, ah ah.
I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, II no-transcript.
Martyn Stewart (49:04):
I love the.
There's so many critters therethat from all parts of the world
you know, it's not just onebiome or one continent.
I I could hear.
It was confusing at firstbecause I think, my god, there's
a screaming pier in there,there's a whip bird, there's the
great go away bird and they'reall kind of all down in the
(49:27):
lower continent and it's thatchorus is just divine.
I feel like someone shot me andI've just come out of hospital
and I'm still under theanesthetic do you like, um,
mama's voice.
Peter Raeburn (49:45):
I did think of another name when I was looking
at you, listening to that whichwas mama's cry, or something a
bit more um, because it feelslike, of all the pieces on the
on the record, that's the piecewhich has, um, it's almost like
a bit more of a warning or a bitmore of feeling, feeling the
pain, I like like cry betterthan voice.
(50:05):
Mama's cry.
Martyn Stewart (50:08):
I like mama's cry.
Peter Raeburn (50:10):
Yeah, I was a bit worried about that thing at the
ending, but I'm glad you likeit, I feel that also.
Martyn Stewart (50:13):
No, I like it.
Peter Raeburn (50:14):
I like it, it's got something to do with the
resonance of the effect we haveon the planet, the effect we
have on each other.
I think you know, at the end ofthese tracks sometimes you hear
a little vocal that feels likethe kind of almost like the
muscle memory, nature's musclememory of what happened in her,
and I feel like there'ssomething trying to tune into
some of that stuff.
Martyn Stewart (50:32):
The Africa track .
You know that with the dove atthe end, just the soul song.
It's just perfect, yeah,instead of those endings that
are sudden.
Peter Raeburn (50:44):
Yeah.
Martyn Stewart (50:45):
It kind of gives you that feeling like I'm on
the dock and the ship's goingaway.
You know, see you later.
Peter Raeburn (50:51):
The dove is a very important part of this, um,
this collection of work, youknow for sure.
Um.
So the next one is I think thisis the first kind of test I did
uh to try and see whether itwas going to work it was going
to work or not and then it'sbeen updated, and so this is a
(51:13):
the title of this at the momentno-transcript.
Martyn Stewart (55:48):
I love the heartbeat and how you've used
that rough grouse.
That's amazing.
I love the entrance into theocean.
It's like two worlds.
You're going from one to thenext.
You've almost numbed.
Funnily enough, you'll probablybe surprised at that.
That's probably one of my mostfavorite series, is it?
(56:10):
It's almost like you've createdthat.
For me it's.
It's like this end of life andthen you're stifled and then
you're in this other zone thatyou just don't know about it.
Yeah, just brings a lot ofdifferent feelings and emotions
to me.
(56:30):
It's so powerful.
It is disorientating how you'vecreated that boom, the entrance
into the ocean itself.
You know, it's that other placewhere you're not expecting it.
You're listening to thesebeautiful ocean waves and then
suddenly you're immersed in it.
Yeah, and then there's thisother world that you ever been
(56:53):
in the ocean when it's dark yeah, I've been.
Peter Raeburn (56:57):
I've been deep under the ocean when it's dark,
it's frightening yeah, I got.
I went through like a big nightdiving phase.
I did it, I did it a lot and Iwas really into I can't, I would
never do it now.
No, I mean I couldn't, but Igot really into it.
I think that you know, ascomforting as nature is, she has
(57:17):
a darkness she's all powerfuland there's a darkness and
there's brutality and there's ayou know, and and like just
yesterday, I was at the beachwith my daughter and she was
swimming and I looked, I lookedup and she'd gone right out.
You know, and I know how theocean, you know, I've been
teaching my kids about how to um, how to read and listen to the
(57:41):
ocean and and what, and watchher and and, uh, you know, one
minute, you're safe and you gojust be on the break.
And you're not.
You're not safe.
And and I was talking about, Iwas talking about it with eilidh
yesterday and I was like youknow we always maintain that
humility, that humility andthat's.
It happens to all of us.
We don't know, we don't knowwhen it's going to happen, but
(58:04):
it happens to all of us and Ithink that you're right and
that's where and I, you know,and I really extended that
ending a lot, because you sentnew whale sounds, john, and
they're so incredible anddolphins, and that inspired a
whole lot of new work, um aswell, which was, and so I feel
like before it was just like anidea, that underwater scene, but
(58:25):
but now it's like a whole worldthat's a powerful piece that is
.
Martyn Stewart (58:30):
It's just that feeling of unknown.
You know this, just yeah, givesyou that kind of insecurity.
There's a there's a feeling ofit's not right.
You know it's, it's incredible,but it's it leaves you, it's
scary, it's scary you know whena film ends and you think, oh, I
didn't expect that ending.
It's that kind of it's thatkind of thing it's.
(58:52):
I think you could get very deepinto listening to something
like that.
You know, excuse the pun but,you, I think.
