Marinos Koutsomichalis — Peripatetic

Peripatetic is the most recent project by composer and sound artist Marinos Koutsomichalis.  Here we find a field recording of the daily life in a city.  The cities used were Berlin, York, Leeds, Liverpool, Amsterdam, Athens, Vienna, Brussels, London, Gent and Antwerp.  All were recorded with simple means and sparse editing.

To begin let’s uncover what Peripatetic means.  Peripatetic relates to the philosophy of Aristotle, who while walking about, gave lectures to his students.  It also means “traveling from place to place, especially working in several establishments and traveling between them (Encarta Dictionary)”.  This gives us a small background to the ideas used herein. 

Here we have one track (to label it a song is a stretch) and within that track we have all the sounds of the above mentioned cities.  With that said while listening to it, it does feel like one is taking a meandering walk through a city.  All the sounds are there: traffic, sirens, birds, dogs, conversation, weather, construction and transportation.  Koutsomichalis is able to present us with the subtle rhythm and “music” of the everyday sounds we hear.

This is a unique study in the composition of the sounds we listen to daily.  There is virtually no music, only what was recorded in the background during the actual field recordings.  The ideas and theory behind the project are imaginative and thoughtful.  It seems to be a work destined for headphones (or a wonderful sound system). 

At times it feels like the piece would be more appropriate and understandable as a sound installation.  The question does need to be asked if the listener is willing to sit through and experience the sounds of the city for 44 minutes.  While original and artistic, it may be a somewhat out of grasp for the casual listener.