Peter Raeburn (59:03):
I think that's one of my favorite tracks so
this is the, the last, the lasttrack, track seven, um, and this
is in a way, the I guess it'sthe had thought about it until
now, until your reaction to thatpiece, but this is the antidote
, the duck leaf to the stingingnettle that was that piece, yeah
(59:25):
, um, and this has got yeah,this has got John and John and
Megan and um, some lovely SouthAfrican singers on it too, and,
yeah, I'm really pleased thispiece exists as well.
I feel like it.
It's the comfort that we alldeserve, um, as well, as you
(59:48):
know, and so I'm going to playyou a lullaby.
Speaker 3 (01:00:33):
Thank you, bye, lullaby, lullaby, lullaby.
(01:01:16):
Thank you ¶¶.
Thank you, thank you.
(01:03:53):
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh oh,
(01:04:52):
oh, thank you.
Martyn Stewart (01:04:52):
I have to say, the engineering of this, the
mixing of this, is quitespectacular.
You've done everything the wayI would have expected you to
have done.
You know that high quality justuntouchable.
It's amazing You've done.
(01:05:13):
Every single track finisheswith I want more.
You know, I want more.
I want to listen to it again.
I want to be part more.
I want part two, I want partthree, I want part four.
It's perfect for a lullaby, forthe ending and how you've
prolonged that end and it's justthat distance, and if you
(01:05:34):
didn't fall to sleep with that,there'd be something fucking
wrong with you.
It's spectacular, pete.
Peter Raeburn (01:05:42):
Well, it means the world to me that you feel
that that is the greatest.
It's unbelievable.
Martyn Stewart (01:05:47):
It's unbelievable and I can't wait to
listen to it without listeningto it through Zoom.
Peter Raeburn (01:05:55):
We're going to retitle them and send those over
to you today.
Martyn Stewart (01:05:59):
Wow, what an experience, what an absolute
experience.
On a plinth up here and you've,you've let us sit in the seat
in the throne of the universeand you've put all the
components that make nature sucha spectacular force and put the
(01:06:23):
sounds together justunbelievable.
Peter Raeburn (01:06:27):
Very humbled by you well, I'm very humbled by
you and by this project and youknow it's just a chance for me
to kind of thank you and for theopportunity, because wow, it's
such a, it's such a rare.
It's such a rare and you knowon, as you know, a kind of
serendipitous collaboration.
Martyn Stewart (01:06:49):
There's no ego about you.
You're very humble.
You listen to it.
You don't take plaudits, youdon't none of this.
Listen to me.
I want clapping and audiencebanging, drums and shit behind
you.
You just do it because you loveit and it shows.
I can see how it makes you feeland it's resonating through
(01:07:12):
every way.
The people who listen to thisalbum are going to want more and
more, you know, and you'regoing to say come on then, mate,
let's do another one.
I've seen the demise of theplanet, the natural world, the
animals, the critters, and thereare numbers out there that are
(01:07:36):
quoted to you all the time andyou kind of wonder is this a
conspiracy?
Is this part of this idea thatthe planet is warming up and
it's really cyclical, and thesedisbelievers?
But in 50 years I've recordedthese critters and gently, over
that time, the demise of dawnchoruses, have you know?
(01:07:59):
Dissipated critters have goneand now we have a million
species on the precipice of theendangered list, which is
unbelievable, from that timewhen I saw that Irish elk too,
and I've always wondered how canwe wake people up, how can we
(01:08:21):
get the environment?
Mother Nature is an importanttopic of conversation in some
way.
You know, instead of 13th orwhatever on someone's priority
list.
And I've always been shouting,I've always been trying to plant
seeds without preaching, andI've always wanted people to
(01:08:42):
stand up and listen to and tryand appreciate what we've
actually got.
And I think this record, thiscollaboration with music and
nature together, is a way Ibelieve we'll have that seed
germinate in a lot of people'sheads and minds and be proactive
(01:09:05):
in looking after what we dohave left, you know, and have a
celebration between people andnature.
I look at the destruction ofGaza in the Middle East and I
look at the troubles in theworld.
You see the wars between Russiaand Ukraine and stuff that's
(01:09:27):
going on in Africa, stuff that'sthreatened in the South Seas
and Asia and stuff, and nobodytalks about the animals and how
they're suffering.
I watch donkeys pulling cartsthat are, you know, emaciated,
no food, and we're talking aboutpeople starving.
(01:09:47):
We don't talk about nature.
In in a way that I think and Ithink working with you and
creating something beautiful andspectacular this way, maybe
some, some part of that willwake up our minds.
You know, man is behind everysingle problem, but man is also
(01:10:11):
the solution.
You've just experienced anotherjourney on the Listening Planet
podcast.
Dive deeper into the world ofnatural sounds by connecting
with us online.
Visit our website or follow uson social media.
Let the symphony of naturesurround you wherever you go.
(01:10:35):
Happy listening.
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